Merry-Go-Round

Each month, a group of craftswomen from around the world join together and give their responses to the same question...this month, our little poser is:

'What's Your Next Chapter...?'

I've been clearing out kitchen cupboards today - they really needed it - and much as it is a dull and tedious job, sometimes, it simply has to be done, doesn't it? All that stuff...clutter...dust...disorganisation...it can all get a bit too much, I think. The time has arrived for me to take stock, clear out and clear up. And I feel better for it.

This is a perfect way to describe my life at the moment, as it happens. So much is going on around me; lots of jobs keep calling to me; new skills need to be learned and I just have to bite the bullet and get on with it. But it is hard sometimes to make changes...necessary changes.


De-cluttering: throwing out the old and making way for the new.


So what does the future hold for me? What will be new, and what will be cast out? Well, the woodcutter's empire is growing. That's a good thing! A really, really good thing. Our future's looking eco-friendly, rustic and wooden.
The Log Basket is exceeding all expectations and our energies have to be channelled. I need to develop a sanders' hands and lumberjacks' muscles. I also have to don a secretary's head and get stuck-in to that lurking headache called paperwork. What do they say? A cluttered house is a cluttered mind? I'm taking steps already...

As for de-cluttering, I think really I mean 'paring down'. Stitchery is very important to me - it is something that is truly 'mine'. Stitchery gives me time to think; it provides that creative outlet that I love; it really becomes an extension of 'me'. I hope that I won't have to leave it behind. I hope that there is room in my life for logs, paperwork, taking pictures and textile explorations. I think a work timetable will evolve and some things will give whilst others take my time. And it will be okay....

Thank you for reading! Please take a few minutes now to read about what the future may hold for my fellow merry-go-rounders - just click on their links in the sidebar, but do remember that we are all in different time zones so posts will appear at differing times.

Merry-Go-Round

Jump on and join a group of artists/craftswomen as they link around the world and tell you a little bit about their lives in art and craft.

Our question this month is: What is your favourite publication(s)? Is there a book, magazine or website that has become the bible of your art/craft?

Inspiration for me comes from absolutely anywhere and everywhere - nature, magazines, my children and their inventive imaginations, historical properties, gardens, holidays, that ball of string that has tangled itself up into the most beautiful of patterns...everything! My eyes always seem to be open, everywhere I go. I love colour, detail and sumptuous texture.

It is no surprise to learn I'm sure, that I could while away many an hour grazing on the amazing talent and beauty that can be found on flickr and in numerous Etsy stores. That goes without saying! I devour every issue of Country Living magazine, too...oh, to live those 'perfect' lives! Stampington magazines are a fabulous way of looking in on other artists' lives and works - ever inspirational.

However, there are two tomes that never ever fail to inspire me - or at the very least leave me breathless with want and aspirations. Take a look at Nineteenth-Century Fashion in Detail (Lucy Johnston) and The Art of Embroidery - inspirational stitches, textures and surfaces (Francoise Tellier-Loumagne) and you'll see what I mean. When I open these publications, I feel the need to reach out and touch...to feel for myself the ruffles of fabric, the nubbles of thick thread, the delicacies of the stitches beneath my fingertips. Such beauty and intricacy to marvel at!

If I could climb into these books and never get out again, I would. Taking with me my monthly copy of Country Living, of course! That, my friends, is happiness indeed.

What publications inspire my fellow international merry-go-rounders? Do click on the links in the sidebar to find out!

Merry-Go-Round...scary style!

Jump on the merry-go-round and join a group of artists/ crafts-women as they link hands around the world and tell you a little bit about their lives in art and craft!

Our question this month, with Hallowe'en just around the corner, is: 'What is the scariest part of your art/craft?'

Hmm, well, I had to think about this one for a good few minutes. Firstly, my reaction was well, where do I start? However, the more I pondered it, the more I realised that actually, none of it is really scary...although a lot of it feels rather risky at times!

I remember that moment very vividly, when I first made the decision to take the plunge, and 'set up shop'. I had absolutely no idea where to begin. I could barely use a computer, except for moderate use of Illustrator and Photoshop, and a little bit of internet shopping experience (naturally - I am a girl after all!) to help me along. I suppose that initial tentative foray into the world of selling online was a teeny bit scary. I would sit staring at the screen for what was surely hours on end, willing it to suddenly spring to life and do all the hard work for me...or at least ring a bell or two and flash every now and then to point me in the right direction!!

But that was then...and now, I'm loving it! I am completely suited to being this anonymous shopkeeper; I can work in my pyjamas (something we all do - right?!) and no-one knows. I can assume a managerial role if need be, and I don't even need to have washed my hair...let alone 'put my face on'! It's perfect for me! There are still things that might bother me a little (ok, maybe a lot...I am a worrier), like fulfilling a custom order - they've put their faith in me, I have to provide them with exactly what they want, and on time...pyjamas or no pyjamas! It's made me realise now, as I lounge on the cusp (ha ha! more like left of the centre!) of middle-agedness, that I can only do my best - as long as I do that, it'll see me through. That's what my Mum told me; it's what I tell my girls...and d'ya know? I think it's right! What's scary about that, eh?!!

Please check out the other ladies' stories that are spinning around on this merry-go-round with me - you can click on their links in the sidebar. We're all in slightly different time zones, so do pop back to revisit them if you don't immediately see their post. Thanks for reading!