Recently, I had an opportunity to take a stall at a local Christmas Fair (notice the word had) and jumped at the chance, as I am a greetings card maker. I love it! I'm good at it! But as the whole world and it's dog can now do everything they want on a computer, including the printing of - handmade cards are very difficult to sell. It doesn't matter how fantastic they are, people don't want to pay 'proper' money for them. Why should they when they can do-it-themselves or go to Poundland!?
Anyway, I have been busy, busy, busy, as only a Mouse can be, and have been making cards at every God given moment. The house has gone to pot and you can write your name in the dust on pretty well every surface! (Any excuse!) And now I've been informed the Fair might not go ahead! Bloody marvellous! NOT!
Years ago, I used to supply a craft shop in town. The first box of cards I took in, she bought all ten on the spot. Then she asked to see twenty, but still only bought ten. Then she started to get picky, choosy, telling me what she wanted and didn't want me to do. Enough already! I couldn't keep up with her demands. So I went elsewhere.
Then the market was changing and people didn't want to pay up front; they wanted 'sale or return'. Fine ... but cards would go 'missing' and they didn't look after them, so any returns came back dog-eared and un- saleable.
So for the past few years I've just been making cards for family and friends' special birthdays and getting the odd order here and there, and if the Fair doesn't go ahead, I've got 35 handmade Christmas cards going begging.
Interested?
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