Catch Up // March Meet the Maker

In case you missed it March Meet the Maker was a fab Instagram challenge set by the lovely Joanne Hawker. Each day for the whole of March there was a prompt related to running a creative business. The idea was that by sharing all these images and captions our Instagram feeds would tell the story behind our businesses. Prompts ranged from 'tools' and 'raw materials' to 'goals', 'creative friends' and 'packaging'. Although it was challenging it was also a really great way to network with other creatives, I've found so many colourful accounts to follow! If you aren't following us already you can find us on Instagram here. 

You can still check it out and see posts from hundreds of makers by searching #marchmeetthemaker on Instagram or clicking here.

Photo a Day // February Catch Up

A little later than planned but here's my Photo a Day catch up from February! It was a busy month with a lot of time spent with friends and family, I celebrated my 24th Birthday and we did some wedding planning (and won our wedding cake!). 

I missed a few days of prompts in February and was originally feeling really guilty about it so had planned to take the missing photos in March, hence why I'm late with this post. I realised I was being daft about it as even though I missed a few days I didn't give up! The important thing is that I enjoy taking photos and don't let this become a chore on the to do list. So if some days life gets in the way, or I forget to take my camera out, that's just the way it is!

The Pinterest board below links to the photos with their prompts, dates and captions if you want to see more. 

Photo a Day // January Catch Up

This year I decided to set myself two challenges; to learn how to sew and to enjoy photography again. David thinks I should have a hobby which isn't work (but work is fun when it's running JillyJilly). Anyway, the photography goal brought me back to the Fat Mum Slim Photo a Day project which (if you've been following us for a while you may remember) I did a few weeks of last year then life or something got in the way. This time I've already gone and completed January and now have a whole month of photos to show for it! I'm so excited about this but mainly because I have been enjoying photography again, getting the proper camera out and looking for my own ways to capture each day's prompt. Plus I've already started February so not giving up yet!

I've decided to keep a Pinterest board of all the photos too as although they are scattered around our Facebook and Instagram I don't want to overload you all with random photographs every day. If you do want to see the pictures with prompts, dates and captions you can do so below or here.

As for sewing, you might notice a couple of the photographs feature my first project! I made a little bow cushion thanks to Sew Crafty's adorable booklet which was in Simply Sewing magazine last year. I can't wait to get started on some more and am determined to make a JillyJilly fabric skirt eventually!

Photo a Day Fortnight #3

 a shape: round confetti and polkadots brighten up the studio // beauty: my favourite beauty product is nail polish // breakfast: strawberries for our breakfast smoothies this week, perfect for sunny mornings!

 inspired: pretty books keep me inspired, never enough time to read them properly but great to pick up and flick through // dark: when it's dark look for stars notebook // this smells so good: bath time treats // something green: green signs pointing out the beautiful sights in York

 paper: beautiful paper from Paper Pod in York // up: Looking up at York Minster // dinner: what's for dinner? our free meal planner printable in action

where I work: I love my desk! The studio is a happy place // an ordinary moment: time for tea, in a JillyJilly mug of course // fluffy: our fluffy little friend // together: yummy ice cream we ate together in York

It's been a busy fortnight (well, three weeks... week 14 photos didn't happen!) and this post is late but that's partly due to us catching up with work after spending a week in York. My brother came to stay before that and we had some beautiful weather, did a bit of gardening and caught up with my Grandparents who were lovely enough to Daisy sit while we were away. If you'd like to hear what we got up to in York, then look out for a post about our trip in the next few days!

Photo a Day Fortnight # 2

after: our new product photos are so much more fun than the 'befores'! // hobby: photography is my favourite hobby and one of the reasons why I like to keep a blog and try photo challenges // text: this is the mug I made for my sister's 21st "21 things I love about you" soon to be available to order

private: my sketchbooks are private until I'm happy with the designs then I might share a peek on Instagram // hand-drawn: a preview of some doodles for new collections // sun-flare: captured while I was back in Aberdeen // leaves: this wrapping paper is so cute, a present from Daisy to Amy!

too much: is there such a thing as too much deco tape..? // a treasure: one of our all time best selling Bottled Treasures // half: half of our heart shaped logo on a business card

I love...: these two dafties // something white: we always have lots of blank mugs in the studio waiting to be printed to order // give: yummy chocolate, one to give to David of course // zen: one of my favourite quotes which reminds me to let go and enjoy life

This is my 2nd 'Photo a Day Fortnight' post and I'm actually quite proud of sticking to the Fat Mum Slim photo a day challenge for 4 weeks. It might seem silly but it's the longest I've ever managed! Of course I've ruined it by falling behind and skipping my fifth week but to be fair we had an Easter promotion on so the shop has been extra busy. I'll get back to it this week though! During the fortnight above we spent some time back in Aberdeen for my sister's 21st Birthday, which was really nice, then had a busy week of catching up after the time off. Next week we're off to York so I'm looking forward to having some more photography time and hopefully enjoying lots of sunshine.

Photo a Day Fortnight # 1

part of me: my rings are like part of me and each mean something or remind me of someone // open: I love our studio open/closed sign, helps me stay out when I'm meant to be finished work for the day // geometric: the only vaguely geometric items in our studio!

out the window: we're so lucky to have this view of the Lomond Hill out the studio window // remedy: a candlelit bubblebath is the perfect remedy for relaxing after a stressful day // sweet: this sweet pattern mug design of ours is one of my favourites just now // young: I love this photo of baby me with my Mum and Dad looking so young

make: we've had to make lots of mugs this week! // floral: Our floral pocket mirrors have been popular for Mother's Day // happy place: Our very pink living room is my happy place, especially when I'm sitting with a pretty cup of tea

details: gift wrapping orders id all in the details // colour: new rainbow colour cupcake stud earrings at JillyJilly this week // favourite: our favourite way to do planning is with tea and scones at Miss Daisy Gifts yum! // small: Daisy is so small; she loves to sit on the desk while I'm working 

Earlier this month I decided to try the Fat Mum Slim Photo a Day challenge over on Instagram. I've failed miserably in the past but now that the prompts are weekly it seems a bit more manageable and although not perfectly on time I'm proud of our first fortnight of photos. This gave me the idea of making a regular 'Photo a Day Fortnight' feature on the blog where I'll share a quick catch up of the photographs from the last two weeks. So here it is! I love this photo challenge as it helps me to stop and appreciate the little things in life which are easy to miss when you're busy getting caught up in work... especially when things go wrong (which David will be sharing a bit about on the blog later this week). Have you tried this or any photo challenges before?