So excited that I did nothing to celebrate!
Is it perfect? No, its far from! I have a million & one things still to do to make it run efficiently. I still need to learn to work in one room & not spread yarn EVERYWHERE. I still need to organise my office efficiently, do admin more efficiently & over all learn how to balance my work (business)/work (day job)/social life (what is that?!).
However I do not really care about any of that, I still love what I do & after a full day in the day job will still go home & do 3 hours business work (do not tell my Mum!).
In March, Joanne Hawker, ran her amazing Instagram challenge & with all the gusto in the world I was totally determined to finish this one.
"The idea behind #MarchMeetTheMaker is to show the side that people don’t usually get to see… to show that we’re not all faceless brands. We’re just normal people creating beautiful things by hand." - Joanne Hawker
However I was ill again, I have been ill A LOT since Christmas, fingers crossed now resolved, so I ended up panic posting nearly a whole months worth of posts in a week.
So I thought I'd do a recap here just to give an insight into my chaotic, manic & disorganised life! So in no particular order...
My name is Gemma & this picture was taken on my 28th birthday (begining of February) I have been running Girl On Purl Action for FOUR years now as well as working a day job.
My major loves in life (outside of crafting of course!) are bed, food, coffee & my pets; Tulip (the cat) & Ganthet (the hedgehog)
I love any new idea I'm working on & I don't particularly have a favourite but I do love my creatures!
My craft room is always my biggest work in progress! The desk is built & so are the 2 new storage units so just need to find the time to shift everything around (looks like a job for my days off this week!)
For some unknown & accidental reason all my knitting needles & crochet hooks are red! My needles have come all the way from New York, thanks to my parents!
I am a knitter & crocheter that does not use wool! I personally find it itchy & with the development of acrylics & an ever growing vegan populace its my preferred choice of material. I also use a lot of cotton & bamboo too!
I am a member of The Merseyside Etsy Team, best bunch of supportive & wonderfully talented makers - you can shop a selection of our stuff here!
My local post office is located on a famous Liverpool street; Lark Lane. I'm incredibly lucky where I live, I have a massive park at the end of my road.
My photography skills are S...L...O...W...L...Y improving, although the pug close up was a total freaky accident - I swear my creature makes come to life at night!
Not sure how well this video will turn out...but here is me knitting my latest personal project, a grey yoga jumper for the summer. I do not think that a) I will do a lot of yoga over the summer, b) there will be a summer (its May on Monday & i'm typing this fully dressed with my dressing gown & the central heating on!) c) I will ever finish it - not picked it up in a month.
Me & my Mum at Christmas early 90's - shes amazing - currently off work with a chest infection & shes working on a secret (for now) project for me for June. She helps with MakeFest projects, is my helper at craft fairs & knits crazy amounts of stuff for everyone else! Shes planned 4 jumpers this year - finished my Dad's already & is halfway through my sisters on top of knitting for charities & new nephew due in August!
All the best ideas come to me in the shower. Its my go-to place when I'm feeling disorganised or creatively flump.
I even designed my new cat charity range in the shower!
Books plan my life, I have a dual diary for GOPA & day job management - now to learn to follow the plans!
Feedback - my heart sinks when I see the little Etsy feed back email as I always fear the worst (self-confidence issues) - but so far so good.
I love tissue paper so I try & package as much of my postal orders I can in it for no other reason than I love it! I also love coffee, so so much (typing this drinking coffee), I do not use it for caffeine purposes anymore but for taste purposes (I will never drink decaf so do not go there!)
Business advice is pretty much life advice - do not put too much pressure on yourself, yeah its the hardest thing to do, the back ground struggles are real & not displayed all over Instagram. Social media only serves to show the best of us but goals are met & its OK to feel happy when that happens & its OK to feel sad when they do not. No-one & nothing should be allowed get you down or make you feel bad but it will happen. Best thing to do? Dust yourself off & get back to it as the next occasion, customer interaction, sale or job application might just go your way!