2023 Advent Box ...#6

 

Currently multitasking like a mad woman.  I know I won't be able to get everything done and ready to despatch in the next 10 days but I'm tentatively hopeful that by the end of the first week in November I'll be good to go.  All the remaining kits are under construction and I want this final Advent Box to be the best so I'm definitely going the extra mile.

It hasn't helped that one of the items just wasn't working so I've changed tack completely and started again from scratch on that kit, which has definitely put me back a few days, especially as there will be more elements in the kit which I'm going to have to make but it was definitely the right decision as the replacement is going to be far better and I'm much happier with it.

Right.... best go and get on then! 

. 

2023 Advent Box ...#5

I've been a bit lax with Advent Box updates lately, but in my defence I've been quite poorly and juggling multiple hospital visits for scans and tests.  As a result, my deadline of having all the boxes ready to despatch by 1st November is definitely going to slip, possibly by up to 2 weeks.  

That said, so far, I've managed to design, make and package 17 sets of kits, and the remaining 8 are all in progress, although I've left the hardest ones till last so they will take longer than most of the others. 

Last year's theme was Fairy Tales.  This year's theme is, of course, a closely guarded secret. Well, to be fair, there are two closely linked themes, with a few tangential kits thrown in.  It will include a 'structure.' Also, this year I'm including 2 doll projects, neither of which have ever been available as kits.

The growing collection of completed kits is pleasing, and knowing I have just 8 sets to complete is satisfying.  Of course it doesn't stop there.  I'll have to decide on the daily sequence of kits, conceal them in their stealth packaging, and number each one.  It's only then I'll be able to finalise what size mailing box I'll need and order them.

I now have 78 people on my 'interested' list, which is brilliant.  However, I will have a grand total of 25 Advent Boxes available, so unfortunately, not everyone will be successful.  Last year I produced 20 full scale 25-day boxes, which was a major undertaking.  The additional 5 this year may not sound like much, but it's an extra 125 kits, on top of the existing 500.  A total of 625 kits, and I've designed and made every single one of them. 

One thing I can say for absolutely certain sure.  This is definitely my final Advent Box ever. 

I'm all boxed out.  But I'm finally on the home straight.

So when I package the final kit, you'll likely hear a whoop of victory, closely followed by the sound of a bottle of something cold and fizzy being popped.  

Can't wait.....

  

2023 Advent Box ...#4

Scene: Sandra's craft room.  Every flat surface is covered in boxes of kit components.  The table is piled high with assorted prototype 'structures' in various shapes and sizes.  A second folding table has been drafted in to help with the overflow of kits already packaged and those in production.

Sandra is struggling with a recalcitrant structure, trying to hold four different pieces together while glue dries.

A small furry presence wavers into view.

Sandra:*frantically* Ah, Small Dog.  Just the dog I'm looking for.  Could you put your paw here please and hold this bit in place?

SD:*incredulously* Whott?!?!?  Ar yue kwite mad?

SD waves a paw over the bit in question, passing right through it.

Me:*apologetically* Ah.  Sorry SD.  Didn't think....

SD settles down on the only clear space on the floor and looks expectantly at Sandra.

SD:*questioningly*  So.  This is another fine mess you've got yourself into.

Me:*belligerently* Yes.  Yes I know. Bite me.

SD: *raised eyebrow* Yue kno veri wel ai kant.  

Me:*smiling* Hmm... bet you wish you could though.  Might jolt some sense into me.  Anyhow, it's too late now.  The die is cast and there's no way but to go through it.

SD:*looking around the room* Itts goen wel then?

Me:*exasperatedly* No. Of course it's not. What on earth was I thinking? I swore up, down and sideways last year, that I would never, ever, under any circumstances, EVER do another Advent Box.  

SD:*opening her mouth*

Me:*interrupting* DON'T SAY ANYTHING!  I know you told me not to.  I know you said it was madness.  I know all that.  If only I'd listened.

SD*smugly* Aim knott goen to sai itt.  But I did yue kno.......

She fades away, her smirking smile hovering in the air like a small dog version of the Cheshire Cat. 

2023 Advent Box ...#3

 

Eeeek!  According to my 'friendly' countdown timer, which is becoming less and less friendly by the day, there's just over 7 weeks to go to complete my Advent Boxes.

Progress update you say?  

Wellllll.... so far I've completed 7 kits, and am well underway with another 3.   I'm also currently working on the designs of a further 5 kits and waiting for supplies for several more, so I think I'm more or less on schedule.

However, a problem has arisen which might put the kibosh on the whole enterprise.  Not to give anything away, but I had planned to include a 'structure' in this year's Advent Box, and spent ages over the summer sourcing exactly the right thing and placing an order.  Unfortunately it was out of stock, but I was assured that it would be available by the end of September.  Fast forward to now, and on Friday I requested an update on a potential delivery date to discover that it had been pushed back by well over a month, which would take me into November.  And even then the delivery couldn't be guaranteed before Christmas. 

Cue much wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Should I press on with my current plan or completely reconsider that element?  It's really integral to the theme of the entire thing though, and I've already put together several elements of the kit to accompany it.

Could I design something similar and produce it myself?  Possibly... although I'm already going to be pushed for time and having to design and produce the structural element is a whole different proposition.  

However, I've spent the weekend trying to think of ways to achieve something similar, without having to spend a fortune on materials and I think I might have found a way to do it.  I'm going to have to massively simplify the construction but I think it just might work. 

Nothing is ever straightforward and I may have gone a step too far, but by the end of this week, I'm tentatively hopeful that I may have a working prototype.  

So, watch this space.....  😉 

2023 Advent Box ...#2

Today is all about lists.  I have so many lists I'm going to need another list to keep track of all the lists. I also to draft a realistic schedule to keep to.  I have a long, distinguished history of making a brilliant, early start on projects then resting on my laurels until a deadline approaches and panicking like crazy.

However, if there's one thing I learnt from doing this last year (and trust me, there's MANY) it's to keep track of stuff.  It was all a bit chaotic back then, and although I'm relatively good at multitasking I ended up spinning so many metaphorical plates that inevitably several of them ended up in pieces.

So... this time.  Lists.

• Mailing list of people who want details.  If that's you, HELLO! *waving*
• List of individual kit ideas (this is constantly changing at the moment)
• List of components I already have, or can make myself
• List of components I'll have to source or buy
• List of packaging... bags and boxes 

That last list is a doozer.  Last year I miscalculated and ending up having to order additional paper bags several times.  And yes, it has to be paper bags in order to conceal the contents of each one so that there's a surprise every day.  I made all the number stickers last time and will do so again, not least because most sets of advent stickers are numbered 1-24 but as I include a special kit for Christmas Day itself, I need 1-25.

Also, this year, I'm going to need a bigger box! I managed to fit last year's 25 kits in a standard A5 mailing box, but I'll definitely have to find something bigger and deeper this time. 

😉

2023 Advent Box...#1

Well..... that escalated quickly!  

I sent out an email on Monday afternoon, to gauge interest in the idea of a 2023 Advent Box, and within a few minutes my laptop was pinging fit to bust with messages coming in requesting to go on my list for further details.  

To say I'm flabbergasted is an understatement, and to be honest the response has been overwhelming.  So many lovely messages, some from people who have been customers since I first started my miniature doll business, over 35 years ago.  

I've decided to hit the ground running, and have therefore put a countdown timer on my computer desktop.  The boxes all need to be completed and ready to go on sale by 1 November to allow for delivery by 1 December, especially for international mailings so I need to run to a fairly strict timetable, given the breadth and scope of the boxes.  So here I am, on a hot August day, working towards an Advent box for December and yes, it does feel weird.

Last year's box was largely based on a Fairy Tale theme.  This year's will also have a theme, but as it's a closely guarded secret I can't divulge any details.  However, I can reveal that today I have completed packaging the first kit... EEEEK!!!

This is both A Good Thing, and A Bad Thing.  It's good because I've actually started, and as an ace procrastinator that's a major achievement.  It's bad because this will likely lull me into a false sense of security, thinking I have loads of time and how difficult can it be to get all the individual kits ready on time.  However, last year, it all went right to the line and afterwards I had to lie down in a darkened room for a fortnight.  That was a cautionary experience, and I'm determined to pace myself this time.  I have to admit that I'm having enormous fun planning and designing everything, and new ideas keep cropping up all the time, so I may be in the fortunate position of being able to pick and choose, rather than worrying about not having enough.

I'll post regularly about progress over the coming months, and might even drop the odd teaser/hint/clue along the way, so if you've expressed an interest, please drop your email address in the 'Get New Posts By Email' box and hit the Subscribe button, (it's at the top of the column on the right hand side) so you don't miss anything. 

And in the meantime......

The die is cast....

As you know, I've been musing on the idea of designing an Advent Box for this Christmas.  Since I posted about it last month, I've been vacillating all over the show.... 

Scene: Sandra's craft room.  She is surrounded by notebooks and scraps of paper, littered with jottings and is deep in thought at her laptop.  A small furry presence materialises on her lap, and settles down.

Me:*distractedly* Oh, hello SD.  I was hoping you'd appear.  I could do with a bit of advice.

SD:*pointedly* Wel yes.  Ai eckspeckt yue do. Whott is itt this tym?

Me:*carefully* Well..... I'm wondering whether or not to do another Advent Box type thing for this Christmas and I...

SD:*interrupting*  THISS KRISMUS???  Muurm, ar yue kompleetlie madd?  Thatts onlie aitey three dais!!!

Me:*defensively* Yes.  Yes, I know.  But....

SD:*emphatically*  Thatts undr twelv weaks.  Yule nevir doo itt!

Me:*deflatedly* I'm sure I could.  Just wondering if I should though..... *tailing off*

SD:*patiently* Aim lissening....

Me:*deliberately*  Ok.  So there are pros and cons.  On one hand, it's a LOT of work, but it's really fun to plan.  Also I'm sure I've slipped off people's radar, so there might not be any interest. However last year's box was a rip-roaring success and sold out in less than an hour.  I'm supposed to be retired but I do miss work and more than that, I miss coming up with an idea and figuring out how to make it work.

SD:*interestedly* Hmmm..... and du yue hav an ideer?

Me:*warily* Well yes... as a matter of fact I do have an idea.

SD:*probingly* And wil itt wurk?

Me:*hesitantly*  I think so.  I have a vision of how it will all look when it's finished and it's completely amazing.  It's a vignette.

SD*bamboozledly* A veengnett???  Whott on erth is thatt?

Me:*gingerly* It's sort of a small scene, made up of different components but complete in itself.   The Advent Box would contain all the kits necessary to make the finished vignette.

SD:*thoughfully*  Ai suppoas thatt wude wurk.  Kan yue tel me whott itt iss?

Me*confidentially* Well it's a secret... like last year's box contents, but I could whisper it to you...

*whisper whisper whisper*

SD:*astonishedly* WOW!  Thatt sownds amaizen!  Espeshullie the bitt with.... yue kno.

Me*happily* Thank you SD.  Yes I thought you'd like that bit. 

SD*gently* Itt duz sownd liek an owful lott of wurk tho.  Ar yue shure yue kan manij itt in the tyme?

Me:*warily*  I think so.  I've started making lists and planning stuff for it.  Just need to send out an email to gauge the level of interest.  There might be no replies though.

SD:*emphatically*  Onlie wun wai to fined owt.  Ai thinc yue shude go fore itt.

Me*appreciatively* Oh, thank you SD.  Ok then.... I will.  You are such wise little dog.

SD, smiling all over her furry little face, slowly fades away, and Sandra returns to her research and list-making....

To be continued.....