A frosty day in Yorkshire

Hello from me and Dudley, our black cat, who is currently snuggled up on the bed nice and cosy.

Well, Happy New Year to you all. The decorations are all down, and the Christmas crafts are packed away at last. It's a long old season for crafters; I usually start in July, so yes, I'm always glad to get clean and tidy in January.

Big changes for us this year. We've decided to close the Etsy shop as it's all too much for me, so the plan for 2025 is to build this website, which I am so far absolutely delighted with. I have a website builder helping me who also happens to be one of my carers. I'll do a full blog post about her, and we sell at an independent shop in Lancaster, 'The Little Shop of Handmade Loveliness.' It has an eclectic mix of locally handmade products by 19 creators, well worth a visit if you are in the area.

We stock handmade journals and accessories, something that seems impossible to find in the local area. If you enjoy journaling, you are sure to find something you will just have to have.

You will find us out and about at craft fairs, local to Lancashire, Cumbria, and Yorkshire, but never more than 20 miles away from home.

So today, starting with the bare bones of journal making, Mark is dyeing papers, and I am spraying and adding layers of texture and colour to cartridge paper. It will take days to get my hands clean.

We hope to do regular blogs with ideas for your journals, starting with the very basics for new starters and to remind seasoned crafter's, flick-throughs of journals, and of course, a focus on Functional Neurological Disorder.

Wishing you all a very happy and healthy 2025

Keep on journaling

Sharon, Mark and Dudley xxx

Tea dyed papers made by Mark.