by The Happy WAHM
It’s a cookies ‘n cream kind of day today. It’s my birthday! So today, I’m blogging, after being delinquent – again – for the past weeks. Among the many goals I have set out for myself, blogging regularly has always been, and I believe will always be, the one that I fail to accomplish.
But I’m okay with it. I mean, blogging is just one of the many therapeutic activities that I have set out to do. I blog because I love to write. I blog because I have something to share. So on days that I don’t feel like writing, or have nothing to share, I don’t force myself to blog just to keep the page updated.
But today is sharing day. I have posted this on my Facebook page, and I’m going to share it with you here today.
My me-time goal has come to fruition in the form of a hob-biz. Or a self-supporting hobby, where I try to sell the items that I make, just so I can have a steady supply of materials to work with without taking away from the family budget.
I launched Crafted Crafts on June 10, to coincide with my son’s birthday. And I’m sharing it here on mine.
It’s nothing fancy. I built the site from scratch, and I’m slowly putting in content as I finish my projects. I talked about how the site came to being, as well as my plans for it, in the About page. And on my third month of crocheting, I’m starting to be more adventurous with colors and materials. I never thought there’d be too much math in crafting, and it’s something of a challenge, but I’m learning.
I wanted to finish a project I started out last Monday, to keep on my personal goal of one complete project a week, but other duties got in the way, so I’m sharing a work-in-progress instead.
I’m making a scarf for an elementary classmate. Her favorite colors are red and black. I started the project two weeks ago with materials I have on hand, which are mostly soft acrylic, and about a third into it, she messaged me that she’s allergic to materials that are not cotton. So I had to scramble for red and black cotton yarns and leave what I have done so far to finish later. While waiting for the red and black cotton I ordered online, I decided to try the pattern that I’ve set out for her on the light cashmere materials that I have in my stash. I’m naming my designs after people who get the first finished product of the design. Like my Rosanne Two-Toned Infinity Scarf. So the stitch combinations that I’m working on for my classmate will be called the Eliza Striped Scarf. But seeing what I was working on yesterday, my middlechild commented: “Wow! Looks delicious, Mommy! Cookies ‘n Cream!”
So here’s my Cookies ‘n Cream work-in-progress scarf.
I have to agree with my daughter. It does look delicious. And it’s so smooth and soft and stretchy. I have not decided yet if I’m going to finish it off with fringes, or if I’m going to make it an infinity scarf, too. I’m keeping my options open for the person who will buy it from me. 🙂 It’s 60 inches long and I’ll finish it off at a little over 5 inches wide. The measurements for the cotton version of this will be a little different, as the cotton yarn I’ll be using is size 4 medium worsted weight, while this Cookies ‘n Cream is size 3 light, but I’ll try to keep it really close. Bigger hook, less stitches.
Please visit my craft site. You might want to support my small biz on the side to help send my daughter to college. Ha ha! Place your Christmas gift orders early! And thank you for dropping by today.
Do you have questions, comments or feedback about this post?
Please leave me a message, or post them, at my Facebook Page.
by The Happy WAHM
This is going to be a very short post, as I intended for this to just be a Facebook status, but I’m going ahead and putting it here, so I can refer to it some day.
You know I have taken up crocheting very recently, like early this month, and I’m enjoying it immensely. If you are following me on Instagram and on Facebook, you’ll notice that my recent posts have been mostly about my crochet projects. I’m not going to apologize for my excitement overload, as I love to keep it real.
I’m not a stranger to this craft. I’ve seen my sister doing this for years already, but I have not really taken it up as a hobby. Have not even tried a hook for size. But last year, there was a crochet workshop and my firstborn attended, so we went home that day with our first batch of yarns.
Early this month, it was my turn to be interested in attending a workshop, and boy, I had a blast! I also got to meet new friends who live just a short drive from us. Ever since I became a WAHM, the friendships I have developed have been mostly online, so physically meeting women who share the passion for hooks and yarns, in whatever size and blend, was truly something to celebrate.
So back to why I’m writing this post…
I spent this morning with my firstborn, buying her school uniform, her t-shirt for the freshman orientation, picking up her ATM card from the bank and a lunch date, just the two of us. It has become a norm that I always carry a bag with a work-in-progress crochet project so I don’t feel like I’m wasting time sitting in an empty van waiting for it to fill and leave the terminal, or wasting time sitting in the bank waiting for my turn.
The other day, I had my first major yarn purchase. I just felt that I deserve a treat, you know? So I went ahead and purchased some sugar-free cakes from The Craft Hut, who also graciously threw in some freebies, so I actually had more than I paid for.
Look!
Notice the cotton cake in red, black and silver on the corner?
That’s the one I tried to start this morning. And I totally failed! And right in front of my firstborn.
It went like this:
Mommy, ano’ng yarn po ‘yan?
No idea, anak, but this is cotton daw.
Ano po ang gagawin mo?
I’ll try a simple scarf lang.
And I went ahead and started the chains. Turned around and tried a single crochet. And tried again. And again. And again.
I just couldn’t get the hook through the loop without leaving a strand behind!
And so I stopped trying.
And then turned to my firstborn.
You know, Xia, it was ambitious of me to even buy this cake. But I just had to try, you know. I would not know how to work this yarn if I didn’t try. In fact, I’m not giving up. I’ll try again maybe with a bigger hook. Or maybe I can use the loom for this. I don’t know. But I’ll experiment with this until I get to use this cake.
Now, let’s see. This goes for you, too. You’re going to college, and you’ll be in a new environment. I encourage you to be ambitious. Try new things. Be brave. ‘Wag ka mahihiya mag try. ‘Wag ka matatakot mag try. Marami kang kayang gawin, anak. Discover what you can do. All you have to do is try, then do. What do you say?
Yes, Mommy. Alam ko na! Pwedeng chain ka na lang ng chain, tapos slip stitch lahat to connect.
Okay. I’ll stop here. Just thought I’d share some parenting highlight today. The banter went on all the way to Lipa. My firstborn just loves to annoy me, but I know she totally got the message. Here’s how half of my office table looks now. Can you see that I have a few single crochets on the cotton cake?
Do you have questions, comments or feedback about this post?
Please leave me a message, or post them, at my Facebook Page.
by The Happy WAHM
Exactly nine years ago today, I walked out of the Digitel building in Libis for the last time. I went there to return my service vehicle and take care of my clearance and last pay. My husband went with me as he was bracing for a meltdown. He knew how much I loved my career, and he wasn’t sure how I’d handle letting go of it.
On this scorching hot afternoon, while browsing through my Facebook feed, I got alerted that today is my 9th anniversary as a WAHM entrepreneur. Well, the entrepreneur part came much later. But today, I’m just amazed that I have forgotten about my WAHM anniversary. Like I’ve always been a WAHM and there was no beginning, you know? How time flies when you’re having fun! And fun is exactly what I’m having! The corporate life I have loved so much is just but a distant memory.
I have not blogged for weeks, as I have been busy doing the things I love, and enjoying myself immensely in discovering new possibilities, but in honor of my ninth anniversary, I’m going to share what I’ve so far learned in my journey as a WAHM entrepreneur.
Here’s my list, which can also be taken as my advice to those who want to join me in the journey:
- Take your time. Have an idea? Let it sink in. Sleep on it. Gauge your happiness level about it. If you’re not 100% sure that it’s for you, don’t take it. There will always be another opportunity.
- Be a people person. More than the money, it is the relationships that you build that will bring your business the boost it needs to succeed.
- Work hard, then work smart. Success takes hard work and commitment. But you don’t have to do all the work. Learn the value of delegation.
- Never worry about competition. Stop comparing. Just know who you are, know what you want, know your purpose and do your best to achieve your goals.
- NEVER compete on price. Know how much your time and effort are worth, and charge accordingly. Compete on service and quality, not price.
- Get a mentor. Listen to people who can show you results, not theories; people who have been successful in doing the advice they’re giving. While their paths may not be the same as yours, at least you know that they know what they’re talking about.
- Network. Be the person even your competitors go to for answers and assistance. My favorite word is collaborate.
- Commit mistakes. Don’t be paralyzed with fear. Note that this is different from taking your time. By committing mistakes I’m saying that even when you are making informed decisions, you can still be wrong about it. So it’s okay to be wrong. Just make sure that you learn from that mistake, correct your course, and make adjustments to the earlier decision.
- Write a plan. And I literally mean write, because that’s what I do. I know what business I want, who my target customers are, and how I’ll go about my processes. So I write them down, and I tweak as I go.
- Be money-wise. Buy what you need, not what you want. You don’t have to show off your success by having the latest gadgets in the market, or wearing the most expensive watch. Let your bank balance do the talking.
- Be with people who are your kind of crazy. Seriously. There’s nothing more stressful than working with people who cannot even appreciate your brand of quirkiness.
- HAVE FUN! ‘Nuff said.
So there! These are the things that have worked for me in the last nine years. Maybe they’ll work for you, too!
Do you have questions, comments or feedback about this post?
Please leave me a message, or post them, at my Facebook Page.
by The Happy WAHM
Last Monday, April 13, my favorite firstborn and I had our first summer fun date. More like a treat for her high school graduation, really. Gosh! I can’t believe we’ll have a college student this June, and she’s only 15!
Since she has been attending regular school, she really missed out on a lot of field trips and dates that I had with her two younger siblings, who are still homeschooled. But for the few times that she took a trip with me to the city, it has always been for something connected to arts and crafting, like the crochet workshop that she asked as her birthday present last October.
So when she learned that I had been invited by Memory Crafters to the media launch of the Summer Art Sessions by Megaworld Lifestyle Malls, she jumped at the chance to go with me.
Launched in partnership with Manila Workshops, Tuscany at McKinley Hill’s Summer Art Sessions is a weekend arts and crafts workshop series happening every Sunday beginning April 19 and will run until May 10, from 1PM – 5PM.
Summer Art Sessions is open to all arts and crafts enthusiasts and will be led by some of Manila’s finest artists, who will be sharing their knowledge and expertise in a variety of workshops to be held at several restaurants in Tuscany.
Fun and exciting art activities await those who will register including workshops on the basics of doodling with WeeWillDoodle founder Nelz Yumul at Lucky’s Burger Bar, and Basic Paper Cutting by Hey Kessy at Banapple Pies and Cheesecakes.
Those who are into calligraphy can take part in the Basic Brush Calligraphy class of Mimai Cabugnason, also known as Sharkmaine in the art scene, at Marciano’s, while those who would like to learn how to do their own rubber stamps can go to the Rubber Stamping class by Manila Workshops at Sophie’s Mom.
More fun art workshops await aspiring artists at the Summer Art Sessions including an Acrylic and Oil Workshop by The Artologist at the Sauceria. Meanwhile, Do-It-Yourself guru Nica Cosio will be sharing lessons on how to spruce up one’s own tote bag at her DIY Tote Bag Designing class happening at Sophie’s Mom.
Aside from fun and learning-filled art classes, sumptuous dishes and treats will also be served during the workshops. Moreover, Josh Villena of pop band Autotelic will be serenading participants during the first edition of the workshop series on April 19.
Those who would like to join the Tuscany at McKinley Hill’s Summer Art Sessions can register now by logging on to Manila Workshops at manilaworkshops.com or by calling 0926-6167720.
Registration fee of P2,000 per session is inclusive of food, art kits and materials. Limited slots are available per workshop, so better register early.
As for me and my girls, we are hoping to attend the Acrylic and Oil Workshop by The Artologist, and the Rubber Stamping class by Nica Cosio.
My firstborn has been practicing the basic brush calligraphy that she learned at the launch, and sharing the knowledge with her younger sister. The mommy in me is hopeful, though, that we can explore partnerships with StabiloPH to support my middlechild’s passion for arts, because at 9, she drew this…
And at 11, she made this…
I’ve also featured some of her art here, here and here. I believe she’s a natural, and I support her passion wholeheartedly. We just need a little extra boost on the resources. 🙂
But anyway…
Kudos to Marciano’s for the sumptuous food that we shared at the launch. So sumptuous that I only have one photo to show. As I always say, I’ll never be a food blogger. Ha ha!
So again, I invite you to check out these cool Summer Art Sessions and don’t forget to use my code – CBTUSCANY-THW – when you register.
Hope to see you there!
by The Happy WAHM
What’s Mpowered, you ask?
Marge-powered!
No, just kidding. It’s a word that the organizers have coined for this workshop on empowering women in financial management, or money, for that matter. It’s about women and money. The role that women play in managing the household budget, and how most, if not all, are not really equipped, or ready, to take on the challenge of managing their hard-earned money. So the Learning Curve came up with this workshop that will not only empower women on better money management, but also teach them how to invest. And believe you me, this workshop is a gem.
Why do I say so?
Because I’ve been there, and done that.
No, not the workshop. The investing part.
As a WAHM, the biggest challenge for me is the financial stability. Any freelancer can relate to this.
You don’t get medical insurance coverage from your clients, you don’t get to enjoy paid leaves, you don’t have a retirement package, and you have to allocate your own budget for repair of your equipment.
You will not believe how mentally draining financial worries can be. I know, because I’ve been through these worries twice in the last 15 years. If you have been reading my blog, then you know. And in a few months, we’ll be sending our firstborn to college. So add that to my tab of items to worry about.
But I know that we are going to be just fine, because I am fortunate enough to have learned financial management early in my life. I even have my own WAHM Guide to Better Money Management, but that’s another story. Those who have attended my most recent VA Success Workshop are already familiar with it. 🙂
For now, I just want to invite you to this awesome giveaway, and you better join early and amass as many entries as you can, as this will run for only four days! I know… short time to run a giveaway, right?
God hath given to man a short time here upon earth, and yet upon this short time eternity depends. – Jeremy Taylor
And that’s how I feel about this giveaway. This workshop can be life-changing, no exaggeration.
Don’t believe me? Head over HERE to find all the details about this workshop.
Then come back here and be one of the two (2) lucky winners of these free seats worth PHP2,500 each! I will be announcing the winners on March 18.
May you be blessed!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Please leave me a message, or post them, at my Facebook Page.
