A Weighty Problem!!

Hello All

Another long time since my last post!! Been very busy in my day job, so this has taken a back seat somewhat.

I have however been continuing my progress towards completing the website. This month's project has been to look into how much I would charge for P&P. I want something easy for the customer to understand, and for me to deal with. I don't really want to have to make frequent trips to the post office - I would like to be able to package any orders up, put enough stamps on to cover postage, then put it in the postbox on the way to work.


Have spent many hours weighing loads of my cards to find average weights for each size card. Then seeing how many of each I can get into different size envelopes. Then trying to work out how much postage that would be. Then getting into a right old pickle with which cards fitted into which envelopes - and how many?? And what if there was a mix of sizes?? I'm still in a tangle with it.

Because, although I've got some costings, I now wonder should I charge a fixed amount regardless of how many cards are ordered, or should I go for x amount for up to y cards? And should that be for any size cards. And should there be a sliding scale eg x for y cards, w for z cards, a for b cards (Sorry, I know I'm getting frustrated with things when my logical/maths background kicks in and things start becoming algebraic equations).

And, as a crafter and on-line shopper myself, how much would I be prepared to pay for a similar product?

Although not having sorted charges out, I was pretty confident that there were only three sizes of envelope that would be any good, so I went ahead and ordered some. Well, more than some. Quite a few actually - cheaper to bulk buy. Mmmmmm!! Another large box to find a home for!!

But, having received them, and all set to experiment with sending various combinations through the post to myself, I find that my spacial awareness has sorely let me down. And my plan of being able to post them myself is unlikely to get off the ground. The envelopes are too big for the post box!!! Dohhhhhh!!!! How stupid.

So, am now trying to work out how often I would be able to get to the post office, so I can say "delivery within x-y days" - which could be never, if I don't get these things sorted.

And in amongst all this palaver, I find that, in order to submit tax returns, I need to have much more detailed records - and I need to do a stock take to work out what my crafty stash is currently worth. (Not sure I actually want to know - especially if I have to admit it to the other half)!!!

Oh well, it gives me something to think about.

Meanwhile, I'm still working on commissioned cards, so here's my latest. An 8" boxed Wedding Card.

Enjoy - be in touch again soonish!!!

Cxx

The Card


The top of the lid of the box


Close up of the topper on the lid of the box


Inside of the lid of the box


Inside of the base of the box

Picture .... not so perfect....?

Ok, so while I ponder the more serious questions of money (and another that's cropped up - post and packing), I decided to try to perfect the technique of photographing my cards accurately.

I've always photographed my cards, as a record for myself of all my designs. But now I need to be able to take pictures that accurately represent my cards - and are not just a blurred representation that only I recognise.

It may seem fairly simple to you, and I'm sure my husband would agree (in his spare time he takes wildlife photos - one just recently published in our local paper!!), but I'm more of a snapshot kinda girl! Friends, family, holidays - that sort of stuff. So this is going to be a challenge.

So I've cleared an area at the side of my desk to set up as a "photo studio". Sounds grand until you realise it's just my filing cabinet with the curtain pulled over the top of it.

Anyway, have had a go photographing some "quick makes" I did recently. Have gone with a "floral" theme for the "dressing" of the photo (who knows if that's the correct terminology - but is sounds good!!) But that's only really because I have loads of fabric flowers in my crafty stash, and didn't really know what else to do.

So, here they are. Let me know what you think!! Leave a message here on the blog - or alternately in the guestbook on my website.
Look forward to hearing from you.

Cxx

So many questions...?

Having spent the day yesterday taking advantage of the good weather, and painting (some of) the numerous fence panels in the back garden, I feel I should try to make a bit more progress on the website.

But, as I get further into setting up this website, I realise there are soooo many questions to answer before I can take each step.

My thoughts at the moment are on the financial side. I obviously need to set up a paypal account (yes - I still don't have one - have managed to dodge around it all the time) for any payments, which in theory, is simple enough. But then it brings me to where do I put that money? Do I set up a separate account? And if so, should it be a "business" account. And what actually is a "business" account? Is it any different to an ordinary account? Are there some perks or benefits to being a business account? Or just more hoops to jump through?

I really would like to keep any (I'm being optimistic here) money separate from my personal finances, so maybe I just need to find out which account is best for me!

A quick pause there, whilst I e-mailed my financial advisor - he's obviously the man to tell me the definitive answer!! Doh!! Why didn't I think of that before. Although, when I started this blog, I did mention that writing things down helps me to get them sorted - so hey presto!! I've written down the problem, and the solution had presented itself!! If only all of life was so simple!!

Anyway, it's a beautiful day, and I'm going to get out and enjoy the sunshine whilst I wait for a reply to my e-mail.

I am posting piccies of my work in the gallery on my website, but here's a recent make! It's a commissioned 8" card with matching handmade box. Hope you like.

Cxx







EDIT In the time it took to add the photos, I've had an OUT OF OFFICE e-mail from my financial advisor. So this one could take a while to resolve. Oh well, the sunshine beckons!!

Another step in the right direction....

So, if anyone out there is actually following this, you may have realised that there has been rather a long lull since my last post.

I'd like to blame it on being very busy (and that is partly true - May has been one of the busiest months for me at work). But there is also something that has been holding me back.

Maybe it's making that final commitment - I'm going to have to keep the website up to date, check if anyone has ordered anything, get it packaged and posted in good time (that's always presuming anyone finds the site and ever orders anything).

But maybe I just needed some motivation to get cracking again. And that came last night, in the form of my other half deciding he was going to set up a blog of his own to share the footage from the webcams in our garden nestboxes.

Now I have a "slightly" competitive streak in me, and after my initial reaction of throwing the toys out the pram because BLOGGING was MY thing, I calmed down and decided that at least I still had a WEBSITE and he doesn't!! HA!! So maybe it was time to do something TO the website.

To that end, I have been having a play today, and have achieved two things. One, I now have a gallery to show some of my designs. And two, I have a link on there to my blog. I know they seem like small things, but it's a step in the right direction. My next move will be looking at how to set up the shop side of it. That could take a little more time!!

So please now feel free to visit my website at www.papercraftbycarole.co.uk
Hold on - am thinking I might just go back and see if I can set up a guestbook for people to leave comments. Mmmm....

Anyway am looking forward to the other half coming home so I can brag to him about my wonderful website (that he doens't have!!!) that links to my blog!!

Until next time....
Cxx

EDIT: Have put a guestbook on now as well - have to see how that goes though, as I can't see a way to moderate comments before they are published!!

And now it begins.....

Despite a most unsatisfactory e-mail dialogue with the website help desk, I have now managed to activate my website.

Having e-mailed them that I had "misplaced" my activation code, they replied that they did not understand what I meant by "mis-spelling" my activation code. The temptation was there to tell him that he had "mis-read" my e-mail, but I refrained, and explained that I was unable to find the piece of paper with the code on it. Am still waiting on a reply from that.

It did however prompt a frenzy of turning my desk inside out to try to find the blessed thing. And, hey presto, there it was - between the drawer unit and the other half's desk!!!

So I now own the domain name www.papercraftbycarole.co.uk (Don't bother going there yet as there's nothing there).

I was all enthusiastic at this point and raring to go. That was nearly two hours ago. I've now given up, and all I've managed is to get a header sorted out. This could be a long process!!

Still, the sun's been shining and I've had a good week so far, otherwise, so I'll come back to it all when I have time to play.

Cxxx

Oops!!

Just a quick one!! Finally decided to start the process of the setting up the website, but can't find the piece of paper that came with the little blue book. Quite a problem, cause it has the password on it that's needed to activate the account. So, will let you know when I finally resolve this one.

In the meantime, went on a great workshop last weekend with Sheena Douglass - a lovely lady who demonstrates on Create and Craft TV. She's totally inspirational - only problem was I then spent a fortune on buying all the things we'd used during the day. Oh well!!

Cxx

A Different Journey!!

No, I haven't changed my mind about the website - far from it. Hopefully in the next few days I'll start to get to grips with the little blue book that tells me everything I need to know, and get started.

No, I haven't done anything in the last couple of days because I took a different kind of journey - in an ambulance!!

Started on Sunday morning - beautiful day, heading for a day out with the family, when I suddenly had horrendous pains in my chest and left shoulder. Having stopped in the first convenient place (a pub car park), I proceeded to fall out of the car and spent a considerable time writhing in agony on the tarmac!!

My other half called an ambulance, and the wonderful paramedics having got me inside their vehicle, still in a lot of pain, they in turn called the air ambulance. What a kafuffle!! In the end I missed out on my helicopter ride. They were struggling to arrange for a ambulance to pick me up from the landing site the other end, and because my pain had been brought under control with a big shot of morphine, they decided to take me by road.

So, blues and two's it was - all the way to the hospital. On route my heart rate jumped all over the place from 60 up to 184 - and the paramedic was trying to get me to breathe slowly to keep it under control. At the same time I was trying very hard not to throw up.

Thanks to the crews of both the land and air ambulances for their care and consideration in looking after me.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I was seen fairly quickly in A&E, followed by a further 5 hour wait in an observation ward before I saw another doctor (not great for my other half, but time was eased for me by further drugs - one of which gave me a combination of hysterical laughing and the inablility to remember what I'd just been talking about), then a further 3 hours before I was taken to a ward. After an overnight stay and a whole plethora of drugs and blood tests, the conclusion was that there was nothing wrong with my heart (thankfully), but was given no firm reason for the cause - one doctor said it could have been my gullet (ie indigestion!!) - another said it was a pulled muscle!! So who knows?

They couldn't get me out quick enough on Monday. The unit had been closed overnight - not long after I'd arrived - as one of the patients was throwing up etc. Made for a very difficult night of sleep. Hopefully I haven't come home with that little bug!!

So, with any luck my life will be less eventful, and my next post will be about my website adventures only.

Cxx