New Year, New Beginnings, Back to Business.

When i first started this blog back in 2009, it was intended as a way to document and promote new work for my online business The Enchanted Tree.  i was also trying to maintain a personal family blog, but decided to combine the two and just focus my attention on this one.  This blog has become a way for me to document my creative journey, promote my work and the work of other craftsman and artists. It  is also became a journal of sorts where i talk about family life, homesteading, share pictures,recipes & craft ideas and occasionally host fun giveaways.  This past year i've also used it to help process things as we moved around and found ourselves far outside our comfort zone. 

With the new year i've found myself reevaluating the path i am on. i am trying to find my way again and accept that the path has changed a bit.  It's hard to feel like a homesteader when you are in a brand new house, with electric heat and a pantry full of store bought food.:(  

Delilah (my goat) was supposed to be bred last year as well, so we could start the spring with fresh goats milk. Somewhere in my 5 year plan, i had decided i wanted to raise dairy goats when i turned 40. :)  i was hoping to pursue making goats milk cheese and soap this year, but like many things it's been pushed to the back burner yet again.  

That doesn't mean i've given up on these dreams, it just means the path has changed and i'm not quite sure what direction i am heading in. i'm optimistic, and pretty open to the changes to come. At least i am trying to be. :)

When ever i begin to feel lost, i look for something familiar to get me back on the correct path. When i first began selling items online back in 1999, i was selling a variety of items. Patchwork clothing, hemp jewelry, rag dolls and beaded work. Beadwork became my main passion, but i could never focus on just one thing.  As the years passed, and life changed my crafting focus began to change and evolve as well. 

Once i began having babies, sewing and beadwork became almost impossible. Crocheting was something i could do while nursing/holding a baby, so crocheted hats was my main focus for a while. Then as the kids got older, my focus shifted to toys. Crocheted playfoods, felt animals, bendy dolls and soft sculpture dolls.

My plan for this year is to be a doll maker, and just a doll maker. However, having lost all of my supplies/patterns/dolls/yarns in the fire, it meant i had to start from the beginning again. So at the end of December i reordered all of the materials.  While waiting for the materials to arrive i decided to play around with some beads that a fellow beader had sent me.

What started off as one necklace to pass the time, quickly became many necklaces.  Just like that, i found my beading passion again.  i put in a bead order and am now eagerly awaiting my order. So perhaps this year, i can be a doll maker and jewelry maker. :) 

My doll making supplies arrived a few days ago.  i ordered from Weirdolls again. They are located in Ann Arbor Michigan which is my old stomping ground. :) They have high quality products, and comparable pricing. i was also able to pick up everything i would need from them- fabric, yarn, needles etc.  As much as i love the crazy handspun art yarns for doll hair, i decided to stick with the boucle for my first few dolls. Then hopefully i can sell them and put the money right back into buying more supplies.  The initial start up is quite expensive. i wanted to go with the organic fabrics this time around, i'm hoping they have the same quality and durability as the non-organic. 

i can't finish the necklaces i started until my bead supplies arrive, so i started on a couple new dolls. So much for staying focused this year. :)    i wanted to show off my new doll making basket, which was a housewarming gift from some neighbors. It's absolutely gorgeous, and was made by a local woman at Yoder Baskets.  Isn't it fabulous!!  This will allow me to carry them with me and work on them whenever i get the chance, rather than being limited to a craft room/space.

Kenan began moving out of the shop he was renting at the end of December.  He's been working on building new benches and getting a new set up in his studio downstairs. After being off work for close to 3 weeks, he is finally back to work. 

It's nice to have him working from home again.  He is actually here for dinner now, and able to spend time with the kids. For the past year it has felt as if he only slept here (while in the rental and camper) as he spent all of his time working.  Although there were some benefits to him having a shop away from home, there were definitely some disadvantages as well.  Although we had dreams of turning the shop in Willis into a gallery or store front, i think leaving it was the right decision and i'm excited to have him back at home.

So yeah, lots of change, lots of transitioning, change in our path but still moving forward.

“In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.” - The Buddha