Happy New Year


Happy New Year and welcome to my first blog post of 2014! I have a feeling it's going to be a great year, not least because I love the number 14! 2013 wasn't the best ever year for us. My health suffered at the start of the year with a nasty flare of SLE which led to months off work and a much reduced schedule of craft fairs. Thankfully I am now much, much better and back at work in my day job (which I LOVE), back crafting and jewellery making and even managed a couple of fairs on the run up to Christmas. 

There were some great points to 2013 though.......we got my rescue boy, Dexter, on New Years Day. He had been abandoned in a garage on a building site just before Christmas 2012 and my very kind neighbour (who works there) brought him home over New Year so he'd be fed. I couldn't bear to think of the poor little animal having to go back to living rough so I adopted him, cleaned his fur up from oil and petrol and goodness knows what and gave him a new life of being pampered and spoilt! I'm not quite sure how thankful he was at first seeing as it involved a trip to the vets for neutering.....but he seems to have forgiven me now and has enjoyed a lovely 'first' Christmas with us. He is still reluctant to go outside (I think he is worried about losing his home again) so he is on the whole an indoor cat, although he did enjoy a few hours a day in the garden over the summer. 
I have added a picture of him in his santa hat below!
Dexter in his santa hat


 We also welcomed a new kitten, Maisie, at the end of May. I had seen her photo advertised as she was being rehomed and fell in love with her sweet little face. My husband didn't take much persuasion to get a third cat (I may have shamelessly used my lupus) to cheer me up.
Maisie on her way to her new life at Poppy Designs Towers!
 I mustn't neglect a mention of my other cat, Poppy, on here who wasn't a new addition in 2013. Here she is sitting on my lap whilst I am trying to make polymer clay beads. She is absolutely fascinated by my jewellery making......hence 'Poppy Designs' and sits for hours watching me making things. I even have a little basket on my desk for her (and Maisie) to sleep in whilst I am making things. More often than not though they like to sit either on my lap or under my craft light!

2 year old Poppy
 I won't drone on forever, but I have included a few more photos of other favourite, new things in 2013. Firstly my new (well 8 years old, but new to me) little sports car. I absolutely love it. It was a treat to myself back in the autumn and an amazing bargain. I cannot fit any of my craft fair stuff in it so I either have to use my husband's car or get him to help me now (the preferred option!).

My lovely little sports car
 My favourite jewellery making technique of 2013 was (and still is) polymer clay. I came up with a new range of polymer clay pendants and Poppy's Art Beads which I just cannot stop making now. I sold out the whole range at the first fair I took them too.....Knutsford Christmas Market (which I have pictured below as my favourite event and new event of the year) and then spent 2 weeks making non-stop to have enough stock for my last fair (which was a low point of 2013....but that's a whole other story). I must now muster up the energy to photograph all my new makes and designs and upload them to my Poppy Kitten Designs Etsy Shop and the brand new website I am in the process of setting up. I will leave to to peruse my last couple of photos and pop over to see Wendy at Handmade Harbour to join in with Handmade Monday!
Polymer clay canes before being made into pendants

James, my husband, behind the stall at Knutsford Christmas Market.






Comments

  1. Happy New Year to you. I am sorry to hear that you had bad health issues, but glad to see that you opened your home to two more gorgeous kitties. I am amazed that your three get on so well. We would worry that if we adopt another cat our Bobby would be very unhappy and get bullied, plus our home is too small - but sometimes I wish we could have another one. Cats are just the best when it comes to comfort when you're down. 2013 has been a tough one for so many people.

    I hope that you will be able to sell all the stock you made for the craft fair ( and that you will get a refund from the organiser, as I know the story). Good luck for all your plans this year.

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  2. Thanks Helen. Mine were all under 2 when I got them, which is why they all get on according to the vet.
    They ARE the best at comfort, they sense things really well.
    Good luck to you for this year too. Hope the teaching German takes off....I did German GCSE at school, it's soooooo difficult (the grammar) so I didn't go on to A level xxx

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  3. Aww how cute are your kitties! They must really help to cheer you up when you're feeling poorly. I'm glad you're feeling lots better now than at the start of last year x

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    1. Thank you. Animals are a great comfort.
      Happy New Year x

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  4. Glad you had a good day at Knutsford xmas market. As for the low point were you at the 02 fair? I was and it definitely was a low point!

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    1. I was indeed at the O2 fair. Sorry to hear you suffered the same misery.
      I am being VERY selective about my fairs this year. Hope your 2014 fairs are better than the O2 x

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  5. Happy New Year Anna! Here's hoping 2014 brings good health as well as happiness (but probably not more cats!).

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  6. Thank you Wendy.
    I think no more cats too.....or else I may end up looking for a new husband! x

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  7. Hi from Handmade Monday. I'm a pet portrait artist and crochetoholic. Your cats are so adorable. I have tried polymer clay jewelry but I'm not as advanced as you are. Happy New Year

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    1. Pet portraits? Wow, what an amazing job. Thank you for your kind comments about my cats and polymer work.
      Happy New Year to you too x

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  8. I love your polymer clay candy canes, I'm sure they make amazing pendants. Your cats are gorgeous, I know my cat would be trying to play with my crafty stuff, so she isn't allowed on my craft desk. I visited the O2 fair and it wasn't very good. Hope your new year is happy and successful

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    1. Hi Lucy
      Thank you for your kind comments. The O2 was a disaster for everyone I think. I hope you have a happy and successful new year too

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  9. Happy New year from a fellow cat-lover. I have five - I began kitten fostering for Cats Protection in 2012 and three of the kittens were so gorgeous I couldn't let them go, so we adopted them. I still foster kittens and have managed to resist all of the ones since our last adoptees - one of our latest 'gang' members is also called Poppy.

    I love your candy cane beads - not surprised they are proving popular. your stall looks lovely.

    Hope you have a good week

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    1. Thank you. You are going to make me want 5 cats now! lol! I would love to foster kittens.
      Hope you have a good week too and happy new year!

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  10. Sorry for not visiting sooner. Your cats are gorgeous.I'm a fellow cat lover but unfortunately can't have any as Mr Gertie is allergic to them :-(

    I get my cat fix though when we visit our friends in Nottingham as they have four plus another two they're fostering xx

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