2009 Here I Come!

This is a photo I took in the last couple of days when I was doing my planning for the year. And I was so taken by how cluttered my desk area looks that I've been having a bit of a cleanup and clear out this morning. You see, it has taken me the whole month of January to even partially get my head around what's to be done in 2009 and all that I want to achieve. And maybe the clutter might have had something to do with it because I am now able to, finally, get my thoughts together enough to write a blog post.

And since it has been so long since I have written, I thought I would write a little update of what's been happening. Bullet points will do just nicely as there really is too much. So, in no particular order....

• I'll start with the big and exciting one first - I'm pregnant! Yep, it is big. And we were going to try for a girl come May (after our OS trip - more later) using all the tricks, but this little one had other ideas and decided now is the time. I like to think that the universe didn't need time to manifest a girl for us and simply decided - You asked, and so here she is! - We may even have an ultrasound this time just to determine the gender so that we don't have to wait for the birth to find out!
• Christmas - Tim and I and our 2 little boys had Christmas with my family this year, and since we're rather spread out, that hasn't happened for around 17 years - can you believe that! Though we do see each other a little more frequently than that!
• Paris. Ah, Paris! We will be seeing you in May! This is a trip for my 40th birthday this year. I have long wished to travel to Europe and never managed it, so we are going this year. And even though my birthday is in August, work and the better season in May decided us on that month. And this way, there will be more time to plan my party in August!
• my first baby has started school. Yesterday. I didn't expect to get teary when I hugged him goodbye at the classroom door, but I did anyhow! He is so ready and so excited.

• In November we decided to house-sit some puppies from the local petshop as a trial for eventually getting a dog - something the boys have been asking for a long time. Well, of course, it wasn't long before we got attached to one and decided we didn't want to take her back again. And now we have a lovely cocker spaniel called Pippi. She has been a wonderful thing for the boys, especially Finn who, at times, can be accused of having puppy breath!

• the recent planning I've been doing has helped gather my swirling thoughts and ideas brewing in my head for the year to come. I now have a page on my wall, all colour coded, that plans out my week so that I have time and the headspace to do all of the things that I want to do. And it's really helping me. With the help of my planning-gifted husband, I was able to work out that my business breaks down into the following areas.... making, nurturing, joy and promotion. I came up with the term 'nurturing' for all of those admin tasks that have to be done, and when you say these are tasks that nurture your business, I feel so much more inclined to do them than if I simply call them admin. So boring - and so less likely to get done!
• I'm also make a few additions here on my blog... I have so enjoyed hunting around the net for the wonderful tutorials and projects that others share so generously that I have decided to do the same. So come back soon for some free patterns from me to you! I have also realised that I'm quite good at finding these things, so I'm also going to use my blog to share some of the treasures that I find. In time, I hope you will find my blog a wonderfully useful resource for your creative spirits!
• and, lastly, I'm looking forward to a fabulously creative year with lots of new ideas and lots of things to list in my etsy shop. And not all of them are going to be jewellery. I look forward to showing them to you as they make their way out of my head and into the world!

So here's a final photo of some fabric coasters I made late last year. They may turn up here as a free tutorial. I'm not sure yet.

I'm especially delighted by the bird. It was my first attempt at machine embroidery so it's not so expertly done. But it is my little bird that I created, so I'm quite proud of him. And it's so nice to put my morning cuppa on a coaster that I made. Isn't this the essential delight of handmade! Whether it's made by you or someone else, something of the maker's spirit is there that makes this 'thing' much more than a 'thing' and brings a kind of joy that is quite out of proportion to the usefulness of the item. I love that and I love that other people love that too.

I hope that wherever you are in the world, it is not too cold or too hot and that the world is treating you kindly.

Ange