New zest

We’re midway through shooting the new book and I’m absolutely thrilled with how everything is going. The photographer and stylist seem to know exactly what I’m trying to convey with each project and the whole team I’m working with (10 of us, at last count) is comprised of talented, intuitive, hard working women. More on them soon. It’s a real joy to start work each day, and collapse exhausted but satisfied into bed each night. I can’t wait to share more but will have to until next year. It’s given me a new lease of enthusiasm for what I do, which is always lovely.

On the downside, home life has been fraught. We’ve all come down with colds and James was in bed all weekend. Olive gave herself a disastrous haircut days before the shoot (now, thankfully, fixed and quite cool-looking) and threw a massive tanty during her photos. On the work front I couldn’t be more inspired but on a personal level I feel guilty, impatient and harried almost all the time. I’m hoping things settle down soon so I can pay more attention to the two people who make this sort of life possible. Any ideas on the best resource for dealing with tantrums? I’m fresh out of mother’s instinct right now.

But back to happier things: I’ll be working on a couple of campaigns soon to bring upcycled crafts to a wider audience across the country, and can’t wait to share these with you.

For now, a few material things making life more rosy for me to start the week.