It’s the time of year we dust off our new year’s resolutions and resolve to be healthier, more organised and . . .

Well, I’ve decided to scrap that idea and just make some plans instead!

My plans for 2012 include:

* Being kinder to myself.  I need to remind myself that I’m only one person and can only do so much!  I have workaholic tendencies, which is good up to a point.  I need to be more aware of where that point kicks in!

mint tea - a moment of calm

* Making a start on a new business idea.  This new idea involves creating downloadable designs – for cardmakers, people who sew and maybe just anyone who wants invitations, gift tags, etc.  I’m thinking along the lines of instant, printable downloads.  The more I think about this idea, the more I love it.

* Making a decision about the growth of 1st Unique Gifts.  I love that it’s growing, being busy and gaining small amounts of media attention.  I need to decide if I want it to grow more (therefore needing staff – which was never my aim) or contain it and keep it as it is (me, my paintbrush and my website!)

tools of the trade

* Making more stock – this will not only make the business more manageable in busy periods and allow me some precious time off, it will make delivery to the customer quicker at times too.

making art hangers

* Writing a book (!!).  Not giving too much away about that one yet and it may take more than just this year to complete.

* Trying to make more one-offs.  Paintings, mixed media pieces and (my great love) driftwood pieces

driftwood mirror

* Making a success of my vegetable plot, which means thinking beyond just tomatoes, courgettes and runner beans (which was last year’s plot, more or less!)

Looking at the above list, I think it may be becoming obvious why my first plan is to be kinder to myself!  I have far too much I want to do for just one human being, in one year.

Hey ho, there’s always 2013 . . .

Here’s to a fabulous 2012 to all my customers, blog readers, Twitter and Pinterest followers and Facebook likers – you have all made a difference to me this past year.

Thank you so much to everyone who helped make 2011 so wonderful for me – I wish you much health, wealth and (most of all!) happiness in 2012.

2011 for me felt a little bit like “blink and you missed it” . . . where on earth did the year go?  All in all, it was a good year, though.

In summary, it was the year that (in no particular order):

* I started Handmade Monday!

* I had work featured in the Sunday Mirror, the Metro, the Sunday Telegraph – and others!

The Sunday Mirror featured my campervan clock

* I learned (finally!) my chronic migraines were mostly being caused by gluten and can be almost completely controlled by a gluten-free diet!  This discovery was highly significant in helping me move my business forward – frequent and severe migraines hold you back more than you can begin to imagine.

* I gained two new gorgeous baby granddaughters!

* I gained five new adopted chickens who lay the most delicious eggs and make me chuckle on a daily basis with their little old lady personalities

gardening - chicken-style

* My studio gained a wood burning stove – transforming my workspace on cold winter days

* I was chosen by Theo Paphitis as one of his #sbs retweets on Twitter

Theo's retweet

* I reached some significant milestones on my blog: I hit both 50,000 and 100,000 visitors this year

* and generally, my little business grew and got busier in the last few weeks of 2011 than I could ever have dreamed or imagined.

There’s been a set of learning curves too.  You don’t suddenly go from around 8 orders a day to 50+ in a single day without there being a little bit of learning, development and a few “aargh! NOO!!”  as well as “ahh! YES!!” moments

So what’s planned for 2012? Quite a lot, actually.  I don’t know how much of it I’ll manage to convert from the planning stage to the actual doing stage, but looking at what happened in 2011, who knows?

I think I’ve blogged enough for today, so check back sometime soon for my plans for the new year.  I think they’ll most definitely be plans rather than resolutions (which always somehow seem to end up dead in a ditch partway into January!).

So, goodbye 2011, you’ve been good to me.  Thank you!

If you want to share your blog post about 2011, do leave me a comment and I’ll pop over and have a read!

Just a quick post today!

I wanted to show you a couple of recent mentions in craft mags . . .

craft mag mentions

Popular Crafts Magazine included me in their “Craft Transformed My Life” feature.  It reminded me that when I look back, I can’t quite believe how different my life is these days!

craft mag mentions

And Craftseller magazine had a little piece about this very blog! (I had hoped they’d mention Handmade Monday, but never mind!)

They’re both in the shops now in case you want a nosey!

So, with Christmas nearly upon us, here’s my small craft business version of the The Twelve Days of Christmas.  Feel free to sing out loud with a mulled wine and mince pie to hand!

♪  ♫  ♪  ♫   ♪  ♫  ♪  ♫  ♪  ♫  ♪  ♫  ♪  ♫  ♪  ♫   ♪  ♫  ♪  ♫   ♪  ♫  ♪  ♫  ♪  ♫  ♪  ♫  ♪  ♫  ♪  ♫

♪  ♫  In the run-up to Christmas, my business gave to me . . . ♪  ♫

12 bags of parcels . . .

bags of parcels

11 custom orders

10 brushes dripping

9 plaques a-painted

caravan plaques

8 frantic emails

7 glue-gun blisters (ouch)

6 hours a-packing

♪  ♫   five so-ore fingers   ♪  ♫

4 hours in bed at night

3 rushed snacks a day

2 aching shoulders . . .

♪  ♫  . . . and a coffee that’s tu-urned stone cold (sigh…yet again).

What’s your run-up to Christmas been like?  Worth singing about?  Well, whatever the run-up to it’s been like, I wish you a very merry  and happy Christmas.  Enjoy!

Hello and welcome to the last Handmade Monday before Christmas!  The next one is due on Christmas Day/Boxing Day so I think we’ll give that one a miss!  In fact, the following one is New Year, so maybe we’ll leave it till the 8th and 9th – what do you think?  Is that ok with you?

It’s still a bit manic here but we’re coming to the end of it, slowly but surely.  I’m certain the ladies in the post office will be glad!  I think they all try to hide when they see me with my bags of parcels.

I just wanted to show you one of my commissions this week.

New York Fund moneybox

This moneybox was one of the last custom orders I took and only finished it this week.  The brief was simple: black & white and Empire State building with the New York Fund wording, of course- I was quite pleased with it and hope it goes down well with its new owner.

New York Fund

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas – enjoy browsing the links this week and I’m sure I’ll find time to get round to visiting and commenting on them all this week   Thank you all for being so lovely and understanding last week – and thanks also for all your lovely comments; they are all appreciated.

There’s light at the end of the tunnel!

Don’t get me wrong, I do love my work, but it’s been hard work recently – 15 and 16 hour days, 7 days a week, and stopping only for food and sleep!

organised chaos

I feel lucky and privileged though to have had so many orders in the run up to Christmas (and a man who does the washing, ironing and general tidying up after me!).

The next few days will see me finalising the last 40-ish orders and getting them to their new owners.

There’s already a list for January orders.  I will be taking some time off first, though!

Welcome to Handmade Monday.

Not much preamble from me this week – with more than 150 orders still to be completed and sent out before Christmas, I’ve not got a lot of time for much else (including blogging).  I did manage to get round everyone’s blogs last week – please don’t count on me this week, will you?

wine o' clock

A lot of these orders are down to the fact my wine o’ clock clock was featured in the Metro on Wednesday (no pics, sorry – I didn’t even get to see a copy myself).  A couple of customers mentioned it and the orders spoke for themselves (50+ orders in one day for 70+ items and about half as many again on each of the days that followed!  Orders for these are still pinging in…).

Orders for pre-Christmas delivery will not be taken after tonight and as I’m already working from 5 am till about 9 pm there can be no exceptions.  I always feel bad letting people down – and have already turned down a number of custom requests – but there’s only so much you can do

wine and campervans jostling for space and attention

So, think of me this evening finishing off more glasses of wine than is good for me – painted ones, on clocks, of course while you leave your link and/or browse some of the amazing blogs.

A quick update: the very last date we’re able to accept orders for Christmas delivery is Sunday 11th December.

Orders received after this date will be processed but delivery will probably not be before Christmas.  I’m sorry but even with 5am starts and late nights, there just aren’t enough hours in the day.

Thank you to everyone who’s keeping us busy.  Yesterday was the busiest day of orders we’ve ever had!

. . . but the fire is so delightful!

woodburner

. . . and since we’ve no place to go [except the post office - and even the staff there are getting fed up of my 20-a-day parcel habit]

. . . Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow! [I know, I know - I could live to regret those words ]

snowed in last winter

I’m getting used to lighting the fire again in my studio and this winter will be the first full winter I’ve had the benefit of it – it was fitted in the middle of a very cold snap in January 2011.  In fact, the snow last winter delayed it being fitted.

The woodburner is one of the things I’m so glad I’ve got.  It makes my studio toasty warm and disposes of a whole load of chopped-down trees, branches and other debris.  It also makes me smile and think of the song I’ve quoted above.  The rest of the lyrics are here just in case you’re wondering.