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Anthology 09 - 4th February 2022

February 14, 2022

And then it was February. Is it me or does it feel fresh and new and well just a little invigorating?

I don't know if it's the new Lunar year (I'm a tiger and this is a tiger year - so that means something, right?) or the fact that I had a great week with my business mentor, Jenny Pace, looking at the year gone and the year ahead - but something has shifted.

For those that were following - New York isn't happening in February. The show I was hoping to attend is still going ahead, but I wanted to shift to the same show that's happening in August. I think I'll feel more like enjoying the city in the summer!

I've filled that space with meet-ups with business friends and product development and I'm toying with the prospect of a few creative courses. There's nothing like feeding the creativity for a boost!

How's February treating you?

After a bit of a slow start for my brain in January, these Tiger vibes seem to have spurred me into action. I have a list as long as my tail of potential new products, but one front runner that'll be going into production really soon. These wooden flowers are having the finishing touches put to them and then we have a couple of postal boxes to test - but we should be ready for Mother's Day in March!

I adore the daisy - I think it's my favourite one.

I really wanted to make sure the flowers could be freestanding but would also work in a small vase or maybe a jam jar so they can work in whatever setting you like. So, each flower will come with a small round stand. I found these cute hexagonal trinket dishes in Anthropologie that set them off beautifully.

I've just finished listening to the audiobook 'Daring Greatly' by Brene Brown - the title of which was inspired by this Theodore Roosevelt speech. It's opened my eyes to so many of the ways we feel vulnerable and how we try to compensate and the voices we hear and construct - I'd go so far as to say it felt life-changing. Not just for how I view myself and my own insecurities and fears (we ALL have them) but my relationships with everyone else too. And goddamit I'm committing right now to being IN the arena - what's the worst that can happen?

A couple of weekends ago I headed to the Forest of Dean with three gorgeous friends for some much-needed restoration. We'd all isolated at various levels around Christmas so we had a small festive re-do complete with gifts, crackers, a four-course meal, champagne, and of course a Christmas tree (well - branch that I found on one of the walks). Yes, we also brought fairy lights and a candelabra - don't you always pack those on your forest holidays?

It was definitely what my soul needed. Plenty of walks, good food, some soaking in the hot tub and fizz fuelled laughter. One morning I awoke to the sound of munching and there were two deer just outside my window having their brekkie!

Two of the gang are also Zumba instructors so there was a choreography session or two thrown into the mix. Fella was totally unimpressed.