A long weekend :: Time to get crafty

A few weeks ago I decided to book myself a long weekend. I had planned to take a few days off work to dedicate to my hobbies and to start making the Roman blinds that we so desperately need in our lounge to keep us a little warmer this year. A combination of still trying to understand the instructions in the Roman blind kit I've bought (I'm starting to write my own!), and the fabric not being chosen in time, has meant that this part of my long weekend had to be moved to a few weeks time. I managed to get lots achieved instead!

Having two days off work before the weekend meant I could catch up on writing a few blog posts and taking photos. I spent my time enjoying cups of tea, eating toast and jam, waiting for Christmas decoration deliveries to arrive. I filled our home with music I haven't listened to in a while and alternated between Radio 2 and 6Music. I enjoyed relaxed lunchtimes having home made soup for lunch and then pottering round nearby Clifton Village and visiting my favourite shop, Pod, minus the weekend crowds. I had the time to use our local post office, and visit our local charity shop to drop off a few bags of things following a clear out. I indulged each afternoon drinking tea from my special Emma Bridgewater mugs and eating triple chocolate cookies from my pretty plates. All of that interspersed with time to craft. It was absolute heaven!

I had chance to start making the cushion cover I have been planning to make for sometime. I enjoyed having the time to think about the structure of the cushion and loved playing with some of my newest fabric.

On Saturday we went out for brunch with friends and walked home along the floating harbour near our home, enjoying the crisp fresh air. I had time to appreciate and enjoy where we live without rushing around.

I spent some of the weekend sorting out my Project Life album and printing out photos to get myself up to date. I love Project Life and I'll tell you more about it on another blog post soon.

On Sunday I continued crocheting granny squares whilst nursing a bad cold and cough.

I had fun gathering supplies from my paper and scrapbooking stash for Christmas card making. I've started pulling together the supplies I'm planning to use for Journal Your Christmas and December Daily this year. I'm getting really excited about a craft filled December and taking the time to capture all the details in my photos.

I've really loved having the opportunity to take a few days out of my normal routine and do things I love. I like to get up early, keep busy and make the most of the free time I have. I think it has recharged me, perhaps I relaxed a little too much! I have ended up with another cough and cold in the space of a month. I don't know how I've managed to get unwell twice in such close succession, both times have been when I've really relaxed! Oh well, the perfect excuse to snuggle on the sofa and crochet.

I'm definitely going to make time for a long weekend of hobbies again in the future. I've got some time off before Christmas to really get into the spirit of things. What do you love doing when you have a bit of down time?

Grow :: My One Little Word - A mid-year update

I started One Little Word this year, it's an online class run by Ali Edwards for Big Picture Classes. One Little Word is about picking a word that you want to be part of your life for the year ahead and beyond. I chose the word 'grow' in January to be part of my life and my focus for 2013. There were so many areas of my life I wanted to grow in. I wanted to plant fresh seeds to help me grow, move forward and grow in new directions. 

June has arrived and this month's prompt from the class is to spend time thinking about how far I've come with my word in a mid-year review. My word is really personal to me and the intentions I set for the year resonate with all areas of my life that I'm keen to grow in. I feel I've made progress with my word in so many areas. I've grown stronger in terms of my fitness and mentally, I've grown closer to life going on round me, I've grown my creativity by dedicating more time I spend being creative everyday. This month I'm hoping to grow and bloom, whether that be in making things, cooking things or growing things in the garden. I'm looking forward to my intention this month and those ahead of me this year.

What I love about doing One Little Word is having the chance to be reflective and spend time thinking about life. I believe it's so important to look out for yourself and have things to aim for. Over the past six months I've been taking a closer look at my day to day to help with keeping my word at the forefront of my life. 

Using photography, taking notes and journalling to record my week for my Project Life album has enabled me to be more reflective. It has been so satisfying to look at everything I've been doing and seeing how I am growing.

I'm loving printing out photos from every week of the year for my Project Life album and keeping notes on what I've been doing. It shows me how much I can pack into a month, the small things everyday that make a difference and the great people that surround me everyday and in my life. I'm going to spend the next few months with my camera in my hands even more trying to capture the small things in life that make me so happy.

By starting One Little Word and Project Life I've found a love of journalling life again. When I was younger I used to write letters to friends and write in a diary about what I had been doing but it became something I did less and less frequently. I'm now journalling more so that I can capture all the details for my Project Life album and where I am with my word for the year. I now hope to grow my writing and journalling skills moving forward.

I'm looking forward to the next six months ahead of this year and the areas of my life I'm hoping to grow in. I've got a few courses earmarked for the year ahead that I'm hoping to take to help me grow and a big list of things I'd love to make and do. I'll keep you updated on my progress here.

I'm off to sit out in our courtyard in the sunshine with a cup of tea, a magazine, my camera so I can give you an update on how the garden is growing. At last it feels that a little bit of summer brightness has arrived, with the sun shining, plants blooming and things growing in my life.

Scrapbooking September

I love September. It’s a month that brings a crisp feeling to the morning air signalling that the seasons are changing, the days get shorter and you can enjoy guilt-free comforting food like apple crumble!

With the change of season starting in September, it brings with it a symbolism of change and a new start for me more than any other month. Perhaps it was because a new school or university year began in September, but at this time of year I always have the urge to start a new journey and learn something new. In September I feel the desire to buy fresh stationary supplies, a new pretty notebook and a pen. Last September I took an evening class to learn to knit. I had a huge sense of satisfaction when I got to take notes on the first page of that new notebook for the first time and picked up the basics.  

This week I wrote about my love of photography and posted up two photo collages. I love taking photos and really enjoyed putting together the collages and the short blurb to go with each image. I think the blog post came from my underlying desire to start scrapbooking. For many months I’ve been thinking about dabbling in scrapbooking either with paper or digitally so that I can combine photos, memories and my love of patterned paper and fabric. I’m so inspired by those who craft beautiful scrapbook pages for their albums, keeping a lasting memory of events that have happened, whether they are big events such as a special birthday or small things like going for coffee at a cafe.

I haven’t made any progress to start scrapbooking yet, partly due to the cost of setting up a stash of embellishments, partly because I’m trying to focus my learning on sewing and gardening, but perhaps there is room for one more new thing to try out!  I have some pretty papers, some clear stamps, plenty of photos and a keen desire to go for it and document what I’m doing. I’ve enjoyed making cards for friends and family this year so hopefully I’ll like scrapbooking too.

Something happened on Saturday morning that made me take that leap I’ve needed.  An email newsletter landed in my inbox that I felt I was drawn to read and follow up on. The newsletter was from Shimelle.com and was about her annual class that she runs called Learn Something New Every Day. Shimelle is a highly talented scrapbooker with a fantastic blog that I regularly take a look at and am inspired by. I was drawn to this statement that Shimelle posted on her blog the following:

“Learn Something New is all about being aware of the world around you and taking away one little lesson from that world each day for a month. You can approach it in terms of gratitude. Or patience. Or steps toward a goal. You can then take on the documentation in any style you want: write in a journal. Make a minibook. Write daily blog posts. Take a daily photo”.

It sounds great doesn’t it?...and with that thought I signed up! I’m hoping that by having something to inspire me everyday and to focus on will be the gentle introduction to scrapbooking I need. Take a look at Shimelle.com to find out more about the course.

September is a great month to learn something new, start a new routine and begin a new journey. I’m looking forward to seeing what I learn over the next month of experimenting with paper, using my photos and writing, to hopefully create something by the end of the month. I’ll let you know how I get on!