Card-A-Heart would be 1 year old in November and I can't believe time flies like a lightening bolt. I was thinking it to be a blog for the sake of fun and yes, it was journey of not just fun but occasional grumble and piss for the customers I have to entertain. And yes, the activity of eye rolling. But this is merely the 10% of the customers that were irritating. The remaining 90% were AWESOME and very KIND people. I would anytime make free cards for them. Hehe… such is my gratitude.
Like it or not, running a small blog shop is pretty much running a small simple business to some extend. Even though as much as I am defying it, I refuse to account for the cost and revenue I have done so far.
My money collected? Where really are they now? An envelope sandwiched between my stocks of envelopes. Another plastic bag of money behind my dairy which I keep tab of card orders, deliveries and addresses / contacts. And some, already spent because when those monies goes straight into the wallet, there is no differentiation between revenue made and to-be-spent money.
Such is my financial bit. And so be it.
I know, it is so wrong but I just want it to be as it is. Stupid way of running a blogshop. And I keep telling everyone who thinks I'm stupid, "Let me be please. I'm doing this for passion and fun. Nothing else. I don't even need this to put food on the table."
To begin with, my granny was lamenting how 'bodoh' and "silly" I was not wanting to charge beyond my cost of material.
"What about your time and effort?" she quipped.
"What about your rush work for people who were unreasonable or demanding?"
"Are those all for free?"
"Sor ker (silly one)," lovingly said into my face when she was sitting on the bench near my workstation while I was piecing some cards and chatting with her at the same time.
OK OK, I know. I know.
"I think your Cards are miserably too cheap. This is HANDMADE you know," with the word "handmade" stressed when Eugene laments of my stupidity. Generally, all the time when he finds some 'air' to make a comment about the cards.
"So nice and you charge only RM6 or sometimes RM8? Are you sure you are not making a loss?"
"How much this time for this? RM8 again?"
"Do you want me to buy you a buku kira-kira and I'll help you account for everything you bought and get back? It's very simple you know, just give me your receipts and how many you have sold" Eugene would add every now and then.
"Haiyoooooh, leave me alone pleaseeeeee. I always make sure I never lose out on the cost of cards, I'm not THAT silly" me in kind defense, in reply sweetly ALL THE TIME.
So what now brown cow?
So it's going to be this - RM10 minimum once Card-A-Heart touches 1. For those folks who have ordered from me prior to this, I thank them for their support and therefore, I will continue charging them the old price (except those idiots who were unpleasant, they are to be charged a minimum of RM10, no qualms about that).
All in all, It's been a fun journey I say.
It all started when Hui Hui told me I should get something up to get my cards moving since I like making cards. She was kind to offer her photography skills to capture the stuff I've done so far and at that point she was helping me out on that bit. The problem with such thing is, when you start depending on people, it gets tricky and troublesome to the people helping out. There is a lot of coordination and time taken to snap the cards, then only later delivery. For then for awhile, Adrian did several shots too, hoping to get it moving faster. But the result is still the same.
So finally, I got myself a simple automatic camera. Kind of enough to snap what I needed just to post / archived them prior to sending the real thing out.
And the rest was history as how everyone likes to put it when they talk about how they got started on something.
I've cooked up many request that were beyond me. I've even been challenged to make an unconventional card which somehow became a hit amongst the people so much so that I had to just turn down further request on that piece after making it in various versions for those lucky people.
I've met people I never knew. I've made friends I never knew. I've even realize and learnt many things I never knew. And not forgetting, I have gotten unprecedented word of encouragement from many, many strangers who hardly know me! Oh, just yesterday, someone just popped by and asked if I give card making classes.
Me? Classes? Me? Teaching people how to make cards? *giggle*
I've also people coming by asking me on "how to" and "where"… plus, we also have people just cheering me all the way or even thanking me for the wonderful card I have made for them or their love ones… *grin*
That, I say, by end of it all, is beyond words can describe. Only the heart knows how wonderful it feels making a difference to people's lives with just a card… that says it all…
