Happy New Year !

Yes, I know it is the middle of January but it is my first post of the year.

We had a fab Crimbletide with Son-of-mine, his partner and my lovely monster of a grand-daughter coming round to us. Lots of good food, a little drinkies and lots of fun and laughter. All of us together - and not a fall out to be had! Has to be some sort of miracle...


The thing is, this isn't the post I intended to write. I have some pics to put up sorta showing the process of my rug making. From the whole garment, to strips then to clippings in their box and then showing a finished rug. But I got a new phone for crimbo and the Blogger app reliably informs me that it cannot find the pics I know I took this afternoon and can see in my gallery!

So I cannot upload them. Bugger!

What I can still explain to you is how long these proddy rugs actually take to make. From starting with the jacket or blanket, then stripping it down to its pieces and cutting all the hems off to cutting those bits into thin strips about 1/2 an inch wide and snipping the strips into 3 inch long pieces and boxing them up. Then you do that all again for each colour you need ( one coat can take upwards of 5 hours to deconstruct). Then you have to design and draw a pattern on the hessian and start prodding.

Each rug takes an average of 2 - 3 months to make.

And then folks grumble about the price! I charge between £40 and £80 for a handmade unique item. For the work that goes into one, I don't really think that is a lot, is it?

WARNING - CLEAN UP IN PROGRESS!

Well, I have made a start on the mess that surrounds me.

It is one and a bit weeks till Crimbo-tide  and I have made a start.

I spent a full week emptying a shed and greenhouse and dismantling both with the help of son of mine and his partner. I have also made a start in the house and have filled a few large bin bags with crap and sent several boxes and bags to a few of the local charity shops. I realised that I was one bag away from being featured on Hoarders.

I have had to decide whether I get sucked down into that quicksand and drown or scream at the top of my lungs and be rescued. I chose the latter. I do not want those ba*****ds to beat me. The farmer and the neighbours can 'go do one'.

I am being the best person I can be right now.

One of the things that made me get started was the fact that Son of mine, his lovely partner and my granddaughter are all coming over for crimbo-tide day, so I have to clean up so there is room for everyone to sit and play in comfort. It has given me a focus.

I'm not intending to get a spotless house in less than two weeks but I will do my best. I started in our bedroom, which has become the dumping ground for everyones stuff 'don't know where to put it? put it in mums room!'. If I can clear out in there, I can put all the other stuff up there out of the way till January, then take my time and clear through all the boxes and bags. That is next years goal - to get the house as clutter free as I can.

Lets leave it there and see what happens........

Drowning

I am not sure where I am at the moment.

I feel like I am drowning in life and belongings. I have always been someone who is a bit sentimental with the past and the memories associated with 'stuff' and have always been just that couple of steps below being classified as a Hoarder. Things have always had a home and I have been able to keep it reasonably under control.

But not any more. This year has been a bad one for me. Ill health, major surgery and having to give up work has led to my Depression making a come-back big style. Add to that problems with one of the neighbours and a local farmer meant that we have a lot less money and we have lost our Allotment patch.

This may not seem much compered to problems in the rest of the world but to me, what has been happening to me is in my world and affects me every day.

So far this year, I have managed to keep the depression mostly under control but this last week, it has started to escape from its box and creep into my head and wrap itself around my legs. I don't have the black dog anymore - even he deemed me too dangerous to be around. He saw the tide coming in and knew that my feet were stuck in the quicksand. And now that tide is slowly rising up to my chest and starting to suffocate me and the more I struggle, the faster I sink down.

I have so much stuff that I don't know where to start - so I don't bother.

Taking the plunge......

Well, it has been a while - again!

A lot has changed in the last couple of months though. I have had my op and am recovering well. I have been a (reasonably) good girl and have rested (sorta.....).

I did have a little set back and ended up back in hospital for a few days but that meant that unfortunately I couldn't attend the Clog Market last month.

But I have not been idle - I made Bears! Snuggly, cuddly, huggable Lavender filled bears. And. even if I do say so myself, the are gorgeous! I only stopped making them because I ran out of stuffing.

I did manage to make it to this months market and it was a pretty good one. I actually sold a blanket! I nearly had to sit down with shock! first one I have managed to sell at a fair. And I managed to sell a couple of bears too and a few other bits and bobs. So it was worthwhile this month.

We had just come back from our annual family holibobs in loverly Cornwall and I was shattered, so how I managed to stay awake and polite all day I have no idea but I did.

After spending so long off work and now getting the all clear from the dreaded 'C', I have made the decision to leave the security of my job and follow my dream and run my business and be a 'stay at home mum'. Life is too short to say 'if only'. It may work out or it may not but if I don't give it a try I will never know, will I ?

You never know whats round the corner.....

It has been a funny old couple of months. Life never seems to go as you plan - at least mine doesn't seem to. I got invited to take a stall at a brand new Craft and Vintage market that has started up in the local town and I accepted. It's always best to get in when something is new and you can grow along with the market. I started to prep a few new items then get diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - so crafting has to be put to one side and I make do with what I have (which is rather a lot!)

 

 

 

Also, in the meantime, I am having 'middle aged lady problems'. I won't go into detail as you may be a bit squeamish but suffice to say I am going into hospital next week for major surgery with a recovery time of 6-8 weeks.  My sprog-producing days are over so this is not a problem for me. It is the only way that the Docs can see if there is something there that shouldn't be. That's the thing that scares me as it was ' the C word' that got my mum - in the same area.

The next market is the sunday after I have my surgery. Even though I will be expected to rest, I don't want to miss this market so I am going to try to attend with the help of my wonderful hubby and my able assistant of Daughter of mine the elder. That girl can charm the birds and could sell coal to Newcastle (as the saying goes!)

 

I am realising that life is far too short and you never know what is round the next corner, so I am taking life by the short and curlies and doing what makes me happy - spending time with family and crafting.

 

 

 

April already?

Well, well, well.

No surprise that it's been a few months since I've been here!

The new job, combined with the Hypothyroidism is taking it's toll. I am exhausted. Hypothyroidism really saps your energy and gives you a very foggy brain. Not a bright idea to agree to do a distance learning course for a work qualification then......

Everything becomes an effort, even getting up in the morning - no matter how many hours sleep you've had. Housework has been forgotten and the kids have had to help out with the cooking and stuff. The place is a mess. And now, on top of that, I have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in my left hand. I seem to come across as lazy but I just don't have any energy. I feel so tired I just want to cry.

So, as usual, I have taken on even more! I have been invited to take a stall at a new craft market starting up locally. The lady saw my Facebook page and thought I would be a good fit for what she was looking for. Thankfully I have quite a bit of stock from the pre-Christmas fair I did, so all I have to do are a few more woolfelt notebook covers and sew in the ends of the last few blankets I've done. I also have one proddy rug to finish if I can find some matching fleece to fill in the last little bit and I should be sorted then.

I have a couple of weeks to get it all done, assuming that the builder can get my home studio done. My daughter has graciously allowed me to have half of her bedroom (the attic) and our friendly builder is coming to put up a dividing wall sometime this week. I am rather excited to get an inside studio rather than the draughty, damp shed/studio at the end of the garden!

I really will try to visit more often and bring some pictures of my blankets and new studio.

Craft Fair Shenanigans

It's been a very busy and exciting few weeks.

I decided to take a stall at a local craft fair. It's one that I've done previously and knew it would be a good one. But, when I said I would do it, I only had six weeks to get prepped. It may sound a long time but working part time and caring for the family sometimes doesn't leave you with many hours left in a day.

I had to make quite a bit of stuff and finish off a lot of blankets. I also had to sew business name labels onto all the blankets as well. In all this, I thought it was a great idea to develop a few new products! As if I didn't have enough to do!

The week before, I finally got round to pulling my 'brand' together, and I designed a new logo and price labels for all the things I make and sell. Got the card, all ready to print ........ and find that the card is just that teeny bit too thick to go through our printer! Cue major meltdown at 11.30pm one night.

My wonderful hubby was trying to sort everything for me even though he had things he needed to do. He took the card into work for me and printed them all there x 

I had a meltdown because I was very tired. The week before I had been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism (I will write more on this another time) and also just found another job, so dealing with interviews and all the associated paperwork that goes with a new job and saying I was exhausted was rather an understatement.

Anyway, back to the craft fair.

It happened this weekend and was rather fantastic! I sold well, made a few new contacts and have provisionally booked to do a fair in May with a local charity. At least this time I have a few months notice to get sorted!

Things are changing!

Here we are in September - almost October.

It's getting dark earlier and also getting chilly in the evenings even though we seem to be having an Indian Summer.

I may have been quiet here but things have been developing business wise. After I finished at the hospital, I had a couple of weeks before I found another Job ( back at the school where I started!). In that couple of weeks I popped in to a local craft shop just for a nosey. It had recently had a change of ownership and I wanted to see if there was anything different. The new owner is Ruth and we seemed to have lots in  common. I ended up going down to the shop every day during the school hols and just helping out and having fun and a good laugh.

Things have now progressed to the point that she is moving into a bigger building and I have agreed to take some studio and selling space and help run craft classes.

The shop is called Cloth and Craft and it is in Waterfoot, Lancashire.

One small chance meeting and I get the opportunity to do the thing I have been dreaming of doing for a long time.

Watch this space for more details x

Finding my way

So, here we are in June and so much has changed.

I no longer work at the green logoed supermarket. I applied for and got a job which could have eventually led me to my dream job of HCA. Healthcare Domestic in one of the local hospitals. I passed all the steps with flying colours - references, medical, criminal records checks.

I got a start date, handed in my notice and looked forwards to the next chapter with great enthusiasm.

The first couple of days were just induction info - things like Health and Safety, confidentiality and filling in endless forms. Then came the actual training on an empty ward. Learning all the various procedures and whatnots. Relatively simple really. Had a couple of mornings on a ward with a 'buddy' just to put it all into context. That was all ok.

Then came the allocation of my own ward. I was just dropped right in the deep end and left to manage on my own. The cleaning wasn't really the problem. That would have all fallen into place in time as I found my own routine. The problem I had was emotional.

 I'm not stupid, I knew that as it was a hospital there would be some very poorly people in there. But it was the particular ward I was given - the Stroke Rehabilitation ward- and I was emotionally unprepared for what I saw. It instantly brought up feelings that I thought I had dealt with about my Mum, Dad and other family members. I made it through the day somehow (along with a few panic attacks) and got home. As soon as I got in the door, I burst into tears and didn't stop crying till next morning. I had no sleep whatsoever that night, trying to work out what I was going to do. I eventually came to the decision that it was not the place for me. I did not make that decision lightly as I had left a job to do this but still I stood by my decision.

I went in that morning to tell them of my decision. They were surprisingly fine about it and accepted my resignation.


I am not looking at his as a failure but as a learning experience. I am not going to rush into just any job. I am going to use this time to discover what I really want to do with my life and work out where my strengths are and then use them.

One step.........

Christmas has come and gone and here we are in the second month of the New year already.

Christmas was a quiet one - I was working for most of it and even on New years day!

As I expected, someone from the Artists Studios e-mailed me a couple of weeks ago to let me know that they had given the space to someone else. It would already have been decided before they saw me and the other candidates who was getting the space. The rest of us just made the process seem fairer! Sorry if you see that as a rather pessimistic view, but that's how I'm feeling right now.

I am unsure of where I want to go at the moment. Art and 'making things' is going nowhere. I can't even get into my little studio because it has been far too cold to sit in there for any time at all even with the heating on and for the last week and a half, I have been snowed out of it anyway - not even able to get in to get any wool out.

Since November I decided that I was going to try to do a job that I have wanted to do for a while now. I want to become a Healthcare Assistant. Used to be called Auxiliary Nurse. But I can't do that job unless I have six months recent experience as a carer( 14 years ago isn't recent enough) but I am unable to get a carers job as I have no NVQs. And I can't get any NVQs unless I am employed! So what do I do now?

At the moment it just feels like one step forwards and ten back...........

Decisions, decisions

Things are having to change.

Winter is here and Christmas is nearly upon us. It is time to take stock and decide which way to go now.

I have stopped the school job as I can get a lot more hours at the supermarket. It was a hard decision to make as I will miss some of the kids a lot. I've watched some of them grow from little, tiny scraps to confident individuals and hope that I have had a small part in them blossoming. On the other hand, some of the staff made the decision very easy.

As for the shop, it is definitely a non starter. My potential partner really wasn't fully committed to the idea and the one shop we could possibly afford was going to be a big problem. The lady we would be renting off didn't seem too bothered about getting her property agent to call me and would not give me their number. So, it really wasn't worth the hassle and stress!

Last week I was invited for a chat at the same Artists Studio that I went to once before. This time they did seem to like some of my work (the mixed media and the jewellery) but were very 'sniffy' about the rest. Crochet and patchwork just doesn't seem to class as anything like art. But they did kindly give me some constructive criticism. I do intend to narrow down from all the different things I do and have a good clear out.

So, most of the fabric is going and a lot of the wool (except for things I can use in the mixed media) and concentrate on the art and jewellery. They did suggest that I try to step outside my comfort zone and try to expand on some of the ideas I have and to explore them fully before moving on to something else.


I don't think I really stand a chance of getting a space there as they have other people to see and I'm assuming that he others have some sort of formal training and I am self taught. They will let me know sometime after Christmas so we will just have to wait and see! If I don't get in this time, I will just have to keep improving and do better next time.

Keeping confident and fingers crossed!!

New Start?

Things have been rather hectic round here. I have started another job. I still have the school job as well so I have been a bit exhausted! I am  Janitor at a local supermarket. (Four letters, starts with 'A' and has a green logo - you know the one!)

So, working two jobs and still trying to keep things organised at home is testing my sanity a little.The kids are doing little bits to help - but only when I get a little frazzled and grotty! The new job is hard work, always on the go, but I am enjoying it. I've been there about two months now and I think I'm getting the hang of it. Still lots to learn - it's not the brainless job that most people will assume it to be.


I am still finding time to make things and have learned to follow a proper crochet pattern and have managed to spend time in the studio as well.

I need to get my stock built back up as I may possibly have found a friend to share the shop with. She is a fellow crafter and has a small business that she runs from home and has had the same idea as me. She wanted a shop to sell direct but couldn't afford it on her own. So we thought about teaming up and sharing the costs. She has many other plans and we will have to sit down and put it all down on paper to see if it will work out for us.  Fingers crossed !!!!!!

So, I will really have to pull my finger out and actually get something done instead of 'researching ideas' on Pinterest and complaining that my studio is too small to work in!!



Back soon xx

Sunny days and whatnots

The past few days have been good ones.

We had a grand day out as a family the other day. In the SUNSHINE!!! It was lovely to be able to sit outside in the warmth and have a picnic. We went to Gawthorpe Hall near Padiham (that's in Lancashire for those that don't know). It is a house that was built in the 1600's and houses the Kay-Shuttleworth Textile collection. The embroideries that they had on show were fabulous. Go here to find out more -

Gawthorpe Textile Collection 


I got the idea to go there the day before when me and the kids were out with my friend and her daughter at the local museum which has had a makeover recently. It now has a café so it is much more interesting to visit!! as it was the Easter hols, there were activities for the kids to do but sadly we got there too late to book in for them so the kids just had a run around in the fresh air while my mate and me had coffee, cake and a good natter. She told me about Gawthorpe Hall and the Textiles as she used to live just around the corner from it.

And my weekend of exploring didn't stop there.The same friend sent me a text last night asking if I would like to escape for the afternoon today.  Of course I said YES!! So me, her and another friend escaped from kids and husbands and went off to a craft exhibition in Higham (near Padiham too - see, you get a geography lesson too!). More coffee and cake and more nattering. We all work with primary children in some capacity so we had plenty to talk about. The exhibition was in the local primary school so we compared the things they had that ours schools didn't and came away with ideas.

I also came away with ideas of things I can make There were some lovely things available to buy from some very talented makers. Glass, Cosmetics and skin care, baby knits, jewellery and paintings to mention just a few......

A couple of days out from the usual routine can do wonders for the soul. it may not have been time away from everything but it has been enough to recharge the batteries and relax a bit before starting all over again. Back to the normal routine on Tuesday!!

They're back.......

Well, the shop idea didn't happen. The proposed rent was raised when the Letting Agent got involved, and it really would have been silly to go ahead when I couldn't be sure I would take enough to cover it.

To be honest, I don't think my heart was fully in it. The dreaded Big Black Clouds have returned and everything just seems to be a huge effort. So, trying to start a business was a bad idea when I struggle to muster up the energy to get out of bed some days.

People will probably look at me and think that I'm fine but I've just got better at hiding it. As soon as I step out of the door, my ' Happy Mask' goes on. I go to work each day and no-one is any the wiser about how I feel.

Depression is something that I have suffered from for the last 17 years and most folks don't realise just how disabling it can be. The impact it can have on your self esteem and confidence is not nice. And just for the record, telling someone with Depression to ' pull themselves together' is not even the littlest bit helpful!

Utter Madness!

I think I must be going a little potty. I have been to view a local empty shop today.

 It has everything I'm looking for in a place to make and sell my things. My (shed) studio is too small and cold to want to spend any length of time in. It will cost me more than at the moment obviously, but it will allow me to have the room to grow.

People will be able to see the things I make if they get displayed in the window and that will let them think about buying items at a time that suits them, not just when I happen to be at a craft fair. They would be able to save and come back later.

There is nothing else like 'My' shop in the local area so my hope is that it will get noticed.

It will be a struggle at first, financially, but I hope to get at least some money back. If I can break even each week at first, I will be happy.

I have to work out all the figures first and Husband-of-mine is behind me 100%  Online promotion will still be important to get the word out there about my creations so I must keep up with my Facebook page and this blog.

I have felt for a while that I am capable of much, much more and that I have been letting life pass me by.

 I have realised that life is too short for 'what if's'.

Is it just me?

Blogger is trying my patience today!

It has taken me nearly an hour to get logged in because it kept telling me that my account didn't exist! So I must have imagined writing a post here yesterday then....

Anyway, I'm in now, best make a post then.

I havn't had chance to do any art today as  Daughter-of-mine 1 had an Athletics Training session at Sportcity in Manchester. Husband-of-mine stayed with her while I took D-of-mine 2 into the city centre on the new tram route. It's still sale time so we managed to pick up a few arty bargains. D-of mine-2 loves her Art as well. She has taken to Art Journaling really well and has an Art corner in her room where she sits and creates for hours at a time. It's wonderful to know at least one of my kidlets has a passion for Art.


So, as I havn't made anything new today, here's some pics of some of my past pages. These were planned a bit more than the ones I showed yesterday.

There SHOULD be three, but only this one seems to have uploaded from my phone - 3 TIMES!!!!! Technology really is out to get me at the moment it seems.


Lets just hope I can get back in here tomorrow so I can try again........

Decisions, decisions.

 HAPPY NEW YEAR xx

  I know it's been a while since I was here - again!- but I have been busy. A couple of Craft Fairs done (one was actually profitable! first one where I have made my stall money back!) and a bit of a studio redo.

I've also been doing a bit of thinking. I'm not really sure that my heart is in the craft fair business. Don't get me wrong, I love to make things. I really enjoy making my big blankies and all the crochet purses and the fabric brooches and the teddy bears and all the other things I make.
The problem is that it is absolutely soul destroying to stand behind a stall all day, having to smile and be polite and friendly just to have people say that your stuff is too expensive and walk on by then watch them buy something similar to yours from another stall.

My real passion is my Art. My jewellery style has evolved to more of a mixed media style and I love it much more. I'm hoping that it will sell better. My other love is Art Journaling. I have started up with it again today. Even though it is something I love to do, it's not something I find comes easily. Before I ever put paint/cutting to journal I spent a couple of years researching it all because I was afraid to get it wrong. After a few months of sticking and paint slapping, I stopped because I found it stressful. Pages just didn't look like I wanted them to. I just couldn't be relaxed enough with my style. It was difficult to work with no rules.

So today, I got out some old tubes of paint and some cuttings and printed images that I had already laying on my desk from the studio reshuffle. And I did just literally tear, slap and stick with not much thought to what I was putting where on the pages. It felt good. I have had a very relaxing afternoon.

 

 

It felt good to get my hands covered in paint too.

And now that I've worked out how to add photo's taken on my phone, I hope I will be able to drag myself here a bit more often!

 

Busy, busy, busy!

It has been a while since my last post but it has been busy around here lately.

It isn't always doom and gloom at Nelliebrations Towers you know. I'm back to crafting because I was bored and my wrist recovered after a rest. And we got ourselves a Doggy! a big, black wrinkly, smelly, trumpy doggy!! His name is CJ and he is a rescue dog. We adopted him from Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary in Edenfield and he is the best thing ever! He is very licky and loving and absolutely adores the kids.

 

 

And also, Son of mine is moving out and setting up his own household with his lovely partner. They are expecting their own family soon! Yes, I am joining the Grandma Club! It is making me feel a lot older than I actually am. So, it's busy busy with the baby and housey 'stuff'!!

 

Watch this space!!

More sadness......

As usual, about 6 months has gone by since I last posted here.(I would have been here sooner but blogger has been a pain!) And what a 6 months it's been.

Sadly, I have lost another close family member to the dreaded Cancer. My Auntie died in February after she had been diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. It was rather sudden really. She had all the symptoms last year when we were moving my Dad down here to us, but she thought it was just the stress of my Dad being ill. It never got better so she finally got herself to the doctors. She had one treatment of chemo, had a really bad reaction to it, and ended up in Hospital. She never came out.


My Auntie was a pain in the bum sometimes but she was always there for me - no matter what. We did sometimes have our disagreements but I loved her dearly. She was my substitute mum. When the rest of the family had a falling out (as often happened!)we always seemed to stick together and look after each other. I was always taken on holiday with them, me and her had some good day trips out too. The best trip we had was to London. She wanted to go to see the Horse of the year show and wanted company so she paid for me to go with her - and it was one of the best weekends away that I've ever had. We had so much fun!

I will miss her so much.

Spreading the word

I have been making things for a few years now. It started with handmade cards and progressed through to basic Jewellry making - bracelets and earrings. Always out of re-purposed materials. Long before it became 'the in thing'.

Then I got into cross stitching through a friend of mine that got herself featured in CrossStitcher mag with her own designs. There was a free kit on the front so I thought I may as well give it a go - and I loved it! So for years thats the only craft I did. Stitching till the wee small hours.

A few years ago, I re-discovered card and jewellry making and managed to get them up for sale in a local shop. I did sell a few things but then there was a change in management and my things were no longer wanted. Ah, well........


Then I started doing the Xmas fairs at the kids school and local church because I had so much made that I had to find a home for. Sold a few things, not much, but it got word around that I made things. About 2 years ago, I discovered Etsy and Folksy and opened a shop on Folksy. I have never plucked up the courage to fill my shop yet. I don't really know why.

I also noticed that other folk were showing their makes on Facebook, so last year I started my own page to tell the world about my things. So far I have had one sale - a pair of earrings. Its a start, I suppose! I have found and joined some Crafty Networking Communities on there. It's fun but for someone like me, who is not very computer savvy, it is hard work and takes me a long time. Learned how to tag but still can't do simple things like links. I am learning - very slowly.

I still love to be able to re-purpose things. It's satisfying to make something useful out of something that would otherwise be thrown away. For example, crochet Doormats out of old denim jeans and old duvet covers. Blankets out of 'unloved' wool.  So, still making and will continue to do so because I love it - and thats what counts!!