Posted by Originally posted 11 January 2019
Hello lovelies and Happy New Year!
I wrote the first part of this post in bed on the first day of 2019. It was 9.40am and I had had my first cup of green tea. The house was quiet apart from the sound of both the dryer and the washing machine, drying and washing the first loads of hundreds this year. I was slightly distracted by the sound of my hubby snoring beside me…a gentle nudge did the trick. Bliss!
On New Year’s Eve I stayed in and didn’t have too late a night because I much prefer to celebrate the first day of the next year without a heavy, tired head. I much prefer to feel fresh, clear and ready. You will not find me making empty resolutions or unreachable grand statements. I have usually by this stage done much thinking about the previous year (see this post), and thought about my intentions and goals for the next. And over the last few years, I have picked a word or perhaps ethos that I would like to live by for the coming one.
Last year, no word came to me. Instead, I felt that following my heart, becoming in tune with my instincts and listening to that wise inner voice was what I needed to do, forever and ever, Amen. I arrived at the close of 2018 feeling like I had done just that, very positive about where my heart had lead me and ready to carry on along this path, with my word for 2019 taking centre stage in all my endeavours going forwards.
The word ‘inspire’ in all it’s forms, ‘inspired’, ‘inspiring’, ‘inspiration’, ‘inspirational’, popped into my conscious thought, loud, clear and with bells on, as I was crafting and baking up a festive storm last month. For me, the word ‘inspired’ evokes a sense of passion, drive and enthusiasm for something and that is exactly how I was feeling about hand stitching, styling, wrapping, baking, photographing and so on. I could not stop myself if I wanted to! And this is how I feel about sharing seasonal joy and creativity, whether that is through exploring and photographing stunning places, immersing myself in the beauty of nature, baking pretty and delicious cakes or crafting lovely things.
I want to be inspired, by nature and the seasons yes, but also by others. I want to surround myself with those who share what they love to do and are inspirational in their own special ways.
I want to make inspired choices, which move me forwards and push me out of my comfort zone.
And through sharing what I love, I want to inspire others to be playful and experiment with their creativity too. Inspiration is infectious don’t you think? I would love to be infectious! Tee hee! This last year, on a few occasions, I have been described as ‘inspiring’ and boy does it mean a lot when that happens.
In a practical sense, this means that here on the blog and over on instagram, I will carry on sharing my exploration of and love for wonderful, nature filled places and my passion for living with the seasons in mind. And this seasonal love and joy, will continue to inform, influence and inspire me to craft beautiful things with my hands and to share them with you!
My intention is to try and create a 3 tiered system. I hope to inspire others to craft by firstly offering free tutorials (and recipes) on the blog as I have been doing and secondly, providing a downloadable version of the full craft tutorial with any templates or patterns for a small fee. Thirdly, I would absolutely love to make a few of the same product to sell in my online shop (yet to be set up), which I may inspire someone to buy!
And kindness…which is never far from my heart and my lips. I think and speak of it often and it will continue to be at the heart of what I do. Kindness to myself and kindness to others. This means getting the balance right between pushing myself but being gentle at the same time, sticking to my plans but being adaptable too. It also means giving back, having others and their lives in mind when I make something lovely to share and sell. Watch this space.
So this is where I begin my year: With hope, passion, inspiration and kindness in my heart. And I am full to the brim with excitement at that very statement. What a good place to start I think! Come along for the ride won’t you?!
I am adding joy and pride to that mix too because in the last 7 days, I am so pleased to announce that I have been featured on two very inspiring women’s blogs…
Daki of Ducklings Designs is a knitter, seamstress, voice actor, audiobook producer and all round creative goddess. She has begun a blog series entitled, ‘Honour the Hand’ where she, in her words, “will feature makers and crafters who explore the intangible yet irrefutable connection between traditional crafting, identity and ancestry through their handwork’. I did a great deal of thinking and dug deep to write a piece that explored my feelings of nostalgia and the connection I make to my past, both known and unknown when I work with my hands. You can read my piece on Daki’s blog here.
Gabrielle Treanor is a writer, teacher, coach to overthinkers (like me), podcaster and wonderful human being. She writes a blog series called, ‘Living Your Best Life’, where she delves into the lives of creatives and explores their motivations, inspirations, dreams, plans and challenges. I have read the interviews of some very inspiring women on Gabrielle’s blog and you can read mine here!
Where are you at the start of this year lovelies? How are you feeling about the year ahead? I do hope that 2019 is everything you want it to be.
Much love always,
Lucy
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Lucylu dreams... 
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