I spent much of last year wishing I had time to rejig the design of this here blog, and sadly that time never materialized. Today, on the last day of the holidays I found myself with not enough time to start any of the big new projects on my list, and a desire to spend a fair bit of time in my pjs. Mucking around with Photoshop and Typepad therefore seemed like a swell thing to do. I'm hoping this design is a bit simpler overall (I've removed a number of content elements including most of the ads), and that the banner becomes something I can switch out from time to time. At the moment the photo doesn't include Martin, so that will need to change at some point. Sadly we have almost no photos of the two of us together.
The other thing you'll notice with this redesign/retooling is that I'm featuring my book that is coming out later this year in the sidebar there. The process of self promotion seems a bit strange to be honest, particularly since I've yet to hold the physical book in my hot little hands. This year is going to be a lot about that book. Preparing for promotions over the early Spring, heading out of the office and away from the domicile in May/June for a mini-book tour, and hopefully a decent amount of publicity and public profile to help get the word out. I'll surely be cross promoting it here and ask you to forgive the interruption of domestic goings-on once in a while.
What else does 08 hold? On the home front we have many ideas but little in the way of reserves. We redid Miss P's room as her Christmas gift (photos to follow soon); we have to do a bit of a rush polishing job on our downstairs bedroom in time for house guests later this week; there will liklely be a fair bit of painting (and hopefully not too much drywalling) to redo our livingroom colour, our bedroom and the big looming project of repainting the outside of the house. I'm also hoping this spring and summer will bring me more spare time for gardening and some creative outdoor projects. Last year I spent so much of the spring and summer working on the book in my spare time that not much remained for puttering in the dirt. I'm feeling very inspired by some successes (and some useful failures) in my holiday gift sewing and hope to keep a bit of momentum going with sewing this year (I do still have that awesome Amy Butler fabric to find a home for). I lost a bit of steam with the bread making last year, but have spent today (between photoshop fiddling) on a new bread recipe for a french boule, and hope that the addition of the KitchenAid for auto-kneading might be a bit of a kick in the pants in that direction. And, while it frustrates the hell out of me that this is not something I can control, I'll admit that it is my sincerest wish that by this year's end we'll also have a proverbial bun in the oven over here. And, if I may be so bold I'm hoping the process is a smooth one and not full of the drama and sadness of past years.
At the very least I do hope that this year brings enough spare time for reflection and creative musings in this space. And of course, there will be lots of snuggling, purring and mischief coming from our beloved Pluto the Wonderkitty.
. How nutty is that? 
is a business book for women looking for advice to start or run a successful small business. The book features advice from some pretty smart gals including Jenny Hart (Sublime Stitching), Grace Boney (Design Sponge), Alex Beauchamp (Another Girl at Play), and many others.
happy new year ... i am in love with the new design and very much looking forward to your book :) i hope 2008 finds all your hopes and dreams, wishes and loves filled with beauty, heart, laughter and care ... xox
Posted by: daisies | January 01, 2008 at 05:53 PM
Congrats on the delish redesign & I am SO buying your book. Can't wait to meet in Feb!!
Warmly, f.
Posted by: Felicia Sullivan | January 02, 2008 at 12:10 PM