by The Happy WAHM
15/365Challenge: Thrilled to the bones that a yarn mix has been named after my baby, Crafted Crafts. So today, I’m sharing with you Crafted Crafts Cottonberry.
Remember my post where I first introduced my Crafted Crafts logo?
Well, the logo has been edited, and now comes in two variations. Thanks to Lique of Artique whose hands were responsible for these beauties. Her original design is still up at the site, but last December, I asked her to make the colors brighter, as I find the original teal shade kinda sad. 🙂
But who am I kidding? The reason that I actually had the color changed a bit was that I could not make the teal at the site match the shade of the teal on the logo. Ergo, I sent Lique the hex code of the teal I used at the site and asked her, nicely, to please make the colors match. 🙂
Then last week, while I was looking for a green cotton yarn for a poncho project, Jherae, one of the fantastic duo responsible for the unique Sugar Free yarn mixes that you’ll only find at their cave, showed me the teal that she was still winding. I was so excited that it was exactly the shade of teal of my logo! So I went ahead and asked if she could put a little bit of pink in it, sent her my logo, and in no time, she came up with the Crafted Crafts Cottonberry mix. 🙂
Nice, yeah?
Now I’m busy looking for a project that I can use this for. Or I can just keep it as part of my hoard.
If you are a crocheter looking for one-of-a kind yarn mixes, try Sugar Free! I love all their mixes, and I love the story behind the brand more. Will be talking about them in more detail soon!
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by The Happy WAHM
From being a double income family, can you really survive with just one income? To succeed in staying afloat, it’s most helpful to calculate, if not actually compute, the costs involved in having a second income.
I’m back to writing about our one-income household lifestyle. And today, I’m going to talk about how we came to be confident that we could survive with just one income. We worked on our numbers, and the first set of numbers we worked on was the cost of having a second income.
Of course, at the center of our planning and strategizing was my dear friend, Excel.
The Cost of a Second Income
Back in 2011, I wrote about cost to work briefly. But today, I’m sharing with you a more detailed version of the process we went through.
In a worksheet, I created two major columns:
Under each column, I added two more columns:
- I stay employed
- I stay home
Then we listed down everything. Under income, we included the benefits, like the sack of rice that we regularly received from the company.
Managing Expenses
The exciting part was working on the expenses. From Expenses => I stay employed column, we had househelps’ salaries (we had two), and 13th month pay. Those items were no longer to be seen under the Expenses => I stay home column, and because I had set up my file to autocompute, it was fun seeing the expense numbers really go down. From two househelps to zero, we also adjusted our monthly budget for electricity, water, food and other miscellaneous items like toiletries, snacks, lunch out, groceries, and phone. Then we further deducted my meals purchased at the office, wardrobe and other miscellaneous items an office girl spends on, like shoes, bags and accessories. In my case, I had a service vehicle from the company, so I had no transportation expense to take into account, but for the others who are thinking of giving up employment and are public commuters, you’ll find that your transportation expense will make a big difference on your budget.
Personally managing our home proved to be more cost-efficient, too. You won’t believe how I used to buy a liter of dishwashing liquid, fabric softener and laundry detergent weekly. But when I started to personally do our laundry, I only had to replenish our laundry supply every three weeks, same thing with the dishwashing liquid. Aside from the expected reduction of cost on food and utilities, personally managing our house meant further savings because we are more conscious about our spending.
Effectively managing your expenses and having a game plan in bolstering your income are crucial in surviving a one-income lifestyle. After you have all your ducks in a row, all your numbers computed, the difference you will end up with may not be sufficient to warrant holding on to the second income. Your reasons for holding on to a corporate career like job satisfaction, independence, career progression, and the like, may be overshadowed by being able to stay home with the children, having the time to learn a new skill, or becoming your own boss.
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by The Happy WAHM
Do you know that virtual assistance and crochet have a lot of similarities?
I’m taking a break from my financial management series and talking about my other passion.
In May last year, I learned how to crochet. My firstborn actually introduced me to it. And I’ve been addicted since.
I’ve been so committed to it that I have even set up a website and a Facebook page just so I can feature all my finished projects in one place. And I’m happy to share that this hobby I have taken up has actually been paying for itself. Yes, I’ve been able to sell some items, and orders are coming in, thank goodness!
I think I may have been sharing too much about my crochet activities that people are starting to wonder if I’m switching careers. I’ve actually been asked about a dozen times if I’m leaving virtual assistance to focus on crochet as a business.
The answer has been, and will always be… no.
Much as I love crafting, I don’t think I’ll ever make a decent living out of it. And virtual assistance is so much my personality that I can’t imagine ever giving it up. Oh, maybe I’ll slow down in five year’s time. But for as long as clients are engaging my services, I’ll always be a virtual assistant.
Wait!
Make that… I’ll always be a virtual assistant who crochets.
What a lot of people don’t realize is that virtual assistance and crochet are alike in many ways. And that may be the reason why I’m doing well in this hobby. Here are a few examples:
The foundation row is always difficult.
We always begin a project with a foundation row. The challenge for me is in the math. Most of my past projects were done in freehand, meaning I didn’t use any pattern. You are not going to believe how I have to draw sticks and circles on paper so I can figure out how many chains to start with. Do I make multiples of 5 plus 2, or do I make multiples of 5 plus 3? Do I make my first DC on the 3rd chain from the hook? Or should it be on the 4th?
Another challenge for me is how to make all chains even. I need to keep my strokes uniform, so I am not to be disturbed when chaining, or be on the path of my wrath. I also find myself counting and re-counting my chains. Although I’m using stitch markers for, say, every 50 chains, I’d still repeat counting, because if I don’t get the count right, I cannot move on to the next row. Well, basically I can move to the next row, but the whole project, the whole design, will be bust.
Very similar to the challenges I had to face when I was starting out as a VA. I had to wing everything. I had to repeatedly work on my numbers, being careful not to shortchange myself or the client. I stayed focused on my goals, on why I’m doing what I’m doing. I stayed motivated. And here I am.
There are different ways you can make your foundation row.
The most common is to make the chains, then single or double crochet. But there are also chainless foundation rows, using either the foundation single crochet (FSC), foundation double crochet (FDC) or foundation half double crochet (FHDC). Chaining is faster and easier. But the chainless foundation is cleaner and firmer. I just find myself always missing a stitch or two when doing the FDC, so I just use the FSC when I can, and stick to chaining for most of my projects. To make my edge cleaner to look at, I just do the SC or DC on the bump at the back of the chain, instead of inserting the hook between the V of the chain.
In the same manner that you are free to choose the way to launch a career in virtual assistance. Just go ahead and wing it, being mindful of the bumps along the way, or be totally prepped for it by learning strategies and techniques first before forging ahead. However you want to start it, just stay true to have what you have set out to do.
Follow a pattern, or create your own.
Having a pattern is great. That is, if you know how to follow one. I can follow a written pattern, but not the diagrams. It’s something I have yet to learn. The symbols confuse me. Maybe in time, I’ll learn how to read symbols, too. Meantime, I’m happy creating my own designs with the stitches I’m most familiar with, and simply mixing colors.
In the same manner that I started my virtual assistance career without any guidance. Back in 2006, there were no workshops (that I know of), no other VA that I know of, so I had to learn on my own. I focused on my skills and offered them as a service, while learning new skills that are already being sought by clients overseas.
Different yarn types or hooks for different projects.
This part, I’m still learning as far as crochet is concerned. The yarn I learned my stitches on were acrylic. And I assumed that all yarns were created equal. Not so. There’s cotton, acrylic, soft acrylic, wool, cashmere, and so on. Cotton yarns are heavy. Acrylics are light, and they can catch fire easily. So don’t make potholders with acrylic yarn. Use cotton. But if you’re working on a big wearable project like a shawl, use lightweight materials like cottonberry. The drape is better, too.
As for the hooks, there is a tunisian hook used for… you guessed it! Tunisian stitch. And they come in different sizes and lengths. For the size, say you are using a light material that requires a 3mm hook, try to use a 3.5mm or 4mm hook to achieve a lacy feel. And take care of your hands! Use ergonomic hooks.
In virtual assistance, it’s not one size fits all, too. Say your tasks are simple email management and calendar management, then you can survive with a 1.5Mbps connection. But if your tasks will involve video editing, lots of uploads and downloads to and from the net, you should at least have 3Mbps.
Frogging is not fun, but sometimes necessary.
It’s okay to make mistakes. But once you realized that you have committed one, be prompt in correcting it. Imagine having reached the 50th row, only to realize that you missed a stitch on the 25th row. So your project looks askew because you made a decrease when there shouldn’t be. Don’t be lazy and say, it will do. Go ahead and frog, and do the rows again.
Working with clients as a VA for almost a decade now, and in corporate for 12 years before becoming one, I’ve had my share of grave mistakes. But I’ve always managed to make necessary corrections and apologize to whoever got the brunt of the error. And I remember the lessons.
So next time you are working on a project that requires to be really even, take time to count your stitches every other row, so you can catch the missing stitch early. 🙂
These are just a few examples I have time to write today, but you get the idea. And these are the reasons why I’m thriving in both.
Do you have questions, comments or feedback about this post?
Please leave me a message, or post them, on my Facebook Page.
by The Happy WAHM
I’m a passionate person. Whatever I set out to do, I put my heart into it.
I’m also very career-driven. And that drive, combined with my passion, is oft-mistaken to be workaholism.
It is difficult to find the fine line that separates, or differentiates, one from the other. I know, because I am writing this piece to help me process which side of the spectrum I am actually in. Am I really just passionate? Or am I already a workaholic?
So I start out my day thinking about the work on my queue, and end it thinking about the work I will be doing the next day. I spend time on social media sharing and talking about my work, and maintain three other websites that are all connected to work. Are these signs of workaholism?
To some, it may sound and look like it. But I’d still rather say that I am simply committed to what I have set out to do. That I’m just being fair to the people who hired me to make things happen for them, to my husband who thinks I invented virtual assistance, to my children who all look up to me and expect me to be the best virtual assistant there is.
I’d like to believe that workaholism is just compulsive working, and there is nothing compulsive with what I’m doing. I don’t work for the sake of getting so beat I’d fall asleep the moment my head hits the pillow. I don’t work for the sake of working. And I don’t take on just any project.
I always start with something I love, something at least I know how to do if not really very good at doing, something I can imagine myself to be happy with long-term. These criteria have to be present simultaneously, or I won’t be doing it at all.
Passion can easily get distorted to compulsivity, if you don’t have a clear purpose, if you are not clear about what your end-goal is. That’s why I still write my goals down, however taboo goalsetting has become to others. A written plan keeps me rooted to my purpose. It keeps me committed. It keeps me motivated.
So I think I’m just passionate. And I want to stay that way.
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
Three years in a row that I’ll be joining the WAHExpo, and my excitement level is still high up there!
The very first gathering of WAHMs actually happened back in 2012. It was more like an exploratory talks between those who were already working from home (that’s us!), and those who were still contemplating on making the leap from blazers to pajamas. We were just about forty in the first event, and to date, there are more than 1,500 warm bodies in our WAHMderful Facebook Community.
Because of the success of the first annual WAHM Expo and the interest it gained from the male population, Manila Workshops decided to open the doors to the Dads in its second year, and called it the WAH Expo, dropping the M for moms.
And now, WAHExpo 2015 is made even bigger and better by welcoming the Work-At-Home Singles.
Yep!
Having babies and being a hands-on parent is no longer the main reason people want to work from home.
Choosing your working hours, avoiding the horrific traffic, choosing who you work with, calling your shots on what projects to work on, working in bed, on the beach, under the tree or even on top of it (why not?), knowing your worth and commanding your price… the list is endless.
Still, it is not for everybody.
But whether you already like it, or just exploring the idea of doing it, WAHExpo 2015 is an event that will help you gain helpful insights about the gore and glory of working from home.
Here’s a glimpse of what the day will be like:
Morning Schedule:
9:30 AM – 9:50 AM Welcome remarks and overview of the day; Opening of the WAHM Support Central section.
9:50 AM – 10:10 AM It’s a WAH-nderful Life Video
10:10 AM – 10:40 AM Panel of Work at Home Moms
10:40 AM – 11:00 AM Raffle Draw
11:00 AM – 11:40 PM Panel of Work at Home Singles
11:40 AM – 11:45 PM Raffle Draw
11:45 PM – 1:00 PM Lunch Break / Booth Stamping game / Play Video of Sponsors
Afternoon Schedule:
1:00 PM – 1:20 PM Keynote Speaker (Joe Maristela of Katalyst.ph)
1:25 PM – 1:50 PM Talk: Balancing Business, Home and Heart (Marilen Montenegro of Marilen.ph)
1:50 PM – 2:00 PM Q&A with Marilen
2:00 PM – 2:30 PM Break / Sponsor’s Slot
2:30 PM – 2:50 PM Social Entrepreneurship and Foundations with Anna Meloto-Wilk of Human Heart Nature)
2:50 PM – 3:00 PM Q&A with Anna
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM Break / Sponsor’s Slot
3:30 PM – 3:50 PM Time Management for the Work at Home Parent (Teresa Dumadag of FullLifeCube.com)
3:50 PM – 4:00 PM Q&A with Teresa
4:00 PM – 4:25 PM Fitness Factors for Work at Homies (Monica Manzano ofBeyond Yoga)
4:25 PM – 4:45 PM Q&A for and Raffle
4:45 PM – 5:00 PM Closing
MK TAN (SPECIALIZED TALKS)
*Only starts in the afternoon!
1:00 PM – 1:45 PM Set Yourself Up for Work at Home Wealth (Don-don Crisostomo of dondoncrisostomo.com)
1:45 PM – 2:00 PM Sponsor’s Slot
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM WAHM Collaboration: Where it Begins, How to Earn from It (Martine of MakeitBlissful.com, Frances of MommyTopaz.com, & Ginger ofMommyGinger.com)
2:45 PM – 3:00 PM Raffle and Afternoon break
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM Best Practices of a Work-at-Homie by Lyle of Raket.ph
3:45 PM – 4:00 PM Sponsor’s Slot
4:00 PM – 4:30 PM How to Go Global with Your Expertise by Anthony and Tippy Pelayo-Go of Googly Gooeys
4:30 PM – 4:45 PM Q&A and Raffle Draw
4:45 PM – 5:00 PM Closing
Join us on September 26 at the Bayanihan Center, Unilab Compound, Pasig, for a full day of learning and networking with like-minded souls.
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
Like, seriously?
Yup!
Seriously.
And I have proof.
I’m officially a Bloggys 2015 nominee.
My excitement is worthy of a blog post, of course!
To other seasoned bloggers, or to those who have been nominated before, this may be nothing, but I feel like a million bucks for this nomination. This means that there are people who are reading my blog, and there is at least one person who believes in my contribution to the blogging community. That what I share is important. And that what I say makes sense. I assure you, it’s not my mother. Internet is not her thing. And it’s not my husband either. He’s not into blogs.
He’s into me. Ha! 🙂
I remember posting on my Facebook page sometime ago, that if what I share online will inspire even just one person, then I have lived my purpose. This Bloggys 2015 nomination is an affirmation that I’m doing something right. I still have no idea who nominated me. And please don’t tell the judges, but before I received the email informing me of my nomination, I had no idea what Bloggys is.
The email said the nominations will go on until the 30th of September. And after that, I will be informed if I made it to the voting stage. I’m not sure what that means. I think I will need to be nominated a certain number of times? If that is the case, will you do that for me? If you have 10 seconds to spare, then I hope you will nominate me some more. 🙂
Oh, I see fellow WAHMs in the list, so I encourage you to nominate them, too. There is no limit. 🙂
And that’s all for now. I’m still blessedly up to my eyeballs with work and some projects on the side, that’s why I have not been actively blogging lately. Plus, I’m really trying to get my crochet hob-biz get off the ground. But once I get back my writing groove, I will be blogging more often.
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Please leave me a message, or post them, at my Facebook Page.
