For Mother's Day 2018 (I know, I know - many years ago!), my husband finally agreed to move our two boys into one bedroom and let me have the box bedroom for work. It took a year of asking, but I got there in the end! It made a MASSIVE difference to my efficiency and sanity, as I was no longer having to get my resources out from various rooms to run parties and an after-school craft club.
Skip forward to Mother's Day 2019 and we were close to welcoming child number three to the world! My perfect little setup was about to end - in more ways than one!!!
When the first lockdown began in 2020, the reality of having many of my resources around the house again began to really get on my nerves. Baby number three is an inquisitive little chap and I struggled to keep him safe - and my stuff intact! I had long dreamed of a (massive :D) studio at the bottom of the garden with space for parties and workshops. However, with no income coming in from my side, it would remain a dream.
Until that is, my fairy godmother (AKA Mum) stepped in with a lifeline!
My mum has always been a strong supporter of my sewing and craft business. I'm sure she must've worried about me leaving my teaching career, but she never let on. I started 'Oodles of Craft' the week after I left education, as I couldn't wait to get back into teaching - it's definitely my passion! From choosing the name of my business (love it) and giving me her thoughts (always brutally honest) to being a constant source of support, my mum has been there every step of the way.
During lockdown, she sensed that having to homeschool my two eldest boys, and entertain a one-year-old while working around the various resource boxes was beginning to get on my nerves! I can't think how she picked up on that!!! She very kindly offered to buy me a shed. Now, I was grateful, don't get me wrong, but I politely declined. There was no way that my six sewing machines, boxes of fabric and papers were moving into a shed. They were a pain in the bum, but so are my kids at times and I wouldn't put them in a shed either!!!
The next thing I knew, she'd been doing her research and looking at garden offices. She upped her offer and my husband started to get involved in the discussions. I find money talk awkward. I don't ask for money, I don't like being offered money and I don't accept money that I haven't earned. But, things change, I guess! My husband has been working from home since the first lockdown and had been set up on a picnic table in our bedroom (my one and only sanctuary in the house). He appreciated that my mum was trying to help us all - not just me - by offering.
So, that's where it all started... an incredible gift topped up with a bank loan and we now have an amazing workspace. I'll take you for a tour when we find the time to finish the interior!
Do you have a space you can craft/work in - away from the dining room table?! I'd love to hear about yours...
Zo x
