New Year

Is it too late to write a review of last year? I've spent the first part of the year adjusting to reality and going back to work. But then when I was ready to write this post I realised that I was having problems uploading photos to the post which took a few days to sort.  And so here we go, better late than never! Anyway think of this post as the Oscars, celebrating what happened essentially in the past year but just after New Year.

I was quite sad to see 2012 go to be honest, an experience I don't think I've experienced before as I felt I had a really good year! And that's despite ending up in hospital not once but twice, and  the appalling weather we had!

So my new year resolutions last year were:

To be more creative

To blog more

To read more

To laugh out loud more

And do you know for the first time I think I managed all of these! Even the one I didn't write down which was loose weight (lost just under a stone and only a few pounds of that was down to the op).

So in order:

To be more creative

I wanted to try and blog about my crafty creations each week last year but this proved almost impossible. BUT I did make a lot from cross stitch to felt to cards to jewellery to crochet. Here are just a few...

I became addicted to granny squares this year.... 

 This was one of the first I did for baby Eva

I was inspired by Laura Howard (of Bugs and Fishes) book Super-cute Felt  

 Birthday card for Erin's 18th

 And for my Mum's birthday

 One of the cross stitch pieces I did for my cousin

 And enjoying making jewellery

To read more

I am a sad, sad person and try and write down the books I read (so I don't find I'm reading the same book again but only realise half way through the book). In 2011 I wrote down 8 books (I may have omitted some by accident so the above theory doesn't really work.....) and this year I read 24! High lights must be

'The Summer Book' by Tove Jansson

'The Thread' by Victoria Heslop

'The Ninth Stone' by Kyle Fitzpatrick

'The House of Silk' by Antony Horowitz

'Fault Line' by Robert Goddard

  

To blog more
Well yes I did blog a lot more. In 2011 I wrote a very poor 27 posts compared to last year's 67!

The most read post was Crafty Work Week Two but think this was because it was also mentioned in the wonderful and inspiring blog Bugs and Fishes

Here are some of my favourite photos from the year

Blues skies in Bruges

Enjoying champagne from Vertigo Bar

And sunshine in Cumbria (a rare treat!) 

 Changing of the Guard at Windsor Castle with the wonderful Band of Blues and Royal

Going up the top of Wellington Arch

 The Philip Haas sculptures based on the series of paintings called the Four Seasons by Guiseppe Arcimboldo

 The Cabaret Mechanical Theatre exhibition in Dulwich

 This was the photos which lead me to meeting and photographing the Band of Blues and Royals taken during the Diamond Jubliee celebrations. A huge highlight

 Going to see the Trooping of the Colour and seeing a princess (Yes I am a Royalist much to OH's distain)

 Going behind the scenes with the Blues and Royals at Wellington Barracks

 Celebrating Brixton, my manor

 Taking photos for Brixton Splash, making Brixton famous, not infamous!

To laugh out loud more

Well I had such a fun year it was only natural to keep laughing! But I experienced so much this year: Meeting the Band of Blues and Royal, taking photos for Brixton Splash, Brixton Market, Crafty Fox and the Princess Royal, going to North Wales and Bruges and walking so much of London with OH. There were so many great things to choose from but these are the highlights.

And so what lays in store for this year? Well I'm thinking this:

• Be more confident about what I create
• Be crafty every week
• Continue to read more
• Keep blogging
• Stay stress free

 What do you think? Have you made any resolutions? Would be great to hear ....