The slow moving blog hop

Welcome to the slow moving and gradually expanding blog hop. You may have seen a few of these posts floating around in the last few weeks. I was asked to join in by the lovely Alice whose beautiful blog you can findhere.

The idea is simple: talk about your craft.

This is what I am working on at the moment and what I have planned for the next few months…

At the moment- Project Life

This project has changed slightly for me this year. It feels less pressured, it is easier to create pages and I think they are simpler. I like that I have found my style with this project.

I no longer have to actively think about doing project life because after eighteen months with this project it is a very natural part of the pattern of my weeks.

As the second half of the year dawns I want to challenge myself to use my graphics tablet more and possibly post a few beginners video tutorials in starting out digital project life. I know that Photoshop can be a minefield but once you have mastered a few basic ideas digital PL is actually quite simple.

I am also looking forward to an opportunity this summer to try my hand at the paper version of project life. I am in turn excited and terrified. I think it will be like starting an entirely new craft! As a heads up, do any UK project lifers know where I could buy the page pockets?

At the moment- Hand lettering

I am always more inspired when I haven’t the time to be. I decided halfway through my exams this year that I would make it a goal this summer to practice hand lettering.

I have seen some beautiful examples across pinterest and filled with enthusiasm bought a fresh notebook, nice pen and a sharp pencil.

Lesson one. Pinterest makes it look easy. This craft is hard! I can’t count the number of times I rubbed out dodgy letters or re drew the flicks on the ends of words. Nevertheless the summer is long and I am determined to write beautifully by the end of it!

Planning- small business idea.

This idea is not a new one. I have been thinking about selling handcrafted for a long time now. My problem has always been what to sell. The crux is that whilst my holidays are long, I haven’t the space at uni, both physically and mentally, to create. I therefore needed a product that I could make in batch at home and easily take and sell up in Durham.

I think I have finally landed on a solution and I am hoping that it is something that is simple enough to make and nice enough to buy.

I am excited by small business ideas but it is definitely a risky and daunting adventure. I am hoping a long summer will let me fine tune ideas and see whether it something I could pursue.

For now I am keeping the plan under wraps until it is more of an actuality. Those of you with small business though, where do you sell? Crafty, Folksy? Did you find it was easy to sell handcrafted? What tips would you give?

I am always excited by crafts. I like the crafts like Project Life and quilting that are now familiar to me.  I like trying new things even if they are hard and I want to push myself a bit more and try and create a product that can be sold.

Thank you Alice for asking me to chat about crafting. I am passing the baton on to three other bloggers and they will continue the hop next Monday.

Do go check their pages out. They are full of inspiration and you may find a new blog to follow.

Sinead at Stories of life and craft:

Sinead is a friend I have met through blogging but has since become a dear friend in real life. Her blog is lovely mix of her life in beautiful Ireland and her scrapbooking.

Miss Smith at a journal of curious things

Miss Smith’s witty writing and gorgeous scrapbook pages always brighten my day. She tells wonderful tales of life in London and funny stories of the school she works in. 

Lea at Freeze Frame

I first met Lea through the swap of small things organised by sian. I have since followed her blog and instagram feed and am always inspired by her clean bright style.