Merry Christmas all!
I apologise for my absence recently - I have been on a crazy road trip with my family these past few weeks! What have you all been up to?
Anyway, here are my favourite Christmas finds for this week! Enjoy!
Showing posts with label downloads. Show all posts
Showing posts with label downloads. Show all posts
Wednesday, 25 December 2013
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
Easy and cute sewing patterns - My Funny Buddy
Hey!
I know I have been a touch inactive over the past two weeks or so, but I'm back and I want to show you what I have been working on!
I was contacted by the lovely Lucy, owner of My Funny Buddy, asking if I would like to trial her patterns... of course I said yes! After a bit of browsing, I came across the T-Rex and Dog Pillow designs...
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As a novice behind a sewing machine, I was a touch nervous about how the finished toys would turn out. However, there was no need to fear! The digital files I received were abound with all the necessary information, from fabric choices, to mini tutorials of stitches, to definitions of technical terms, all written in common language, making it as easy as possible!
Before I knew it, I had finished with these two little cuties!
T-Rex:
Dog Pillow:
Aren't they adorable?! They have both settled in nicely in my bed with my Big Ted :D
So if you are interested in producing hand made and heartfelt Christmas presents, or adding to your own stuffed toy collection, I strongly recommend My Funny Buddy patterns! Check out Lucy's designs on her website and Etsy shop, or head over and join her on Facebook!
Let me know how you go! I envisage these soft toys slowly amassing in their own army! Haha.
Sunday, 15 September 2013
Frugal Student Life - hints and tips for students, boarders and parents - Education
Hey! And welcome to part one of my blog series on living frugally whilst studying!
To give a bit of background, I am an 18 year old student who lives in a student boarding house with 40 others. I have been here for three months now and have picked up quite a few hints and tips to help make my tiny bank account stretch, and still be able to live quite comfortably!
Today I will be focusing on education and the fees associated.
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| Image courtesy of digitalart/freedigitalphotos.net |
1. Choosing your institution.
Before choosing your study options, the biggest impact upon the overall course fees will be the type of institution which you are attending. Educational institutions can generally be split into two streams: public or private. In Australia, due to our level of income taxation, public educational organisations such as WEA, TAFE and public Universities, are often heavily subsidised by the government. In turn, the student usually only owes a fraction of the overall fees, or even owes nothing at all! Also, there is the option of using government loan agreements to put off paying your student fees until you are employed and financially capable, but I shall explore this further soon.
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| Image courtesy of tafensw.edu.au |
For these reasons, private educational institutions are generally more expensive, however, may have advantage over public institutions in terms of resources and variety. I must say, however, in my experience, public educational institutions are quite well established and supported in these areas anyway.
So, its time to make your first call: public or private?
2. Choosing your course.
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| Image courtesy of digitalart/freedigitalphotos.net |
The course you select will also heavily affect the fees you will have to pay. As a general rule in public educational institutions, the more in demand a particular skill set is in the community, the cheaper that course will be. Courses are arranged into 4 'bands' according to public necessity, which then affects the government subsidies. For example, in Australia, nurses are currently a national priority (the highest band) and so the course fees for a Bachelor of Nursing at a public university, like the University of Newcastle, are currently heavily subsidised by our government, so students only have to pay about $5000 per 8 subjects. This compares to student fees of about $10 000 for a Bachelor of Laws or a Bachelor of Economics.
Other things to take into account are the mode of delivery and the resources required. In terms of mode of delivery, there is no general rule to guide you, as it depends upon the individual course requirements. For example, a course which is purely online may be cheaper to complete than attending that course in person. However, online courses which require you to organise the reception of physical materials or a student placement, may end up costing much more than attending a face to face program. It really depends on what you want to study. However, there are some excellent courses delivered online completely free of charge, which are definitely worth checking out! Websites like Coursera offer an enormous variety of free online learning programs. Scroll down to the end of this article for a list of great online learning websites.
3. Apprenticeships and Traineeships
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| Image courtesy of stockimages/ freedigitalphotos.net |
If you are looking for a way to combine work and study, then an apprenticeship or a traineeship could be perfect for you! These are educational and employment agreements between an organisation and a student which results in a paid qualification for the student! The structure of the course is individual to each organisation, but usually involves working in your preferred industry either part or full time, whilst undertaking related self-directed study at the same time. You are paid for the work you do, with your educational fees taken out of your wage. Most of these qualifications are recognised nation-wide and usually do not require ongoing commitment to your trainer post-qualification.
Apprenticeships and Traineeships are offered across a range of industries such as childcare, tourism, retail, hospitality, engineering, transport and construction, just to name a few!
Head over to the Australian Apprenticeships website for more information. Or, for our American and Canadian followers, head over to Apprenticeships USA for more information.
4. Financial Assistance
Regardless of what institution you enrol in, you are usually able to apply for financial assistance through grants, scholarships and student loan schemes, either through your institution, local community organisations, banks and other financial institutions or the government.
Scholarships are generally monetary payments made towards either your educational fees or living requirements. Scholarships can be partial or full fee payment substitutes, or be awarded in set amounts, such as $2000. They are usually funded by your educational institution, private citizens, local community organisations like Rotary, or even by local, state and federal council and government. There are usually hundreds of scholarships offered to all students, so it is really worthwhile checking out your institution's website, and websites of local community organisations.
Grants are generally sums of money presented to fund a project or venture, such as an academic study. Grants can be particularly useful if your studies offer large-scale or uncommon research opportunities, such as overseas travel. Once again, these are offered by a range of institutions, organisations and representatives, so it's best to check out local resources.
Student loans are probably the most widely used form of financial support. Generally government-funded, payments for your education are paid partially or in full by an organisation, which you then repay in installments as agreed. In Australia, there are four main types of student loans: HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, SA-HELP and OS-HELP. Whilst each is for different students or different courses of study, they all are agreements between the Australian Government and students, where the government will pay in part or full your educational fees, which you then pay back as tax once you are employed and earning above $40 000 p.a. (roughly). Check out StudyAssist for more information.
You can also make similar loan agreements with other financial institutions, such as your bank.
Also, check with your educational institution to see if they income-based fee agreements. For example, TAFE NSW offers discounted fees for people in low-income brackets.
5. Educational resources
Lastly, we come to the resources required for study, such as textbooks and electronics. My biggest piece of advice is LOOK AT ALL OF YOUR OPTIONS!!! Textbooks particularly can be incredibly expensive bought off the shelf, brand new, anywhere up to $500 per book. So before committing to a purchase like that, first consider whether or not you really need to own it. Often, textbooks are only recommended study material and may have no specific affect upon your overall education. In this case, consider the internet or apps, like Khan Academy or Kindle to access this extra reading material, often for free. If you want/must buy a textbook or an electronic device, consider buying second hand on websites such as eBay, Gumtree or Craigslist, where they may only cost half of the original price, even when they appear to be brand new! The same goes for second-hand bookstores and garage sales.
Finally, the best place to head to for completely free resources is your institute's library! The library will be a treasure trove of textbooks, studies, reports and electronic media geared specifically towards the courses that the institution offers, and is guaranteed to have copies of all required or compulsory reading material. Best of all, membership is usually either free or comes automatically with your enrollment!
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| Image courtesy of foto76/freedigitalphotos.net |
Great online learning resources!!!
So there you have part one in my blog series on living frugally as or with a student. Tune in next week for a discussion and tips for boarding and living expenses!
Let me know if any of these help, or if you have any other great frugal student tips, I would love to hear them!
Monday, 9 September 2013
Etsy Tips by Quilted Cupcake
I just want to give credit to a hard worker, who has produced a fantastic free e-book called "Etsy Secrets, Tips & Tricks". I've embedded the book below. It's a great place for all beginner online sellers, like myself, who often find themselves overwhelmed or lost amongst the pros! Enjoy, and I hope it helps you as much as it helped me!
(Quilted Cupcake is a blogger, Etsy seller and real-life PR worker, who you can find here.)
Tuesday, 3 September 2013
Cardmaking, magazines and free downloads
Hey!
So today I just wanted to feature this nifty little magazine I found whilst browsing my local newsagents...
Cardmaking in Easy Steps is a great publication with fantastic ideas to spark the papercrafter in you! What I liked the most about it was the kit that came with it, 8 pieces of cardstock, 3 pieces of felt, a stamping kit, washi tape, ribbon and paper dyecuts. Oh! And some great free downloads online.
I have just started to delve into these goodies and made this cute number in less than 5 minutes!
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For what comes with the magazine, it is fantastic value for money and well worth the time of any papercrafter, regardless of experience!
Check it out here.
What is your go-to when you're stuck in a crafting rut? Or what would you avoid? Comment below!
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