Time to pick this blogging lark back up

I am absolutely amazed that it has been well over a year since I last posted to my blog.

It has been such an up and down year. The company which we had poured so much love and time (yes, and money) is now no more. We finally had to admit defeat when the bank decided to withdraw their support - in exactly the same month that we broke even for the first time. The bank withdrawing support came in the form of them reducing our overdraft dramatically which in turn meant all our direct debit payments failed and incurred hefty charges. The landlord did not take non-payment of rent too favourably, funnily enough, and started making life very uncomfortable. Eventually we came to the decision that struggling to pay rent and bills had lost its appeal and we called time on our beloved baby company.

We have also moved once more. Last time we moved it was into a house share situation. Everyone warned us about doing this and we heard more scare stories than I thought possible. Well, for the first 8 months it worked fine. We food-shopped as a team and took turns in cooking and cleaning (well mostly). Now, I would never be able to honestly say my husband and I are the tidiest of people, we like our home to be clean, but things in piles do not equal dirt. But even we have to draw the line at some things and it became to be a real bone of contention with the couple we shared the house with. More and more frequently it became us doing the majority of the housework. So when the contract came up for renewal, the decision was not hard to make!! This came not long after the company being closed, so with finances reduced to one income, an offer of a roof from my aunt was welcomed with open arms - and so this is where you find me now. We are basically living in one room, with all our furniture and belongings boxed in the attic (which was luckily completely empty). I would not agree with anyone who offered an opinion of this being easy. Anyone who has lived in their own home and then returned to living with family will no doubt agree with me.

What else have I been up to?

Well I have discovered swapping. Now, stop that giggling all you in the back row. The swapping that I have discovered is for the crafty-minded among us. I discovered Crafster.org and fell in love. This place brings together some of the most talented and generous people. Seeing what other crafty people get up to is inspiring. And they host Organised Swaps. I kept looking and wanting to join, but it took me a while to pluck up the courage to actually join in. When the sign up was posted for a Christmas Stocking swap, I decided to pluck that courage right up and sent of the questionnaire. It has been a real rollercoaster of a ride, apparently not normal for the swaps they host, I have been assured. I will post more about this once I have posted my package.

Following this, I discovered Swap-Bot.com. Since discovering this site I have signed up for 3 swaps - the first being an International Christmas Card swap. I had to send a christmas card (written) to 6 partners and in return would receive 6 back. They have a very simple rating system - 1 if you do not send, 3 if you send but do not meet the terms of the swap or 5 if you meet all terms. If the sender goes above the terms, you can award a heart. I sent well before deadline and have so far received 3/6 ratings, all 5's with 2 hearts. Why did I get hearts? Well I digitally designed, printed and made up a bookmark listing the details of the swap to include with the card. I have since signed up for an ATC swap and a further Christmas Card swap.

I have also discovered Postcrossing.com and again, I am in love. The basic premise is that you register with the site and send a postcard to a random member of the site. Once you have sent your name goes into the pool to receive a card. I have received so many stunning cards and have had a miniature insight into peoples lives. I will surely be returning to this subject in future posts.

Well, I am sure I have missed much in this catch up, but the plan is to return far more regularly in future, to keep track of all my swapping adventures.

Blessings to all
Daisy Cat x