I’ve Been Hired! (Crashy Cards update)

(Here is the first post about Crappy Boy’s card business in case you missed it.)

We’ve been in card production mode lately. Crappy Boy does most of everything but we all help out a little. My job is to tie the strings around the cards. Even Crappy Baby helps out by cutting the strings. And by being cute. 

While we were working, Crappy Boy and I discussed what hiring someone means. How people pay other people to do stuff. I gave the example of him letting me be in charge of the strings.

He said:

crashy cards1

When I laughed and told him that nobody works for a penny he added a nickel to my annual salary. I accepted the position.  

Since so many people asked, I wanted to give an update….

With the money from the card sales he bought his first gun. It was part of a large Star Wars LEGOยฎ set and it is the size of a dime. So it is harmless. Unless he swallows it. The gun wasn’t the reason he bought the set though, it was because of R2D2 and C3PO. I mean, LEGOยฎ droids? Money could not be better spent. (He has never seen Star Wars. I kinda worry that by the time he does he will be disappointed. What if the version in his mind is more awesome than reality? Is this possible? These are the questions that keep me up at night.) 

Now that he has fulfilled his LEGOยฎ goal he decided to do one more big shop update and then he will take a little break. He doesn’t want to close, he just wants to put the shop on hold so he can focus on other more pressing things. (Like planning his birthday party next month. No, I’m not making a cake this year.) Who knows if “taking a break” will be a few days or a few months. We’ll see!  

I have no idea what he’ll decide to do with the money he earns. Putting it towards a ping-pong table has been discussed. Or a trip to Vegas. Or a lifetime supply of chocolate. Of course he also mentioned just saving it for his future, but that is absolutely lame so I’ll urge him to spend it on chocolate while he is still young.  

————-

Thank you all SO MUCH for your lovely comments and messages about his business venture. It has been such an incredible confidence booster for him. Everything from trying out different paint color combinations to looking at a map to see where the packages were headed…this has been wonderful and fun.

Special thanks to Sarah who sent him a (metric butt-ton, as she put it) box of envelopes (the large ones) for him to use. Of course I wanted to link to her blog but she asked that I mention her friend’s FB page Oh! Babycakes instead because her friend “is awesome and deserves it”. Is that not the nicest thing, like, ever?  

Oh & Crashy Cards shop is here. There are only 36 sets available and each one is unique and beautiful.*

*Disclaimer: I’m a paid employee and a relative. I might be slightly biased. 

This entry was posted in crafting for kids, crappy pictures, five, good stuff, homeschooling, learning. Bookmark the permalink.

72 Responses to I’ve Been Hired! (Crashy Cards update)

  1. Tia says:

    They are beautiful. We got ours last week and I was impressed with how vibrant the paint colors were. Great job Crappy Boy and employees!

  2. Angela K. says:

    LOL at your annual salary. You are a great mom to be so supportive with this project and I laughed about him buying a gun with the money but relieved it was just legos.

  3. Jill says:

    Wow those really are beautiful. I didn’t see them last time, you sold out too fast!

  4. Kat McComb says:

    I love reading these. They give me so much “hope” for what I have to look forward to when my “Turtle” gets older. Turtle being my 16 month old tornado on two feet. I love your cards. If there are any left on Monday, I’m buying some. Not for any other reason than to put towards crappy boys chocolate fix before you send him to the grandparents for the night/weekend/month. ^_^

    • Erica W. says:

      This is the best idea ever and ditto, I’ll buy some tomorrow while I’m at work if there are any left!

      • Janelle says:

        You silly ladies. They sold like hot cakes last time and there aren’t any left this time neither. That boy’s a genius I tell you, a genius. Get his mom to write a blog for over a year and then get her to talk him into a business venture wherein she’ll plug the business and all her fans will buy up all his spoils in lickity split time. Genius. Sheer genius!

        I wanted to buy some but only checked my email just now and knew I’d missed out. I bet they were all sold within the hour if not half hour after this was posted! Just cuteness x 20 awesome.

        Congrats, crappy boy (& crappy mama) for being genius. I’m (not so) secretly so proud of you!

  5. Rachel says:

    I’d vote for the lifetime supply of chocolate too! LOL, you always crack me up.

  6. Beckie says:

    Chances are, he won’t be disappointed when he finally gets to watch, “Star Wars”. I have a Husband who STILL plays with Lego’s, (of the Star Wars variety) and watched, “Star Wars” as a child so, I am speaking from personal experience…lol ;).

  7. Dan says:

    Star Wars could never disappoint.

  8. Tanya says:

    Next lesson: paying taxes!

  9. MarineMommy2012 says:

    I love it! Just bought some!

  10. Kristina says:

    OMG! I just went to look at the cards, and there were 5 sets left…. like 5 seconds later there were only 3!!!

  11. Kristina says:

    Now 2!

  12. Emily (other one) says:

    Officially sold out. Is that a record? Great Job Crappy Boy!

  13. Nessie says:

    How did I miss this?? His cards are truly beautiful. I love the blue splattered ones. Can we be put on a waitlist? It is so great that you are doing this. Have you thought about donating a small percentage to a charity that he picks?

    • amber says:

      Lovely idea! He has a charity box (like a piggy bank sorta) that he donates each December to a charity that he picks. Each time he buys something if he has a couple dollars or any coins left it goes in there. From the first batch of cards about four dollars wound up in there. So I guess he already is!

    • Tina says:

      I second the waitlist! I’ve missed it again!

  14. Kim D. says:

    I think they’re unique and beautiful and I’m neither family nor an employee. ๐Ÿ™‚ And sold out already! You’re doing such a good job with him!

  15. Charlotte says:

    *lol* The whole cake thing cracked me up last time and again today. I insisted on baking our 3 year old a cake this year (the mother guilt for not making him one last year when I was due 2 days past his birthday), and I did a “practice run”. It was so terrible that he refused to acknowledge it was a red car.

    We went out and bought a cake. :p

  16. Shona says:

    He might feel disappointed! They will not be the droids he’s looking for! ๐Ÿ˜‰

  17. Shannon says:

    Crap! I was too late again!

  18. Linda R says:

    Wait… I didn’t get any! ๐Ÿ™

    I think it’s time for custom orders…

    • amber says:

      I asked him about doing customs and he said he’d only do it if nobody tells him what to paint. (He is a true artist, that one!)

  19. Sarah says:

    Does he post to the UK and when will the cards be available in the etsy shop or have I missed them all already?

    • Sarah says:

      ETA now seen comments above and i’ve missed them ๐Ÿ™

      • amber says:

        For next time…yes, he’ll ship anywhere. He has shipped to Ireland, Australia, Canada and Mexico so far! (well, and a bunch of US places too)

  20. Christine Roeske says:

    Rats! Missed them! WTF Crappy Boy!!!

  21. Kristin says:

    Drats! Sold out! Love the Crashy Cards! Way to go Crappy Boy!

  22. Elizabeth says:

    He’s just got to do more – I missed them again!

  23. Kathy says:

    This has been fabulous and so much fun to read!! You are a GREAT mom (I know, bc I am a gramma, we have special powers (as you know) ๐Ÿ™‚

  24. Darcfy says:

    Aw! How cute are those? Let us know when he’s got new stock up!

  25. Di says:

    For fun, my 2.75 year old daughter helps me transfer images onto shirts via “screen printing.” We’ve been giving them away from freeeee to friends and family, but this idea is genius. I’m gonna start selling them to them instead, to help pay for her swim classes. Thanks for the inspiration, Crappy Boy!

  26. Bronwen says:

    I was vaguely considering buying some just so Crappy Boy could look for New Zealand on a map, but looks like they’re all gone again! Good job!

  27. neal says:

    I think he should spend the money on Little Debbie snack cakes. If one Zebra cake costs $0.25, then he’d only have to make $4562.5 to have a zebra cake every day for the next 50 years.

    Now THAT’S a confidence builder.

  28. Ceri says:

    Hi Amber,

    This is so cool, what a fun thing to do with Crappy Boy! When I was a kid my school had a mock investigation of a ‘thief’ and then tried him in a court. It took weeks to catch, charge, and try him (he was a friend of the teacher who acted the part for us), and it was SO much more fun than just learning about the justice system. Crappy Boy’s shop takes it one step farther into real life ๐Ÿ™‚

    I tried to buy some cards from over here in New Zealand but all gone ๐Ÿ™ Hope he enjoys his gun. And doesn’t swallow it.

  29. Lisa Mitchell Parker says:

    Those cards that were already sold (I was too late for the first sets, unfortunately) were awesome! I’ll be keeping my eyes open for whenever the shop opens again because this guy knows how to make a great product! I may even buy some as gifts for others (who are fans of Mom’s blog–because they’ll be like celebrity items that way). ๐Ÿ™‚ Happy Break! Enjoy the Lego stuff!

  30. melissa says:

    oh wow…this is great

  31. miki brotzler says:

    Definitely wait list!! And I’m hoping he’ll post to Australia. Wow, this vpcan possibly put him into early retirement before he even starts school!!

  32. Virginia says:

    The cards really are gorgeous. I guess I will have to lurk and hope to get some next time he feels up to making a batch. ๐Ÿ™‚

  33. Sarah Jane says:

    Those Crashy Cards are just beautiful and I missed out both times on getting a set damnit! Such an inspiring story I can’t wait to sit down and teach my son and daughter a similar lesson and inspire them to love work too! ๐Ÿ™‚

  34. Velle Mere Lyons says:

    Now that I have my cards, it is hard to part with them. I have determine who is “card-worthy.”

  35. cathy says:

    WHY HASN’T HE SEEN STAR WARS??!!

    My daughter had seen the entire 6-movies by the time she was 4. (I covered her eyes *at AGE 4* for the part where Annikin comes out of the molten stuff on fire, and that was the ONLY time I censored anything…) … it’s movies and it’s good and… show him the movies already! (in -order, tho… start with Ep.4 like the rest of us did!)

    • April says:

      Thank goodness you said to start with episode 4! I was appalled, I tell you, at the idea of starting at 1 and going on from there!

      My 3 year old quite liked episode 4 and is fascinated with Darth Vader. Her dad has some tshirts with Darth Vader on and she likes to discus them at length. One is him creating a topiary death star, one is him taking an at-at for a walk on a lead. They’re some fascinating conversations.

  36. Katrina says:

    The escape pod set? My 5 y/o picked that C-3PO and R2D2 Lego set for the very first thing he bought with his own money. He loves it. We recently let him watch the original trilogy. Good work Crappy Boy!

  37. Ken says:

    The Star Wars problem is real. My oldest has watched the movies as he got ready, starting at age 5 wtih EP IV, and slowly moving on. They’ve now watched the three original and the first prequel over the past four years. So I guess I give them access to a new one every year.

    But my youngest’s first exposure to Star Wars was through the Lego Wii game. And then actual Lego Star Wars sets. So it’s proven difficult to get through his head that those aren’t the originals. When he watches a movie he’ll say, “Hey, this is that scene from Lego Star Wars!” He basically considers that the source, and the movies just another spinoff. It’s disturbing to me.

  38. Carolyn says:

    Hahaha, LOVE the salary increase ๐Ÿ˜‰ What a whole BUNCH of wonderful lessons he is learning through this! Nicely done! ๐Ÿ™‚

  39. This is just about the most adorable thing ever. You are obviously completely in love with your son and see why! <3

  40. gail says:

    Have your kids watch Star Wars in order, Episodes 4, 5, & 6, then if you want the prequels. My husband refuses to acknowledge Ep. 1, 2 & 3 except for the ultra cool yoda scenes. ๐Ÿ˜‰

  41. Shelley says:

    Even if he doesn’t swallow the gun it might still be dangerous. Will it fit up his nose? or Crappy Baby’s?

  42. Dre says:

    gosh dang it, I’ve missed the cards AGAIN!!! GO HIM!!! Seriously so uber fantastic!
    And your blogs are always just the funniest. Thanks for the laughs!

  43. Noey says:

    Aw, I missed them! They’re so cute, too. Hopefully his break doesn’t last YEARS!

    Crappy Boy, you are AWESOME and TALENTED and AMAZING!!!

  44. Heidi says:

    My daughter thought Stars Wars was only done in Legos, on account of playing the video game. My husband had to straighten that out for her; they’ve watched episodes four and five, but she still calls it “Lego Star Wars”.

  45. M.J. says:

    I tell my criends about your page, they laugh and feel better that they aren’t alone with situations o their kids. I want to buy one of his cards,SOON!! ๐Ÿ™‚

  46. louisa says:

    Love it! You said he’s never seen Star Wars- forget that, go for the LEGO Star Wars movie! SO much better!

  47. Chantal says:

    This is so awesome! I love reading up about the card making! He’s such a cutie and I’ve never even met him! Good for you, buddy! If you work hard, you can do anything!!!

  48. Ashley says:

    Already sold out??

  49. MarineMommy2012 says:

    Just got mine in the mail- They’re beautiful!!

  50. K says:

    In 2008, I started a blog to wrestle with questions such as, “In what order should those born after 2000 watch the Star Wars movies?” It didn’t last long, but if anyone wants to look at my scintillating posts, I have linked it above.

    This comment constitutes the first time I have promoted my blog, ever. I hope that, because it’s relevant and not actually going anywhere, this is all right! Apologies if not!

  51. Katherine says:

    This is in relation to Crappy Boy never seeing Star Wars and your worry that he will be disappointed. My nephew grew up being read to by his mother. She read him the Lord of the Rings trilogy when he was a young child. They were both so excited when the first movie was released. They were visiting me for Christmas and it was actually playing in our small town! Everyone piled into the car to go see it. As she was waiting in line to pay, a theatre employee approached her and had a conversation about the possible inappropriateness of the film due to my nephew’s young age. She thanked the employee, but indicated it would be fine. After the movie, as my nephew was walking back to the car, he turned to his mother and said, “That wasn’t HALF as scary as I had imagined it when you were reading it to me.” We all cracked up. He was 7 at the time