What I’ve been making this week

November 19, 2014 · by · in Crafty Life

It’s blog hop time!

What better way to blow the dust away from this blog than to tell you all what I’ve been up to recently? I love sneaking a peek into other peoples’ crafty lives. (And if social media’s popularity has anything to say about it, so does just about everyone!) Being nosy is just part of the human condition.

Kate of Made By Mrs M has invited me to join in on a dual blog hop. She’s shared snippets of her life on her own blog. If you love mid-century design or textiles, be sure to check out her work!

Blog Hop #1

What have you been making at your desk this week?

Can you feel the pressure of the holidays yet? I’ve been practising techniques I want to put to use in my own Christmas decor this year. My latest make was a ruffle-edged panel curtain to practise (you guessed it!) sewing ruffles. Away from my desk I’ve been getting more and more passionate about cooking and baking, too. I’m cooking a (hopefully) romantic Christmas dinner for two and that means lots of recipe testing.

Where am I currently finding my inspiration?

I’m focusing on deliberate consumption. Pinterest is strictly an indulgent treat. Instead of photos (that don’t tell you much about the effort involved) I’m focusing on the people who do work I aspire to do. Kirstie Allsopp is the closest I have to a crafty idol. You can’t make creative work mechanical or break it down into a formula. Focusing on the people forces me to stay realistic and get through rough spots!

And I always read Country Living (whose editor Susy Smith just won Lifestyle Editor of the Year!) from cover to cover. Even adverts can have clever ideas hidden away in the styling or decor.

How important is being creative to you, and how do you blend this with your work/life/family balance?

I don’t see my creativity being separate from the rest of my life. I use it in my work, in my home life, in my hobbies. It’s a part of me that’s always humming away in the background. Even when I worked at a produce stand I could be creative with the displays. (I may or may not have spent a silly amount of time attempting to write pretty price labels.)

Blog Hop #2

What am I working on?

It’s getting chilly so I have a few winter warmers up next: a DIY heat pad, handwarmers for a friend, and some boot cuffs. My current general improvement goal is to get back into photography. I got a gorgeous new Nikon for my birthday (thanks Mom and Dad!) and need to put that baby to good use!

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

This is such a hard question to answer when you have to think of yourself from other people’s perspective. The easy answer is to say it’s the only work out there by me.

I don’t recreate tutorials to copy popular bloggers. I want to create things to inspire people to make something themselves. Anyone can craft something beautiful. That’s a fact.

As I get older, I can appreciate the Finnish and American (specifically New England) influence on the work that I do, too.

Why do I write/create what I do?

Makes me laugh to think about it now, but I didn’t understand how many people didn’t craft until I was about 17. My mom definitely has had a huge influence in that. I make because I always have!

Writing is a different story. Writing was something I did for schoolwork, until when I was eight-years-old my teacher told me I ‘had potential’. That, plus my obsession with Harry Potter and the awe I felt for JK Rowling, meant I dreamt about becoming a famous novelist. Then I decided writing about real life suited me better.