Mooloo's Joining up the dots in 2017

Savvy_sewing

Nightmares! I woke several times and slept fitfully with bad dreams, weird dreams and finally woke from a nightmare at 5.50am so I decided to listen to a hypnosis download rather then go back to sleep, although I am not sure if I nodded off or was just in the zone so to speak.
I am going to have to get moving soon as I left the front room in a mess last night.
I may be organising at work but at home I am slipping into slovenly ways. So today is dgd2's 6th Birthday. I give them all SIlver coins these days, but I have not been able to purchase more lately so I will have to use my stash this time. I will start to get more later in the year after I have rebuilt my emergency funds and finished paying for my dental work.
Perhaps I will need to focus on attracting money, and look at reserecting some old style money making challenges as the first 5 months of the year have been quite a drain on my savings and resources.
While texting BF about finding time for a mini break when dgd goes to her Mum, we chatted about my being busy, and wanting to keep it up so I can afford my seamstress and keep her. One of the things he suggested was making cushions from favourite clothes etc, and from school tea towels.
I think he regrets that they used the tea towels from his kids school days.
Anyway I certainly can make all sorts of things as many of you have suggested over the years, however it's not the making that's the problem itvis selling them for a profit. Allowing for time and materials makes homemade items expensive if you want to cover your costs properly and they need great marketing. I would need to compete with the hobby sewer who doesn't have to run a shop, and maybe only covers the cost of the materials.
I would love to make a range of clothes for children as many dressmaker wants to do.
Time will tell.
But what ever I do I need to learn more about marketing, advertising and finding out what the trends are. I need to get more research time. So I need to get home organised so I feel less swamped with life and free time to study.
So many ideas for me to think about and to get my energy level right.
For now I better get up and start with my sitting room!

Savvy_sewing

Just saw the news about Manchester suicide bombing.
I will be keeping them in my thoughts and heart.
My problems are so insignificant.
I hope you are all safe x

Savvy_sewing

Sewed through my finger nail and out through the front of my finger pad. I am lucky that the needle broke at an angle and didn't stay in my finger, or hit bone. But I will probably loose part of the nail and get a black finger at some point!
That was at the beginning of the day. In 47 years of sewing I have never done that and I am always telling others about being careful!
Then I had a problem paying in funds at the bank! I thought it is going to be one of those days and then reminded myself that actually it doesn't have to be. But I did not work as well as I could.
Dgd has had her eye test and needs glasses, so that was only partially funded by NHS and as she is clumsy I have ordered two pairs as I just know how many times the twins used to break their glasses!!!
I am going to put dinner in the oven, put my feet up and do very little today. I did think I should cut the lawn, but knowing my luck I might cut through the wire, or chop off my toes so maybe not today.

Savvy_sewing

Just found out that there is an alterations place in Banbury that is also 5 Market Place as is my shop, they are called stitches. My first sewing business 25 years ago was called In stitches which a lady in Buckingham now calls herself. My feelings are I am glad I am unique in calling my business my user name from here.
I just hope that we don't get mixed up as the review I saw on their site wasn't all brilliant

Savvy_sewing

DS locked himself out of the car last night and had to borrow £130 to pay breakdown people as they can't find him on the system.
I am not thrilled about it. But felt I had to as it was so late at night.

grandma247

Mooloo specsavers and some of the other big chains do 2 pairs of childrens glasses free. My teen got them a couple of years ago but may have to pay this time.

Savvy_sewing

Had a few fittings before I went to Mum's. The weather was lovely so we met DS and had lunch in the garden of a local pub. Visited Biggest briefly to give dgd2 birthday money. Back to collect dgd from school and then cut the lawn. It took me ages in the heat. I have sunburn on my shoulders.
Oh well!
Been searching the web and wasting my evening away looking for places for DS to live as he can't always stay in the pub. But I am not sure he will be able to afford anything around here.
I am tired now so I am going to bed. Bf is not going to be here much before 10pm so I am not waiting up for him. Surprised he is coming tonight at all.
Oh well.

Feral_Moon

Hope your finger is better today! When I was a young girl - primary school age, so only around 8/9 years old - I did the very same as you and had a sewing machine needle go straight through my finger! I still remember it to this day and it has made me rather wary of using them ever since.

Savvy_sewing

Feral_Moon wrote: »

Hope your finger is better today! When I was a young girl - primary school age, so only around 8/9 years old - I did the very same as you and had a sewing machine needle go straight through my finger! I still remember it to this day and it has made me rather wary of using them ever since.

There was a girl in my boarding school who was sitting next to me who did exactly that. I had to unscrew the needle from the machine to get her finger out. Can't remember why the nun didn't do it? Think we were 11

Savvy_sewing

My finger is much better, Thankyou.
Yesterday I was on a speed awareness course as I was caught by a mobile camera doing 35 in a 30 zone in Apr when we were going on holiday. I actually found it very very interesting and it was not as awful as people say. Not that I can remember the statistics but I hope that I will now understand some of the information that I see around me more. Like the reasons for some of the signs, etc. However the sad fact is that the more signage, paint on the road etc is reactionary and not preemptively added, so if there is a lot of signs, markings on the road etc there will have been serious accidents first!!
Anyway my morning was busy doing odd jobs at work and setting up the staff work and the afternoon the course. In the evening Dgd had a school disco so we had a late chicken salad for tea around 8 o'clock. Bf had brought his bike with him, so he went out for a long bike ride.
I watched some catch-up tv and moved the washing in, and then we booked a basic cheap holiday for bf and I, for my birthday. Ryanair flights and a room only 3 star place. Bf paid for the flight and I paid for the room. I was able to pay with my debit card after shuffling some money out of my holiday fund pot as it was only £380 for two for a week in July.
Back to Portugal. I can do this now I have a seamstress in the shop, and before staff retires at the end of the month. I also decided that I would spend my money on me rather than giving it to my family in dribs and drabs! I realise that this may go against the grain for some people who follow me on here, but for me it is a step forward to my dreams of living in Portugal. The more I can get there, the better.
We did look at a holiday in the Uk but it was much more expensive. Bonus was that BF was the one who chose Portugal over anywhere else.
So I have first Biggest wedding at the end of June and then my birthday aat the tail end of July. Then the family holiday with Dgd in August.
I have budgeted, and I am confident that I will be able to afford it .
The business is still coming in at the moment, the campervan covers etc was all finished yesterday and collected and paid for on the card machine, so we took over £700 yesterday. I didn't do the figures for this week yet. But I am hoping that we will hit target of £1070.
Of course my costs have gone up by £360 for seamstress this week. But it should settle down to about £210 a week next week.
We are still getting new customers and new wedding party bookings for bride and bridesmaids.
I have had my cuppa, bf was up and out in 5 minutes as he forgot to set his
alarm. So he jumped when my alarm went off!
Time to put first foot forward and meet my day. I am looking forward to the next stage of my journey with optimism and enthusiasm for my ever growing little business. We are planning to add some more dressmaking into the mix now that there are two of us, and that I believe my seamstress is capable too.
Might practice with my suit for the wedding first, and then slot in some samples that we can put in the window.
All I must do is keep my eye on the costs versus the income and cash flow.