Happy New Year!

I know it is slow coming and I apologise for my tardiness. The laptop was out of action for a little while, but I am now back in business. Life is slightly calmer since I packed up our extra stuff and shipped it off, I will be eagerly awaiting my beloved Singer sewing machine, fabric stash and much loved sewing box over there in North Carolina. There have been some tough decisions to make - most of my crafts I have decided to donate to a local school here in Staffordshire - but it is time for my husband and I to put down some roots.

This early spring cleaning and packing has also forced me to reassess my ridiculous blog obsession. Honestly I have far more than I can ever give my full attention to, so a cull is imminent. Don't worry, this lovely blog is staying, but I will merge my food blog with it. You can see that I have already given it something of a facelift to honour our new year.

More on our move to come, the next chapter is open.....

After Zambia

The photo above shows the gift I received from the Visual Arts Council in Zambia at my leaving party. The paintings are a triptych of an area in Zambia where I used to live - Katete. I was very moved to get them and also chuffed to find that they fit in my luggage.
I am back in the UK for Christmas and taking stock of things. It's weird to be in your thirties and to find yourself without a fixed abode, permanent job or any of the other things most people have that define them. '

Now begins the task of searching through what belongings I do have and deciding what to ship to the US and what to give away. I was very pleased to see all my crafty things again and they are a good place to start from in terms of building a new life. One advantage of the transitory life I have had is that you have less junk to sort through, and only what matters really remains.

New Delights for Etsy

I have been really enjoying my time off so far, pottering around, gorging on internet and stitching away. I am trying to work out a system whereby I try and list something everyday or every two days. I have come up with the formula of making a batch of things that take less time and then as I add each of those I can work on things that will take a little longer.

Here are my first items for the week, a keyring and some gift tags. I am quite happy with the keyring as it looks kind of anitquey and preserved. The lace adds to that feel .I was so thrilled to get keyring blanks that are made in the UK.

Next are my hummingbird gift tags. I think these turned out well and they quite fiddly to make, since the pictures are quite small. They come in a set of six. Today and tomorrow I will be working on the union jack coasters.