The creative blog hop post

Happy Monday everyone

A couple of weeks ago I was flattered to be  nominated by  Debs  for ( no, not the ice bucket challenge).....this Creative  Blog Hop thing. 

Every Monday crafters all over the world write a post about themselves and why they do what they do, you never know who you might meet. 

 This week it's my turn and at the end I will introduce you to 3 more talented crafters.
Please keep the circle going and say hi to them this week. They will each write a longer post next Monday too.

 

A bit about ME ;

I am not very good at talking about myself.... not sure I have anything interesting to say.
But here goes.......
 

I have been crafting all my life.... I just didn't know it. I have a school report aged 7 that says "Janet is very good at cutting and sticking"..... 'nuff' said.

My employment history was originally in catering.... cooking, cake decorating and crafting ... Its all the same. I  still enjoy baking,  especially with my 3 year old Granddaughter.

 While my 3 girls were small I enjoyed doing crafts with them and sewed and knitted for them as well. It was always  difficult though because of a lack of space. 
Finally  this happened;

 I now have my own dedicated craft room... even though a daughter had to move out first.


In recent years  my crafting has taken a new turn ... more for myself... lacemaking, beading, patchwork, knitting, card making,  scrapbooking, mixed media, embroidery, both hand and machine and most recently pottery , tatting and dressmaking.  I recently won a sewing Bee Competition. 

About  3 years ago a work  colleague suggested I started a blog to document my 'makes' which I did.
( I just looked it up and it was 29th October 2009...... OMG) .
Then in December 2010 I found WOYWW  ( what's on your workdesk Wednesday) a lovely group of crafters who upload a photo of their workspace once a week.  It is great fun, inspiring but very addictive and I have met and made some lovely friends in real life too.

Now my room looks like this, its my creative haven.

Another little known fact about me .... I am slightly addicted to craft magazines

 

A blog friend asked me recently if there was anything I didn't do..... of course there is ... mostly involving housework and the ironing !  I just love trying new techniques.

However with my family expanding with more Grandchildren I am always under pressure to produce more ...... 3 weddings in 4 years was quite a challenge.
I love it and find myself spending more and more time crafting, much to the amusement of my long suffering husband or to give him his blog name ' my handyman'. He really is a very patient man.

I also work 3 days a week in a fabric store..... in the craft section of course. Life is full of juggling, often stressful.... but never boring. 

I am supposed to answer 4 questions 

1.... what am I working on now

I always have a lot of things on the go

 

All this year I have been participating in the Documented Life Project ......a year long journal challenge. The idea is to create a page per week using the given  prompt.
this page  was " Add a house ".

this one was add a fortune cookie

And this is some of the UFO's I am working on.
MDF container and money box, a painting for my bedroom, patchwork, mini tapestry, decopatch, MDF gecko, goldwork, a glasses case, machine embroidery to be framed, Altered book, beaded picture to be framed, knitting, DLP journal, lots of beading .. making and mending, tatting and finally blackwork...... phew!

 

2....How does my work differ from others in my genre. 

I don't know if  I have my own style or belong to a particular genre either..... I make so many different things....... I like diversity.. 
 I tend to do the style appropriate for the person I am making it for, but as a choice.... I don't really do 'cute'.

 

 3.... Why do I create what I do

Short answer ... I don't know ... I just need to ... It's a big part of me and who I am.
 Well a girls gotta do ... What a girls gotta do. right?
 I am a bit of a craft butterfly... flitting from project to project. 

 

4.... How does my creative process work ?

Short answer ... No idea. 

I don't usually plan. Stuff just happens!  no really it does..... I usually start with a vague idea and I see where it takes me... sometimes good ... and sometimes not.
 Many of my regulars will know I'm not good  at following patterns, I just have to change things .... this bag is no exception and has caused me a lot of problems and taken 3 times as long as it should have.

I make a lot of presents for people and the item  I make is usually connected to them in some way.... If a friend likes buttons I will make something with buttons or geckos or the colour purple. I get inspiration from .... Life really
 My crafting usually has a purpose or an aim......I wish I had more time to just..... play and say what if...........
 Pintrest is great for inspiration but you can loose a week just looking ..... I like to ....Just do it. 

Anyway enough about me....... please put your hands together for 3 fab crafters.
 

 LUCY
 

Lucy, 33, from Winchester, England believes that the pheasant has no agenda. She also believes firmly in cross stitching. After taking it up properly in 2010, and finding it therapeutic decided to expand past quaint pictures of flowers into commissions of music band logos, a wedding portraiture, wedding and birth samplers, Christmas cards and designs she put together herself with the aid of graph paper.       Do you want more, visit me next Monday

 NEET
 

Cannot claim, like so many others, to have had an interest in crafting since an early age.  It is so long ago I cannot remember LOL.  I do know that my mum was good at making dresses for me though.  I would come up with some idea for a dress and before long I was wearing it, sadly I did not inherit her talent but I did make some of my own dresses and little suits for my son.  In fact he still says that once I made him some trousers and left a straight pin in which pricked his leg - I don’t remember - but he does and says I wouldn’t believe him.

I worked as secretary to the local District Education Officer before venturing into teaching and went into the high school sector in my early thirties teaching ceramics as my main subject.  This changed over the years and I ended up teaching Business Studies and Art. My main love was when I was appointed Careers Adviser, I put my heart and soul into that along with the work experience for the pupils.  It was during my teaching life that I decided to do a parachute jump for our school outdoor pursuits centre which needed some money raising.  Big mistake, I broke my ankle rather badly.

As a result of my broken ankle I had several operations over the years and it was whilst I was off for a full year that my friend introduced me to Parchment Craft.  I loved it - until she brought some gold embossing powder, a rubber stamp and a heat gun - I was sold!  Like so many I can hear you all saying.  Well, that was it.  I love my paper crafting, love altered art but don’t have enough time to do it and am desperately trying to get into fabric art.  

At the moment I demonstrate at three of the northern shows (Leigh, Harrogate and Newark) and I love it.  Apart from that I do what I can when I can but admit to doing a lot of ‘dreaming' when trying to work something out for a special card or gift which does waste time.  Wonder how many of you recognise that?

 NICKI
 

"Hi I’m Nicki, and I blog at “Il Magpie Miscellanea Di S” ( The Magpie’s Miscellany). I was surprised and very honoured when Janet told me she wanted to nominate me for this blog hop. I love to craft and have never limited myself to one type of craft, I couldn't if I tried (hence nicknaming myself “The Magpie”)! I use my blog to share my crafting adventures with anyone who is interested and to remind me to enjoy my life and creativity. I love to chat with kindred spirits and am always looking for the next adventure!"

Thank you ladies
 

If you made it to the end without switching off..... well done ... I'll put the medal iin the post... Well give me a couple of weeks ... I've got a lot on.  

I am planning to finishing all the UFOs on the table  .... You heard it here first folks, I wonder how long it will take me?  
 

Any questions ... Just ask!

See ya

Janet AKA Fairythoughts