Do what makes you happy

It's Saturday night and I'm finally finding some time to write!  Evenings are something of a scarcity in this house with 3 little people.  Our youngest is nearly 17 months old and I never know from one evening to the next whether I'll get some free time or not.  We know that in an ideal world we'd all do more of what makes us happier; spend more time on the things we love.  When it comes to the evening it's often a dilemma whether to spend time doing chores...something for me...something businessy...something to help me get ahead (although I'm not sure it ever actually works!).  These are all things that would contribute to my happiness, in different ways, even if they aren't all things I'm obviously passionate about!

When it comes to our business and my happiness generally in life, I've been asking myself a lot lately about the WHYs; mainly why do I want to write or create or connect with others on the same wavelength.  It's not until you run a business that you start to understand what goes in to it; you're not just the creator or maker, you're in charge of every other aspect too.  Which requires balance!  Now that isn't always something I have that much of in my life right now so I seriously have to minimise my expectations, in all areas.  Doing more of the things I love isn't always easy but ultimately it just means trying to find time to squeeze even a little something in for yourself.  Even with 3 children I manage something each day.  It's always there, it's just a matter of looking for it ;-)

I love to write and be creative, I always have done since I was little.  But I do often feel like I might be a bit of an introverted-extrovert and it can be hard some days pushing myself to make time to connect.  It's all too easy to stay in your own head, with your own company! BUT I think it's very good for me to express myself.  Family life is the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me but it can be draining and overwhelming in so many ways.  I think it is so important for me to have time outside of family life to focus on my interests and actually, I think overall it makes me a better parent for doing so.

What are your WHYs for doing what you love?

Gemma xx

Celebrating the small wins 🙌

The title of this blog came to me while I was peeling carrots! This so often happens to me with ideas...it's always the most inappropriate time when I guess my mind is relaxed and open to receiving this stuff. On this occasion I didn't dither; I leapt up and grabbed my phone and recorded the lot! 

So back to the small wins...

It's quite challenging, even more so at this time of year I think, to remember to focus on the things you have achieved/are going well. I often get bogged down each day with things here & before I know it I'm concentrating on lack; the things that aren't going right; the time I don't have; the mundane tasks that are getting in the way. 

When this happens, what about if we stop and turn each of those things around? What about if we acknowledged those thoughts (because all feelings are valid and important) & said okay, I can keep focusing on things that aren't making me feel good or I could look at them differently and perhaps I'll feel less frustrated? I can focus on the small wins. Of which there will be so many more than you think!

I can guarantee you that you're regularly far too hard on yourself. Right? I know I am. And that actually, by looking at things from a different viewpoint, well, your perspective on them might just change. Celebrating the small wins is about focusing on any little thing you can, to pick you up and move you forward.

What little achievements can you celebrate in your life today? Here's a few of mine:

- I managed to get the children fed and everyone was happy with their dinner! (Shock horror!)

- I tidied our Utility Room which makes me feel so much happier when I walk in there now.

- Middle and youngest child are back asleep after waking several times (ok, I'm in the middle of them,  but they are  a s l e e p!)

They aren't life - changing events, but they are positive things that made an impact or difference to my day. We all deserve a little celebration in our lives :-)

Gemma xx

Happy New Year!

It feels like such an exciting year! I've been really enjoying seeing so much positivity and motivation around me...not resolutions as such but people just generally expecting good things. I truly believe you need to expect those things and trust and they will come to you.

Well we had a really busy and fun family Christmas!
My aim was to try to plan as little as possible other than Xmas Day & Boxing Day & it certainly felt more relaxing than usual. However there are already things I'll do differently next year ;-) But this is just me...I can't help but analyse and want to improve our experience! There can be so much expectation and pressure to 'do' at Christmas (all coming from ourselves!) & I really learnt this year that doing and planning less worked for me.

Mum and I decided to stop earlier in December than planned which was such a good move too. And we have decided to carry that break on. We aren't sure exactly when we'll reopen the shop so for now we are going to keep creating behind the scenes but we won't be selling for a while yet. Sometimes it's important to get yourself in the right place again.

2016 was the year we decided to move towards getting more of our artwork made in to products.

One of the main aims of this was to be able to work even more flexibly and offer ready-to-go items. Having 3 young children I have really struggled this past year being able to create and family has to come first. My evenings, in particular, are extremely unreliable! But things are getting easier and 2017 really feels like the year where we'll make some more changes. You might even see a little more handmade being introduced.

For now, our aim is to spend time having fun & we'll continue posting on both Facebook and Instagram and I hope to spend much more time focusing on writing here too. I have so many ideas already in the new notebook Mum bought me for Christmas! And I just love the words on the front too ;-)

All the best guys xx

Gemma