Autumn leaves are falling......

......and the days are getting shorter. Where is the time going? :-) 

We haven't blogged for a while as there has been such a lot happening. Mum has been busily holding the fort whilst I gave birth to our 3rd child mid - September! 

He is now 6 weeks old and life is slowly returning to 'normal' as we adjust to life as a family of 5!

It's been really lovely watching the other 2, who are 5 & 2, bond with him. Things can be somewhat chaotic with a trio of differing needs but I think we're managing pretty well so far; taking it day by day; not descending in to a mass panic, etc!

It's a really lovely time of year too isn't it? We celebrated our wedding anniversary recently which makes Autumn extra memorable. Plus the colours are just stunning at the moment. There's an air of change around and of course that impending excitement of Christmas not a million miles away!

I'm gradually easing my way back in to working, just in the evenings at the moment. Lots of sketching out ideas and the odd bit of making. Mum has been working on new designs and producing stock for Christmas. 

We've introduced a few of the designs for 2015 on our website and the full orderable range will be available from early November.

We'll also be holding 2 events on our Facebook page which will be the perfect opportunity to buy one-off, readymade items. The first event is Wednesday 4th November & the second is tbc.

Busy, exciting times all around :-) Check out all the action behind the scenes over on out Instagram page, plus pop over to our website to browse all our latest products :-)

Gemma xx

'Comparison is the thief of joy'

I was having a bit of a moment last night...you know...39 weeks pregnant...hormonal...our eldest starting back at school today! 😢 I've been fairly organised but by the time last night arrived the uniform wasn't ironed (no names in either!)...no bag packed...I realised we hadn't actually done the home learning over the holiday even though I did mean to! I started to overthink everything......'I've let him down'; 'His shoes don't fit properly'; 'I'm always so unorganised compared to other Mums'. I was really taking so much responsibility for everything and being way too hard on myself. And then after a couple of little pep - talks it occurred to me......
                        
Don't you think there is so much pressure on Mums (parents) to be 'perfect'? The world wants us to rush around...be organised...feed our children the best stuff...get them to behave in a certain way...whilst managing to keep on top of everything!  I'm not one for following the norm most of the time but sometimes my confidence in myself falters slightly! I love this phrase I found recently;

'Comparison is the thief of joy' 💛 (Theodore Roosevelt)

And isn't that so true?! So today lovely people, hold your head up high and congratulate yourself on doing your best! Focus on everything you do achieve, be yourself & have confidence in who you are 😊👏

Gemma xx

Oh what to do at 2 am when you're wide awake!

This is my 3rd pregnancy and I'm nearing the end (39+2 to be precise!). I knew when we went to bed tonight that I didn't feel *that* tired but it was 'bedtime' & we are going out tomorrow and I knew I needed to rest. And yet here I am, laying wide awake (yet yawning!) feeling like this might be one of the longest nights ever! I feel so restless and headachy and heartburny......the body can be so clever yet feel so cruel at the time when I surely need my sleep the most!

Still I must focus on what is important......it won't be long now until we meet the new little person in our lives and whilst with this comes anxieties about what our other 2 will think and how they will cope, it's all very exciting too! And I really haven't faired bad overall this pregnancy for heartburn and some of those other yucky symptoms. I am lucky that I can mostly look back at all 3 pregnancies and remember them fondly (or with rose tinted specs on the tough days!).

So what to do now it is 2.05am? Well I've tried Facebook...I'm not a huge fan of social media on a personal level...it doesn't always make me feel very good and I often feel it's a bit of a waste of my time. Even in the middle of the night with nothing to do! Endless hours of nosing really! I do love Instagram but everyone is asleep...! At least all the UK accounts I follow. It's a friendly place is Instagram and so inspiring. I think I have discovered at least 5 new accounts to follow today and almost ordered several prints for the baby's room! (Hmm......shopping has to be high up on the pregnancy insomnia to - do list!)

So that just leaves blogging (doing it!!) & Pinterest. Ohhh...I had sort of forgotten Pinterest in my busyness of late! How could I?! It's a giant pinboard of fantasy wants, wishes and dreams! If I can't dream for real (in my insomniac state!) then I may as well satisfy my dreams elsewhere.

(I also love the fact that as I lay here typing this rather random little note, now and then after I write a word a smilie pops up in the predictive text! I must use a lot of them and therefore smile a lot [in my head at least!] which makes me smile again!)

Sweet dreams xx

Gemma

P.s. Please please please can I go back to sleep, I'm going to look like death tomorrow, I can tell!

P.p.s. Oh gosh I've just realised I had a load of chocolate before bed! I wonder if tonight it could be that?? Oh bum! It was yummy too!

A rainy August day & a baby shower!

Yesterday was full of surprises! I wasn't expecting the rainy day for starters! I'm not sure why I was surprised when I opened the blinds as it's been so unsettled lately - a typical British Bank Holiday perhaps :-) To be honest it's the perfect fresh weather for pregnant ladies! I feel so thankful I have mostly escaped struggling in the heat! Although come on September, you can bring us an Indian Summer after the 11th ;-)

Rain or no rain I had a baby shower to go to!

My first ever as I didn't have one for my other 2 pregnancies. I was left well and truly stuffed from all the cake and other food! Below you'll see them playing guess the bump size! Most had gone way too big - thanks girls! :-D

 

For any of you that might not know I'm vegan (& so is Mum) so I was totally overwhelmed when one of my very dear and talented friends created this masterpiece for me! 

She already runs a small part - time business making cakes (I will make sure I share details with you as soon as her Facebook page is back up and running), but I now intend to badger her with lots of ideas and advice!

They also surprised me with a really unusual hamper from Flowbox! 

There are so many vegan treats in it! Things I've never heard of! I'm trying my best not to indulge yet......I'm pretty sure I'll be needing all of it after the birth! Mum actually spruced it up in her usual creative way finding the basket at our local antiques place. Even better - another basket to add to my collection! You can truly never have too many baskets in a home :-)

So here we are now...first day of September...10days to go...big eeeeek!

Gemma xx

Business, children & nesting!

We're having a bit of a lazy Saturday before going to see some friends later. It's been a bit of a mad few weeks...... I'm now over 38 weeks pregnant and I think at last almost organised! Well, as prepared as you can ever be when you're about to welcome a new little person in to your family :-)

It can be quite a juggling act...managing a home...the children...running a small business...but I really do love and actually need the variety of it all. It mostly works (or I'm learning to make it work) by keeping things very organised and very simple! I love being at home to look after the children and am fortunate I've been able to start this business with Mum instead of having to go back to my job as a PA in London. But it's really important for my own well-being to have something for myself. It really has so many benefits for me and means everything doesn't revolve around the housework and children!

I mostly try not to work around the kids. It just doesn't really work......I find although they don't need me so much as they're getting older and playing by themselves lots (they are 5 & 2.5), they notice immediately if I'm not available! Sometimes I can do something quickly... today I was able to finish sewing a boat and took some product shots! Woohoo! :-D

It's just as well I could get a little bit done as we are busily preparing for another of our readymade events which is taking place tomorrow night. We love holding the events on our Facebook page and they're a great opportunity to test the waters with some new designs. Plus a chance for our customers to grab some discounted end of line creations too. If you fancy popping along you'll find all the details at facebook.com/theseashackdesigns.

Lots to look forward to this week after our event - starting with my baby shower on Monday! It's the last week of the holidays which means precious family time :-) And then I'll be awaiting delivery of the final baby purchase I've made - a Bednest (co-sleeping cot) which is coming on Friday! (I've hyperlinked it in case you want any more info.)

Exciting times!

Gemma xx

Putting a price on our work

We love creating but the tricky part is placing a value on what we create.  (Yes I know we are not alone in this - we probably have most artists for company as well as anyone else who needs to set a price for their work or services!)

When you spend time doing what you love it's hard to justify charging for your time - we tend not to equate having fun with work! (Hmmm..... I can feel a whole other blog coming on - one of my passions is a belief that we can all choose to have a work life doing what we love!).   Most of us are happy to charge for the materials we use but how do you put a price on the creative process?    Realistically if we all charged for the hours we actually spend designing and creating - we'd price ourselves out of the market!  Setting prices has certainly led Gemma and I to many hours of discussions and angst!  There's a whole lot of other emotional stuff at stake here too.

The value we place on our work is intrinsically bound up with how we feel about ourselves   What do we feel we are worth?  What is the value we place on something we've spent time lovingly creating?  What does it say about us as as people? 

If our self worth is low we can be easily knocked off balance and left feeling vulnerable and uncertain - not the best state of mind when trying to put a value on your work. We may feel what we put out into the world isn't good enough (or as good as that created by our peers) and constantly strive to do better - which can lead to procrastination and perfectionism.  How can we possibly put an objective value on what we create when we are influenced these negative belief patterns?  Ironically, creative people often have a precarious sense of self worth.

Tricky isn't it?! Fellow artists and crafters will know exactly what I'm talking about.  We are indeed our toughest critics.

So here at Seashack we are aware of the role that emotions and thoughts about ourselves play and how they sometimes trip us up when we are trying to put a value on our work.  Our ethos is to look at the world with loving eyes - and that includes the way we look at ourselves as well.  So we do our best to focus on being kind to ourselves and valuing who we are, knowing that emotions come and go and eventually we will feel more balanced and be able to value our work more objectively.

Shirley xx

Finding inspiration

Where do you find your inspiration? Or perhaps I could say how do you find it? An interesting question.... Sometimes it feels as though it has all but disappeared. You can see it manifesting all around you but for you it seems to be elusive.

I find inspiration strikes when I least expect it, when I'm not trying to find it. Instead I open to the possibility that there is an infinite and abundant supply of inspiration, that it's all around each and every one of us and all we have to do is relax and let go, holding the intention to allow inspiration to flow within you. Might sound a bit woo woo but that's the way it works. It's already there, you don't have to go looking for it. It's yours for the taking.

So how do I open up? I believe for everyone it's a case of spending time doing what you love to do, what you feel called to you, what your heart is guiding you to do. When you're taking action, inspiration will find you.

For example, sometimes I instinctively 'know' I need to get out of my home work space. I might go off to a quiet tea shop in the countryside and tap into the stream of writing and creative ideas inside me. Cup of green tea by my side, notebook and pens, laptop at hand - and just start doing whatever I feel called to do.

For me, it's almost always about immersing myself in nature. This, for me, is a place where I feel open, happy and energised. Right now I'm sitting in a deserted bird hide, the sound of a multitude of bird sounds filling the air, my heart wide open and tapping into that ever present source of inspiration. I could equally find a quiet spot on the beach or sitting under a tree with a beautiful vista in view. That's what makes my heart sing and enables me to be closer to that creative source. This is where my best creative ideas are born and birthed. Like magic.

Over to you. What do you do to feel inspired? Shirley x