Hi there everyone and thank you to all the latest subscribers since my last post :-)
It's great to see new lovely people arrive from all over the world. I have to embrace the internet and give it credit, ha.
How have you all been? It has been a trying era, hasn't it? Endings, beginnings, changes and upheaval for many. The weight of the world can feel very heavy for us Empaths and Sensitives!
I'm still at odds of sharing just how deep I have felt impacted by the past couple of years, especially more recently but I do feel some positive change in the air, even when I am hesitant to trust in it. We really have to push ourselves to get on with our daily lives sometimes.
I love reading happy stories about others but lately, I have read so many challenging times for many people. Fortunately, I do have lots of positive energy from a couple of spiritual friends, especially those that put their faith in God. I am lucky to have their love and support, in the background. I hope you are feeling supported and have someone to turn to. I get great comfort from my cats too, as they see me at my worst and my best, ha.
Ahh, they love hanging around me in the studio. I love their company.
I've been really busy this past week or two. I had a branding photoshoot done by a beautiful photographer, as I was lucky to win her competition on Instagram. We spent some time by my spiritual blessed place - the sea. We spent the other segment in my studio. I was concerned that she would find limited space to work but I'm now convinced that she has worked her magic, after seeing one photo already. I'm really looking forward to seeing them all.
As many of you know, I closed my Etsy shop after 16 years or so on there and am now just working from my website, which is really feeling good, at last. It took me eons to list my works and I still have more, which I never got around to doing over the years, ha. The Crafting Kits are going well too. I still need to add to the Vintage sections....all in good time.
Thank you all so much for your purchases, if you are one of them! I am extremely grateful for your support when you purchase something for yourself or as a gift to a loved one. I'm not sure that all people realise just how a big positive impact it has on us small business owners, when someone purchases from us.
It felt a bit daunting to begin with, after being elsewhere for so long. I just hope I am visible and sought after enough. Time will help and time will tell! So, I have developed a coupon as a little treat for you, which is valid for 7 days. It will gift you 10% off your whole order, no matter what you purchase, if you decide you'd like something. The code is treat4me and I am hoping it will be at your cart area. If you have any issues, please let me know and I will get some assistance, ha.
I have been listing lots of new creations this past couple of days, including the following garments...
I've been painting a lot too, which is a wonderful feeling when my inspired presence comes to be. That's the key isn't it? Being in the present moment and feeling that beautiful flow from the heaven above. I seem to be in a cat mood a lot lately, ha. I am starting to feel more magical landscapes and collages are starting to take over though. Sometimes I just cannot get it out on paper, what I want to achieve, which can feel really frustrating but then if I stop and just allow some 'nothingness', also known as clarity or presence to come in....then all is well again. I will also be painting some angels, that are speaking to my subconscience, somehow.
On Instagram I am posting a reel a day for 7 days, which is a challenge from an amazing girl I know, called Zoe. Zoe is a Social Media queen and has a great sense of humour, along with incredible knowledge about her field of expertise. I struggled to find something this evening to post, as I really wanted to concentrate on sending this blog out, especially with the 7 day coupon expiry date. I need deadlines sometimes. I can be quite happy doing nothing, you know! I am really not one of those people that always has to be doing something. Not at all! I love my bed and can easily stay in it for hours, just chilling, watching a film, browsing my photos or eating snacks. I am now just accepting that this is who I currently am. It's not always ideal, of course. I do sometimes need the encouragement to get out into nature more, which has actually been a while already. Does hanging out the washing count? I sure hope so, or else I am positively agoraphobic.
I did pop to the oppy today, (short for opportunity shop/thrift shop, for anyone that isn't from Australia or New Zealand). I only found myself a lovely vintage crock' chicken. My Kiwi friend recently found one too at her NZ oppy and I just loved it. It was a different colour but it was just gorgeous - evocative of my childhood in England, where all our mums had a crockery chicken in the kitchen for the eggs, ha. Although we kept bits & bobs in ours. Anyway, I made a reel of some of my lil' lady dolls in it, having a ride, of course. "The best chicken ride in town", they said. The imagination is a wonder, isn't it. I'm so glad that I still have my good humour. I have attached a screenshot of it from my Insta' stories, below.
I also found a lovely navy blue cotton patchwork quilt for just $8 that had a little note on it, saying 'Freshly laundered'! How very convenient. I gave it to my son for his bed. It's getting a bit chilly here in Queensland. the weather is all over the place. One night I have a hot water bottle, ha...the next night the ceiling fan is back on...even the air con'. This is the new life - take it all with wonder and do not resist what is to be. Eckhart Tolle says to be like a child and watch on in awe. (If this wasn't you, Eckhart, I do apologise. It may have been my imagination again).
I'm so pleased that the recent Crafting Kits are being received well. They took me hours to curate! Nothing is fast, is it? I'm sure I would be quicker if I was doing it all day long and not just gathering one item at a time. I need a warehouse now, to have all my supplies and collections laid out. I'd live there too, right overlooking the sea. Maybe we could all put our heads together and make this happen. Ha ha...there I go, dreaming away again.
I have two more kits to edit and list yet, so do keep an eye out, if you're interested. They're great for making into journal covers or a little purse, wall hanging or jewellery pouch - lots of ideas. They've also been purchased as a birthday gift for people to work on together at a picnic. Just how cute is that! When I create time, I will make one myself too, so I can show it off in the product photos. I'm currently filling a gorgeous little antique jar full of vintage and antique buttons, to add in the Vintage Supplies section. If you have any more ideas, needs or thoughts of things that you would love to own, please let me know. I read and reply to all of your emails, so I will continue to do so.
On the website, I have been thinking of a way to be able to create a lovely community for us, where we can all share some stories, tips, recipes and special introductions to some of my local people, that need a spotlight on them. You may have noticed a $0 VSP membership area, which may work out well for this idea of mine. It keeps it more private and a bit special, I think. I am still in the first steps of this little niche but please feel welcome to add your name and email to it, as it will be a cute place, one day. And if not, we have nothing to lose, ha. I'm hoping I can add videos or podcasts too, so you can see where I live and some of the local spots of interest. I'd love for isolated, lonely and elderly people to come and hang out with us, so as not to feel excluded or without friends, no matter where they live. This is my dream - to be kind to one another.
I intend for this to be interactive with intentions of building friendships, common interests and a place to have a laugh or a little moan here and there. I hope this is going to be workable and not too techy' for me. I'm a creative. Ain't nobody got time for that! :-D
Lastly, here are my latest listed jewellery items, that are needing some love, out of their boxes!
I have also been going over the general look of my website and trying to keep it to it's right aesthetic but to not lose the feel and colour that I like. Have you noticed the simplified changes? They're quite subtle changes but hopefully less busy backgrounds and more pleasing to the eye. I have updated many images too. We all change over time and so does our environment and tastes. I'm really enjoying how it is evolving. I can't wait to get our little community more involved and interactive. Don't worry though, you're not going to be forced into anything, ha.
I will love you and leave you now. I look forward to your much loved feedback and thoughts. I love to hear how you're all doing too.
With Much Love
Debra x