What’s new? In the Shepherd’s Cottage house, I’ve just put my girls on the school bus, and they’re away to “ask her (their teacher) who her favourite princess is, eat lunch and read Supertato.” A full and quite specific first day in P1!
Although I also had a full and quite specific day planned, I am still in my work-out clothes, drinking coffee while wafting around touching their things and talking to people on WhatsApp. I’ve given myself until 10 o’clock to adjust to this new routine, otherwise – otherwise what? When you don’t have to get up and get out the door to go to work, how do you keep yourself accountable and stick to a work routine at home?
I think I’ve spoken before about one of my favourite bloggers, Elise Blaha Cripe, whose blog and book, Big Dreams, Daily Joys, I’ve found so inspiring. When I was asked recently what I planned to do after the holidays, when the girls were back at school and I was really, and truly, self-employed, I answered “I’m going to make things like it’s my job.” And I thought, aha! Because that is her blog tag line, and suddenly, after years of reading about someone else’s journey, I get to make it my own.
So what am I making? I’ve been working hard to develop the soaps I planned at the beginning of the year – if you’re looking for accountability, nothing is a better motivator than the thought that “I told the internet, and now I have to do it”. I’m collaborating with a local beekeeper on a range of honey and oat soaps, body butters and lip balms, and those should be out end of September. I’m also considering approaching a local coffee roaster about ingredients for a coffee and cocoa soap, which has proved popular with family and friends in the trials, being slightly exfoliating, and smelling deliciously like After Eights. I love working with people, and as I gather ingredients and products for the Shepherds Cottage range, I feel a bit like a curator in a gallery, meeting other makers and growers who pride themselves on creating and nurturing beautiful things.
As well as making soap, I’ve been sourcing fabric and patterns for a range of wash bags to add to the other beautiful bathroom accessories that will be available on the website in the next couple of weeks. It’s incredibly exciting to have new products to share with you all, so watch this space!
Making things is now my actual job. And I’d better get on with it.
