Exploring a New Year
“The beginning is always today.”
~ Mary Shelley
With a new year comes a new focus. I am making conscious efforts in 2024 to find time for creative exploration. Running a small business with many facets can make it difficult to devote time to hobbies and self improvement. Everyone knows that new year’s resolutions often fall by the wayside, so instead I’m making these resolutions without any terms and conditions. If I can devote one Wednesday, Friday or a Sunday each week to a hobby or creative pursuit, then it becomes more achievable. Erasing pressure can be freeing and it can quite possibly be the solution to fulfilling our resolutions - only time will tell! Now, let’s find that time.
Being inspired by a place or working in a magical space can help to fuel ideas and confidence. These surroundings can be a long walk in a forest or simply sitting in your favourite room. I like to surround myself with illustrations I’ve collected and little decorative bits ‘n’ bobs which intrigue me. I am an avid daydreamer who can be found staring into space or at an object; my mind visualising ideas and imagining stories. As a result I collect a lot of things, and one of those things are vintage or vintage-inspired Christmas/glass decorations. I love the twinkling of the glitter, and the shine of the luminous surfaces. They also tend to depict charming and whimsical characters which attracts my inner magpie.
The above baubles are new additions to my collection. The mushroom girl is me of course ;) and the happy sun is a joyful addition to my studio, as I love images/objects of suns with faces (as with flowers also), and it works well with the glittering moon and starry sky bauble. I am a true 90s child, and have never left behind my love of the moon, sun and stars! I feel calm and inspired in my studio, and little things like these decorations can make a big difference in gaining motivation.
After decorating my studio with my new gleaming friends, I felt inspired to add my own handmade decorations in the form of a paper rose. It had been a craft project I wanted to complete a while ago but never got the chance to. The rose stem had once held a shiny red foil chocolate which was a Valentine’s gift from my mom (she’s so sweet!). As I’m a collector of things, I also have a stack of tissue papers from gifts I’ve received over the years. I chose a pretty peach tissue paper with gold foil specks, and a retro floral pattern to add a bit of intrigue to the piece. It’s very easy to make but it takes a steady hand, and equally steady nerves. I followed this tutorial and adapted it slightly to create my everlasting paper rose.
It’s amazing how you can actually find the time if you really are excited to do so. Excuses fall on deaf ears when you have solid determination. I have been wanting to make my own quilted blanket for years. When 2020 happened, I thought ok now is my time to make this quilt. However to my surprise, my business was busier than ever, and no amount of determination could see me make a quilt that year. However I shut up shop earlier than usual last year to extend my Christmas holidays and take some time off. I needed to create in a different way - this time with fabric and sewing thread. After studying some YouTube videos and making lots of notes, I began my reacquaintance with my sewing machine which I hadn’t used since around 2002! The meticulous nature of quilt making was soothing to my often busy mind. I loved the challenge of learning something new, and gaining a skill which I always thought was out of my reach. If you’re looking for a project like this I would highly recommend it. Would you like me to write a blog post about the process? Let me know in the comments and I’d be happy to share my whole process and the mistakes I wish to avoid on my next quilt!
I hope you enjoyed reading this post, and maybe you’ll feel inspired to get creating and find the time to do so. Take care, Rachel x