Projects Incomplete - what projects will you start or restart in 2015?

At the end of last year we were thrilled to add a new member of staff to the Ministry of Craft team. The lovely Jennifer Stevens joined us at Ministry HQ as our new Operations Supervisor. Obviously Jennifer is super organised and efficent, BUT, like most of us, she's also super crafty too! 

Our Jen!

I enjoyed reading her personal craft blog last week, Humilde Folk Art & Craft, (definitely worth a follow) about a new challenge she has set herself for 2015: Projects Incomplete. Could you finish off all of your half completed or unfinished projects in one year? Jennifer intends to do just that:

"It’s the time of year when we’re all trying to get back to being the best versions of our selves. I love the New Year, for me it’s a chance to really think about what I’m doing and how I can push myself to do better in the coming year.

Paper cut house using scraps of paper

2014 was a year of change for me. I quit my awful office job and started working part time for a company I love. And with my new found freedom and extra time I’ve been able to pursue my creative endeavours, which I’ve been trying to do for years but was always too beaten down by working in an environment that didn’t suit me.

This all brings me to my own 2015 ‘project’, one you can join in with too. I have met many creative people and it seems to me that one of the bad habits of being creative is hoarding! Hoarding materials and ideas and letting them waste away in corners. This year I’m going to clean out those corners, I’m going to attempt to finish every little project I have started or planned instead of letting it go to waste.

It’s an experiment of sorts, how will it feel if I really complete every project? What new skills will I learn by pushing myself to act on my ideas? I will share my journey from start to finish, however bad or good the outcome.

So here’s my first one: a paper cut I planned to do before Christmas but ran out of time. It hasn’t turned out as well as I would like and has made me think the design might work better as a print (another one for the list!) but I’m pleased I got it done and I have plenty more to get on with tomorrow!"

Jen's latest papercut

So which crafty challenges will you be joining in with or setting up for 2015? Will you join Jennifer with your Projects Incomplete? How about a making it a Make Do & Mend Year like Jen Gale? Keep us in the loop, join in the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram, and keep up the good work!

#ProjectsIncomplete 

January Sales - top 5 sales in the craftiverse

The sales are ON! I'm not one for fast fashion, I like the treasure hunt of the charity shop and the jousting of a jumble sale. But what I like even more is making the things that I need by my very own hand. Here's our top 5 sales to scour for your crafting essentials, fabric and trimmings...

1. Abakhan. 
Obvs. I'll be buying heavyweight tartan to make another of my staple Ministry of Craft tunics.

2. John Lewis.
Very good quality but normally kinda pricey so go nuts in their clearance. I'll be buying this geo design oil cloth (even though it's NOT in the clearance, dammit!) to cover my lovely pine dining table which has been desecrated by my kids and their chunky felt tips.

3. Elephant in My Handbag.
They've got lots of deliciously festive tidbits in their sale. Stock up for next Christmas!

4. Laura Ashley. We are smitten with their wall papers since running a bloggers workshop last month. I'll be buying a roll in their sale and making origami gift boxes and bows all year for birthdays and festivities.

5. Fred Aldous.
You can shop online but really you've got to go in to Fred's to understand why it's so darn cool. Peruse the sale, get yourself some sparkly bling or chunky yarn, peep into our classrooms while you're there and then retire to Fig + Sparrow for a coffee, or maybe Ginger's Comfort Emporium (upstairs in Afflecks Palace) for an ice cream. That's pretty much my perfect day right there. *Grabs keys, heads into town*