Purely self indulgent ~ I love these images …
… I love the textures, the tones, the weave. I see colour, shape and structure. I see simplicity and complexity side by side. I see beauty in the detail. I am learning that is where it is often to be found. I am opening my eyes and letting it in.
And I wanted to share it with you.
Welcome to another feel good friday ~ the place where I shine a light on the goodness of the week.
The highlight of my week, without any doubt, was the coming together of a group of wonderful women on a windy Wednesday evening in a small market town in Herefordshire …
… we chatted and laughed and nibbled, and as we did we also stitched and hemmed and created a pile of pretty pillowcase dresses …
… that are now packed up and ready for a trip to the post office as they are on their way to the lovely Louise at Sew Scrumptious, from where they will continue their journey to where ever they may be most needed.
As I sat around a table scattered with sewing machines, ribbons, scissors and threads, with this newly forming ~ getting to know each other ~ group of women, I felt something a little bit magical in the air, a coming together, a shared sense of purpose. I felt part of a community, stitching up simple dresses, to be sent out into the world to another community, where undoubtedly other women come together and share their skills, their stories, their laughter. I felt connection.
And I know that each of these dresses has been stitched with love.
It was a lovely evening, and a successful one too. A big ‘thank you’ to Lisa at Echo, who provided a fabulous location for us to get messy and creative, you can find Echo on facebook too!.
And if you want to find out more about ‘Dress a Girl Around the World’, you can visit their website here, or the UK site here. Just in case you’re feeling inspired!
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, packed full of creative and connected moments.
Welcome, welcome to the first ‘feel good friday’ of 2013!
As ‘feel good friday’ progresses through 2013 I will be sharing not just some weekly highlights, but also some of the ‘bigger stuff’ which helps to bring the feel good factor into my life.
Starting this week!
In yesterday’s blog post I promised you that today we would take a little look forward, what I actually want to share is a little ritual which has become a friend of mine as we move from one year to the next … a process of reflection, learning and planning which has helped me over the past two years to become more focused and to find a greater sense of achievement and purpose in my daily, weekly and monthly life.
As the year closes I set aside a couple of hours to reflect on the past year, and to focus on the year ahead … and using the following process as a guide, I make little plan which states some of my key hopes for the year to come …
1. What did I accomplish last year?
2. What were my biggest disappointments?
3. What did I learn?
4. What would l like to be different?
5. What changes can I make?
6. What are my hopes for the year ahead?
7. In which areas of my life would I like to grow?
8. What do I need to achieve these hopes and growth?
9. How much time and energy can I commit to these hopes and growth? Realistically, what can I achieve?
10. Which ten things on my list shout the loudest?
And there I have it ~ my top ten hopes, or aims, or intentions for the year ahead. Throughout this process, I am mindful of what is truly achievable. I know where my energy levels sit, how much time I have available and how much time I want to keep in reserve (for unplanned spontaneity). I also work out a loose plan around fitting the ten hopes into the yearly calendar, this ensures I am being realistic. I want to serve myself, not set myself up to fail. And always, I remain open to change.
It is through using this process over the past two years that I have identified, worked towards and achieved such things as …
~ the creation of this blog ~
~ making my first ever quilt ~
~ adjusting my work/life balance ~
~ completing a creative writing course ~
~ spending more time with friends ~
~ setting up an online shop ~
~ completing some home decorating ~
~ sewing a second quilt ~
… of course, not everything on the list gets done, that is how life works, and that is ok. I can either carry it forward, or let it go, for the previous two years my list included …
~ plant spring bulbs ~
… it didn’t happen, and I have let it go, to make space on this years list for something that might happen!
Some of my hopes for the coming year include …
~ complete three more quilts ~
~ complete an Open University English Language course ~
~ exercise at least twice a week ~
~ develop new products for the lemon loves shop ~
… and so the list goes on!
I have found it works for me. I feel very proud of some of the achievements which have come from this process, and I know that without it, without making a plan or a decision, that these things wouldn’t have come to fruition. I know this, because I have passed through previous years without a plan, and things stayed the same. And of course, we are all different, but simply by making a list, setting an intention, or asking another person to remind us to do something we are putting energy into our hopes ~ which, I have learned, is a far better place to store it than in our fears!
And just in case you were feeling in need of a photograph …
… it’s all about stretching out those horizons my friends!
Here’s to a purposeful and productive year ahead.
I hereby declare this week to have been a ‘good week’! Full of bright moments, beauty, appreciation and positive challenges! And most of it passed without my camera by my side.
I would so love to share with you the beauty of the winter sunlight on Wednesday afternoon as it glanced across a landscape of fields which really did roll and undulate.
I was travelling along the ‘B’ roads of East Dorset, from Verwood, through the delightfully named Sixpenny Handley up to Shaftesbury to join the A350. It was mid afternoon and the fields were still heavy with frost, muted in tones of blue and green, sparkling where the sunlight danced across the hedgerows. Naked trees punctuating the scene with their stately skeletons, throwing long shadows across empty fields. A hint of mist played in the valleys, fracturing the weak sunlight, gently lighting up the scene. It was, literally, breathtaking.
Later, on the same journey, now travelling by train, through Bath, the towering stone townhouses alongside the track were glowing proudly in the last glances of sunlight. And then, whizzing across that narrow strand of countryside between Bristol and the Severn tunnel, the flat flood plains darkening, preparing for another biting night, the sun just dipping below the horizon leaving a pale orange smear low in the sky in front of which, briefly, stood a tall row of ancient twisted winter trees; natures sculpture in natures fading spotlight. I did capture it, not with my camera, but with my mind. It was beautiful.
To make up for the absence of misty, hauntingly beautiful landscape pictures, I wanted to share with you some of my favourite blogs right now … these are some of the places which keep my ‘feel good factor’ alive and well.
First up …
… I am loving Srapiana, for her scraps & scribblings on sewing, thrift, upcycling & vintage haberdashery, and especially for these gloriously simple christmas decoration ideas …
Image courtesy of Scrapiana
The ‘love what you wear’ project has given my current lack of clothing allowance a new meaning and purpose, and I am now connected to a creative and innovative group of women who are inspiring me with new ideas every day!
Image courtesy of the 'Love What you Wear' project
For the wit of her writing, the angle of her view and the humour and beauty of her creations I am so glad I recently discovered the blog of the lovely Fiona T.
Image courtesy of Fiona T
To satisfy my cravings for Scandi design, beautiful interiors and general all round gorgeousness I hop over to Little Birdie … I am especially loving her ’52 weeks of Happy’ series …
Image courtesy of Little Birdie
… and for fabulous, floral, retro inspiration of the cosiest kind I find myself drawn to the cheery home of Modflowers …
Image courtesy of Modflowers
… gorgeous huh!
The web is full of wonderful inspiring blogs, and I love a little tour of my favourites, just as much as I enjoy discovering new and exciting places to visit … hope that some of these bring the feel good factor into your lives too.
Other bright spots this week have included …
~ a lovely pub-grub evening out with friends ~
~ watching the crazy birds in my garden scrapping over food and water ~
~ a couple of very productive work days ~
~ lovely feedback and appreciation ~
~ the yummiest carrot cake ever ~
Hoping the bright spots in your week are staying with you ~ and wishing you all a warm and cosy weekend.
Image sourced from Web: if this is your image please contact me so that I can credit you.
I had such a lovely day yesterday that I didn’t find the time to prepare a ‘feel good friday’ post … and today I am out and about and intending to repeat yesterday’s experience!
Wishing you all a weekend full of loveliness and good things.
YES! It’s true ~ a whole year has passed since I started this blogging adventure ~ and in looking back over the year, I have been amazed by how much I have crammed in! So much good stuff ~ bringing balance and light and chasing away the yucky stuff. I make no apologies for the length of this little review ~ I enjoyed picking out some of my favourite photos from the past 12 months and hope you enjoy them too!
A year full of goodness, starting with …
~ the fabric ~
~ the sewing ~
~ the making ~
~ the beauty ~
~ the garden ~
~ the sky ~
~ the sunrise ~
~ the sunset ~
~ the walks with special people ~
~ the holidays and away~days ~
~ the flowers ~
~ and of course … the arrival of Tillie ~
ah, bless her sleepy head!
But there is more ~ blogging has given me a weekly opportunity to ‘see’ my life in a positive light ~ setting out on this journey I was very clear that I wanted to be able to reflect on the good things, to notice them, appreciate them, and really feel whatever it is that they bring into my life ~ and keeping this record here has really done that. Life is good. Life is also hard work, complicated, messy and sometimes just darn exhausting. But also, it is good. And focusing this blogging light onto the goodness really does make it grow. And that is good too.
And – yes – there is more ~ blogging has bought me connections, with other bloggers, other makers and creative folks, with readers and subscribers ~ and connections are good too.
Haha – oh yes – there is even more ~ the lemon loves journey has grown beyond this blog, first to Flickr, then to facebook and now to the lemon loves online shop. I know! And yes, I do feel mightily chuffed!
And finally – yes – just a little bit more ~ there are you guys! And I have been so surprised and encouraged by your support, either here, by reading or commenting, or in any of those other places where lemon loves has spread it’s wings. And in real life too. Thank you. Very much.
If you are a subscriber, the September newsletter will be on it’s way to your inbox in a few hours time ~ with a little ‘freebie’ and a special ‘First Birthday’ offer! If you want to get in on the action, sign up now … there is a button up top.
Phew! Quite a journey ~ and more to come ~ more sewing, connecting, beauty and goodness. Happy days!
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