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With all the noise that surrounds us, it's easy to get pulled in. Especially with the news of the world bringing us down. That's why it's important to take a night here and there to shut everything down, and push aside that pesky voice that sometimes gets in the way with "I should be doing XYZ".  This is your time to sink into a big comfy chair, sip on that cup of tea and work on your craft project. If you feel peaceful, then stay there for as long as you need. You deserve this time!

Think back to a handmade gift you’ve received. Chances are, you still have it tucked away somewhere, or maybe even still use it. Every stitch in a quilt, every loop in a crochet pattern, and every carefully placed detail in a handcrafted card tells a story.

There’s nothing better than rounding up your best people, pouring some wine (or tea, if that’s more your vibe), and diving into a pile of craft kits together. Life gets crazy! Between work, family, and a hectic to-do list, it’s hard to find time to catch up. That’s why a girls' night in, filled with crafty bits, belly laughs, and good conversation is the perfect way to hit pause on that crazy life. 

This past week felt like an entire year. If there’s one thing you learn quickly as a small business owner, it’s how to adapt on the fly but nothing could have prepared us for the uncertainty of last weekend’s tariff threats from the U.S. administration. Like many Canadian entrepreneurs, I spent the weekend anxiously glued to the news and sorting out how this would affect my small business.

I have completely settled into a quiet, peaceful era within my life and I am here for all.of.it!!! I'm a HUGE advocate for tuning out the world for a bit and ignoring the dreary news. Over the last couple of months, I have been looking for a way to create a community of people. People who stay up until 2am to finish a book and then stay up for another hour just to process it. People who will walk into a yarn shop just to touch the pretty skeins and buy another set of knitting needles they don't need, but need. 

If this speaks to you, then I'm excited to introduce....The Bookish Hook Series! 

What is The Bookish Hook? - Well, it's a bi-weekly YouTube series where I’ll be crocheting a blanket, with each square inspired by the colours of my favourite book covers. Each episode will feature a new book-inspired square, where I be crocheting and chatting about the who's and what's of each book. I'm really curious to see what this blanket will look like in the end.

Why This Series? - I want to create a community where we can talk about the books that changed our lives; to look for advice or find tips and tricks on how to bind a quilt; to get help on how to decipher a knitting pattern, and to get excited about the release of the new Fourth Wing book that just came out. My husband has no idea who Xaden is and why I want to melt into the books to lay eyes on him so I can't exactly talk about it with him right?

Join the Community - To start, this series will exist primarily on YouTube but I am thinking of launching a private Facebook group to keep the conversation going. We may even start a book club if there is interest. We'll see where this path leads us!

How to Get Involved

• Subscribe to my YouTube Channel so you don’t miss an episode!

• Comment on videos with your favourite books recommendations so everyone can put them in their TBR (to-be-read) pile.

• Share your own crafty creations using #TheBookishHook on social media! 

I can’t wait to get started on this project. The first episode will be released on January 30th, so stay tuned! 

~ Cindy Xx

We are now into January! We are officially in the season of New Year's resolutions which may include: making vows to exercise more, detoxing from Christmas cookies (I miss cookies for breakfast), and feeling the urge to be more productive. I mean, the linen closet will not purge itself right? And don't even get me started about the news cycles these days. Every time we turn on the evening news, we turn it right back off again.

Ok - we are officially one week away from Christmas. How is everyone doing? Are we ready? Almost ready? Not even close to being ready? Wherever you are at, you have 7 days left - let's do this.

Starting any new craft can be scary as heck!! As crafty as I am, it takes me awhile to gear up to something new. It took me about 4 years to warm up to my sewing machine so I completely understand the fear. This is where my DIY Sewing Kits come in to save the day. Having a kit that's prepped and ready to go makes it a lot easier to squash the fears and get started. 

Christmas card kits have been flying out the door over the last couple of months which means, people are getting their Christmas cards ready for December. I’m a planner/organizer so if I can check things off of the festive “to-do” list, then I’m all over it.

The world seems to be a bit of a mess these days and it's seen everywhere. On the news, social media and even running into the curmudgeon types at the grocery store. Then, add in all of the day to day things that life throws at us such as laundry, kids and figuring out what's on the menu for dinner. It's hard to find a moment to sit and just be. However, when we do find those 5 minutes, we often feel guilty for taking a breather because there's always (always) something that needs to be done (I mean, do we even need clean clothes?)

I have said time and time again - there is nothing better than creating something with your own two hands. In a world where life is moving at super sonic speed, where we want instant gratification, where we live with our phones attached to our hands (hi, me!), the act of sitting down with a crochet project or a card making kit forces us to put all of that nonsense into a time-out.

As someone who grew up in the 80's, it was very common to see a granny square blanket on someone's bed or hanging over the back of a couch. Mothers and Grandmothers spent hours stitching up blankets that contained these multi coloured squares.