Team Citalopram! A Mental Health Embroidery Pattern

When I shared my "Team Sertraline!" embroidery pattern last week I was blown away by the wonderful response from everyone. 

There are clearly a lot of us in the SSRI boat right now and I'm glad to be a tiny part of making sure mental health issues get destigmatised and talked about more often (especially if that helps even one person reach out to a friend or their doctor if they're struggling!) 

Several people commented to say they were in fact on "Team Citalopram", so obviously I had to update the design to to include the Citalopram gang :)

The Team Citalopram pattern is available as part of my Patreon pattern library. 

Subscribers get full access to a growing library of PDF patterns and tutorials, and emails whenever new projects are added. You can unsubscribe at any time.  

P.S. Visit my crafty tutorial archive to find more creative projects.

You'll also find printable PDF sewing patterns over in my shop along with lots of vintage goodness:

Slow & Sleepy Days

The past couple of days have been very lazy!

Sadly this wasn't a planned bit of time off but instead a necessary break to fight off a horrid cold.

I have been napping on the sofa, binge-watching episodes of Battlestar Galactica, drinking lots of tea, reading some gorgeous books...

... and doing lots of colouring in!

Being ill is never fun and it's always frustrating to have to press "pause" on your To Do list - especially when it's full of fun and crafty projects - but it's hard to stay grumpy when you have sweet kitties keeping you company while you rest :)

Taking It Easy & Doing Some Decluttering

So, this past week I have done a bit of mending (mending some dresses that had holes in them, sewing some buttons back on a cardigan, sewing up a couple of holes in some blankets)...

... and I started sewing up some Big Knit hats which I think I made last year (?) and then forgot about (oops, lucky it's on again this year, eh?)...

... but mostly things have been quite quiet on the crafting front.

I have been feeling exhausted this week - partly with the sadness/stress of my grandmother's death and funeral (thanks for all the kind messages about this, by the way, they are much appreciated!) but mostly because I've been ill quite a bit this spring/summer and I think it has just worn me out.

Long-time readers may remember that I've had M.E. since I was a kid. It's mostly pretty manageable these days as long as I take care of myself, but my immune system is still a bit rubbish and when I get sick it hits me hard and then it takes me a loooong time to fully recover. So although though there are a gazillion things on my work / crafting To Do list which I'm itching to get on with, my main priority at the moment is to try and take it easy so I can get well as soon as possible.

So last week I didn't do much work but instead went to my grandmother's funeral, spent lots of time watching DVDs with my mum, and continued to have a bit of a tidy up and a clear out, gradually working through loads of old boxes.

I've really been enjoying clearing stuff out recently. It's been nice having a lovely nostalgic look back at stuff like old mix tapes & teen poetry but it also feels great to be tidying and decluttering and generally making my space a bit less busy / messy / full of stuff. And it is wonderful to have a relaxing, not super-demanding task I can get on with slowly when I need to take the afternoon off (or the whole day off) and rest for a bit. Also I think having a clear-out can be quite therapeutic and stress-relieving - I don't know if you feel this way too?

I'm definitely one of those people who tries to have "a place for everything and everything in its place" but I am much better at the first part than the second! I have a pretty detailed filing system, but my "things to file" pile often gets so big that it nearly falls over. And like many (most?) crafters I find it pretty hard to make stuff without making a huge mess in the process... and, well, it's hard to find time to put things away when there's all this exciting new stuff to make! :)

So actually getting round to tidying / filing / sorting things / properly putting stuff away feels great. A mega filing session always makes me feel super-efficient and organised even though the only reason I was able to spend the whole day filing things was because I'd been lazy not filed anything for months, haha.

As well as being a bit lazy with my filing, etc, I also have to admit to having slight hoarding tendencies. Being both "crafty" and thrifty, I am forever keeping things that "might be useful" ... and I'm quite sentimental too. I'm forever keeping stuff like ticket stubs and newspaper clippings and old postcards and birthday cards and so on, which all adds up to a lot of stuff after a while.

I actually had to give up making scrapbooks (which is something I loved to do as a kid and in my early teens) because I'd scrapbook everything and end up with loads of scrapbooks with a ton of really random stuff in it which I'd look back and and think why the heck did I keep that?? Nowadays I have "memory boxes" (this sounds a bit cheesy but I'm not sure what else to call them?) full of all sorts of sentimental paper-y bits and bobs in them, which can be easily edited as time passes and things cease to have that nostalgic appeal and just become "stuff".

Here's a quick snap of some of the paper-y stuff that I cleared out last week (plus some old headphones that sadly will cost more to mend than it will to just buy a new pair, boo).

I still need to sort all that lot into piles to chuck, shred and recycle. That second pass through is very helpful, I find, as it stops you accidentally throwing away anything you didn't mean to (or, at the very least, it stops you worrying that you might have next time you can't find something important!).

As well as sorting through old boxes and files, re-organising things and clearing out small bits and pieces, I've also been doing some "proper" decluttering, clearing out things like books and clothes and jewellery and Christmas ornaments and CDs and bits of vintage china.

I did quite a lot of decluttering a few years ago, trying to make space in my old flat for my expanding crafty business and to help the flat look tidier & generally nicer. I am not (and will never be) a minimalist but I cleared out a lot of junk and old / unwanted stuff to make room to better display and store the stuff I needed, used and loved. Then I cleared out even more stuff when I moved out of my old flat and back into my parents house, and packed up all the "household" things from my flat into crates ready for when I (eventually) move out again.

I'm really lucky to have a large studio/office space in my parents house (I've rearranged things a lot since I first moved in, but you can see some old pics of the space HERE if you're feeling nosy) so I don't have any real space issues at the moment, but after looking at some flats online I've realised that when I do move out it will likely be into somewhere pretty tiny, so I need to try and downsize my stuff down quite a bit more. Chances of me having a studio space in my new place? Slim to none.

And what better time to make a start on this when I'm pottering about my parents house with not much to do because I'm having to rest & take a bit of time off work? So, I'll be continuing to have little clear-outs for a while and I've also decided to do another Less 365 project, getting rid of one thing a day for a whole year (from now until this time next summer).

I really enjoyed the challenge of my last Less 365, it made me properly think about my stuff - what I really loved, what I actually needed, what I was using and what I wasn't, and so on. I also found it made me much more mindful about buying new things, which was great for my bank balance! (I'd really recommend trying it if you fancy doing a bit of decluttering yourself).

Hmm, this has turned into a bit of a ramble, hasn't it? Anyway, I hope you'll wish me luck with my decluttering! I'm not 100% sure I'll manage the full 365 things, but I'm going to give it a jolly good try and - fingers crossed - hopefully get most of my stuff a lot more organised along the way.

Taking it Easy

I have been stuck in bed ill for a few days this week, which is never fun! I'm starting to feel a bit better now but I'm still taking it easy, trying to rest as much as possible in between replying to a few emails / doing some work towards a looming deadline / etc.

As ever, my assistant is keeping me company!

P.S. With Google Reader soon to shut down, I thought I'd mention that you can now follow my blog on Bloglovin' if you want! You can find (and follow) my blog HERE.

You can also use Bloglovin' to discover lots of lovely new DIY & Craft blogs - via their lists of popular posts and popular blogs.

Comfort Crafting

I was a bit ill yesterday and have spent most of today recovering on the sofa in my pajamas watching Poirot DVDs and doing some knitting.

As you've probably noticed I spend most of my crafty time sewing but I love a nice simple knitting project to keep my fingers busy when I'm feeling under the weather and stuck watching TV all day. (I've got to be really ill to abandon crafting altogether!).

One year when I had the flu I knitted all these little hats for the Big Knit (my mum made all the matching pompoms)...


... and all the blankets I've knitted over the years have started out as projects to keep me from getting bored during one illness or another.


Do you have a comfort craft you turn to when you're poorly?

Things in my workbox #3

I'm doing my best to try and "switch off" from work this week so I can concentrate on getting well. Anyone who is self-employed will know how hard this can be, as there are always so many tasks shouting for your attention and so many creative projects which you're itching to get started.

I'm keeping my laptop switched off as much as possible and have packed all my work stuff away... but I can't stop myself wanting to make stuff! My name is Laura, and I'm a craft addict. Ha ha.

My whole business developed from all the sewing I did to keep myself entertained while I was ill and stuck watching rubbish TV for days on end and I always have a stash of nice simple crafty tasks which I can do (slowly!) when I'm feeling under the weather.

Today's bit of convalescent crafting? Starting to sew beads on the felt necklaces sitting in my workbox...

Closing Up Shop

I had planned to blog about butterflies today as a lovely parcel of them arrived in the post, destined to become lots of pretty butterfly flower hairbands and brooches like these:

Unfortunately, in a bit of spectacularly bad timing I've managed to get ill - just when I'd been hoping to get back to work after my Christmas break! Sigh.

I've closed my shops temporarily so I can properly put my feet up and focus on getting well. Fingers crossed I'll be back to my usual crafty shenanigans in a week or so - I'm rather looking forward to convalescing on the sofa with some old movies and a box of sewing...

The boyfriend & I are still hoping to get all outstanding orders packed and posted this week but if I owe you an email please bear with me.

Finding a Balance

As regular readers may know, I have M.E. (otherwise known as Chronic Fatigue) which basically means I get tired quite a lot and have to manage my time quite carefully to make sure I don't wear myself out and make myself ill.

Most of the time, working for myself is the perfect job! If I'm feeling run down, I work less and do nice simple tasks like cutting out pattern pieces. If I've got more energy, I work more and do more creative and complicated things like designing new pieces or doing really fiddly bits of sewing. Perfect.

But at this time of year it can get a little tricky finding a balance between taking it easy and working, especially with Christmas looming and with 101 things on my to do list. Plus all the winter coughs and colds going around don't help matters!

Luckily this year I've got a postal assistant (my boyfriend) to help keep my shop running, which is helping enormously. I'm also learning to cross lots of things off my to do list and admit to myself that - frustrating though it is - certain works in progress and other schemes will just have to wait until next year. Admitting you don't have time to do things is (for me, at least) one of the hardest things about being self-employed.

Also luckily this is the perfect time of year to have lazy evenings in: curled up under a blanket watching dvds, drinking tea and doing some knitting. What could be nicer? Plus with all that decorating and wrapping and other festive crafting to be done there's also always something nice and relaxing and crafty to keep me entertained when I don't feel like working - a day without making stuff just feels weird! :)

And because no blog post feels complete without a picture, here's my latest bit of knitting:I bought lots of yummy new yarn yesterday, so expect more knitting pics soon!

Lazy Days

I've been feeling a little under the weather this week, so I've been trying to put my feet up.

This is easier said than done in the run up to Christmas (so many emails to write and parcels to pack and things to make and admin to do) but I'm doing my best to balance work time and snoozing-on-the-sofa time :)

Of course I can't go a day without making something, so I've been squeezing in a bit of sleepy scarf-knitting while watching telly. Pics soon!

Back Soon

Thanks for all the well wishes!

I'm feeling a little better & am slowly getting caught up on all my orders etc

See you soon :)

Bad Timing

The evening I hit 2,000 sales I managed to very inconveniently get ill. No happy dances & celebrations here :(

My mum is looking after me and has even promised to make trips to the Post Office for me (because she is awesome)... but shipping on all orders will obviously be a bit delayed.

Please bear with me, I'll hopefully be back soon...

A Peek into my Workbox

I've been working on lots of odds and ends this week whilst trying to take it easy...
... I've not finished all that much, but I've been cutting out bits of this and sewing bits of that and keeping myself quietly entertained in the process.

I'm also gradually trying to empty my "ready to list" box, filling up my Etsy, Folksy and DaWanda shops with lots of new things, and generally trying to get organised for the run up to Christmas: stocking up on envelopes, making sure my shops look how I want them to, etc etc.

I still have lots of things left on my 'to do' list - including posting the rest of the Christmas crafting tutorials - but I'm having to work through them a little more slowly at the moment! Please bear with me :)

An Industrious Invalid

I'm a bit poorly this weekend, not properly ill (thankfully!) but generally feeling a little under the weather. Rather rubbish, especially as I've had to abandon all my plans in favour of curling up on the sofa doing some simple sewing. My lovely boyfriend went out and bought me this to keep me entertained:
Hurrah! I shall be working my way through it whilst sewing simple things from my wip box (there is always something that needs working on!) and making up some parcels of felt squares as I've almost run out.

In My Absence...

Lots of photos to catch up from the past week!

When I had to break off from my daily blogging last weekend I kept myself entertained whilst ill by doing nice relaxing crafty things like cutting and sticking (making thankyou notes to send out with my orders) and doing a bit of knitting...
... then I went to visit my mum for a few days to get looked after & took lots of sewing projects with me. I made a start on finishing these ...
... and then I got scratched on my sewing hand by my mother's giant cat Ollie and was stuck unable to sew for a few days. This is the beast wot dunnit (normally very sweet tempered!)
Now I'm back and (almost) fully healed and getting stuck into some sewing again. On Sunday I made a batch of specially ordered poppies (including one little poppy in "orchid", which turned out rather nicely) ...... and then yesterday (Crafting 365, day 353) I finished some bluetit and badger brooches that had been sitting in my wip box for just ages awaiting their eyes and little noses: all the fiddly final touches.In other news: you can now send an e-card featuring one of my photos over on DaWanda, in English, French or German. I didn't know in advance that my product would be featured, so it was a very nice surprise when I went to check out their new e-cards!
Plus a big shout out and congratulations are due to fellow UK crafter Bombus who was Etsy's Featured Seller at the weekend and (drumroll please) to Memake who is I think the first Crafting 365 member to actually complete their 365 project! She managed to stick very strictly to the task and completed it within a calendar year (unlike me!) and took some fab pics along the way. You can check out her amazing crafting photos HERE.

Time Out (C365, days 313 to 319)

I don't like to go on about it, because it's really rather dull but I'm often not very well. After long periods of ill health in the past, I'm gradually starting to get better but it's a long process with many a frustrating stumble backwards and every so often I have to just drop what I'm doing and get some serious rest: which is what happened last week!

Luckily for me, there's always something crafty I can be working on even when I'm ill (in fact being ill and not able to get a "proper job" was what started me building up a crafty business in the first place). So, as well as working my way through a whole box set of Doctor Who (courtesy of my lovely boyfriend) here's what I spent last week working on:A big batch of bluetit brooches almost finished and an assortment of poppies that I can attack with seed beads one afternoon in the near future, and turn into brooches, bracelets, necklaces and hairbands. Not much, but still something! I might have to sew really simple things, or sew them really slowly, but I'm still actively making stuff and it's always awesome to have something positive and productive to show from otherwise "lost" days. I like to think I am crafting myself better :)

In other news, I've finally started taking photos of all the new stuff I made a few weeks ago - it will all get listed soon, I swear! Here are a couple of the items "coming soon" - an oak leaf hairband and an abstract hairband that a Flickr friend described as "a tiny hat" which I love. Who needs fascinators when you can have a tiny hat?

UPDATE: My poppy design is now available as a sewing pattern! (And the bluetits are coming soon!) Visit my shop to see all my printable PDF patterns

The best laid plans... (365 days 229 - 233)

Sometimes things just don't work out how you plan them. I did a little too much last week, and rather knackered myself out... so I have had to abandon my "design a day" project (temporarily) until I am awake enough to actually, you know, design stuff!

One of the most wonderful things about this crafting lark is that I can carry on "getting stuff done" even when I am totally exhausted and crashed out on the sofa gazing into space a little gormlessly. I suffer from M.E. (most annoying) so this does happen more often than I would like, and it's always great to be able to make stuff even when I'm otherwise "useless" - not awake enough to write emails, do the washing up, etc etc.

So, thanks to my crafting 365 project instead of just watching lots of videos over the past few days I watched lots of videos and also...

... cut up a couple of vintage books (bought cheap in charity shops) to make thankyou cards for my orders. A book of birds (I love birds so much) and the most darling kids book from 1955 - check out the end paper with all the animals reading their bedtime stories. The owl is particularly awesome:
... appliqued a big batch of poppy shapes to their black backgrounds ready for making poppy brooches:... dug out some yummy vintage snap fasteners from my stash ready for a new (currently top secret) design:
... and then yesterday, after the courier showed up with my delivery of felt (all 60 colours back in stock! hurrah!), I started to make up lots of bundles of mini squares, cutting them out and wrapping them in tissue paper so they can be stored neatly until posting time:
Every time I make up a big batch of those I worry that no-one will buy them and I'll be stuck with all these parcels of felt, but I rather like felt so I wouldn't really be that upset... and it's such fantastic colour therapy making all those little rainbows.

In other news: thanks to lovely Curiosity, my pink poppy pin made an appearance on the Etsy front page at the weekend, amongst lots of UK Etsy lovelies. It snowed that weekend, but spring had sprung on Etsy at least!

UPDATE: My poppy design is now available as a sewing pattern! Visit my shop to see all my printable PDF patterns

365 / 203 & 204 - Getting Better, plus: Buttons Galore!

Thanks to much rest, and many a cup of soothing tea I am starting to feel better. It is most marvellous. While I've been feeling under the weather, my crafty pace slowed rather a lot... all I've managed to get done is sewing the backs onto the teacup brooches:
(Two one day, the rest the next) It's not much, but it's great to see them all finished. As I started the teacups when I needed a "poorly" project, it just goes to show what you can get done even when you're not up to doing much and how a little bit of daily crafting can go a long way! I still haven't decided which brooch to keep for myself, but I've narrowed it down to these two:
While I've been taking time off from chores and work and tiring things like that, I've been enjoying lots of cups of tea whilst reading round a few lovely blogs and catching up on my Flickr contacts' latest photos. The theme this week in the crafty universe seems to be buttons, as they seemed to pop up everywhere I looked! RaspberryFairy blogged about lovely buttons, as did TheBlackApple ... Ladyfort enjoyed some "button therapy" with these lovely glass buttons...
... Memake washed some buttons ...
... Seaurchin made some buttons... and LilfishStudios was working on a gorgeous vintage button bouquet...... such a charming idea for a wedding bouquet, and the thought of that big bowl of buttons makes my brain almost explode with buttony delight! Yum yum.

Back tomorrow!

I'm finally feeling better, just in time for Christmas and just in time to get all my presents wrapped and the house decorated with lovely sparkly things, hurrah!

I've mostly spent the past week sleeping, watching seemingly endless episodes of Project Runway, and then sleeping some more and having weird PR-inspired dreams. I did however manage to get some sewing done while I was wrapped up in blankets on the sofa, and I'll be doing a proper catch-up post with photos tomorrow...

In shop news: my paper goods are now on sale (many now half price) as I've decided to concentrate mostly on my feltworks in 2008. I'm taking a small shipping break over Christmas (until Jan 7th) while I work on restocking many of my designs, but I'm still answering convos and packaging up orders.

It's my one year Etsyversary on December 29th so all orders made that day will be sent with a free gift! If any of you lovely lot make a purchase that day, please mention my blog in the "message to seller" during checkout and I'll send you two gifts instead of one :)

Back soon...

I am ill! I am trying to still be a little crafty every day but mostly I am just being ill. Very dull.

I shall return to this blogging lark in a few days, hopefully brimming with health and with lots of crafty news/photos to witter about :)

Be good... xx

365 / 119 - felt tip pens

So I'm still not feeling very well, curled up in lots of blankets sleeping rather a lot and watching far far far too many episodes of Project Runway than a sane person should. I'm not really awake enough for full-on craftiness but I did manage to get in some felt-tip pen action handwriting all my thankyous - 208 of them to be precise:
Oh, and I did manage to (finally) get my secret swap item finished but now I'm too ill to go to the post office. So frustrating! Ah well. Back to bed for me... zzz...