Monday 16 July 2012

South adventures

Hi all,

WOW,what an amazing few days away i have just had.For those of you who don't know i was selected to audition for a new BBC show calls Paul Martins homemade revolution.
I had to attend on Saturday and was super excited and very nervous as i have only really been needle felting for 7 months now and felt a little out of my depth.
Before we go into all the details i want to start with my journey....lol....Now most of you will know i live in the Shetland Isles miles away from anywhere[bliss!!]so getting to Birmingham on time was going to be a challenge and very expensive.....yikes.I did think about not going as we are financially challenged at the moment to say the very least.Cue 2 ladies on white horses AKA Karen Neicho[sister in law and best friend] and Jenny Neicho [mother in law and the best person i know!!]
They insisted that i should,if possible try to get there so stumped up most of the money for me to travel,what a kind,loving pair they are and i couldn't be more grateful!

OK...so i was going...eeeeek.....everything go booked up for me and last Thursday i bid a fond farewell to my family and Shetland and headed south......i was so EXCITED!!!

So you are thinking a few hours on a train at worst i guessing...lol...you couldn't be more wrong.
My journey started at 3pm Thursday morning when i left my house[leaving for children with their Nan]and headed for the ferry to get me from Whalsay[where i live...have a google,it's stunning]This takes half an hour,then a half hour to an hour drive to the south boat terminal....i boarded at 5pm for a 7pm sailing.At this point i should say that i had a terrible time leaving my hubby....we haven't really spent a night apart since we got together over 16yrs ago.....it was hard for both of us :(

Anyway, on-wards....lol....The boat crossing was as calm as could be....the sea was being kind to me thank goodness.....weirdly i felt so calm about going away....maybe the sea's knew and followed suit.Leaving Shetland is always a bitter sweet time for me as i am so exciting to go away as this is usually a holiday and shopping trip combo but i love Shetlands fresh air and safeness so much....yes i ran away 6 yrs ago for the good life and never looked back...so far it's working although like anything in life there have been a few sticky moments!

Right,back to the travel........the ferry is an overnighter and gets in at 7am although you can stay on until 9am.....i left about eight thirty and headed for a costa coffee to use the wifi...haha....and feed my facebook addiction!

The next leg was at 10am which was a train from Aberdeen all the way through until London kings cross station.......OMG.......a long long ride.....7 hrs later and a very numb bottom....lol....i was standing in a new world,the noise,the people....so many people,they reminded me of bee's buzzing about all very busy and with no time for eye contact or a polite hello[something i am not use too at all]
Then i was at Kings cross station in London....oh my goodness...it had changed so much so after swallowing a panic attack which was rising in my throat i made my way through the hive of people and tried to find my next train to Hatfield to meet my family!

What a relief i felt when i was sat on my final train of the day and saw my niece's little smiling face :) I was worn out but happy to be 'home' for a while.

The next leg of the travelling was to Birmingham the next morning so it was up and ready,trying not to show my nerves as away i went again...lol.this leg started at 10am and i got to the audition by half past one in the afternoon.

Now,this is where the fun started.....i meet a lovely lass called Jess who was just out of Uni....she was amazing at what she did and she will go far i am sure of that!
The audition for this craft show was wonderful,i had a blast and really enjoyed myself....we all showed our work and although i did feel a bit out of my depth as i am new to crafting i decided to put that all behind me and just live for the moment....something i am getting better at..haha.

Butterflies fluttered around in my tummy as i was waiting for my turn and then it was my go.....eeek.
I composed myself and stood up.....took my crafts to the table and sat in front of the camera....WOW...i was here....i was doing this....as soon as i started to talk about my work the fear melted away.....needle felting to me has not only saved my life from depression it has also opened up a whole new world.....i was out there,showing my makes, discussing the design,the fiber,my craft.
Everyone was genuinely excited to see this relatively new craft and i even got to demo it which i had never done before either.....i was smiling.....this was fun!!!

We got to watch everyone do there interview which was really interesting...some you could tell would get in as the craft and face just worked...some maybe not.As for me,i really couldn't say,if it was craft alone then maybe not but my interview went really well so you never know!

Of course i would love to be on the show but even if i don't get through i feel i have done well to get so far.....i am not allowed to say but there were a lot of applicants and to get down to the last 85 is epic in my eyes........they are to pick 25 to be on the show which will be on air later this year...lol....no matter what i shall be watching and i will keep you all posted.

I am sitting on the train home feeling refreshed as well as sleepy...a very weird feeling indeed....but i can say i have had my little south adventure and go back to Shetland and breathe in the air once more......speak soon xxxx

Thursday 5 July 2012

sad farewells!!



Hi All,

Today i am saying a fond farewell to one of my creations.....he was challenging and fun.He took a long time to make and i got attached to him quite badly.He is off to Ireland and i know the people adopting him will nurture and love him well but there is a bitter sweet taste in my mouth as i set him free on his travels.
Is it just me or do you get attached to your creations?
Maybe one day it will get easier but for now my heart is in mt mouth until i know he has arrived home safely.
I do hope you love him as much as i do Mark and Wendy and thank you so much for letting me create him for you xxx

Wednesday 4 July 2012

it's Wednesday!!

Hi all,
To state the obvious its Wednesday...haha....but to people who know me it is also Horse riding club for my two girls!
They have their own pony which they share although my eldest daughter rides him mostly.
Now a horse riding lesson once a week isn't so bad you may think but there is way more to it that that here in Whalsay...lol.....we have to be there for 5:30pm and we won't get home until nearly 9pm....this is due to the fact that the club is small and the parents do everything rather than pay people to do it.....keeping the cost right down to £4 per lesson which is just amazing!
Of course it doesn't end there.....oh no....we own a pony and they cost a lot of money and take up so much time!!...haha....but we wouldn't have it any other way....in times when i am really down the only thing that gets me out of be is the fact that i know there is nobody else that can look after him.......the kids can be looked after by their dad but he can't take care of a pony...lol.
Horses have an incredible way of knowing how you feel....you can't put on a brave face with them....they know!!
But because its Wednesday there will be no crafting for me today...boo hiss.....that's the only down side to the riding club here.......ah well....a mother first,crafter second........speak soon all xxx

Monday 2 July 2012

keep it in the family!


hey....just a quick question...how many of you out there feel like the odd ball in the family?
Sometimes my family look at me as if i am on another planet...lol...when i come up with weird and to my mind wonderful crafting idea's.Most of my family just don't get crafting...what's the point in knitting a jumper when you can now buy them so cheaply......for them[my husband mainly]it's a about having something now....but for me and i know a lot of people the making is the best bit,and if you can have something useful or at least beautiful at the end of it so much the better.
I am lucky enough to have a few family members who are into crafting and find it fantastic to talk about my idea's with them....they get it.
I am also happy to say that my daughter's love crafting,OK...so what child doesn't like it but my eldest daughter shows such talent in her work it really does but me to shame.....her mind is open to any possibility with no boundaries......on day i aspire to have the same childlike mindset as her....they say the best view comes through a child's eyes......what a magical experience that would be!!
So whatever your doing today try to spend a little bit of time freeing your child within....it's sure to make you and people around you smile.....speak soon all xx

Sunday 1 July 2012

a little less of the gloom :)

Well,after reading my first post back i was a bit taken a back to how bad those days were but i am pleased to say i have needle felted my way to smiling again.
So my life isn't perfect...who's is? but i am on the road to recovery.
I have my felting is fun facebook page and i am even selling my makes.....its all super exciting for me...i have even had some commissions which i loved doing.
At first my felting page was just so i could keep all my photo's together and for my friends to see what i have made but slowly people asked me if things were for sale....i was shell shocked!
I can remember my very first thing i sold...a swallow bird in a tattoo style....i didn't know how much so i asked her to make an offer...lol...she didn't know what to say and asked me to give her a price......i was blushing and flustered and really didn't have a clue what to say so i just said a random price thinking she would say no way but she didn't and she was happy and so was i.
What a thrill it is knowing someone wants what you have created...i was overcome with amazement.....i had made something and someone else wants it enough to pay for it....oh my goodness.....it was a revelation!!
I had caught the bug of selling.....not for the money,it's never about the money but for the sheer joy i got when someone wanted to have my felty things in their home.
I put some bits on to Ebay.....starting at 99p...i knew it was way too low but they hiked up selling on average about £8 or so...not a lot but the feed back i got was a soul soother......it filled me up with happiness and spurred me on to do more!
Things were selling and i was happy........to date i have sold nearly everything i have made which is wonderful.
My creations are all over the world now and i couldn't be happier about that.
Now i have a little facebook shop app linked on my page and get requests for things......i also have some of my pieces in a little shop in my local town.......it's a little dream come true for me...i will never be rich but as long as i cover what my hobbies cost i am more than happy....after all being rich in happiness and joy has to be better than money.....right???
Anyway speak soon all xx
from the back.

                                                           



My little swallow bird!







side view.

my first post...yikes,what am i starting..haha.

Hey Everyone,
I thought i might start a little blog to vent,share my exciting times and my life really.
O.K...so sometimes i have nothing to say but there are times when i can't type fast enough...lol.
I want you all to be part of my new adventure.......crafting.O.K so i know you are already starting to yawn but honestly crafting has saved my life......it's keeping me sane in a way nothing else can...not even anti-depressants..hehehehe!!
About 7 months ago i was in a very low place..so much so that the doctors wanted to admit me to the hospital for medication....yikes......no way was i wanting that,but how to get out of my oh so low mood!
Life had become a constant battle....my family whizzed in and out in fast forward around me and i could do nothing...even sitting still made me sleepy....I felt like i was in slow motion most of the time.
I have since be diagnosed with by polar and struggle to keep on an even keel....the slightest thing will set me into a manic time or to the depths of despair.....sigh.
But its not all doom and gloom......my net book was my lifeline as i wandered the halls of facebook and google...lol....there i could be myself and ignore the world around me.
While browsing youtube i came across needle felting...PING....i was intrigued and wondered if this could be for me.....i soon found Kay Petal's site and was mesmerized by her skill....yes,i wanted to try this.
It took me a whole month to spend some money though......i felt at the time that i just didn't deserve it....but i took the plunge and have never ever looked back!
I met a few like minded felty people on facebook and they have become my family,they lift me when i am down and ground me when i am manic....i can truly say i love each and every one of them[you know who you are xx]
Well it felt like Christmas when my supplies came.....i was excited but couldn't touch anything for days....i was to scared that i would fail....i had no self confidence...but one night when the children were in bed and my husband was out[he hated leaving me but i made him...poor man needed a break!]i started poking the wool.A HUGE GRIN SPREAD ACROSS MY FACE......I CAN DO THIS I SAID IN A WHISPER.

Slowly a little bear appeared before my eyes....and i know he isn't the best little bear in the world but to me he is priceless...my very first needle felted bear and for me a new beginning and outlook on my world...WOW.
Well,that's it for now...i'll be back soon with some more felty adventure and life...i hope you enjoyed rather than injured my very first post ...speak soon all xx