Hello there, I hope you’re faring well and managing to recharge during this mid-winter period - it's pretty bleak weather at the moment, but it's always a good reminder to slow right down! I’ve just come back from a much needed break away and spent the last couple of days in Ross-On-Wye. The weather wasn’t great, and I ended up feeling unwell, but we did spend plenty of time resting and sleeping in this beautiful little treehouse - it truly was bliss and just what my soul needed.
January is always a good time to take a step back and breathe, look back to the last year and reflect on everything. I’m not going to lie, this last year has been really bittersweet.. It has been a year full of grief and personal challenges - especially at the start, but it has also been a year full of new beginnings and new opportunities. It's hard to embrace those moments when everything is so clouded by the darker chapters, but we made it, and I know that I’ve only just started heading down the path that I’ve wanted for so long, and despite all the sadness, I’m (just about) making it work. I quit my support worker role back in August to open a new cafe in The Old Drumbank Studios with my partner Pat (also co-runs Once In a Blue Moon Cafe), and to run Urraca Studios, and I’ve been fully self-employed for about 5 months now! It has taken me a while to adjust to this, and I certainly don’t feel like I can give my full creative attention to Urraca Studios, whilst we are still setting up a another new business, but I'm still enjoying the brief moments of winter sunshine, making your beautiful jewellery!
With that in mind, I have some upcoming markets that you might want to pencil in:
Saturday 31st January
Saturday 28th February
Saturday 28th March
For now I’m just taking it slow and letting myself to rest in the deep depths of winter, especially with the price of metals being so volatile, and the world feeling so uncertain at the moment. I'm allowing myself the space to work out what feels right and where I would like Urraca Studios to go in the future, so I’ll be mostly making stock to replenish sales for now - I hope you’ll stick around in the meantime!