relaunch – CraftyGuider

Here’s to 2016

At the beginning of 2015, I resolved not to have any resolutions, not to sign up to any social media obligations like photo-a-day or blog-a-week, not to join in with quilt a month, crochet along etc. and not to heap too much pressure on myself to join in and fit in with the crowd.

To some extent I’ve succeeded in this (especially the not blogging regularly part – oops!) but I’m not quite there.

My aim for 2016 is to get organised. I want to declutter and put systems in place to get my life, head and home in order. I want to complete ‘to do lists’ rather than keep putting things off. I want a crafting area that is inspirational, rather than a pile of work in progress. I want to minimise food waste by planning meals better and shopping smarter. I want to put my health higher up in my priorities.

But for now, I’d like to wish everyone a happy new year and I hope 2016 is everything you want it to be.

February’s Mission

Aside from my back going twang and the rest of the family going down with the lurgy, January was a very positive month for me. I got lots done, I started decluttering, I’ve been crafting, I’ve gained new skills and things are going well.

I need to carry on this positivity and keep the momentum going. I still have more sorting out to do, particularly my email, and there are always crafty WIPs to finish. I want to set myself another couple of goals for February.
Firstly I want to get my Etsy shop relaunched. I set it up in February last year, listed one item and then abandoned it. Obviously it’s more advantageous for me to attract business through my Craftyguider site as I don’t have to pay fees to list there, but I hope that Etsy will help me reach more people. Hopefully by the end of the month I’ll have a selection of products listed.
Secondly I want to get fitter and start losing weight again. I’m supposed to be following a Slimming World plan but my weight fluctuates up and down because I’m not strict enough. I want to shed the last bit of weight I need to shift, and also get a bit more exercise, in particular, starting pilates to strengthen my back so it won’t go twang again!
And finally, I am going to finish my mending, and sewing badges onto the Craftyguidelets’ badge blankets. I might even get a couple onto mine, but I am 7 years behind so I don’t anticipate on completing this one!

What do you hope to achieve in February?

Theo Paphitis #SBS Winner

I wanted to get more focused on my blog and my webshop in 2014. I’m still on catch up, so my targets for January were just to get my workspace organised. Simple but achievable.

However, I did start a couple of things. I have a plan in place for what themes I am concentrating on for www.craftyguider.com month by month. I have started following more accounts on instagram, pinterest and twitter, as well as more blogs on bloglovin, and I started entering Theo Paphitis’ Small Business Sunday competition on twitter. Two weeks in, I won!

My winning tweet said “When I was a Guide, I earned 2 Craft badges. Now I’m a leader, I design and make badges.”

I am so pleased Theo Paphitis personally chose me, and having had a quick look through the #SBS winners website, the benefits are fabulous, I’ve increased my exposure on twitter, and I hope this, with a bit of hard work, translates to more sales in my webshop. And best of all, I hope to meet Theo and get a certificate at his next winners event.

I’d love to hear from you if you have any creatives you think I should be following on social media. And obviously feel free to click on the links above to follow me!

Obsessively, Compulsively Happy

I am sitting here, watching Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners on Channel 4 and having a think. There are people on the programme with debilitating OCD who spend most of their waking lives as slaves to their cleaning routine. I am not one of these people. I couldn’t afford to spend all that time on my house, let alone the hundreds of pounds they must pay for bleach every year. I also couldn’t be one of those people they are helping who haven’t cleaned for years.

My mum had a little dish when I was small which said “my house is clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy”. This is how I run my house. I’m sure the OCD brigade would faint at the sight of my ironing mountain, the lego on the floor in the playroom, the unplumped cushions in the living room. However no one ever got ill from a pile of magazines sat in the corner of the room.

I have the Motivated Mom app on my phone which helps me with my housework routine. I am not obsessed with it, but I know that the bathrooms get done on a Monday, and Friday is the day for changing the beds for example. As this scheduling is helping with the housework, I am hoping to broaden it to the other elements in my life. This is only my second blog post this month. I have a WIP list a mile long. I need to launch my Etsy shop. I haven’t been to the gym in ages. These aren’t essential, but I feel like I want to include them in my weekly routine. I know that this is not the time for me to start cramming things into my life, but I am hoping for a relaunch of myself in the new year.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a magazine to read.