handmade
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Books Of Note
I have made a dozen notebooks so far this year, and I have not written in a single one. I thought that unlocking the power of infinite notebooks would be the cure for notebook fear. If there were always another blank book waiting in the wings, surely I would feel brave enough to begin. Instead,
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Bookbinding: A New Skill
As the end of 2025 approached, I looked back on my year with a sense of disappointment in myself. I felt that I had achieved much, but that I had stalled in my growth as a person. My gains had all been in service of, or to function for, others, and those parts of myself
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The First 12 Days Of Christmas (And More)
It took a few years for me to commit to the detailed undertaking of a set of 12 embroidered felt ornaments for Christmas. The patterns were pricey, and the required materials made them more so. I decided that the project would be my treat to myself, and hopefully I would be able to complete them
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Teachers Gifts 2024
I suffered a bout of illness, along with Russell, to start July this year. It’s a problematic bout of illness that has scuppered a number of plans that we held, none more important than our 10th wedding anniversary, which we didn’t celebrate with a gift or card passing between us, only some paracetamol and some
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Twelve Days Of Christmas Ornaments, Part II
Now that Christmas is over and life creeps back to ‘normal’ I was hoping to find a bit more time and mental space to ease into the new year with some more ornaments from this set. I’ve sometimes caught a bit of time in the evening, but the low light and my increasing reliance on
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12 Days Of Christmas Ornaments
Towards the end of 2023 I pushed the spend button on a the blueprints and materials for project that I had been coveting for many years: Larissa Holland’s 12 Days Of Christmas felt ornament patterns. These were, in so many ways, beyond my budget. Not that I have a budget, more a comfort level of