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Hello my handcraft friends,

Sorry I have been “gone” for awhile. Aside from some family health issues,  this is the time of year I am knee deep in piles of business paperwork.  Each day I have been wandering through trails of receipts and invoices attempting to bushwack a clear path hoping to see a little light shine through my overgrown forest of financial statements.  

For now, the looming mountain to climb ahead looks QUITE forboding, and  though a few life delays have slowed down the journey, …start I must, which I have, if there is any hope for me of surviving being potentially buried alive.  After hours of  sorting, filing, recording, and figuring, to  relieve myself from that feeling as if I am sinking in a quicksand of engulfing papers and piles, I have been rewarding myself with a "little" Pinterest escape.   (http://pinterest.com/thenetloft/)...ahem

Hmmm.. oh dear oh dear oh dear…Oh my goodness, and though I love seeing all the beautiful pins, one problem for me is that I see so much . ..  so so SO MUCH.   It is exciting, however,  to see all the crafting and needlework going on, worldwide.   The photography is so beautiful and so enticing and it appears that everyone everywhere is being SO creative around the clock,  and, here I am at my desk shuffling papers, practically handcuffed to my computer.  As I take my Pinterest relief sessions, I end up with so many ideas and inspirations,  but somehow think  there is so much life that gets between my ideas and what is realistic for me to accomplish.  It sort of relieves my creative urges to scroll around and appreciate others workmanship, but eventually, I think, I end up feeling sort of like I am sitting on the couch watching the travel channel on a vicarious journey to a virtual destination.  

You know, I realize that inspiration is great, and the photographs ARE really quite lovely BUT eventually I actually need to do something more than collect ideas. I have to act on those ideas and I don’t have to do them all at the same time.  It is just a little this and a little that along the way, even in the midst of my paper shuffling pile pushing that make all the difference in personal sanity and  in eventually accomplishing my/those handcraft heartfelt desires.

 And so, with that said, my latest reward during bookkeeping season has been at the end of the day, and sometimes late evening as the paperwork sometimes goes quite late, my reward is to at least do something creative, ANYTHING. 

It is said that you cannot do it all, and that is good to know in the midst of feeling absolutely overwhelmed by so much that is gong on out there.

but I know that you can do it SOME…

AND...

Sometimes it means squeezing it in imbetween the cracks.  In doing so, however,  I don’t end up feeling  quite so cracked.  That creative inkling can be filled in numerous ways, and this time I  let the inspiration nudge me in a variety of creative  directions, such as...

a  late hours scrapbooking session….finishing a  photojournal of friends...

some midnight mushroom dyeing...

a little watercolor painting of some Christmas thank you’s

needling up a  stitch or two on the beginnings of a linen needle roll

And ...  just a wee little knit with some of Shelly’s Snowcapped WInter Solstice Cashmere Silk Yarn http://southofultimathule.wordpress.com/2012/12/21/winter-solstice/
(delicious to knit with I must say...this is a reversible cable pattern I am working up,  the turquoise is the provisional cast on)  ... yum

A little here

A little there

It is like taking a look at the wildflowers along the way as I trudge upward on the paperwork trail.

A little joy wedged in the wee hours…Hope you are making time for that wonderful reward of handcrafts in the midst of busy daily life as it is a great way to unwind, to destress and make something sweet and beautiful.  If you are looking for a little inspiration come by the shop and we will help you find something that will be a perfect handcraft fit for you.

There are so many wonderful ingredients, including some new felted woven wools for wool appliqué projects, and some wonderful new knitting books, and a great batch of new knitting patterns that will be there soon from some new designers to the shop. Right now I am at the needlework trade show, and of course, overwhelmed by so many colors, design, patterns, and projects..  Do I REALLY have to sleep???

I have you in my thoughts as I wander the aisles, hoping to find the right selection of good quality materials and ingredients to be worthy of your time and energy.

It makes it worthwhile when I think of each of you and always love to see your finished projects.  We love when you bring them in to show and share as it inspires all of us to start and finish our  own projects.  When I am tired and worn out, sometimes it is hard to be motivated, but once started,  the reward is always so great…I saw this calligraphy on etsy by Calligrapher Jo Miller.  (http://millerlinedesign.com/) 

I like how this is printed on a blanket of words. Life gets busy and full and cluttered  and  when it comes to creative projects, sometimes I just have to remember to BEGIN .    I once read, "Creativity begins when you do"… I like that and I find that it is true..  Once I get over the momentum of getting started  I find more ideas emerge and beget new ideas.

Valentines Day is right around the corner…lots of inspiration on Pinterest  (of course).  After wandering around online, come see us if you need some ingredients when you are ready for your Valentine creative dream to come off the screen and into your hands.  We are happy to help you get started.

All the best to you …

Net Loft Dotty