Houston, we have lift off!!!!

Yeah!! It's official - Papercraft By Carole is now up and running on the Internet!!

Not really sure what else to say. Please feel free to go and have a look - and pass the word out to friends and family who may be interested.

The website address is www.papercraftbycarole.co.uk
Please do make sure that you read the Terms & Conditions carefully before you start.

You know, it's wierd in a way. This is not so much a jump up and down moment, as a bit of an anti-climax. It's taken so much time, thought and effort in getting this running that I wonder what I shall do now it's out there, and (hopefully) all I need to do is maintain it. I suppose it's back to the day job!!

I am busily making Christmas cards ready for the website - that section is empty at the mo - just waiting for me to get them done and loaded on.

So... there it is. And there you have it.

I will still keep blogging - keep you up to date with the success (or lack of ) of the website. And post photos of cards (and other things) I am working on.

So, till the next time.

Cxxx

Mmmm ... what to do??

So, I was correct in surmising that what I was hoping to do with the website can't actually be done. The guy from the website software that has been dealing with my question, did recommend that I e-mail their developers as what I want to do is fairly reasonable.

Anyway, it now leaves me with a dilemma. Let me explain. The standard version of the software does not provide any stock control options. The pro version does. So having upgraded to the pro version, I set about setting all the stock levels to 1 - since there is only 1 of each card. So that once a card has been paid for, no-one else can order it. This would help if I wasn't able to log on regularly to update the site. Simples!!! Not so!!!

In order to use the stock control feature, you have to set up Express PayPal checkout. This completely changed the look of the "basket" - showing column titles of Colour, Option, Link Cost, and most alarmingly, the choice of which country you are ordering from. Since none of that applies to what I am doing - particularly as I will not be shipping to any addresses outside of the UK - I contacted the software guy to see if I could block these things from appearing.

Apparently, the international thing is out of their control - it's controlled by PayPal. And to block the other things would also turn off stock control.

So, I have therefore requested to be downgraded to Standard version again, and need to consider what to do. I think what it will have to be a well worded section on the Terms & Conditions along the lines of "the stock shown is unfortunately not in real time, and therefore the card you purchase may very occasionally not be available ...." then a bit about refunds etc.

It's not really ideal - but maybe it won't make any difference as perhaps I'm getting a bit ahead of myself thinking that more than one person may be using the website at a time - and that those "more than one persons" might want the same card.

I suppose the vague vestiges of the systems analyst I was in a former life (and believe me, it was that long ago, it certainly feels like a lifetime ago), just feels that this is a bit of a cop out!! It's an eventuality that could have been provided for, but hasn't been. And so I feel a bit cheated by the software. Trouble is, I'm so out of date with what I know - and website authoring wasn't around in my day - that I'm just going to have to accept it. But will still put my case the sotware developers.

What a pompous sounding paragraph that was. Still, got it out of my system. So, watch this space as I will make a decision within the next week. Meanwhile I have started on making Christmas cards - 18 today!! Not bad for an afternoon!!

Below are a few examples of what will be available on the website when I get it up and running. Just to tease you....








Speak to you soon.

Cxx

A spanner in the works.....

Oh well. Should have known that it was all going too smoothly. Last night's testing has thrown up a few glitches, that I am unsure how to resolve. Have got in touch with the website software people to ask them for some help.

Trouble is, I think that what I am asking for may actually not be possible - and that may set me back a while as I need to find a solution that will work.

So... still watch this space. And in the meantime, while I go and make a few cards to fill the time, here's a recent commission:






Hopefully will have some news very soon.

Cxx

The Time Is Coming ....

..... for me to launch the website!! Yaaay!! Now, I know I haven't given any updates recently, but to be honest, I have been struggling to motivate myself to get moving on it. But, having had a bit of time on my hands recently, I have bitten the bullet, and got on with it. To be fair, some of the time has been spent making a great deal of cards to put on the website - about 175 to be precise (although using the word "about" doesn't really make it precise).

Anyway, the first big move was to set up the bank account. I did that a while ago - all seemed quite straightforward, until a couple of weeks later when I had a letter demanding another piece of paper evidence or they would have to close the account. Needless to say, I wasn't overly impressed and went down to the Bank the same day. I was all set to tell them where to put their Business Account, but was kind of thrown when the guy seemed to know all about me, my business and the letter, before I'd barely spoken a word. Turns out that the person I'd seen when I'd set up the account wasn't the Business Advisor, and consequently she made a couple of mistakes on my application. This caused my business to be flagged as "high risk" - when in fact it isn't. He was most unhappy that I had been sent a letter, as he had literally just e-mailed head office about it, and thought he had sorted it. He felt I should never have been sent the letter, so got straight on the phone. Anyway, upshot is, I still have my account, and two days later, the largest box of chocolates I have ever seen in my life arrived on my doorstep. 3/4kg (yes that's right - 3/4kg) of Thornton's chocolates and a card with an apology for the stress I had been caused!! Mmmm - they have kept me going during the hours sat at the computer setting up the website.

So, bank account sorted, next step was a PayPal account. That was quite straightforward - or at least it has been so far. I suppose time will tell when I get any orders!!

After the mammoth cardmaking sessions (literally days), each card had to photographed, bagged and labelled. It takes a lot longer than you think - well, a lot longer than I thought, anyway. But, hopefully in future I can make a few on a regular basis to put on there. Having said that, I do have a large batch of Christmas cards to make soon.

So, I now had everything ready to start the website. It's taken a while to get used to the website software - but think I have a reasonable handle on it now. Hopefully it will be easy to navigate, and clearly set out. But I suppose you lot will be the judge of that.

So, the shop was set up - but that thorny issue of postage reared it's ugly head again. Another re-think was needed in order to fit in with the options available to me on PayPal, but I am reasonably happy with it now. I wish I could offer free P&P, but I don't think it's financially viable for me!!

Finally, I have had to consider issues such as privacy of information, returns and refunds - among other little things that I've discovered, regarding Internet and distance selling. Thankfully, a lovely lady who runs a successful website from which I regularly order some of my crafting goodies, kindly allowed me to use the way she has approached these issues as the guideline for mine. She has given me some tips, and shown me where to look. So a big thanks to the lovely lady I know as Winspiration!! Definately an Inspiration!!!

So, I now just need to have a final run through to make sure it's all working - and have today's work proof read by my lovely husband - and then we're all set for launch.

So ...... watch this space!!!

Cxxx

.... and back down south again!!

Just thought I'd update you and let you know I got home OK. The lovely Welshmen fixed my tyre just in time for me to get to my course before it started. I've had a very tiring - but very worthwhile - three days increasing my invertebrate knowledge (and getting very wet and bitten to death in the process), and investigating new and different ways of engaging the kiddies when learning about creepy crawlies!!

And along the way, I have consumed an inordinate amount of food!!! Blimey!! Cooked lunch, homemade cake at afternoon tea, and a three course dinner - and that was just the first day!! Add in a cooked breakfast on the following two days as well, and I have never eaten so much food in such a short space of time!!

So now I arrived back from a very damp Wales to a very warm and dry Dorset !! No mishaps on this journey. But was a much nicer one not just because of that. On the way up, I had taken advice from family about the best way to get there, and so had programmed my sat nav to go via these places - basically motorways for a lot of it. On the way back I decided to just let the sat nav take me where it wanted (I know my lovely sister-in-law has fallen out with her sat nav, but I have a great affection for mine and trust it implicitly - well, most of the time). I don't mind driving long distances, but I don't really like motorways, and the roadworks I went through on the way up looked to have the potential to be worse going home.

As it turned out I've had a lovely trip including a lot of reminiscing. I drove all the way through Wales from North to South, passing through mid Wales (as you obviously would!!) where we spent many childhood holidays with friends of my parents. Passed one of the parks we used to play in and it reminded me of winter snowball fights we had there!! Then further down, I crossed the New Severn Crossing. When I was doing my teacher training in Bristol, it was still being constructed (showing my age now!!) and we did a project looking at bridges and how it could be incorporated into the curriculum through maths and design technology! Yawn!!!!!

Then I picked up the route I used to travel back to Dorset from Bristol when I went home from Uni, remembering the exact point at the side of the road where I threw up on one particular journey! My Mum had come to collect me after I got a really nasty chest infection - and I was feeling very poorly!!

And nearer to home, I passed the little village pub where my husband and I had our first two dates!! It all really helped to pass a very long journey. And hopefully, the Red Bull shot will wear off soon, and I will be able to get the sleep that I know my body is in desperate need of!!

Cxxx

A journey north!!

Well, this post has nothing to do with setting up the website, but just had to let you know about my day. I am currently sat in a very lovely B&B in Criccieth, North Wales, having left home at 10am this morning.

I had done really well, was almost there - just outside of Porthmadog so I discovered later - when disaster struck.

But, let me take you a bit further back up the road, when I first noticed my car acting "funny" - every time I steered left there was a rubbing sound - and I didn't really need to turn the wheel very far left either! Well, with thoughts of all sorts of problems from wheel bearings to suspension (not that I know anything about cars!!) I decided to pull over at the next safe place. I was praying that I would find nothing, and that the car would be OK to get me here and maybe home again of Friday. Having said that, I was already envisaging being towed all the way back to Dorset - how on earth would I be able to hold a conversation with a complete stranger for that long?

Well, that safe place seemed to take ages to appear. So, was sat in a queue just outside of Porthmadog at temporary traffic lights, when a man coming the other way stops to tell me I have a flat tyre!!! Feeling somewhat relieved that the puzzle had been solved, I spied, on the opposite side of the road, the entrance to a derelict building, so pulled over there - the car actually struggling to get moving again.

So, knowing what to do, but not whether I could actually manage to do it, I proceeded to unload the contents of my boot (of course I'd packed EVERYTHING into the boot) onto the side of the road. One lovely lady, sat in the queue in her car, called out to me, asking if I wanted help. How sweet. I politely refused as I was sure I'd manage, and we both commented on the fact that no men had bothered offering to help me!! So, with my wordly possessions strewn around, I managed to get the jack out, but then proceeded to struggle with the tyre itself. I was just about to admit defeat and call the RAC (all the while wondering where the hell I would tell them I was), when one of the workman from the roadworks came over to see if I needed help!! Doh!! Of course I did!! He said his boss had seen me struggling and had sent him over to give me a hand. He kindly put the spare on with no fuss or bother and directed me to the nearest garage - it was at this point that I found I was just outside of Porthmadog (pronounced Portmadoc) and that there was a garage there that would be able to sort my tyre out. And it was on the way to Criccieth (pronounced Crickith) so wouldn't have to go out of my way!!

The two lovely Welshmen in there now have my tyre (which they tell me I made a great job of destroying), and will have it ready to refit to my car at 9.15am tomorrow morning!! Bless them!! Expect it will cost me a fortune but never mind!! They were very worried about my spare, and I can understand why. It's one of those small ones designed to take up less room in the boot, and only useful in emergencies. They were telling me to go slowly, particularly on the bends. When you look at the car, I can only describe it as looking like it has a peg leg!!

So, am now in my hotel room, where I'm staying tonight before heading off to the centre where the course is taking place. Have phoned to warn them I will be late. Have just had a very nutritious dinner in my room of pot noodle and jaffa cakes - I'm not one for going out to restaurants on my own anyway. Good job, as I don't want to drive any more than I need to. Hopefully the next three days at the centre, will see me well fed to make up for it.

Hopefully, my car will be sorted tomorrow, and with any luck there isn't any other damage!! The course had better be worth it after all that!! Cxxx

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