PHASE ONE
~ A Name ~
Please, please, please help me!
Suggestions encouraged *lol*.
Derek's suggested
"Jazz it Up"
20/03/2007
More Sales & My First Store!
I can't believe how well the babygrows and t-shirts are selling! After I made my first 6, I e-mailed my client to let her know. Well, she now has another 2 newborns I've to dress and on top of the other 7 I knew about she's added another 3! A popular line at the moment seems to be t-shirts for older siblings... Like big brother, little brother and baby brother in a vest. :o) So chuffed! I have some new design ideas which I'm working on photographing. When I get all my designs online I'll post the link here.
While I'm blogging... I was through at Mum and Dad's at the weekend and while Dad and Derek were talking football, plasma TV's and multimedia centres *yawn*, Mum and I were looking into opening up an eBay shop! To cut a long story short (and by long I mean at least 2 hours of conversation lol plus an hour with Derek in the car) we're doing just that. It's going to stock a mixture of craft supplies, personalised baby clothing, other baby clothing, skincare products, handcrafted stationery and cards etc. etc. I might even consider giving Derek a couple of shelves for IT bits and pieces. :o)
We need a name for the shop... but I'll post that in a new post...
While I'm blogging... I was through at Mum and Dad's at the weekend and while Dad and Derek were talking football, plasma TV's and multimedia centres *yawn*, Mum and I were looking into opening up an eBay shop! To cut a long story short (and by long I mean at least 2 hours of conversation lol plus an hour with Derek in the car) we're doing just that. It's going to stock a mixture of craft supplies, personalised baby clothing, other baby clothing, skincare products, handcrafted stationery and cards etc. etc. I might even consider giving Derek a couple of shelves for IT bits and pieces. :o)
We need a name for the shop... but I'll post that in a new post...
18/03/2007
Happy Mothers Day!!
* * * Happy Mothers Day * * *
MUM
I know you read this blog every day
(out loud to everyone who'll listen!)
(even to Socks and Mittens!!)
*.*.*
So I wanted to shout out a big thank you
for all you've done over the past
26 *gulp* almost 27 years!
*.*.*
Lots of Love,
CAROL
*.*.*
Advertising Well-Dressed Babies
Just to let you all know that I received a cheque this weekend for the first 6 babygrows of the batch I mentioned at the start of the week. So I updated my Toronto fund! :o) In provisional babygrow sales alone, my total will be nearing 30%! I put ads on some other sites this weekend... AdTrader and Families Online so here's hoping I have an update for you again soon.
Ok you know what ~ it's late and I need some sleep! Night night..... Zzzzzz.....
Ok you know what ~ it's late and I need some sleep! Night night..... Zzzzzz.....
16/03/2007
Paypal Sucks Big Time!
I bet almost everyone reading this uses Paypal. When you buy & sell on eBay it's an essential part of the trading process! Up until now I've been happy, happy, happy with their performance but this week I've lost all faith in them altogether. :(
Basically, I'd sold an item on eBay. The sale was a complete success. It was purchased, paid for through Paypal, posted and recieved - no problems, glowing feedback and not a bad word to be said. 2 or 3 weeks later I was shocked to see that the payment to me has been held by Paypal while they address a "dispute". The annoying thing is that there was no dispute code - to this day they can't give me one! After requesting a huge amount of information, Paypal's investigation began. What a bloody joke! Within 5 days they concluded that the buyer was rightfully due the refund!! A refund that neither the buyer of I had instigated. When I try to contact Paypal, well I can't. I have rightfully sold my item and now the buyer has their original payment as well! Both my pockets are empty! I'm so annoyed with Paypal! Considering the mammoth fees they take and slow service they provide, the least they could do it treat you with a bit of courtesy!
I filed a complaint with Watchdog yesterday so we'll see what (if anything) comes of it...
Here's a link to the BBC's Watchdog Website.
Basically, I'd sold an item on eBay. The sale was a complete success. It was purchased, paid for through Paypal, posted and recieved - no problems, glowing feedback and not a bad word to be said. 2 or 3 weeks later I was shocked to see that the payment to me has been held by Paypal while they address a "dispute". The annoying thing is that there was no dispute code - to this day they can't give me one! After requesting a huge amount of information, Paypal's investigation began. What a bloody joke! Within 5 days they concluded that the buyer was rightfully due the refund!! A refund that neither the buyer of I had instigated. When I try to contact Paypal, well I can't. I have rightfully sold my item and now the buyer has their original payment as well! Both my pockets are empty! I'm so annoyed with Paypal! Considering the mammoth fees they take and slow service they provide, the least they could do it treat you with a bit of courtesy!
I filed a complaint with Watchdog yesterday so we'll see what (if anything) comes of it...
Here's a link to the BBC's Watchdog Website.
Red Nose Day :O)
It's Red Nose Day today! :O) I'm ashamed to say that I don't have a red nose yet... must go buy one at lunchtime.
Lol, for those of you who are non-UK residents and think I've gone mad, click on the big nose above to learn more about this eventful day.
Accross the UK, people are bathing in a bath full of cold custard, men are being waxed, heads are being shaved, cakes are being baked and sold, and literally everyone in the UK is wearing something red today. WHY?? I hear you ask! Well, they're all raising money for thousands of poor and disadvantaged people across the UK and Africa. They're helping them get the help they need to turn their lives around. Whether it be a woman living down their own street who is being abused by her partner or a child struggling to survive on the streets of Africa... all the cash raised is helping to improve, and in some cases save, lives.
We've got a sweepstake going at work ~ a poster with 40 people all dressed in red and white ~ each person costs £1 to bet on. We've all picked people and whichever one is revealed under the scratch-and-reveal nose wins £20 ~ the remaining £20 goes to Comic Relief! Plus there's been donations handed in all week. I'll let you know by the end of today how much money we've raised! :O)
13/03/2007
Finally a medical justification for shopping at lunchtime!
There was a front-page article in the paper this morning which has generated quite a bit of discussion here at work...
"Sitting at Your Desk is a Killer!"
NOT to be interpreted as you yourself actually being a killer, or somebody else sitting at your desk about to murder you, but the action of sitting at your desk killing you. Am I making sense lol.
Basically, research suggests that workers who spend excessive amounts of time at their desk could be putting their lives at risk. Researchers at The Medical Research Institute in New Zealand found that a third of patients admitted to hospital with DVT were office workers who spent hours at a computer. The study will be published in the New Zealand Medical Journal if anyone's interested in reading the whole thing. DVT is the formation of a blood clot in a deep vein, most commonly in the legs. The clots can travel to the heart, lungs or brain, causing chest pain, breathlessness or possible death from a heart attack or stroke. Lead researcher Professor Richard Beasley said some office workers who developed clots sat at their screens for 14 hours a day. He said: "Some of them were going three to four hours at a time without getting up."
People nowadays have a tendency to work longer hours than ever before, and often don't take a proper lunch break, preferring instead to eat a sandwich at their desk while attending to emails.
Hands up who's guilty of this! *Putting my hand up* I don't go out of the office at lunchtime. Yes, I sit and eat at my desk... not while attending to e-mails... but while blogging lol. I always get up and walk around though (I go to the printer, the water cooler, to get a coffee...) But starting today I'm going to start going out for a 30 minute walk each lunchtime, at the request of the Chief Exec. He's a Starbucks man so I have a lot of respect for him lol. Mind you, I think he meant a brisk walk, whereas I meant a walk to and around the shops lol.
And just to finish this post on a real downwards spiral, DVT affects about 100,000 people and kills up to 1,000 people in the UK each year!!
The full BBC story can be read here.
"Sitting at Your Desk is a Killer!"
NOT to be interpreted as you yourself actually being a killer, or somebody else sitting at your desk about to murder you, but the action of sitting at your desk killing you. Am I making sense lol.
Basically, research suggests that workers who spend excessive amounts of time at their desk could be putting their lives at risk. Researchers at The Medical Research Institute in New Zealand found that a third of patients admitted to hospital with DVT were office workers who spent hours at a computer. The study will be published in the New Zealand Medical Journal if anyone's interested in reading the whole thing. DVT is the formation of a blood clot in a deep vein, most commonly in the legs. The clots can travel to the heart, lungs or brain, causing chest pain, breathlessness or possible death from a heart attack or stroke. Lead researcher Professor Richard Beasley said some office workers who developed clots sat at their screens for 14 hours a day. He said: "Some of them were going three to four hours at a time without getting up."
People nowadays have a tendency to work longer hours than ever before, and often don't take a proper lunch break, preferring instead to eat a sandwich at their desk while attending to emails.
Hands up who's guilty of this! *Putting my hand up* I don't go out of the office at lunchtime. Yes, I sit and eat at my desk... not while attending to e-mails... but while blogging lol. I always get up and walk around though (I go to the printer, the water cooler, to get a coffee...) But starting today I'm going to start going out for a 30 minute walk each lunchtime, at the request of the Chief Exec. He's a Starbucks man so I have a lot of respect for him lol. Mind you, I think he meant a brisk walk, whereas I meant a walk to and around the shops lol.
And just to finish this post on a real downwards spiral, DVT affects about 100,000 people and kills up to 1,000 people in the UK each year!!
The full BBC story can be read here.
12/03/2007
*Huge* Catch-Up!
Sorry again for the delay in posting. I always run through things in my head to say but never get around to typing them. :oP So I'm making up for it here! Grab a coffee, sit back, put your feet up and enjoy...
Healthy Living
Unfortunately I've not been noticing much change in my weight loss, but that's probably because I took a week off from the gym when I had my cold. But I feel a lot better now so I plan on going 4 times this week to make up for it. So far I've been twice lol and it's Sunday night so time's up lol. I've also re-started my healthy eating plan (after munching through what's left of the Christmas chocolates... and going to Starbucks 3 times in the past 10 days lol) so it's back to the herbal tea and fruit for me! I got some sorrel and ginger tea in Barbados which I'm liking, and green tea with peppermint... and I bought green tea with pear and apple but it's a bit bland. Oh, and I bought Danone Activia yoghurts on special offer so eating one or two every day will improve my digestion and make me feel great too. Or so the tub says..... And fruit ~ I can't get enough apples and grapes at the moment!
So it's all good! Hopefully I should have a positive update on the graph soon! At least I've not put on any weight on!
eBay
I'm taking a break! I had a great wee run and managed to make enough money to finance over 20% of my Toronto trip! Derek did not bad either ~ he made around 11% ~ plus I made Mum and Dad loads of cash too. Speaking of which, I better write them a cheque... *Hmmm*.
And guess what else I did? I set myself up as a trading assistant on eBay so if anyone's interested in selling but can't be bothered or doesn't know how, I'll do it for them for 20% of their item's sale price. So minus all the fees I should still make a wee profit for my troubles. No calls yet... :( I'm thinking of making up flyers and posting them through every house in my street. Start nice and local. :) Then maybe branch out to local shops and stuff. Lol I'm never happy unless I'm working on something lol.
In any case, I'm going to wait until another free/cheap listing day and get some more auctions running.
Dentist
Remember how I told you I had the dentist last week? Well I have to get root canal done next month! :'o(
Business Venture
I mentioned a few days ago about starting a new project. Well, I can now officially unveil it!
*Drum-roll*..........
*Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr*
Personalised baby clothing!! :oD Baby vests and t-shirts for older siblings. :) It all started when I made one for my friend Michelle's baby daughter, Beth, and her older daughter, Amy. Since then I've made another 2 for friends, 1 sold on eBay, and generated from that sale I've just recieved an order for another 15!!!!! So chuffed!!! Once I've fulfilled that order I plan on advertising locally. Pretty soon, every new baby will be sporting a Carol Reid designer baby-grow! :D
Here's one of my baby vests being modelled by a super cute wee man in Ontario! Thanks for doing that Jen! :)
Healthy Living
Unfortunately I've not been noticing much change in my weight loss, but that's probably because I took a week off from the gym when I had my cold. But I feel a lot better now so I plan on going 4 times this week to make up for it. So far I've been twice lol and it's Sunday night so time's up lol. I've also re-started my healthy eating plan (after munching through what's left of the Christmas chocolates... and going to Starbucks 3 times in the past 10 days lol) so it's back to the herbal tea and fruit for me! I got some sorrel and ginger tea in Barbados which I'm liking, and green tea with peppermint... and I bought green tea with pear and apple but it's a bit bland. Oh, and I bought Danone Activia yoghurts on special offer so eating one or two every day will improve my digestion and make me feel great too. Or so the tub says..... And fruit ~ I can't get enough apples and grapes at the moment!
So it's all good! Hopefully I should have a positive update on the graph soon! At least I've not put on any weight on!
eBay
I'm taking a break! I had a great wee run and managed to make enough money to finance over 20% of my Toronto trip! Derek did not bad either ~ he made around 11% ~ plus I made Mum and Dad loads of cash too. Speaking of which, I better write them a cheque... *Hmmm*.
And guess what else I did? I set myself up as a trading assistant on eBay so if anyone's interested in selling but can't be bothered or doesn't know how, I'll do it for them for 20% of their item's sale price. So minus all the fees I should still make a wee profit for my troubles. No calls yet... :( I'm thinking of making up flyers and posting them through every house in my street. Start nice and local. :) Then maybe branch out to local shops and stuff. Lol I'm never happy unless I'm working on something lol.
In any case, I'm going to wait until another free/cheap listing day and get some more auctions running.
Dentist
Remember how I told you I had the dentist last week? Well I have to get root canal done next month! :'o(
Business Venture
I mentioned a few days ago about starting a new project. Well, I can now officially unveil it!
*Drum-roll*..........
*Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr*
Personalised baby clothing!! :oD Baby vests and t-shirts for older siblings. :) It all started when I made one for my friend Michelle's baby daughter, Beth, and her older daughter, Amy. Since then I've made another 2 for friends, 1 sold on eBay, and generated from that sale I've just recieved an order for another 15!!!!! So chuffed!!! Once I've fulfilled that order I plan on advertising locally. Pretty soon, every new baby will be sporting a Carol Reid designer baby-grow! :D
Here's one of my baby vests being modelled by a super cute wee man in Ontario! Thanks for doing that Jen! :)
01/03/2007
Mad March
Can you believe it? We're into March and this blog is still up and running! That's pretty impressive! Not much has been happening the past few days, hence the lack of posting.
I've developed this really annoying cold again. Sore throat, slight cough and stuffed up nose... Yuck! :o( Not helped by the fact that I trailed round the shops for ages yesterday in the rain with my Boss tryign to find a laser printer for work. What happened the modern-ness of buying online?? Then this morning as we were pulling out the driveway we noticed we had a flat tyre so I had to walk down to the train station. Luckily it wasn't raining but it was cooooold!! So now my throat really hurts. :o(
Apart from that I've been busy with my "secret business", a wee something I have in the pipeline... I'll be able to say more soon hopefully! *Mysterious Look.* And I've made some more cards which is good. Keeps me out of trouble. :o) Oh, and eBay sales are still trickling in so I'll update the pie chart over the weekend.
I've developed this really annoying cold again. Sore throat, slight cough and stuffed up nose... Yuck! :o( Not helped by the fact that I trailed round the shops for ages yesterday in the rain with my Boss tryign to find a laser printer for work. What happened the modern-ness of buying online?? Then this morning as we were pulling out the driveway we noticed we had a flat tyre so I had to walk down to the train station. Luckily it wasn't raining but it was cooooold!! So now my throat really hurts. :o(
Apart from that I've been busy with my "secret business", a wee something I have in the pipeline... I'll be able to say more soon hopefully! *Mysterious Look.* And I've made some more cards which is good. Keeps me out of trouble. :o) Oh, and eBay sales are still trickling in so I'll update the pie chart over the weekend.
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