Hi my blog friends, this is me. I hate having my photo taken but I am putting it out there - this is me:
Taken today - no make-up - but it is me.
I haven't been around as much over the last year. Two years ago my husband lost his management job which left us in a difficult financial situation. He has had a few temporary jobs in the interim but we have been unable to really get ahead. This resulted in us having to sell our house at a large loss last month and we are now living in an old rental property - on the bright side we no longer have a mortgage. Our future is uncertain as my husband is trying to get back into an IT position and we could end up moving at any time. During those two years my Mum also passed away and my father-in-law had a major stroke among other things. It has not been an easy two years but luckily if anything it has brought my husband and I closer together with a focus on trying to map out a good future for ourselves and our 13 year old daughter. One thing that did suffer was my creative endeavours - apart from having a nil budget I found it hard to focus on anything.
However, that is in the past and I am now determined to move forward both creatively and in other areas of our lives. While things are still financially tight I realise I don't need to let that restrict my creativity and I need to challenge myself to create again. I respond to being challenged - it gives me a goal to work towards. I am also focusing on trying to get fit and healthy and move myself from obese to healthy. My gorgeous daughter saved her money and bought me a Fitbit for Christmas which is motivating me to move more, eat more healthily and drink more water.
Speaking of my daughter, Jamie starts High School this year - I can't believe how quickly she is growing up.
Dressed up for her leaving dinner at the end of her Year 8 Intermediate School year.
Ready to go into her dance medal test in October with her proud father in the background.
(He wants me to note that he has a bit more hair now).
Anyway, while I have done little creatively lately I have given things a lot of thought. I realise that while I love my blog and my blog friends I had got to a stage where I stopped letting myself just do things on a whim because I kept pressuring myself to try and come up with something miniature to put on my blog. I found sometimes I was trying to persevere with things my heart just wasn't in. Unconsciously, I had stopped doing this for me. So while I am looking forward to getting back to blogging there will be changes.
In the past I have explored a number of hobbies - porcelain doll making, teddy bear making including miniature bears, basketry and macrame, book binding and book arts, fabric dolls, a little dabble at felt making, paper making and paper crafts, a bit of embroidery and more lately adult colouring in. I realise I am not good at limiting myself to one thing. While I want to continue in miniatures I do not want to limit myself to only miniatures. I am in the process of teaching myself crochet which has been a goal for quite some time - hopefully I can scale it down to miniatures. I also want to dabble more in embroidery, more book art and doll making in different forms and improve on my wood crafting skills. I am sure there are other crafts out there I will want to explore as well. Of course whatever crafts I do learn and experiment with I will probably want to explore in miniature. I also used to really enjoy photography and want to get back into that as well.
Therefore in the future I am likely to blog about whatever I am doing at any given time. I will be doing things just because I want to do them not because I feel I have to do them.
I am sorry this is a bit long winded but I am getting this down in print as much for myself as to explain to my blog friends where I have been and where I am heading.
I have managed to set up a small work space in the rental and I am ready and rearing to go. Pride of place on my work desk is a gorgeous calendar received from Birgit of
BiWuBaren on the Blog. It will be a pleasure to move on creatively with Flubby and Rosey by my side.
I was very happy and surprised to receive a Christmas package from Birgit in December. As well as the calendar and some marzipan chocolates I received two beautiful decorations to add to my Christmas box.
The gorgeous red and green candle decoration on Edward Elf's table.
The lovely wooden decoration at the back of this shelf. Love it.
Also included were these stars that I can use to make something for the Christmas box.
Finally there was this gorgeous Christmas card. I just love Birgit's work and also her photography.
I love the little characters with Flubby, especially the one on the left as I adore snowdrops.
Anyway that is it from me for today. I will be back soon. It is my last day of the Christmas holidays as I head back to work tomorrow.
Best wishes to everyone for 2016 - it is going to be a good year.
