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Hello! Hooray! blog

I really believe that it is so important to take time out to be creative, so here on my blog you will find lots of ideas of things to do in your creative time.

We spend so much of our lives focussing on our day jobs that we often miss out on time for making, but finding even small amounts of time to create something with our hands can have a big impact on our productivity and well-being.

Fern stitch wreath hoop

By Clare Albans / January 29, 2021 /

In week 5 of The Happy Stitch Project we’re learning fern stitch. This is the first new stitch that I’ve learnt for the project, and I’ve designed this fern stitch wreath hoop for you to create something simple but beautiful. Add your own text or design in the centre to customise it!

Adding French knots to the geo hoop

By Clare Albans / January 26, 2021 /

    I’m a little bit late with this post for week 4 of The Happy Stitch Project – I’m so sorry! Life is just really hectic at the moment, which is ironic considering we’re in lockdown and aren’t going anywhere…but the juggle is very real! Anyway, this week we’re adding French knots to the…

Anchor to DMC thread conversion chart

By Clare Albans / January 15, 2021 /

The Anchor to DMC thread conversion chart is here – yay! I compiled a DMC to Anchor version last summer, and this has been on the to-do list for a while. It will be super handy if you’re joining in with The Happy Stitch Project!

Link stitch geometric hoop

By Clare Albans / January 15, 2021 /

This link stitch geometric hoop is the perfect project to practice your link stitches! It is designed to be something to work on over time, and I know you’re going to love seeing the geometric pattern build as you add more stitches.

Customised denim jacket

By Clare Albans / January 8, 2021 /

This customised denim jacket is a project from my book, Colourful Fun Embroidery, and it is the perfect project for week 2 of The Happy Stitch Project!

Happy Stitch hoop templates

By Clare Albans / January 7, 2021 /

The Happy Stitch Project is in full swing, and in today’s post I’m sharing these Happy Stitch hoop templates with permission from Helen from @unicornfactoryuk!

Sprinkles hoop for The Happy Stitch Project

By Clare Albans / January 2, 2021 /

This Sprinkles Hoop is the first design for The Happy Stitch Project and I really hope that you enjoy making it to practice the first two stitches, straight stitch and back stitch.

The Happy Stitch Project

By Clare Albans / January 1, 2021 /

Welcome to The Happy Stitch Project! I’m so excited to be launching today – yay! This whole project basically came about when I got stuck in a creative rut a couple of months ago, and I knew that I wanted to come up with something to get me out of it. It was during a…

Baby bat Halloween costume

By Clare Albans / October 16, 2020 /

I made this baby bat Halloween costume four years ago now, and it has taken me so long to write this post that both of our children have actually worn it!

Transferring designs onto fabric with vellum paper

By Clare Albans / October 6, 2020 /

Transferring designs onto fabric with vellum paper is a great permanent method. It works with a heat transfer pen, so I’ll show you how!

White chocolate rocky road

By Clare Albans / October 2, 2020 /

When I saw this recipe for white chocolate rocky road, I knew that I’d have to bake it with Little One on one of our Wednesdays together.

Cherry and almond cupcakes

By Clare Albans / September 22, 2020 /

Little One loves to bake so much, so when Littlest One is at nursery we always make sure that we bake something. A few weeks ago, we made these cherry and almond cupcakes.

Crafty Colour Palette #5

By Clare Albans / August 9, 2020 /

It has been a long, long time since I put together a new colour palette! I had such a lot of fun creating Crafty Colour Palette #5, which is inspired by my garden.

DMC to Anchor thread conversion chart

By Clare Albans / August 6, 2020 /

This super handy DMC to Anchor thread conversion chart is perfect for embroiderers and cross stitchers who need to reference colours between brands.

Lemon curd ice cream

By Clare Albans / July 31, 2020 /

This delicious lemon curd ice cream recipe is based on a previously blogged recipe for the ultimate vanilla ice cream.

Introducing Colourful Fun Embroidery!

By Clare Albans / July 11, 2020 /

I am so excited to be sharing this post today. Introducing Colourful Fun Embroidery – my first book! 

Life in lock down

By Clare Albans / June 25, 2020 /

Well, I wasn’t expecting to write a post with the title ‘Life in lock down’ in 2020, but I’m guessing that this is pretty much how we all feel about the current situation!

Our creative family manifesto

By Clare Albans / March 19, 2020 /

I created my personal creative manifesto last year, and have found it really helpful in terms of focussing my own goals, intentions and ideas about creativity. I wanted to write our creative family manifesto as a way of extending this to become a way of life, as creativity is so important to us as a…

Say Thank You with Paperless Post

By Clare Albans / December 23, 2019 /

#gifted Saying ‘Thank You’ is so important at Christmas, and today I’m showing you how easy it is to say ‘Thank You’ with Paperless Post!

Primrose Bakery ginger sparkle cookies

By Clare Albans / December 19, 2019 /

These Primrose Bakery ginger sparkle cookies are so delicious and are really sparkly! 

A natter with Zabby Allen from The Procrastination Paper

By Clare Albans / November 29, 2019 /

I’m so excited to be having a natter with Zabby Allen from The Procrastination Paper on my blog today – yay!

Newcastle Etsy Team Christmas gift guide

By Clare Albans / November 26, 2019 /

#sponsored I am passionate about supporting local indie crafters, makers and artists, so this Newcastle Etsy Team Christmas gift guide will give you some great gift ideas which support North East Creatives.

Have yourself a Merry Rainbow Christmas with Etsy

By Clare Albans / November 24, 2019 /

#sponsored I am a big fan of all things rainbow, and it seems like it’s going to be a big trend this Christmas. In today’s post you can Have Yourself a Merry Rainbow Christmas with Etsy, as I share some of my favourite handmade rainbow finds!

My new look website launch

By Clare Albans / November 21, 2019 /

It has been a week since my new look website launch, and I can’t believe how that time has flown! I had intended to write this blog post a little sooner to coincide with the launch, but life happens and it kept getting pushed back. I’m in full-on market prep mode for our Etsy Made…

A little bit about me and my blog

I have certainly found that being creative has helped to improve my mental health over the past few years. I find that when I have the space to take time out to be creative, I feel like I am working on something positive for me. Craft can't fix everything, but it certainly makes me feel good!

 

I am passionate about being creative with my children as well as working on my own projects, so some of my posts will discuss how we juggle our family time with running a small business and everything else in between.

 

Do feel free to get in touch, either by commenting on a post or by completing the contact form.

Clare Albans Hello! Hooray!
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