A Bit Of This and A Bit Of That

Another idea for creative writing...

2013-05-23T06:00:00.000+09:00

I shared this idea over on My Organized Chaos, with a tutorial so you can see how I make mine and you can then make your own too. In a nutshell, I used pictures of Ebi-kun and super-imposed them onto fun backgrounds then he gets to write a story or report. They have been a lot of fun so far!

You can read the whole tutorial HERE.

Incidentally, if you are interested in the crafty & homeschool type of post and don't want to miss any. Then you should sign up for the newsletter, I send it out once a week with a round up of the posts plus I release the early bird dates and through the newsletter first and any specials that I have, you can sign up HERE (it's free!)

And (s)he was fair as is the rose in May

2013-05-22T06:00:00.000+09:00

Our town has a Rose Festival each year. It actually annoys me because they spend a truck load of money on it yet for the last 3 years they have been pulling up the kids play equipment in the same park and not replacing it. They did put in a new slide and climbing thing this year but it is nothing like the great play equipment they had when we first arrived.

Anyway, rant aside, we were going to the supermarket and the shortcut is through the park so we decided to stop for a while. Ebi-kun wanted to try out the macro feature on his camera again. Just to show my protest we didn't pay to go in, we walked round the edge of the garden to take the photos - that will show them! Ha! probably not...

It does smell lovely though...

And there are some beautiful colours....

If you do pay, you have battle the old people so it was also safer on the outside hahaha!

A very clever idea for abused kids...

2013-05-21T06:00:00.000+09:00

I saw this video the other day and think it is a great idea - especially as it is is targeting children who are being abused and will often be out with their abuser.

Although I think it is great for this situation, I could help but wonder what will happen when toy manufactures or any other company that targets children get hold of the technology, it would be nice to think that companies would do the responsible thing...

It's today! Don't forget to join me...

2013-05-21T00:30:00.000+09:00

Click me to sign up

Design festa & Beer Festival...

2013-05-20T10:50:00.000+09:00

Saturday was quite a busy day. My husband was working so Ebi-kun and I headed down to Tokyo Big Site to Design Festa. Luckily Ebi-kun enjoys it just as much as I do! They don't open the doors until 11am, so we tend to go straight to the food court - anyone who live in Japan knows that at 12 sharp everyone stops for lunch! I have to say that the food section this time was highly disappointing, in the past it has been hard to choose which stand to go for, a great mix of dishes from around the world. There were all of 8 stands in the main food area this time. We ended up with a kebab which was pretty blah! (Maybe that is because I am not used to eating kebabs unless I am drunk!) As we waited we watched a rabbit painting a rabbit!

Once we were fed we headed out to find the Japan Etsy team, I haven't been very active with Etsy recently and missed the chance to join the team, maybe next time! It was lovely to actually meet some folk.

We also watched a sword fighting dance that ended in suicide! And a fashion show, although Ebi-kun wasn't that impressed with the latter. In his words 'What is the point?'

It certainly wasn't as busy as the last couple of times we have been, I think that the November show is usually busier than the spring one. We did meet a lot of cool folk and see some great goods. I loved these little mushroom LED lights...

I think Ebi-kun secretly loves all the attention he gets, so many artist spend time showing him what they do and let him try things out and of course, every dressed up character seems to grab him for pictures! I don't think all kids would enjoy it but Ebi-kun is very interested in finding out how people do stuff, how they make things - he was drawn to virtually every stall where the artist was actually making and creating.

We have friends over from Canada at the moment so we had arranged to meet them and 2 other families at a beer festival, late afternoon. So we left Design Festa about 3pm, unfortunately 2 of our friends were sick so it was just 1 other family and daddy that we met up with. It was good to catch up and quaff beer!

And the kids had fun running around like loonies! We finished off with a burger at the Hawaiian burger shop and got home shattered! Good day all round. How was your weekend?

Inspiration Sunday - Kathreen Ricketson

2013-05-19T06:00:00.000+09:00

After hearing the tragic news about Kathreen earlier this week, I decided to repost her Inspiration Sunday interview today. She really was a true inspiration.

Kathreen leaves behind her two beautiful kids and I am sure in the coming weeks there will be a way to help them, maybe raising money for an education fund has been mentioned - but now is the time to grieve. If you do want to help, I am sure buying one of her books or Action Packs is a good way to start.

***UPDATE***
A trust fund has been set up for Otilija (13) and Orlando (10), you can donate to it HERE.

~~~~~~

Today's guest is Kathreen, the powerhouse behind WhipUp which was my introduction to the Australian crafting scene. Kathreen has such passion and creativity and it shows through her work so I was really chuffed when she agreed to the interview.

Hi Kathreen, great to have you here. Could we start off with you telling us a little about yourself and your family?

Sure thing. I am a mother and maker. I have a Cultural heritage science (preserving historic buildings and textiles and such), which I completed in my early 20s, and another in visual arts (mainly photography and media studies) which I completed in my early 30s. In between these I spent a year studying Mandarin Chinese in Beijing China and got married and had 2 children.

My two children - Otilija is 11 years old and Orlando is 9 years old, are my proudest achievements and biggest source of inspiration. And my husband Rob is my creative rock -- my go-to person and best friend. We live in the suburbs in a medium sized city in Australia and have some ducks and chooks and veggies in the backyard. We live a simple life, but full of creativity and energy. We send our kids to an alternative school that has a strong focus on outdoor education, creativity and student directed learning and as a result their schooling and/or our parenting style and/or their own selves are extremely competent and capable and creative kids.

Last year you seemed to be in Wonder Woman mode, releasing a new book every other week (well that is how it felt!) launching Action Pack, which we love, keeping Whip-up going and popping up all over the place. How on earth do you manage it?

It only seemed that way! It was weird and crazy but also a complete co-incidence. As a result of the different publishing houses publishing schedules my Quilt book with Chronicle which had been in the pipeline for two years just happened to co-incide with the series of Kids' Crafternoon books that I worked on for Hardie Grant books only a year before. So while it seemed liked I was working myself to death -- in fact it only looked that way!

I did launch Action Pack last year -- As I was not working on a book project and being either a glutton for punishment or a work-a-holic I decided to take Action on our kids magazine idea.I manage my schedule in a bit of a haphazard way. Because I work from home I am available for the kids after school, I am able to get a little washing and housework and crafts done here and these in between whatever project I have simmering at the time. I do have a bit of a daily work schedule which involves checking emails early in the morning, then getting the kids off to school and doing a spot of housework or running of errands etc before buckling down to work until the kids get home from school. Of course when there is a deadline - self imposed or otherwise - I work evenings and weekends, but then I make for this at other times -- it all evens out in the wash.Working for yourself, building a brand or a business, freelancing or selling products (or all of these things) takes time, energy, effort and perseverance. My family understands that sometimes I am working all hours, but the flip side is that I am home and available to them after school and luckily I have an amazing husband who can pick up the slack when required.

Let's talk about Action Pack, how was the idea born and why did you choose to go down the PDF path rather than traditional printing?

Action Pack is a kids magazine. It contains no ads which we see as incredibly important, however this means that someone has to pay for it - many free online magazines are full of ads which is fine for adults but not so great for impressionable kids who don't need all that commercial junk in their lives just yet. We decided it would be a PDF magazine for a couple of very practical reasons: 1. printing, distribution, postage is all very expensive and takes a lot of time and we are a small business made up of me (and my husband and kids). And 2. a PDF is easy to deliver online, easy to print or read on the computer and on a portable device. So therefore the PDF format cuts down the costs of production and therefore the cost of purchase.
Maybe one day if we get picked up by a big publisher you might see our magazine on shelves, but until that day comes it is simply not a viable option for us to print, distribute and post it as a hard copy magazine.

One of the things I love about the magazine is that it is themed, I find it much easier to plan Ebi-kun's activities if I have a theme to work with. How do you pick the theme for the next issue?

As a family we have a huge amount of fun brain storming themes. These depend upon our current interests and what is happening in the world and the seasons.

And from kids making electricity with lemons to quilting. You also released last year Little Bits Quilting Bee, your second quilting book, can you share your design process? Do you choose a colour pallet first or does the design come first, how does it all work?

When making quilts I spend a lot of time on the research and design stage. I make colour charts based on images and fabrics and I constantly sketch designs and audition fabrics - I love this process and it is my favourite favourite part of the whole process.

Do you have a favourite project in the book (and why?)

So many of the quilts in my latest book are special because I agonised over them and loved them all - they are all my babies. But perhaps the 5 flavours quilt (top right or pg 125 in the book) is my most special quilt, I just love how the design came together perfectly, the colours I had in my head all worked and the dense pebble quilting that I did on this quilt really pulled it all together.

Of course, we also have to talk about the Kids Crafternoon books, a series aimed at 8-12 year olds on felting, beading, papercraft and sewing. How did this project come about?

I was approached by the publisher Hardie Grant to put this series of craft books together. They heard about me via my blog and the Australian crafting scene, after I met with the publisher we discussed the books and then I was given quite tight parameters about the content of the book. It was a lot of fun and I working within a strict set of guidelines is actually very freeing.

How much say did you have in the actual styling of the books?

I didn't have any say in the styling of the books and in fact most authors don't! There is a point where the publisher takes the information you give them and then hands it on to their in house designers who work with the layout team and the photographer and the editor to design and style the book as per their vision. I did however work with my husband on the illustrations and of course I chose all the contributors - so in that respect it was a collaborative project.

I feel like I could ask you questions all day but I will finish off with, who or where do you draw your inspiration from?

I get my inspiration from everywhere. My kids, over heard conversations, magazine images, the web, vintage postcards, patterns and linens, books, ... just about everywhere really. I keep notebooks -- not the most pretty ones - they tend to be practical books filled with words or haphazardly drawn sketches, glued in fabric swatches etc. and then when it is time to design a project or look for ideas I go back through my sketchbooks and something will often leap out at me - often out of context - and ideas begin to emerge around it like particles swirling around sun - colliding and merging into a solid form.

Before you go, a question from Ebi-kun... What is your favourite dish from Australia?

Australian cuisine is very multi-cultural - in our house we love to eat both sushi and curry (not together though). Pavlova is the kids favourite Australian dessert.

All images are property of Kathreen Ricketson of WhipUp

FREE Craftsy classes - for one day only

2013-05-18T07:00:00.000+09:00

Right, you know I am a Craftsy fan, I love the way they have the internet classes set up. Well, if you have been thinking about it but not actually got your butt into gear - today is the day.

For 24 hours only, NEW members can choose from a selection of favourite classes, worth up to $39.99 - a great way to try one out if your weren't sure the class was worth the money (in my experience they are worth every cent!

Click me to be whisked off for my free class!

So hop over there and pick up a new skill or just pick up something for fun! Let me know which course you go for so we can compare notes!

*It is for 24 hours US time, so if you are reading this from elsewhere you need to check the time zone difference.

A terribly sad day for the crafting world

2013-05-17T07:39:00.002+09:00

I have just learnt about the tragic death of Kathreen Ricketson, founder of Whip Up and the Action Pack magazines. Her partner, Rob is still missing, presumes death and they leave behind their gorgeous children. My heart is breaking for them.

I 'met' Kathreen through the crafty community years ago, she has guest posted here and I have on Whip Up and the Action pack Magazines. She was currently touring Australia for the year with her family and writing a book about their experiences. Kathreen was so generous and kind and I am sure she has helped millions of crafters over the years. She will be sorely missed.

The announcement of the tragedy is here and more info about what happened here.

Golden Week Camp PT 2 - German beer farm

2013-05-17T06:00:00.000+09:00

When we go camping we usually take a day trip or two to a local event or attraction. My husband - a lover of beer discovered that there was a German Beer Farm not too far from where we were staying, so guess where we went?

The place did look like a German market place and they had several beers and different food for sale.

It was a strange kind of 'farm' we had a go on the pedal boats - it is now clear why 7 years olds are not allowed to drive cars! We also tried our hand at archery and watched the sheep dog demonstration.

It was fairly busy but not depressingly so, we had some German sausages and potatoes for lunch, non of us were hungry enough to warrant going to the restaurant.

Ebi-kun also had fun on the big slide, you pay for 20 minutes of slip sliding fun. We realised that there were loads of other 'farms' dotted around, the Da Vinci farm sounded interesting, we will have to head back this way to find out about the others!

Orange Camp Cakes - recipe

2013-05-16T14:27:00.000+09:00

I saw this idea on pinterest and thought it looked fun!

What you need:
1 orange per person
cake mix (I used hotcake mix & cocoa powder) + whatever you need to make the cake mix
Foil
Hot BBQ

First, fit the orange on a flat surface, it should stand up better one way, cut the top off. Scrap the insides out of the orange - you can eat this as you go if you like. Place each orange on a piece of foil.

Follow the instructions for the cake mix, then spoon the mix into the orange, leave some space at the top for the cake to rise. Pop the lid back on they wrap with foil.

Place the oranges in the hot embers, we left ours for about 30 minutes, you might need to turn them round half way through.

Unwrap and check that the cake is cooked..

And eat! Our oranges were really sweet but after they were cooked they became quite bitter which meant the end result was rather like marmalade cake, it wasn't very chocolatey either, next time I think I will try a dollop of nutella in there! Made a change from smores and baked bananas anyway :)

Golden Week Camp PT 1

2013-05-14T06:00:00.000+09:00

We headed up to Gunma for this years Golden Week camp, it is a campsite we have been to before but we were there in the autumn last time. It is a nice site, well designed, clean toilets! There is no onsen or shower but they give you discount tickets for a local onsen.

The only time we eat a full English breakfast is when we are at camp, I have a trangia stove which I LOVE (I used to have one back my scouting days, it is such a versatile little stove) and I have the whole full breakfast down to perfect now!

This Ebi-kun having his hobbit style seconds out in the morning sun. We were blessed with beautiful weather although it was COLD at night and we really need to get something warmer than the light weight sleeping bags that we have got at the moment.

The campsite has a good playground for the kids and on the last day (why do they always wait until the last day?) he made friends with some kids two tents down and they went to play there together.

Ebi-kun will probably say that learning to use a knife was the highlight of the trip, he is quite sensible for a kid but still a child so he is only allowed to use it with supervision for now, until we are happy that he really knows how to handle it properly.

The main drawback for this site is that the nearest supermarket is well, a glorified convenience store and the nearest big supermarket is about 40 minutes drive away. So even if you just want to hang out at the campsite all day, you still need to take a long drive out to get supplies. We combined it with a trip to the onsen. We got there when it opened but it was already busy - other campers with the same idea! Usually at an onsen there is a row of seats and showers for washing before you soak in the bath, because it was busy, all the indoor showers were busy so I was forced to use the ones in the garden area Brrrrr.

Sunsets, beers and BBQ's, that's what it is all about!

and of course roasted marshmallows or smores! can't wait until the next camp!

Getting the family on board...

2013-05-13T12:18:00.003+09:00

Feel like you spend half your time cleaning up and the rest of the family don't help just mess it all up for you again?

Repeat.

and the cycle goes on?

I am going to do a call addressing this problem and sharing some tips on how to get the family on board. You need to register for the call and if you can't make it live you can always pop back and listen at a later date.

If you have any specific questions that you would like me to address, drop me a line and let me know!

You can sign up for the meeting HERE

New to these kind of things? Want to join but you are scraed to?

No worries, that is perfectly normal. It is basically me talking and you listening, while the meeting is live you can type questions into the question box and at the end, if you like, you can talk to me - but there is no pressure, if you want to be anonymous and just listen - that is fine!

So, that's in in a nutshell, pop over HERE to sign up and if you think this would be useful for a friend, please pass on the information.

How was yours?

2013-05-13T10:37:00.000+09:00

It has taken some work but my guys now know how to treat a mom on mothers day! I know from seeing facebook updates that there are some mamas out there that got sod all and their husbands did nothing - I don't want those people to think that I am rubbing salt into the wound here, I have been there, I have had that day, but a big heart to heart with my husband helped clear the air and he now knows that he will get treated with equal respect on father's day. Blokes - they don't think like us, sometime we have to help it sink in - you know what I mean!

I got up yesterday morning and got told to go back to bed! Then I got invited down for breakfast...

Then we went over to the local nature reserve and had a walk around. I showed Ebi-kun how to use the macro option on his camera, he was fascinated by the bees and once he understood that they wouldn't attack him for no good reason, he was happy to get in there.

For lunch we headed to an out of the way Italian restaurant, it is lovely, the food is delicious - my starter was tomato gelato and basil toast, surprisingly good!

After a delicious lunch we drove over to the ice-cream farm but took a walk down by the river to work up an appetite first! It is such a shame the weather isn't like this all summer, beautiful, warm but not hot and not humid!

A posy of flowers - the red ones are clover candles I think, there was a sign saying we could pick them, the whole area was a buzzing with bees. Love this picture!

And of course, we had to have ice-cream and visit all the animals and ebi-kun attempted to learn how to unicycle, luckily, we left with no broken bones.

Then it was back home, the boys went to play footie in the park for a bit and I finished off sorting out the studio, we finished off with more food! Homemade pizza and beer in the garden.

Thank you Ebi-kun and daddy, it was a lovely day. Mothers day is on a different day back in the UK so my mom had already had her 'day'.

Inspiration Sunday with Ursula Markgraf

2013-05-12T06:00:00.000+09:00

Hands up if you love buttons, what, you haven't got your hand up? What have you got against buttons eh? Well, for all the button lovers out there I have a special button lady on the blog today! One of the cool things about having a net based business is getting to meet amazing people from all over the world, today is no exception...

1. Tell us a bit about yourself....

My name is Ursula and I live in Germany. I love everything creative and my brain just won't stop creating new ideas! By now my husband gets scared as soon as I utter “I have an idea”. ;-)

We have two wonderful kids and a dog. And when I do not spend time with my family or on the internet I am most likely making something – sewing, painting, drawing, knitting, crocheting, … and making buttons of course for my little handmade button online-shop.

I love love love tea. Black tea with sugar and a little milk! HEAVEN on earth! Seriously!

What I hate is that many people think being creative is something you are either born with or you will never be. I deeply believe that everyone is creative.

Image Credit: Ursula Markgraf

2. Where do you get your inspiration from?

To be honest, often I am not even sure myself what inspired something. I get inspired by the “usual suspects” like nature, my kids, books, art ... but also by things like talking to people … Sometimes it is just seeing a pattern somewhere - on a cup, a wall, a shirt - and I know I have to create something with it. Sometimes I have no idea where my ideas actually started! They just pop up and annoy me until I let them come alive. ;-)

Image Credit: Ursula Markgraf

3. Tell us about your business...

I want to make the world more creative – and started by making gorgeous one-of-a-kind buttons by hand. I sell these with the hope they inspire others in turn to be creative and unique. In the future I plan to add other creativity-centered products to inspire others to live creatively – their way.

Image Credit: Ursula Markgraf

4. What led you to start your business....

Me wanting to live my life MY WAY and according to my priorities!

I was sick of having to put my (old) job first – above my small kids, my family, anything really. Don't get me wrong, my job is important to me! But my kids are far more important than any job will ever be.

Image Credit: Ursula Markgraf

5. What does an average day look like for you?

Building a small business while raising two kids somehow does not add up to average days for me. :-)

To be honest this used to frustrate me a lot until I embraced it and just started to work with it. Now I do not have a set schedule but rather a flexible system which I change and adapt according to what I need this very day.

There are however some common things that appear again and again in my days. They include

-at least two cups of tea – otherwise I can not function! ;-)

-working on my computer when the kids are busy playing or hubby is home

-”making” something – this can be a sewn coat, a batch of buttons, a row of knitting or just a doodle

-cuddles and giggles with my kids

-scribbling into my notebooks

-staying up too late working on my website or answering emails

There is still a lot to improve about how I handle business and family – but I could not be happier! :-)

Image Credit: Ursula Markgraf

6. What is the one thing about your job that makes your heart sing?

Freedom! And making things!

(I know. Those are two things. But come on – if you have the most awesome job you can imagine it is really hard to even narrow it down to two!)

7. Share a secret with us that has never been shared online before

Confession: I LOVE doing laundry.

Okay, now it is out. Please don't judge me. I do hate ironing, though, if that makes it any better.

About Ursula:

Ursula is a creative, free-spirited, yet structure-loving artist who creates beautiful unique handmade buttons. They are meant to inspire women to be creative and unique and live their life their way. I just opened my online-store and am in the process of filling up my shop with lots of handmade button goodness. So come on over and have a peek – and feel free to jump on my list to stay informed. You also get a fun set of printable mini-posters/ postcards when you sign up.

Image Credit: Ursula Markgraf

Find Ursula....

Website : http://www.ursulamarkgraf.com/

From deep sea to outer space - the bedroom makeover

2013-05-10T06:00:00.001+09:00

I know I have been going on about this for what feels like forever, but I finally got it all finished and the photos taken.

Here is the before and after shot, the full post is over on MOC and includes a breakdown of what I did and how and where to buy the various bits and pieces, pop over and take a look around!

Full makeover on My Organized Chaos

Who would you invite....

2013-05-10T06:00:00.000+09:00

Going to camp is always fun but it usually means a long car journey. Ebi-kun has various games and things that he does but sometimes he just wants to chat so I asked his some questions, this one I have to share...

Jo: If you could invite 5 people to dinner (they can be from history too), who would you invite and why?

Ebi-kun: Hmmm, Leonardo da Vinci and Micheal Angelo so I can ask them lots of things about art and inventions but they wouldn't be able to sit together because they were rivals. Santa because he would be fun and could bring everyone a present. Jesus because ermmm I don't know and.... Hitler!

Seriously! I don't know where he pulled that from, his reason why was that he wants to ask him why he started the war and did all those horrible things.

The workings of a 7 year olds brain - baffles me!

Your turn - who would you invite to dinner?

Musical Roads...

2013-05-09T06:00:00.000+09:00

I have no idea if these are one of those 'only in Japan' things or not, if you know of a musical road outside of Japan, please let me know, I found it fascinating.

So, let me back-track a bit...we went camping in Gunma over the long weekend and on our way to the campsite we are driving along and suddenly this music starts playing, but it wasn't from a loud speaker it was coming from the road!

We encountered another one when we were out the following day, there are signs up saying that the musical road will start playing soon and it is made by grooves in the road - if you watch the video you can just about make them out, I don't really know how it works but it was pretty cool. We thought it would be funny to have the Darth Vader music or if you are near the sea the Jaws shark attack music, in fact you could have a lot of fun with these.

The video is very short and you will need to turn the sound up high....

I'll post about the rest of our camp soon, just trying to get back into the swing of things and work through the mountains of laundry and emails!

If you know of any other musical roads, please let me know!

*update - more info over here*

and the winner is...

2013-05-08T08:30:00.003+09:00

First of all, thank you to caseapp for sponsoring the giveaway of the iphone case. I asked those who entered what kind of image they woruld use, there were some interesting replies... a koto, cherry blossoms, the mountains, my kids, a picture my child drew and something sensible (for the husband).

So with no further ado... the winner is....

Maris (stelmar4@....)

CONGRATULATIONS!

I will be in touch

What do you want to know?

2013-05-08T06:00:00.000+09:00

To celebrate my 6 years I thought it would be fun to answer some of your questions... so here we go....

Q. You always ask on your inspiration posts what a typical day looks like, what does YOUR typical day look like?

To be honest I don't have a typical day - one of the joys of working for yourself! The basic run down...

6am - all get up, get dressed, have breakfast together, get ready for school/work

7.20am - Ebi-kun and hubby leave for work

~ 8.00am - I do household chores, laundry, cleaning, whatever needs doing that day.

8.00am ~ 12.pm I work, this can be anything from writing guest posts, magazine articles, coaching clients, putting together new programs, blogging, scheduling facebook posts, recording webinairs, research...

12.00pm - lunch & I usually catch up on a podcast

12.30pm ~ 2.30pm work (as before)

2.30pm try and wrap things up for the day, jot down what needs doing tomorrow. Finish off any other house chores etc.

3.20pm Ebi-kun gets home, he has a snack and we chat then he does his homework, I make sure I have everything out ready for dinner. Sometimes he will go and play with his friends, other days we will do something together, play on the wii, crafts, painting...

5.00pm start dinner - Ebi-kun often helps

6.00pm finish dinner & clear up, Ebi-kun is a slow eater so I usually clear up as he is finishing his meal then some evening we chat to my mom on Skype otherwise Ebi-kun reads to me and we kick back and relax.

7.00pm - Bath & bed routine

7.45pm - I jump in the bath

8.00pm - Usually catch up on course work

9.30pm - brain dead so I will do a bit of hand sewing or doodling and watch TV. Hubby usually gets back around this time so I fix his dinner whilst he is in the bath.

11.00pm - bed

Q. I have tried blogging but I can't stick to it, how do you do it and did you keep a diary when you were a child?

No! Well, I tried but I probably only managed a week at most. It is quite surprising to me that I stuck with blogging! I think to begin with, I knew my friends and family were reading so it was an incentive to keep going and now I see it as a document of what we, as a family have been up to so I want to keep going. I also write posts in my head ALL the time - luckily for you, only a fraction of them make them to the blog :)

Q. When are you going to write a book?

Hahahaha, I have no idea, I would love to write one but I'm not sure what the subject would be - open to suggestions!

Q. I hope this isn't too personal, you obviously love children, is there a reason why you only have one or are you planning to have more?

I think anyone with an only child gets asked this a lot. When I was 39 weeks pregnant with Ebi-kun I was diagnosed with HELLP Syndrome and was rushed into the operating theatre so they could get Ebi-kun out. Obviously it all turned out OK in the end but the hospital warned that I would be high risk if I had a second child and I would have to go into the hospital to be checked every week of the pregnancy.

*The whole birth experience was scary but I didn't actually know at the time what HELLP Syndrome was, when I got home a did what any 'sensible' person does - yep, googled it! It was terrifying to find out that I could have gone into that operating theatre and not come out.

For me, the choice was to be the best mom I can be to one child rather than risk leaving one child and possibly a baby too, with no mother and my husband with no wife.

Q. Do you plan to stay in Japan forever?

Certainly for the short term, now we have a house we don't have a lot of choice, there isn't really the 2nd hand house market that they have back home so selling isn't really an option. I would love to eventually have this as our base but spend extended time out of the country, I love travelling and finding out about new cultures so being able to spend 3 months here and 3 months there would be great - that would all depend on the rest of the family and our finances though!

Q. What made you stop designing and instead start My Organized Chaos?

There were a number of factors, after the 3/11 disaster I decided we needed to have an income that was location independent, so that if something happened and we had to get up and leave, we could do so and still have some kind of income. Then the number crunching came in, selling patterns I can only ever charge, at the most $12 and to make a decent income from that I need to sell a LOT of patterns every month. So, I started to look at other options, the concept for My Organized Chaos had been rattling around in my head for a while but I was thinking of it more on the lines of a book. Then I discovered online courses and everything fell into place. I really enjoy the helping people aspect and the course is a lot more sociable than selling sewing patterns. There is still an element of design since I do it all myself.

Now I can go back to enjoying sewing as a hobby and I will probably release more patterns as I come up with them and I would still love to have a line of fabric from my designs...

and a few liners...

Q. What is your favourite Japanese food?

Sukiyaki or okonomiyaki

Q. What did you study at university?

Electronic Imaging & Media Communications (also have a HND in Electronics & Software Engineering)

Q. The old classic, if you could invite 5 people to dinner, who would you invite?

Assuming I can pick dead people too... Leonardo Da Vinci, P!nk, David Attenborough, Kate Adie and Jamie Oliver (and get him to do the cooking).

Q. What is your favourite film?

Hmm don't really have one, I love films you can sing to like Wizard of Oz, Mama Mia, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Also a Star Wars fan and there are lot of films I have really enjoyed but I tend only to re-watch films if I can sing along LOL.

Thank you for all the questions, it was fun answering them! If you have any more, pop them in the comments box...

6 years and still going strong....

2013-05-06T06:00:00.000+09:00

Whoooo-hooooo!

Six years years of blogging!

Funny, that I started this blog as a way to share with family and friends back home, what we were up to. Ebi-kun was getting to that stage where he was starting to do stuff, we were in the throws of designing and building the house and we were just really getting into our Montessori journey.

I had no idea how the blog would grow and change over the course of time. I was also pretty clueless at what I was doing and we have certainly had our ups and downs along the way.

This year there has been a shift, now Ebi-kun is in school we don't have as much time for crafts and projects, we are still figuring out the balance of it all. Plus my business has chanced and so before, when I was concentrating on the Etsy store I had more crafty stuff going on. Of course, I am a crafty addict so I still do some, just not as much.

But from starting the blog, it has taken me on the journey to where I am now, I am sure My Organized Chaos would never have come about if I hadn't been blogging and I know I wouldn't have met so many amazing people too - most of them virtually but many in person too.

I don't blog for the money - not that I make much from the blog anyway, I do it because I love it. It is my version of journaling or keeping a diary. I also pretty much do it for myself (blogging gurus take a deep gasp of horror!), I know, I know, you are supposed to write with your readers in mind and of course, I think of you as I am doing it and craft specific posts for my readers but if I am going to be perfectly honest, I do it for me. There I said it. The word is out!

*Shock* *Horror*

And here are some fun stats for you...

Pageviews of all time....1,351,000

The most visited posts are... Halloween finger food, 100+ fat Quarter projects, Salt painting

Most popular search keywords are.... fat quarter projects, jojoebi and quilling(?)

The site with the most referrals is....Pinterest

Top 10 countries where visitors come from...USA, Japan, UK, Canada, Germany, Australia, Spain, France, India, Russia.

And so, I want to say a big THANK YOU for accompanying me on this journey and I hope you will be with me for years to come and although I do this for me, because I love it, I really do appreciate you stopping by, leaving comments and being part of the community. Without the audience I might not have continued for so long.

I would like you to raise a glass or cup of whatever you fancy and drink to blogging, may it always be with us !

PS - next post I answer your questions!

Inspiration Sunday with April Bowles-Olin

2013-05-05T06:00:00.000+09:00

Today I have another lovely creative lass lined up for you. I discovered April via Mayi (they are a cute set of partners in crime), I am sure you will agree she is another fun creative entrepreneur...

1. Tell us a bit about yourself....

I’d love to. I’m April Bowles-Olin and I grew up in Richmond, Virginia. I currently live with my husband and our three rescue dogs in Blacksburg, Virginia. I work with creative entrepreneurs to build the businesses of their dreams around the lives they crave.

I love homemade vegan, gluten-free pizza, walking my dogs, young-adult fiction, college football, photography and Gilmore Girls. I have a low tolerance for laziness and excuses.

Image Credit: April Bowles

2. Where do you get your inspiration from?

Oh gosh...I get inspiration from so many different things. My favorite blogs including heartmade, A Beautiful Mess, decor8, and Creature Comforts give me lots of inspiration. I’m also inspired by magazines {especially Where Women Create and Artful Blogging}, nature, friends, crafting supplies, fabric designs and books.

Image Credit: April Bowles

3. Tell us about your business...

My business if focused on helping creatives build their dream businesses around the lives they want to live. I’ve seen too many creative entrepreneurs get burned out from working around the clock on their businesses instead of focusing on what they want their lives to look like and building a business that supports that way of living.

I blog daily at blacksburgbelle.com and every week on Wednesdays, I publish a video that’s directly related to helping women build their online businesses. Each year, I also offer courses that dive deeper into specific subjects like my last course, Blogging for Your Creative Business.

Image Credit: April Bowles

4. What led you to start your business....

Before making the leap of starting my own business, I was a licensed therapist working with at-risk teens and their families. That job was emotionally draining, so I started looking for creative outlets to relieve some of that stress. I began scrapbooking, making jewelry, and knitting. Then, I decided to sell some of my creations on Etsy. Once I set up my shop, I read anything I could find on building a business and learned about marketing, blogging, and social media.

After a couple months of having an Etsy shop, I started getting questions from others who wanted to do something similar. I started spending more time helping other creative entrepreneurs set up their own shops than I did on my own. That’s when I realized that my business should focus on helping creatives build successful online businesses.

5. What does an average day look like for you?

One day is never the same as the next. But, here’s an example of one: Wake up at 8am. Drink a glass of lemon water while I brew a cup of herbal tea. Drink tea while I read, journal or browse the web. Drink my daily glass of green juice. Get a load of laundry started. Work on a blog post. Walk my dogs. Take photos for a few blog posts. Have lunch with my husband. Put the laundry in the dryer. Finish the blog post from earlier. Edit the photos from earlier. Knit and listen to a podcast. Spend an hour on the next course I’m going to offer. Fold the laundry and put it away. Chat with my joint venture partner, Mayi Carles, on Skype for an hour. Walk the dogs with my husband when he gets home from work. Make dinner together. Watch an episode of Burn Notice. Get in bed and read for an hour or so and go to sleep.

6. What is the one thing about your job that makes your heart sing?

I love getting thank you emails from blog readers or women who have taken one of my courses. I love hearing about their successes and the joy they’re getting out of their creative businesses. Those emails inspire me to keep doing what I’m doing.

7. Share a secret with us that has never been shared online before

In my childhood home, the stairs to the attic were in my room. I was so terrified that there were ghosts in the attic that my parents had to put a lock on the door, so I could lock it from my room.

About April:

April Bowles-Olin is a licensed therapist turned business maven. She’s the founder of Blacksburg Belle and co-founder of Connecting the Gaps. Her mission is to help creative entrepreneurs construct the businesses of their dreams around the lifestyles they crave. She’s been featured and mentioned on hundreds of sites and publications including U.S. News and World Report, Where Women Create, BlogcastFM, Etsy, and Design*Sponge.

Find April....

Website : www.blacksburgbelle.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BlacksburgBelle

Twitter: http://twitter.com/blacksburgbelle

Pinterest : http://pinterest.com/blacksburgbelle

Do you know about...

2013-05-03T06:00:00.000+09:00

Craftsy free mini courses? I have blogged about their online courses before, which incidentally, I think are brilliant - perfect way to learn a new skill if you don't have the time or opportunity to go and joining a real life class.

Anyway, along with the full courses, they also have some free mini courses, a great way to pick up some tips and tricks and also a nice way to be introduced to the way the full courses run - to give you a feel of them, as it were.

Here are a few of the ones on offer, I have my eye on the butter cream skills, how about you?

I have also just signed up for the free pizza class - we have homemade pizza most Sundays and I am always looking for ways to improve my dough, this might be just the ticket - I will keep you posted!

Are you going to take a class, let me know what you choose!

Golden Week Part #1

2013-05-01T06:00:00.000+09:00

Golden week is split into to 2 long weekends this year, so the first part we had a regular sort of weekend. Saturday the boys went off to footie and I went walking boot shopping - a little tale to be told there... I really wanted some Merrell boots but when I got to the store I realised they were more than I wanted to pay. So thought I would just get some cheaper ones. I tried several pairs on and either they didn't fit or they didn't have my size so I left the shop empty handed.

So I walked through the shopping centre feeling very sorry for myself but then I discovered a sports shop I didn't know existed. Went in and the exact boots that I wanted were in a flash sale - less than half price! I tried them on, half expecting them not to find but they did - I felt like Cinderella - well if Cinderella wore bright orange walking boots ha!

Sunday wasn't very exciting, Aikido followed by shopping. We did stop at the home centre to get some plants and then planted the green curtain for this year, we are going with all passion fruit this time!

Then Monday we had a playgroup trip to the zoo, it was a lot of fun and the kids all seemed to enjoy themselves, they all looked suitable exhausted at the end of the day! I love how this zoo has so many great interactive things for the kids to try, not just looking at the animals.

Ebi-kun got a new admirer, I think A-chan was quite smitten by the end of the day - very cute, they were pretty much inseparable.

We even ran into Peter Rabbit - one of the oddities of the zoo is that it has a replica of the Beatrix Potter house and garden.

We decided to head out about 4pm so we missed the bad traffic, the weather was glorious, good day all round! Did you have an exciting weekend?

Do you want a new iphone case?

2013-04-29T06:00:00.000+09:00

The peeps at Caseapp contacted me and asked if I would like to try out their iphone case, you get to design it yourself so of course, the chance to do something craft & geeky I jumped at the chance. (You can get one too if you are lucky...)

It is seriously easy to use! Pop over to Caseapp and select the phone size that you have, upload a photo - you can move it around until you are happy with the position. Add some text if you like then save and order. Easy peasy!

My tip would be to make sure you have a nice high resolution photo at least 300dpi. Photos taken with your phone might be ok, it depends what resolution & size you have set. If you load your image and it is way to big then you are onto a good start. You can easily scale the image down, making images bigger on the other hand can make them lose their sharpness.

This is the one I made, I have a problem that I can't get the old case off my phone, so I haven't been able to put the new one on yet! The colours came out lovely and the quote is from my mentor Denise Duffield Thomas - to serve as a little reminder in those self doubt moments!

So, you ready to win your own? Just fill in the form below.
Entries open worldwide.
Cassapp will send you a voucher if you win.
Winner will be drawn by random generator on May 7th at 8am JST.

Unplugging for a wee while...

2013-04-27T06:00:00.000+09:00

It is Golden Week this week - which implies that it is a week long holiday but alas not, it is 3 national holidays that are close together, but it does mean we get two long weekends.

So, we are going to be having some downtime and I am stepping back from the net for a few days - not sure if I am ready for this! We are off camping for the 2nd part of golden week so I am going to have to go cold turkey!

Of course, I don't expect you to go cold turkey too so I have a couple of post scheduled for you!

See you on the other side... if I survive :)