Category: Blogging

Posted in Blogging, crafting, intentional living, journalling, lifestyle, memory keeping, reflective journalling

Currently… Life update March 2025

Posted on by Laura

It feels like it’s quite a while since I did a life update and with signs of spring emerging, including the sunshine which is currently streaming through my craft room window, I thought I’d do another one to share what’s going on for me right now. Before I start my next paragraph, I’m going to open a new window (on my computer rather than in my room as it’s still pretty chilly today) and look back at my last similar post to see how things have changed.

Currently reading…

…a family mystery called The Midnight Hour by Eve Chase. The book, which is mainly set in Notting Hill, London, swaps between two timelines – (one in the late 1990s and the other, the present day, twenty years later) and tells the story of Maggie and her little brother Kit. It’s the second book I’ve read by this author, and, although it’s not a total page turner like my usual murder mystery and police procedural books generally are, there are a few twists and turns and the storyline is holding my interest well. Unfortunately, it’s taking me a good while to finish any of my books at the moment as when I clamber into bed at around 10.30pm, I’m usually so tired that I can barely keep my eyes open to read a couple of chapters.

This year, I’ve got into audio books and although I haven’t purchased the above one on Audible, the next novel I have lined up was only £1.99 on Kindle and then £2.99 for the accompanying audiobook so good for my tight budget. Plus, it’s set in the USA, so I figured it would be nice to hear some of it read in an American accent. For my first audio book, Geneva by Richard Armitage, I read the whole thing on Kindle and then listened to the audiobook, whereas for my second read, I alternated between reading bits and listening to bits and I think I’ll probably do this for my next read too.

Currently loving…

…addictive word games. I’m a real fan of any kind of word game and a couple of months ago, I was introduced to Wordle and have loved playing ever since. The app, which I have on my mini tablet, features a web based word game where you are given six chances to guess a five letter word. Each time you guess a letter correctly, it turns yellow if it’s in the word but in the wrong location or green if it’s in the correct place within the word. There’s a daily puzzle which I enjoy doing straight after my breakfast to get my brain going and I also regularly compete against other players to be the first to get 25 points by guessing in as small a number of tries as possible. A good understanding of word patterns is put to use as you play and I find it great fun, particularly if I manage to guess the word within a couple of attempts.

Currently making…

…infusible ink projects to get more use out of my Cricut EasyPress 2. One of my goals for this year is to make a number of infusible ink and iron of projects using Cricut Design Space, my JoyXtra and my Easypress 2 medium. I’ve had a blank tote bag for a while now and also bought a set of 3 cosmetic bags in different sizes. I made a little bag for my niece last year but I wanted to do some designs for myself. This week, I’ve added a design to the tote bag using a gorgeous deep purple galaxy infusible ink paper. It didn’t turn out perfect as the ink didn’t completely transfer properly the first time, so I had to re-do it by trying to line the sheet up again, but it’s okay and I love the positivity of the sentiment.

I’m not sure that the photo shows off the colours and the sparkles too well but I experimented with hanging the bag in different locations and this was the best I could do without resorting to using my DSLR camera and Photoshop.

Photo credit: Laura Jones for Keeping It Creative

Currently working on…

… completing the initial chapter of my Marie Kondo Tidying Companion workbook. This was one of my goals for February but I didn’t realise how time consuming it would be. At the moment, I’m taking lots of photos of the storage we have upstairs and downstairs in out home, plus lots of snaps of the before of our home. My final task, when I’ve cropped and stuck in all of the photographs, is to pencil in a tidying timeline, set some intentions and record how I’m currently feeling about the process of decluttering my home.

Currently planning…

…a big garden tidy up, setting seeds, chitting our seed potatoes ready for planting and adding some more spring colour to our beds. I put my back out doing some (supposedly helpful) stretches in bed last week and it’s just starting to get back to normal after having to take co-codamol regularly for a number of days. Next week, my husband and I are hoping to schedule in some time to do some gardening jobs including clearing up brown and shrivelled leaves from the beds, mowing the lawn (which disgustingly is currently covered in bird poo from visiting woodpigeons) and cutting back various dead bits of plants. The council will soon be starting brown garden waste bin collections so we want to make the most of our payment for this service. I also want to get some new primulas to add a bit more bright colour as some of ours got killed off last year (who knows why!).

Final words…

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my mini life update and it has inspired you to reflect on all of the things that you have going on right now. If you don’t have your own blog on which to share your “currently…” you could maybe try make a few notes in a journal under your own headings that you can look back on in the future to see how your life changes over time and with the seasons.

Wishing you a wonderful springtime,

Posted in Blogging, crafting, creativity, Cricut, goal setting, Health and Nutrition, Home cooking, intentional living, life hacks, lifestyle, manifestation, mindset, personal development, Planning and journaling, reflective journalling, Setting goals and intentions, watercolour painting

Setting up my 2025 Vision Board

Posted on by Laura

Last year, for some unknown reason, I think I must have decided against making a 2024 vision board. I’m not sure why, but maybe I didn’t feel up to it or perhaps I had a variety of commitments at the beginning of January and decided it was too late in the month to work on one.

For 2025, I decided that, for me personally, it’s not really important to have the board finished in super quick time and it doesn’t matter if I’m still working on it towards the end of January. I wanted to have a slow start to the first month, really pondering over what I would like the year to look like. I found it helpful to revisit a couple of old blog posts of mine in which I’d talked about key questions you could ask yourself to prepare your mind and what to actually do to improve your chances of manifesting everything you’ve visualised for the year.

I decided to create a larger display, rather than using two pages in my bullet journal as then I can have it on my craft room / office wall to look at all year round. I also chose to combine images, motivational sayings, affirmations and a few cute decorative elements to make it visually appealing. I’ve spend days thinking about what I truly want this year, flicking through a huge stash of Psychologies magazines, answering deep questions from my previous vision board posts, journalling my thoughts and closing my eyes to visualise things. I’m so glad I put lots into the preparation as my 2025 vision board is now complete and turned out exactly how I wanted it. I can’t wait to share a photograph of the finished product!

And here it is…

Photo credit: Laura Jones for Keeping It Creative

My main categories

Diet – The plan this year is to eat more plant-based goodies than ever before. We’ve made so many healthy and delicious vegan dishes this Veganuary and we’ve also found a cafe that has a range of vegan friendly cake options. It’s getting easier and easier to eat a plant based diet and my husband and I have already made a number of changes over the years such as soya milk on our cereal and oat milk in our hot drinks, vegan spread on our bread, lots of plant based alternatives to meat such as soya mince, veggie sausages, VLTs etc.

Creativity – I want to develop my watercolour skills even further this year, whilst also engaging in mindful and calming activity after busy days. I got a gorgeous book for Christmas which provides exploratory activities and projects with a nature theme. I want to incorporate a weekly slot of time to experiment and develop a range of techniques.

Blogging – I want to spend more time promoting my blog posts so that I develop a wider readership. I used to consistently post pins on Pinterest but I’ve let this slide over the last few years. I get plenty of readers but I want to reach individuals who do not have their own blog as well as those who are keen bloggers.

PCPI work – I thoroughly enjoy my work at the university but it’s really important to me that I’m making as much of a difference as I can to the students. I particularly want to develop my feedback skills for medicine sessions, particularly with young adults who are in the initial stages of their uni course.

Kaizen – I recently started a short book called The Little Book of Kaizen – The Japanese art of transformation, one small step at a time. I’m enjoying reading it and doing the exercises at the beginning. The idea really appeals to me, so, to make sure it’s a focus for me this year, I’ve added a photograph of the mini book on my vision board with a view to working through all of the chapters. I’ve even pick out a cute notebook to use to jot things down and I’m using my fountain pen to write beautifully inside.

Cricut – As you probably already know, I’m obsessed with making stickers and cutting them using my Joy Xtra. However, I also have the smaller Joy machine and also invested in the EasyPress 2 when it was on offer at a discount. I have lots of vinyl and HTV as well as some iron on papers so I want to spend time this year getting creative and using them all up. I have so many ideas but I now need to schedule time to actually get making things. I added a Cricut bug sticker to watch over me and remind me to have more fun playing with my machines.

Getting organised – We have a lot of stuff in our house and some of it needs purging. As well as trying to use up craft materials before buying any more, I also want to re-organise our home so it’s easy to clean and keep tidy.

Final words…

That’s everything on my vision board for this year and to ensure that everything on the display comes into fruition, I will be checking in with it at the beginning of each month and using the different aspects to set mini monthly goals. I’ve developed pages in my bullet journal to list my goals and I’ll make sure at least some of them relate to things I want to manifest throughout the year.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my board and that it’s inspired you to have a go at creating your own. It doesn’t matter if you don’t get around to it for a few weeks – there’s still plenty of days left in the year to take action.

Good luck!

Posted in Blogging, lifestyle, reflective journalling

Currently… Life update October 2024

Posted on by Laura

The last time I did a life update was in the summertime of this year so I figured that, as we’re now well into the autumn season, it’s time to write a new one. Before starting, I’ve made some brief notes on what I’m up to right now and how I’m feeling at the moment.

Currently reading…

About once a week, I check out the Kindle charts to peruse the popular books and select a few to download. I also regularly visit Waterstones to see what’s new. This month, I’ve decided to try a few different authors and I’m currently reading a novel by Simon McCleave called The Snowdonia Killings which is a crime thriller set in North Wales. I found it a little difficult to get into at first but I’m now enjoying it more. The only other book I’m dipping into at the moment is The Happiness Year, where I’m selecting Autumnal exercises to try.

Currently watching…

There’s so many good television series on in the autumn and I made a list of all of the ones I want to check out. At the moment were watching:

  • Joan – a crime drama inspired by the true story of a woman who becomes a jewellery thief in a bid to provide for her young daughter who is currently under the care of social services
  • Ludwig – a crime / comedy drama starring reclusive puzzle lover David Mitchell who poses as his twin brother, a police detective, to try to find out why he has disappeared and ends up solving a number of crimes along the way
  • The Voice Season 13 – the popular British singing competition where individuals (and the occasional group or duet) take to the stage to perform in the hope of get at least one chair turn and the chance to work with the support of a celebrity coach

Currently eating…

Since the beginning of autumn, we’ve been enjoyed cooking together and trying out a range of online recipes for vegetarian soups and stews. Over the next few weeks, I’m hoping to type out the recipes with any modifications we’ve made, to add to our little recipe folder that I keep in the kitchen.

Currently drinking…

As the weather gets colder, I’m starting to crave hot chocolate and I’ve discovered that it tastes much better made with oat milk rather than the soya milk I used last year. However, cartons of oat milk are much more pricey so I’m trying to only have it as an occasional treat.

Currently feeling…

I’m feeling a bit sorry for myself at the moment as I have a painful sprained wrist after falling over on the beach and it’s taking ages to heal. Also, I’ve been unable to hear through my left ear for two months due to impacted wax and I’ve been trying various remedies to no avail. I’ve finally seen a doctor about it and will be getting it syringed at the surgery later in the month. I’m grateful that they’ve started to offer this treatment again though!

Currently crafting…

I’ve bought a couple of mini cross stitch kits from Mouseloft to do this autumn. I’m currently working on a cute little squirrel called Cyril who is holding up a prized acorn. The other kit, which is also from the ‘In The Woods’ collection, features a mouse peering around a tiny toadstool. These kits are super quick to do and intend to custom frames for them so I can add them to my seasonal decor next month and for years to come.

Image credit: Laura Jones for Keeping It Creative

Currently working on…

I started adding some new products to my Etsy Shop last month and I hope to continue with this during October. Some of the charms are winter and Christmas related, whilst others will be available all year round. It takes me a while to take all of the photos with my DSLR and, as it keeps raining, the lighting isn’t too good!

Currently enjoying…

As the dark nights draw in, there’s plenty of time for indoor hobbies and one which I’m particularly enjoying right now is doing 1000 piece jigsaws. At the moment, I’m doing a Gibson’s one called curious creatures and it has four panels going across – minibeasts, land mammals, birds and aquatic life. After I’ve finished doing my jigsaws, I pass them on to my mum and dad to do. They then donate them to a charity shop for someone else to enjoy. During days out, they scour various charity shops for jigsaws to do. They then save them for me so we’ve always got a good stash to keep us busy.

As well as being fun, doing jigsaws is an excellent way to challenge and exercise the brain.

Final words…

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my mini life update and it’s made you think about all of the things that you have going on at the moment. I’d love to hear about your current favourite hobbies and if you tend to enjoy different activities depending on the particular season.

Posted in Blogging, lifestyle, reflective journalling

Currently… Life update July 2024

Posted on by Laura

So, the plan was to do one of these every three to six months but I’ve just checked my published post list and it seems I haven’t done one since June 2023! Anyway, I enjoyed looking back at last year’s post and seeing what’s changed and what’s stayed the same. I’m still reading lots of books at the same time, and it appears that two of them were started this time last year and are still on the go now. I’m also continuing to love seeing the wildlife in our garden but I’m upset that the hedgehogs who used to visit last year are no longer coming – our hog biscuits are being polished off by various other creatures included neighbourhood cats, a fox, a cute little mouse and what appears to be a baby rat (the images and videos on our wildlife camera show a twitchy nosed character who is bigger than the mice we’ve seen featured onscreen!). Here’s some more things which are currently filling my days…

Currently reading…

I now record my reading on Storygraph (rather than using my bullet journal) and at the moment, I have 9 titles listed as current reads. However, a few of them have been shelved for a little while so here’s the ones I’m actually grabbing on a regular basis:

  • Prickly Company by Kitty Johnson – a lovely romantic fiction book which features the goings on of a street called Hilltop Place and a side story of hedgehogs visiting gardens via a ‘hedgehog highway’. If you’re looking for a light read coupled with facts about hedgehogs (and a possibly unexpected twist), this is the book for you! It’s taken me so long to finish this blog post that I’ve now actually finished reading this one and have moved on to the book directly below.
  • Salt Slow – this is a book of short stories by Julia Armfield which caught my attention when I was reading a book related blog. Described as a collection of gothic, magical realism, the stories are like nothing I’ve read before. I’ve enjoyed some of them more than others so far but my favourites have stayed with me well after the conclusion.
  • Feel Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal – I put this down for a bit and picked it up a few days ago when I was chillaxing in front of our tower fan on a very warm day. As I’ve been reading, I’ve been using a highlighter pen to highlight interesting lines and paragraphs. At a later date, I’m going to summarise the highlights in written form.
  • The Happiness Year: How to Find Joy in Every Season by Tara Ward – full of seasonal tasks to help you find the joy during Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, no matter which is your favourite and which you least prefer.

Currently feeling…

I’ve recently made some changes to my diet which have helped me to feel better about myself. So far, I’ve lost 9lb which I’m really pleased with as two of the medications which I take for my Bipolar disorder have a side effect for me of increased appetite and tiredness which have led to weight gain over the past few years. I’ve tried really hard to modify my eating habits after a doctor recently told me that my cholesterol level was a little on the high side. Changes I’ve made include:

  • cutting out sweets – bye bye Colin The Caterpillar sweets from M&S and other gummy favourites!
  • choosing healthier breakfast cereal – supermarket own brand Weetabix every day (no more crunchy nut cornflakes) and Special K to ve reintroduced when my crown has settled)
  • sticking with our vegan spread on bread for sandwiches and in white sauces rather than using up the butter purchased for a particular recipe (only having butter when we go out for a meal)
  • watching my portion sizes – having a small handful of crisps from a large packet rather than a full individual bag, reducing the amount/type of table sauces and dressing e.g. mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, less calorie laden salad dressings etc, having one or two biscuits instead of three, checking the portion sizes on boxes, packets and tins, making sure most of my plate is full of fruit and veg etc.
  • not having so many treats on weekends (less cakes, ice creams, less calorific desserts etc)

Currently working on…

I’m trying really hard to spend time working on our garden each day so that plants thrive (apart from those irritating weeds that seem to pop up everywhere within days), deadheading is done regularly, leaves and stems are checked for disease and little critters such as greenfly, snails and slugs and evaluations of fauna which helps us to see if our spaces are wildlife friendly. At the moment, it feels like I’m not dedicating enough hours each week to keep on top of things, but I’m trying to be happy with the progress we are making in our front and back spaces rather than noticing all of the bits we haven’t got around to!

Currently creating…

I have two creative journals on the go at the moment – my summer 2024 TN insert and another insert for our North Wales holiday last month. I’ve printed lots of photos from my phone, manipulated images taken on my dslr in Photoshop and have made stickers and ephemera for decorating the various pages. I’ve also got postcards, tickets, receipts and other bits and pieces for tipping in too. Now I just need to dedicate some time each week for creating the spreads.

Currently enjoying…

I love summer time as it means I can enjoy a range of fresh and juicy fruits and easily get my 5 a day seven days a week. I love mango, raspberries, nectarines, peaches, watermelon, pineapple and sweet oranges but my absolute favourite are strawberries. Although not as healthy as enjoying them on their own, I’ve bought some cooking chocolate and for dipping them in as a special summer treat. If you seen my bucket list, you’ll also know that I plan on making strawberry lemonade at some point soon.

Final words…

If I’m going to be in with a chance of this being published any time soon, I think I’ll have to leave it there. As before, I encourage my readers who have their own blog to give writing a ‘Currently…’ post a go as it is an interesting way to evaluate your current priorities and, over time, see how they have changed.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about what I’m currently up to in July 2024. I think I might add a date to my bullet journal future log for starting the next update so I don’t leave it too long next time!

Posted in art, Blogging, creativity, lifestyle, memory keeping, Planning and journaling

Top Tips for a Successful December Daily in 2022

Posted on by Laura

This year, as I’m in a good place with my mental health for the first Christmas in a while, I’ve decided to do another December Daily challenge. I made a TN style journal quite a few years ago and I found it really enjoyable. The finished booklet looks great, and I have loved looking through it this month as a wonderful reminder of the things we did in December 2018. I can’t wait to get started on my 2022 album but I’m trying to make sure I’m well prepared and have everything I need to meet with success. I was amazed by the array of YouTube videos which showed people still working on their 2021 album in September of this year – some of them with pages and pages still to complete! With this in mind, I decided to write today’s blog post which focuses on my top tips to make sure that the process goes smoothly and ultimately, that the challenge is completely by the end of the holiday season (or at least by the end of January 2023).

What is December Daily?

The idea for December Daily was created by Ali Edwards who is a designer, blogger, workshop instructor and author based in the USA. She has a passion for memory keeping, capturing everyday life with photographs, words and decorative elements. On her website she has this to say about the project:

December Daily® is a December mini-album project that documents the 25 days leading up to Christmas. The simple goal is to capture the spirit of December via one story per day.

Since 2007 this project has become one of the highlights of my year and a beautiful community of memory keepers has come together to share their December stories with one another. It’s an awesome way to document and celebrate the season.

Tips for a successful and fun December Daily

As part of the preparation for my 2022 December Daily, I’ve watched lots of inspirational videos, read bits and pieces about the project online in various blogs, and collected a number of tips and ideas. As I explained earlier, I’ve seen quite a number of YouTube videos of people still working on their album for 2021, despite the fact that we’re getting close to December 2022. If I was in this situation, I would be worrying that I’m never going to get there and may have already abandoned the project part way through (and likely with feelings of guilt about all the time and money I’d spent). So, below are my top tips for success, enjoyment and a timely completion.

Start by watching YouTube videos and reading blog posts for inspiration

You already know the main idea behind December Daily but there are so many different ways to approach the project. Well before the start of the month (I began in October!), it’s a good idea to watch a range of videos and read blog posts for inspiration and composition ideas. You’ll find that some creatives prepare a mini album before they begin, leaving space for photos and journalling, whilst others use a 6×8 D rings binder and make up the pages as they go. As well as seeing different layouts, you will also find many variations in shape and sizes of journal. There are pros and cons to all of the different methods, layouts and album sizes, and of course, there is the cost to consider – the more supplies you want to use and therefore need to purchase, the more expense involved.

When watching videos and reading blog posts, I like to make notes and sketch the detail of layout ideas so I can remember my favourites at a later date and seek inspiration from them if I get stuck. I’ve also collected lots of ‘story’ and photo ideas on Pinterest and then copied out my favourites in my bullet journal to refer to throughout the month. I only chosen prompts which are relevant to me and my family situation.

Consider which supplies you want

Before you embark on the project, think about what you might need to complete it. Doing the above should have helped but you might also want to sit down and create a list in preparation for purchasing items. For example, I decided I wanted to do a 6×8 album with some of the pages inside page protectors and some just reinforced with card. I also love the idea of lots of different layouts and photo sizes so I took this into consideration too, again making notes about my ideas. I ordered my album and page protectors pretty early on as when I looked at available options, I noticed some of the ones I liked were almost sold out as they had been released last year. I chose an Echo Park white album with poinsettias, holly, berries, snowflakes and spruce stems on and I still absolutely love it!

6×8 Album from a collection by Echo Park

Other items to think about could be Christmassy papers in 12×12 size or smaller, glittery number stickers for labelling each day, journalling cards, gift tags, stickers, washi tapes, ephemera, ribbons, twine for attaching tags, sequins for shaker pockets, glue sticks and tape runners, maybe even a fuse tool for sealing shaker pockets – the possibilities are endless.

I also made sure I ordered my supplies from a company based in the UK as I wanted to make sure my items were received quickly with no chance of being stung by customs fees. There are lots of resources on Ali’s own website which look amazing, but they would end up being very costly! Although I’m prepared to spend quite a bit on the project, I did create a fixed budget, so I don’t overspend.

Choose your main items from one designer collection

If you want all of your pages to go together really well, it’s best to have a specific colour palette and style throughout. An easy way to achieve this is to choose items from a particular collection or at least from a particular designer. For example, this year, all of my supplies (ordered online using the Craftie Charlie website) are from Carta Bella’s ‘Home For Christmas’ and ‘Happy Christmas’ collections. I also purchased a few bits and pieces from Hobbycraft a few months ago but if these don’t go with my new supplies, I’ll use them for decorating my bullet journal instead.

December Daily Supplies from Craftie Charlie

Think about creating some foundation pages

Before December begins, you might want to consider making some foundation pages. These are pages which are done in advance to give yourself a head start on the project. For example, you might create a cover page which includes a title and the year 2022. You might also have a go at making particularly crafty stuff pages and elements such as shakers (containing sequins or glitter), sewn materials or multi-layer bits and pieces,

You could also create a page which explains your reason why. This is short piece of journalling which says why you’re doing the project and what you hope to get out of it. Is it a way of recording your little one’s first Christmas? Is it a chance for you to have more fun this December? Is it a way of winding down each evening by doing some journalling or is it more of a photographic challenge for you? Again, this is totally personal to you. You might want to watch videos or read about what it means to others, but you may have completely different ideas and reasoning.

This year, as one of her foundation pages, Ali Edwards created a table of contents, and this idea appeals to me too so I might give it a go. You can view her first set up video here. I’ve subscribed so I can watch all of her videos as and when she shares her creative process.

Journal your experiences and how you feel in the moment

I’m going to carry around a very small notebook in my bag wherever I go during the month of December so I can make notes about my experiences and how I feel. This means that even if I don’t do the page for that day straightaway, I’ll still have a record of the key details and my emotions at the time. You could also create a page on your phone using an app such as Notion if you would rather write things down electronically. Also, make sure you take lots of photos so you have plenty to choose from – let your family and friends know about the project so they can help with image ideas.

Above all, have fun!

December Daily is potentially a wonderful and fun memory keeping challenge to do, but it won’t be if you get yourself stressed and worried about getting everything perfect! Remember, there are no right or wrong ways to go about it – it should be completely personal to you and as simple or creative as you want. You may use lots of photos and decorative elements, or you may just do a series of simple journal entries.

The holiday season can be incredibly busy and it’s important to find time each day for rest and relaxation. This may mean working on your daily entry in the evening to help you wind down, but alternatively, it could mean that you make up most or all of your album after Christmas, when you are able to devote a few hours each day to some enjoyable and mindful creating, working at your own pace. If you want to spend most of next year finishing your creative project and this is what would make you happiest, go for it! Whatever you do, keep it fun!

Final words…

I hope you’ve found today’s post useful, and the tips have helped you with preparing yourself for doing your own December Daily project. Let me know if you’re going to give it a go or if you’re taking part in another challenge for the festive season e.g. Blogmas where you try out new and fun things on your blog related to Christmas. Although I’m not doing Blogmas this year, I’ll hopefully find the time to do a few blog posts next month as well – I might even share a few of my favourite December Daily pages as I go along too.