How not to set up a business

Sometimes I think my brain should be replaced by a large spongoid fungus...perhaps a giant puffball, or a morel...just lift this one out, it doesn't function very well, especially not nowadays, and pop t'other in. You can recycle the old one, if the council men will take it.
I am not very good at business-like-things. Dang me, it's not as if I had oodles of money to waste on stupid mistakes. I thought it was all going so well...my new cards uploaded to my printers and winging their way back to me, ready to be packed up and sent to happy customers everywhere. The first boxes arrived - very pleased. Very nice repro. Good colour matching. Glad I chose that font, it looks just right. The next batch arrived - very pleased. Very nice repro. Good colour matching. Glad I - oh. Bugger. Double bugger. Triple bugger in a marmalade sandwich. How the Devil did I manage to do that...

This finding coincided with a small painting commission, which just about covered the cost of reprinting the offending articles. Never let it be said that I aim to make profit where breaking even can be achieved. Now, knowing how popular the 'Three Kings' design is, I thought I'd be show some business savvy and splash my last pennies on getting 250 printed. We are talking very small print runs here, you won't find RFE cards in Clintons. And just 100 of Nellliephant, play it safe. Good, that's that sorted. I was a bit puzzled though, when only 100 'Kings' arrived, a week later. Maybe they were sending them in batches? Then a box of 250 'Kings' arrived too...I had of course, reordered the 'Kings' twice. Time to reorder. Again. So now I am just waiting for 'Nelliephant' mark 3 to come trumpety trumping through the jungle, as it were. How do I manage it? Am I some kind of genius?

"I know I left it here somewhere..."

So, as usual, my cash flow is pretty much stuffed, and we are foraging in the woods for firewood until my last cheque gets here, then I can buy a proper load from the men who cut down trees. Ah well, it gets us out of the house; we LIKE the woods, hurrah! But I am about to sacrifice my best paintbrush to the Gods of illustration in the hopes they will send me a job.

Moaning aside, there have been some lovely pink fluffy moments...not least a kind fairy godmother putting in a large card order today, which has helped enormously. (THANK YOU!) Times like this you realise who your friends are, and one day, with luck, I'll be able to see this as just a learning curve.

At last, after much mutual worrying, some SOSF booty has arrived...belated but enchanting, these teeny tiny origami cards, a little late for Hallowe'en, but it does not matter one bit. They are mind bogglingly bijou...

(Sooz, confess, you are only inches high, aren't you? How else could you get those little folds so perfectly creased?)

And after many weeks swimming their way round the globe, beautiful cards and fairy dust from sweet Miss Robyn, (you can breathe easy now MR, it arrived safely after all!)

So in the grand tradition of 'if life gives you lemons, make lemonade', I am off to make - appropriately enough - fairy cakes. With rainbow sprinkles. Next week is shiny new and waiting to be filled. Watch this space.