Saturday 27 February 2016

Yvonne my customer asked me to make an exploding box for a doctor who her daughter works for

long title I know.

I didn't want to do it.  I don't know anything about the doctor  = neither does she, she knows he is an Asian man who will be 50 on Tuesday 1st March.  Didn't give me any time, and I moaned to the family that I really didn't want to make it.  It wasn't fair that she had asked me.

Moan Moan Moan.

Anyway, three days ago in a rush I made the actual box - it took me an hour and half and to be blunt it was shite !  wasn't happy with it at all. the cardstock wasn't a good cardstock and the one leaf nearly came off completely because it scored through too much...................it nearly went in the bin.  But I persevered and reinforced the bottom and after adding more card it didn't 'explode' well - where the sides drop down when you take the lid off.  So again it very nearly went in the bin.

fast forward to last night and i decided to put the outside of the box on, don't ask me why but I did white and embossed with 'script' and it looked very much like a bloody wedding box.  OMG could this box cause me any more difficulties.

As this was being made for a doctor I printed off quite a bit of 'doctor/medical' quotes etc and pictures but didn't feel I wanted to make the box 'doctor-fied' so again I was at my wits end.

Today, after doing my bit of housework, walking the dog etc, sitting talking with Koz etc etc I came up to my desk an set about making the box better - and when I finally decided on a 1966 theme for the year that he would have been born it seemed to come together nicely and at the end of the day - some 6 hours in total the box was done.

My customer has said she would pay me for the box but how can you truly evaluate how much this box cost ................ around 6 hours altogether in my time, a quarter of my expensive double sided extra sticky tape, two 12x12 black cardstock, two 12x12 patterned cardstock, printer ink, wear and tear on my cuttlebug for all the die cutting, wear and tear on my cutting plates and there was a lot of wear and tear cutting it all out etc, then two 12x12 cardstock to actually make the box in the first place and 1 A4 card for all the white card on the box.  all in all (IF I was charging minimum wage for my time etc) it would have amounted to around £50 for a birthday box made of card !  ok unbelievable but true.  ha ha.

I think I shall ask her for a fiver and I will buy some extra bits at the shop and put it into the Tamworth food bank, that will make me feel a bit better for all this hard work.  AND although I moaned I quite enjoyed doing it in the end.  'BLUSH'










1 comment:

  1. Well...that was a mammoth task..but well worth the end result! It worked brilliantly in the end.

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