I am a little behind on these posts, so we will skip past August (I am still planning that road trip blog post, maybe over winter if life ever slows down enough) and possibly overlook September too. Suffice to say school went back, the (frankly ridiculous) beginning of A Level and GCSE years have begun in a flurry of college and university open events, soon followed by applications. And I can't quite understand how children who were born about 5 minutes ago are now old enough for this?! So on to the story of October we go.
It has been a bit soggy for my liking this year. Not many crisp days and autumnal hues, just grey and brown. For the most part. Thats not to say there haven't been lovely things along the way, because there have. Including a two night stay at The Gallivant just along the coast at Camber Sands. I will share more on that soon as I was there with purpose, but for now I'll just leave the beautiful lounge space here with a daydream of a relaxing hour or two...
a workshop at the forge
Early in October I co-hosted a workshop at The Forge in Bristol, with my lovely friends and Pinterest specialists at Curly Carrot. The workshop was based on Pinterest Marketing & Storytelling through photography and I would love to say thank you (again) to those who attended. It was a great workshop full of discussion, even I learned something which is always great.
My workshops usually include an element of discussion because I believe we all have something useful to add, whatever our background or business may be. The feedback I had was some of the best yet, I do enjoy connecting with people this way.
Catherine Frawley came along with her camera to capture the workshop for us - the following four photos taken by her - thank you Catherine! The thing about workshops is that there's usually little or no time to photograph the space while hosting them, so it is lovely to have something visual to share with you this time.
If you would like to discuss booking workshops for groups or 1:1, you can contact me here. There are also plans in the making for a grander scale retreat next year, I'll keep you posted on that through my newsletters.
A couple of lovely things...
cosy feet
Last year I treated myself to a pair of sheepskin slippers from The Small Home. I find my feet get really cold as our house has voids above bare earth beneath the downstairs floors so slippers that keep them warm are always on my list. I loved these. So much so that I actually wore them out. I might have mentioned this on Instagram and the generous folk at The Small Home very kindly offered to send me a replacement pair for this winter. How lovely is that?!
Obviously I can genuinely tell you I love them. They are cosy, comfortable and good looking to boot. But that's not all, because they are made with a sustainable approach.
In their own words:
We go to great lengths to make them as sustainable as possible. We source our skins from a reputable British sheepskin supplier who has the highest animal welfare standards and only uses by-products of the meat industry. We also use sheepskins that are Rolls Royce car interior off-cuts. Not only does this guarantee the highest grade of soft sheepskin, but it’s also great to be putting waste from another industry to good use.
The leather soles are hand-moulded using traditional methods that don’t involve any chemicals and only have a very low environmental impact. And each and every pair is lovingly handmade and hand-embroidered by traditional artisans living in the beautiful Tatra mountains in Poland.
This means that they can be enjoyed all the more for knowing that they have been ethically sourced and produced
I am not even going to apologise for the appearance of a Christmas stocking in the photo below, because they'd make a lovely Christmas gift you know...
seeking slow
Do you know Melanie Barnes of Geoffrey & Grace? At the end of last month her debut book has been published and my friends at Quarto Knows have kindly sent me a copy.
Melanie embraces the concept of slow living and through her book, encourages the reader to do the same. Covering topics from challenges of modern living to looking after ourselves with much more besides, Melanie shares plentiful advice on small, achievable steps towards living more mindfully.
Whilst the notion of slow living has been something of a trend in the last few years, that is not to say there isn't value in it. Melanie is a trained yoga teacher, and includes chapters on wellbeing of both body and mind in this book. She has also written about living seasonally and sustainably - creating spaces including second hand and vintage items, shopping locally and seeking ethical brands. This is an approach I whole heartedly get on board with as it is how we live also. And I do love an old piece of furniture with stories unknown to me...
As a gentle introduction to many aspects of a slow lived lifestyle, this book is a perfect read.
You can learn more about Melanie via her website (linked above), which includes links to places to buy her book should you wish to. Thank you to Melanie and Quarto Knows for giving me this copy.
I can't quite believe it is November tomorrow. This year is escaping me, the amount of change and family life that has taken up my time is rather incomprehensible. Not that I mind, but it does rather leave a lack of time for anything creative!
It would be nice if November would behave better on the weather front, October has been 3/4 rain... But if not, there are always fairy lights and log fires to keep me going!
J x
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