About Me

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I currently live in Birmingham and come from Solihull. I have a love of all things crafty, developed from my mom's love of crafts as I was growing up. I currently work in marketing, but I'm a qualified Aromatherapist, and use to be self employed alongside a day job, might one day return to that. I try to fit in crafts when I can, I wish I had more time and money to spend on it! I enjoy researching my family history and finding out about the past. It can get frustrating, but is really rewarding when you have a break through! I hope to meet people with similar interests as me and swap advice/stories.

Thursday 7 February 2013

What's in a name?

What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet


Looking at other crafters, their blogs, websites, facebook names you come across some wonderfully unusal names. Some may be just random, some specific to their craft or something more meaningful.

The name change from Cheshire Cat Crafts to Painting Red Roses (on etys Painting My Roses Red) still has the Alice theme - childhood, fantasy, quirky and fun as well as relating to a more meaningful tone. Roses are a symbol of St Therese, someone my mom found great comfort in and by carrying on crafting as mom did the name ties in with these things close to our hearts.

Experience has shown that St. Therese's "shower of roses" is both figurative and actual. As she was dying in the convent infirmary, Therese could look out and see the rose bushes blossoming. She loved roses. She had thrown rose petals as a Child before the Blessed Sacrament. As she reflected on her quiet, hidden, and gentle life ending, she believed in faith that God had great things in store for her. She believed that her mission was only beginning as she entered the fullness of life with God. She explained: "After my death, I will let fall a shower of roses. I will spend my heaven doing good upon earth. I will raise up a mighty host of little saints. My mission is to make God loved..."

One does not pray for roses. Therese's message is about simplicity and love in the ordinary events of life. Trust in Therese is important, and when she wills, roses or their fragrance may appear. The stories are remarkable how roses have shown up in the lives and experiences of people, especially in the darkest times. The ordinary and constant way these roses and graces have shown up in people's experience is extraordinary. It is important to always maintain the rose of confidence that our All-Loving God hears and responds to our needs, according to the mysterious ways of His Love.

http://www.littleflower.org/abouttherese/learn/FAQs.asp#7th

Wednesday 6 February 2013

Starting Again

Well it's been a while and so much has happened.

You may well notice the name change, still with an Alice-theme and now I'm slowly working with my sister to try new crafts, new ideas and see what comes of it. My etsy shop name has also changed to Painting My Roses Red and I am yet to get that up and running, I am in no rush, just taking it slow. This time round my sister and I will both be making items. As I am dealing with the loss of my mother to cancer things are slow and I'm not quite 'with it' at times. She loved crafting and so do me and my sister so we will carry on, I just haven't been overly creative of late...some months now only doing odd bits, perhaps spring will change all that!

One of the reasons for the change was a fresh start. Since I had flagged a bit with my crafts and with various life events I couldn't keep etsy going. I'm slowly getting some inspiration back...it is slow. I have learnt the basics of crochet so that will be a theme when the shop is running.

Keeping going with other plans and interests, my new therapy website is up and running and I am back on the family history case...mainly sorting through lots of notes!

So whilst I endeavour to have things happening and getting myself motivated I am well aware it will take time...patience is a virtue!