Hello Spring!

Welcome, Spring. We have been waiting for you! (Well, I have.)

Despite having a million and twenty three things to do today, I took my notebooks and coffee into the conservatory first thing this morning for a bit of a slow start to the day.

I love our conservatory even though it is falling to bits. There is a big comfy sofa in there, lots of lovely cushions and my antique quilt collection (safely stored in an antique meat safe where I can see them folded and pretty, but out of direct sunlight). There is a little desk for when I want to paint by the window and a very shabby coffee table piled with books on all manner of subjects. It’s a lovely, relaxing and inspiring room to be in.

As I cradled my coffee cup this morning I watched the birds come and go. A pair of blue tits was checking out the accommodation I have provided and seemed to settle on the sweet pale grey property that I have put up on the old barn wall. One of them kept popping in and hammering its beak on the wall inside, which I took as a positive sign that the dwelling is satisfactory! It is in a pretty little spot right above an old ladder on which I hang galvanised steel buckets planted with trailing pink flowers in the summer. We had blue tits nesting in the same box last year and I wonder if the same family has returned. I like to think so.

A large female blackbird hopped around collecting various leaves and twigs, carrying huge beakfuls to a spot in the neighbour’s hedge which overhangs a wall in the shady part of the garden, by our swing seat. This makes me very happy as I adore baby blackbirds. They are so darned fluffy and very cute when learning to fly.

Narcissi are bobbing their heads happily and my favourites are those that are pure white with spiky petals. I planted a variety of tulips which all look set to bloom very soon and I can’t wait for the bluebells. Is there anything nicer than a walk in the bluebell woods during Spring? I have been stitching a little bluebell embroidery in my spare time and dreaming of it.

The Stitchery Seasons Spring kit was posted out to subscribers last week and the reaction has been very positive which is a huge relief! When people sign up for a surprise through their post box each month there is a huge responsibility to make sure that you meet expectations and create something that people will enjoy stitching. There are a few kits left (unfortunately without Kate’s beautiful Limited Edition packaging) over on the website now if you fancy stitching a few Springtime flowers in the sunshine. We ship everywhere and the kits are suitable for all levels. I’ll be sharing a tutorial video in the next few days too, for anyone stuck with the stitches. The kit comes with a little paper sign with ‘hello Spring’ but as the pictures above show, you could customise it with your own lettering (and words) if you prefer. Just be sure to use a removable pen and cover the marks very carefully.

Wishing everyone a happy week and a short ‘to do’ list.

Love

Nicki xxx

New Year: Take Two

You may remember that I started the new year full of hopes and plans, as I always do. In fact, I wrote about it here.

Well.

Despite loving the Winter and all of the cosiness it brings, I usually struggle with a low mood and tiredness in January and February. I thought that I could fix all of that by making lots of plans; things to look forward to. It didn’t work. Instead I felt too tired and just too low to go anywhere or do anything. Cancelling plans made me feel even worse.

January and February was mostly spent at home, wading through huge workloads which felt tougher than usual. I slept a lot, ate a lot and, in retrospect, hibernated. I felt horribly guilty, and lazy, until I went for a restorative weekend in Devon for a break away with my husband and dog. I had booked onto a watercolour workshop and, by chance, met up with a friend who was doing the same class. I told her about my impromptu hibernation and she mentioned a podcast she had been listening to called The Living Experiment. She especially recommended that I check out the podcast about Winter.

I could hug my friend for telling me about that podcast. Early the next morning, I made coffee, set up a painting table in our little holiday cottage and listened as I practised brushstrokes from the day before. The presenters talked about the necessity of resting in Winter. Taking downtime during the shorter days to recover from the busyness of Christmas but also to preserve energy and prepare for the longer days of Spring and Summer when we are naturally out and about, busy and having fun. It makes perfect sense to me. Living in alignment with the seasons.

The Slow Living movement has been on my radar for a long time now. I have been seduced, if I am honest, by the myriad of photographs on instagram showing hands cradling steaming cups of milky coffee amidst swathes of crumpled linen and piles of interesting books. I have tried to find words that resonate with me about living more intentionally but all of the articles I found seem to focus on spending less money, buying less things. Doing less.

The Living Experiment has brought everything into focus. I am a sensitive person (sometimes over-sensitive and upset easily I know) but that is why it makes absolute sense that my mood and wellbeing is sensitive to the weather, daylight and sunshine.

Talking to my yoga teacher (and all-round wellness guru) Lisa at a private class with her, I feel more comfortable with making decisions on how to have a life, and business, that suits me. I am starting to realise that I don’t need to follow the usual rules of business and, indeed, I don’t have to run my creative business in the same way that others do.

I will emerge for my own new year, henceforth, in March. With the daffodils. Next year I will actually PLAN to spend January and February at home; in my little cottage with a fire burning, my hands cradling a steaming cup of milky coffee whilst I surround myself with swathes of crumpled linen and piles of interesting books. And I won’t feel the least bit lazy, or guilty.

Nicki x

Mothering Sunday 31st March 2019

I love to buy gifts for my Mum and Mother in Law for Mother’s Day. Both Mums love flowers, gardening, perfume, body lotions and chocolates but they are also super talented women who really appreciate a handmade gift.

My Mum trained as a dressmaker in a top fashion house before I was born. She made lots of outfits for me (and matching dresses for my dollies) and went on to teach me how to sew, dressmake, cross stitch and knit. Filling my floral padded sewing box with new, brightly coloured embroidery floss was one of my earliest shopping pleasures with Mum. Way before I started to enjoy shopping in HMV and Tammy Girl!

My Mother in Law is a highly skilled shoemaker and was a college lecturer on the subject too. She has taught hundreds (maybe thousands) of people in Northamptonshire the artisan skill of shoemaking over the years and the shoes she has made or overseen have been sold by the fanciest establishments in London. The Elves and The Shoemaker was my favourite childhood book and the fact that my MIL can make a pair of shoes from scratch is amazing to me and a little bit magical.

Both women know their way around a sewing machine, blindfolded, yet they still seem to love the little gifts I make for them: small patchwork lap quilts, lavender cushions, hanging hearts and sponge bags. No matter how skilfully produced (or not), handmade gifts are always, always, best.

It isn’t too late to embroider and sew up a pretty little lavender cushion with a spring tree in blossom or a little heart garland. A little mindful sewing will mean that you can enjoy the process as much as your mum enjoys receiving your work.

Love

Nicki xx