Finding time to soap now that the holiday orders are coming in...

[gigisiguenza]

While I know many of you have more hobbies than just soaping, I dunno how many make significant side money from those hobbies, and I'm wondering how many are feeling the pain as I am right now...

September rolled in and it's like someone fired off the starting gun in a race... out of nowhere the xmas orders for crochet work have started rolling in and, while I'm quite happy to have the orders (I've got over twenty items on the list already in just 24 hours that have to be ready before Dec 15th), I'm looking at the calendar and wondering "when will I have time to soap???"...

I sure hope I'm not the only soaper who is stressing... what a thing to stress over... whether I'll have time to make soap while I crochet my fingers to nubs meeting the holiday demands LOL

I warned folks, next year you really need to get these orders in starting in June.... I'd like to have time to sleep geez...

ETA sorry if this is in the wrong category... it posts to the category I visit most frequently and I wasn't sure where it should go moved

 

[traderbren]

I don't sell any of my hobbies or crafts as a business (then it would be a job- the easiest way for me to hate doing them!) but I knit gifts for family for Christmas. I try to choose the fiber first, then spin it, and then knit it. I'm already behind since I haven't even given thought to what I'm making this year. This year everyone might just get felted soap, or soap and a handknit washcloth...

 

[Deedles]

I no longer sell my hobbies anymore either. When I HAVE TO it just isn't fun! But I do make gifts for friends. All my hobbies are very time consuming....knitting, leather work, and quilting/sewing mainly. And of course, this year I've added soaping! I've already got a stock pile of crochet wash cloths so just need to time the soaping to be cured on time. Knitting and leather stuff I start in July, the leather projects are very involved this year. I'm making DH a fully tooled set of bibs and hopefully saddlebags for his bike. And trying to keep it a secret is tricky...lots of midnight oil burned!

So yeah....my soaping time has been short. In fact, it's been almost a month since my last batch but I've been watching alot of videos and all your posts for inspiration!

 

[cmzaha]

I no longer sell my hobbies anymore either. When I HAVE TO it just isn't fun! But I do make gifts for friends. All my hobbies are very time consuming....knitting, leather work, and quilting/sewing mainly. And of course, this year I've added soaping! I've already got a stock pile of crochet wash cloths so just need to time the soaping to be cured on time. Knitting and leather stuff I start in July, the leather projects are very involved this year. I'm making DH a fully tooled set of bibs and hopefully saddlebags for his bike. And trying to keep it a secret is tricky...lots of midnight oil burned!

So yeah....my soaping time has been short. In fact, it's been almost a month since my last batch but I've been watching alot of videos and all your posts for inspiration!

What a fantastic gift, to have hand tooled saddlebags. That should be fun to try to keep secret

 

[gigisiguenza]

I agree with all of you... hobbies turned into a source of income takes a lot of the fun outta the hobby... unfortunately, my income is very limited, so I count on my hobbies to supplement during tough times. I have, however, learned over the years to limit myself, to not ever let demand for product drive my hobbies. This approach has proven to be both a positive and a negative.

On the plus side, the fact that people have to wait until I'm ready (or have time) to crochet on top if that there is no immediate gratification, and that I freestyle crochet (no patterns used, so there are literally no duplicates, it's impossible) means as soon as they see me with my crochet bag, they start asking is it time yet? Can we order?? And I have guaranteed sales leading up to the holidays.

On the negative side, it means whatever hobby I'm currently making side money on tends to dominate my time for several months, so the other hobbies sit neglected.

And...as many of you have said, none of my hobbies are quick, they're all time consuming. I also quilt, as some of you do, as well as creating art, making handmade dolls, and I'm eyeballing weaving now, because it fascinates me. In the overall, soaping is probably the least time consuming hobby I have LOL. It takes the longest to have a "finished" product, but the actually making of the soap only takes an hour or so.

The planning, however, seems to take me days.... go figure LOL

 

[Relle]

Got any pics of your crochet ?

 

[gigisiguenza]

Got any pics of your crochet ?

Of course lol. I wish I had my older pics, but the majority were on my old phone and were lost when it was stolen (I now always take em off my phone to save space and be sure I don't lose them)

Baby sweater set I did last year for my boss so he could give it to his granddaughter for Xmas


house slippers for a customer order


Another pair of house slippers for a customer order


Big slouchy hat for a customer order

Same hat, but laid flat to show the pattern


I have more but they're on my phone

 

[Susie]

Wow, gorgeous work!

 

[gigisiguenza]

Wow, gorgeous work!

TY

I have serious insomnia issues, coupled with ADD, so if I'm too tired for anything physical but my brain won't shut off, crochet gives my hands something to do while my brain is vegged out LOL

 

[TwystedPryncess]

Those are sooo cute! Are you familiar with Irish crochet? It's horribly time consuming and probably not saleable but as a hobby it's such beautiful work. I stepped into that a couple of years ago, along with Romanian Point Lace and Tatting, and then knitting just a few months ago. I grasped everything well but the knitting. I was selling jewelry avidly for awhile but working the booths got to be a little rough on the fibro and I decided to pull down and revamp with a better product line, so I am doing that now. I used to do freelance editing and had an old client message me today and ask me if I would consider picking it up again. Money's been thin so I agreed. I'm only working part time outside the home right now anyway and not avidly selling jewelry, just doing a piece custom here and there if someone asks. When I was working full time office managing and then coming home to a side gig editing that was in full swing though, I know the pain. I worked from 7 am to midnight seven days a week, still had the kids at home tearing up the house, only stopping long enough to cook dinner and trying here and there to halfway put back together the tornadoes they made in the house.

What saved me was my perspective. I said to myself, "I GET to do this." I have the opportunity, however small, to work in the comfort of my home. I loved every minute of it, no matter how tiring it was. Nothing beats working in your pajamas, even if it's not enough to live off of just yet. So, looks like I will be editing in my pajamas again soon, and I'm pretty happy about it right now. Ya'll will hear me grumble later though about someone's horrible spelling or how boring science and doctor's journal articles are!

 

[gigisiguenza]

TP - TY and nope I have not tried Irish lace crochet yet, but it sure looks pretty. If involves fiber art I'm probably going to be interested LOL. And yes, I totally understand about the working from home. If I could work from home I sure would, but alas, I'm still reliant on going to work.

And LOL, I used to freelance copywrite and I feel ya about the boring subject matter.

Those are sooo cute! Are you familiar with Irish crochet? It's horribly time consuming and probably not saleable but as a hobby it's such beautiful work. I stepped into that a couple of years ago, along with Romanian Point Lace and Tatting, and then knitting just a few months ago. I grasped everything well but the knitting. I was selling jewelry avidly for awhile but working the booths got to be a little rough on the fibro and I decided to pull down and revamp with a better product line, so I am doing that now. I used to do freelance editing and had an old client message me today and ask me if I would consider picking it up again. Money's been thin so I agreed. I'm only working part time outside the home right now anyway and not avidly selling jewelry, just doing a piece custom here and there if someone asks. When I was working full time office managing and then coming home to a side gig editing that was in full swing though, I know the pain. I worked from 7 am to midnight seven days a week, still had the kids at home tearing up the house, only stopping long enough to cook dinner and trying here and there to halfway put back together the tornadoes they made in the house.

What saved me was my perspective. I said to myself, "I GET to do this." I have the opportunity, however small, to work in the comfort of my home. I loved every minute of it, no matter how tiring it was. Nothing beats working in your pajamas, even if it's not enough to live off of just yet. So, looks like I will be editing in my pajamas again soon, and I'm pretty happy about it right now. Ya'll will hear me grumble later though about someone's horrible spelling or how boring science and doctor's journal articles are!

 

[Relle]

Love the slouchy hat, and flat, it could double as a cover for my drum.

 

[gigisiguenza]

Love the slouchy hat, and flat, it could double as a cover for my drum.

LOL drum covers...

 

[TeaLeavesandTweed]

I only crochet gifts for family and friends, but two years ago I ended up with a pinched ulnar nerve from trying to get my holiday gifts done. The poor kid at the sporting goods store didn't know what to make of me when I told him why I needed a brace. My chiropractor thought it was hilarious, though. I would crochet in his waiting room and he'd come out and give me a look.

 

[jade-15]

I only crochet gifts for family and friends, but two years ago I ended up with a pinched ulnar nerve from trying to get my holiday gifts done. The poor kid at the sporting goods store didn't know what to make of me when I told him why I needed a brace. My chiropractor thought it was hilarious, though. I would crochet in his waiting room and he'd come out and give me a look.

I got RSI in my wrist from too much crochet... Lol... Churning out baby hats for a fundraiser. And because they are so small they grow really quickly, which then made me determined to finish it right away. I take it much slower now