Throw back Thursday……back to the beginning

I can’t believe in March next year it will be 10 years since I started crocheting. It seems like yesterday!

My mum attempted to teach me when I was a teenager but for me it was way beyond my comprehension. Fast forward 20 years later and I was looking for something I can do from hone to earn an income. I remembered my mum trying to teach me crochet and I thought why not give it another go!

I found the Art of Crochet series at a local news agency and I thought why not! I will give it another go! And to my surprise I actually was learning and making granny squares! Fast forward to today and hundreds of granny squares later I am so glad I gave this beautiful craft another go.

In this world full of hustle and bustle. Rushing around and never having time to even think. Crochet helps me relax and settles my mind. I forget whatever is happening and lose myself in the world of colour and yarn. I have learnt so much and made some amazing friends along the way! Looking forward to what the next 10 years will bring! Thank you for joining me on this journey and I look forward to many more years!

Thank you for reading my post and I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead!

Vicky

What a week it has been!!!!

Do you ever get the feeling you should have stayed in bed! Well parts of this week have certainly felt like that! Sometimes you feel like you are working for nothing putting in endless hours and not getting any results. You just want to give up. Its at that moment I do precisely the opposite. I keep going. Its on those days that I have had the absolute worst day, or encountered the absolute worst people that even though the universe says give it up, I am sending you this situation and these people to tell you stop right there! that I pull my socks up even higher and plough through.

I have come to far to stop, I have invested too much to let it all go. Ten years! Yes that right well almost 9 years and 7 months to be precise, 10 years in March next year, to just give into the universe and its annoying whispers. Look I could fall flat on my face but I am going down fighting!

Vickys Handcrafted Designs was born out of the desire to do something for my family, to contribute to our income and to teach my kids about the value of hard work and the magic of handmade products. Handmade items have been in our family for generations. I have said this before and I will say it again. There is nothing more precious than holding something your grandmother or great grandmother or someone has made with their own two hands. They have spent hours, mostly likely at night, to create something beautiful for someone to treasure.

So here I am at the end of an exhausting week saying I am going to keep going, moving right along. I have way to much in my head that I want to create to just let it all go. So if you have a chance take a look in my online shop and see all the hours of hard work packaged beautifully for you. Not only my work but also that of other creators and artisans that I wanted to share with you.

Thank you as always for reading my posts. I really appreciate it and the time you take. Thank you for all the likes and comments. Its means the world to me.

Take care and until next time I wish you all a fabulous weekend.

Vicky

Pretty in Pink – Newborn Gift Box

I am excited to announce I have a new gift box available soon in my online shop.

Pretty in Pink is a selection of handcrafted items made by myself and local designers and artisans. A baby being born is a very special occasion and what better way to celebrate than with a gift that’s beautifully crafted by talented artists.

Pretty in Pink Gift box

Take a look at my Instagram page for details http://www.instagram.com/vickys_handcrafted_designs

Thank you for reading my posts. I will update you all soon when I list them gift box.

Vicky

My new best friend…..

Move over George Foreman grill I have found a new best friend! The Russell Hobbs Multifunction benchtop oven!

Russell Hobbs Oven

This oven is amazing! It bakes, it grills, it air fry’s and toasts bread!

It has an easy to clean pull out tray they catches all the crumbs comes with 3 trays plus the crumb tray.

It’s not a bulky unit so would fit most benchtops. To clean just wipe with a clean damp cloth and wash removal trays in warm soapy water. Make sure to dry thoroughly before putting back in the oven. I bought mine from Big W.

Overall I give it a 10/10 for efficiency, reliability and time saving. Best of all the oven heats up quickly so no waiting time!

Thank you for reading my blog post! Wishing you all a wonderful day!

Vicky

Motivational Monday!

It’s that time of the week again! New week! New start. New adventures, new ideas.

Motivational Monday

Being motivated is not easy especially in a time like this. Most of us are lockdown, away from friends and family, some not being able to work, some suffering from this horrible virus. It’s a time where really we feel we lost all hope.

Here are some ways that have helped me keep motivated and keep going even when I didn’t want to.

  1. Write a list of goals you would like to achieve. Include a timeline to achieve them. Make sure to cross each goal off as you achieve it. This will give you the incentive to keep going as you achieve each goal you will be motivated to start the next
  2. Talk to someone about your goals and get them to ask you about them. This helps motivate you because you know they will ask you, you will have to have something to show for your efforts.
  3. Take up a craft or art or listen to music. By exploring your creative side this helps you relax and unwind. It gives you confidence and a sense of achievement. This in turn will motivate you to complete your goals and move on to the next one. This steps is an especially helpful one for me.
  4. Give yourself an award for completing your goal. Once you have set your goal and completion date, set yourself an award for completing your goal. For instance once I finish writing that management report I will buy those new shoes I wanted. Setting rewards and rewarding yourself gives you the motivation to complete your goals knowing you will receive so in the end.
  5. Eat well, get rest, do some exercise. Not eating properly or sleeping properly hinders your success rate. You will feel tired and defeated. This was a big factor for me. I was a big junk food addict. This left me feeling tired and feeling sick, in turn I had no energy to do anything. I switched to a low carb diet and started exercising. Now I can’t wait to get up and start getting things done. Sugar is a big factor in causing fatigue. You might get bursts of energy but then you will fall flat. A low GI diet will give you continuous energy through out the day and in turn this will make you be more productive.

Well the above points are all factors that have helped me. I hope they will be of help to you! Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead.

Vicky

Pumpkin & Sausage Risotto

A perfect meal for those nights when you are tired and want something quick nutritious to eat.

Serves 4-5

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time 30-40 minutes

Ingredients

1 pack beef sausages (roughly 6-8)

1 onion

2 medium sweet potatoes

1/2 butternut pumpkin

1 punnet of cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon of chives

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup rice

2 cups chicken stock plus extra water

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1) chop vegetables and sausages into bite size pieces.

2) add oil to heavy based sauté pan, stir fry sausages and vegetables until sausages are brown.

3) Add uncooked rice and stir through. Pour in chicken stock and stir through, let mixture come to a boil and then turn down heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until rice is cooked.

4) Turn off heat and stir through Parmesan cheese and chives. Serve .

Thank you for reading. If you share my recipe please credit my page as this is my original recipe. All ingredients bought from https://www.woolworths.com.au

Finally Finished!

It’s finally finished my #spinyourgrannysquareblanket

Check out the photos below!

Spin Your Granny Square Blanket Crochet AlongPattern designed by: Kylie from @stitchedupcraft
Yarn: knitting room 8 ply acrylic Colours: Fuscia, Vanilla and Dusty pinkHook size: 4.5mm
#spinyourgrannysquareblanket #spinyourgrannysquare #crochetblanket #grannysquareblanket #grannysquare #grannysquares #grannysquareday2021 #instacrochet #crochet #crochetlove #stitchedupcraft #vickyshandcrafteddesigns

http://instagram.com/vickys_handcrafted_designs

This blanket will be part of a gift set. Stay tuned for details.

Powered by WordPress.com.

Up ↑

%d