a vision kept in sight / CHARM ABOUT YOU

Following on from my last post, I'm back to share my new word of the year and a very special project I created. It seems so late to say this but Happy New Year to you all, I am sending my very best wishes to you all for a marvellous, healthy and joy filled 2022!

In previous years I have created a vision board, usually on new years eve, often incorporating my word of the year. I had lots of fun collaging with decorative paper, magazine clippings and pictures to create my board. This year I stepped that idea up to create a fabric vision board - with the same collage feel - incorporating fabrics, paper, notions and thread.

The project was designed for a follow along tutorial for the CraftyMonkies VIP member club. I offer lots of advice, suggestions and ways to personalise your own vision board. If you've ever wanted to create a vision board and you have a passion for crafting & fabric, I think you'll really enjoy the exclusive & downloadable video content. There is also a recording of a Q&A session I did last week with some VIP club members; where I shared my passion for the word of the year and vision boards, gave more ideas and inspiration for choosing your word and was so thrilled to see a couple of the incredible finished vision boards they had created. You will have to be very quick if you want to access my month's content, as there is new content released in February!

It is the PERFECT project for stash busting and incorporating all those little treasures and do-dahs from around your sewing room. Here is a photo of some of the goodies I picked from my stash to create this project...

A vision board is such a great way to set your intentions and keep them in sight; to remind you of your goals, dreams and vision throughout the year and have your word help maintain your focus. The Aurifil Artisan theme for this month is 'New Year Inspiration' and this project is the epitome, my creativity was alight putting it together and it is inspiring me each day!

I have it hanging where I can see it everyday, each element was created with intention and it has a meaning, tied to my goals and intentions for 2022.

My word for the year is Elevate. I want to improve myself, continue learning, elevate my surroundings and venture to new places. My goal is to elevate my friendships, strengthening them and making time to just be with my friends. I want to get outside, be healthy and strong. All of this (and more) is visually represented on my board. It might not speak the same language to someone else looking at it, but I know it it's meaning and it is for me.

I'm going to show you the elements in more detail and hopefully they will help fire your creativity and imagination...

It began with my fabric and my word. The fabric is Zweigart 28ct Brittney Lugana in Whisper Grey - any evenweave or aida fabric would work great for this project, I prefer a higher count as it blends in to the background and doesn't look so holey!

I stitched 'Elevate' using a free font found online and I added some extra little detail with a few crosses above the first letter - this may also have been to offset the fact that I hadn't tried to centre my word properly. This project is all about the process and joy of making, not perfection!

I intentionally stitched the letter 'L' in a lighter colour because it's my initial. It's not super obvious but it's a bit of fun.

Now I find I missed some stitches from the first letter, oh well... I may go back and add them, if I can be bothered... I didn't notice it before so maybe not!

Look how nicely those stitches lie, Aurifloss is such a beautiful floss to work with and it is so easy to separate the strands of floss. I went with neutral warm colours because they are calming and work nicely with the evenweave fabric.

Then I went to town, adding all my embellishments. It was so fun laying things ok, picking and choosing as the project grew. I wanted to include some memories, to inspire me to do more of the things I love. A gorgeous floor (which may inspire my patchwork) in the Manchester Museum, books in The Portico Library and a newly built building in Manchester we came across on a family walk. I love Manchester, there's always so much to do and see. Walking around town (it's a city but locally we call it 'town') is one of my very favourite things to do. Visiting art galleries, libraries and museums makes me happy and there is such lovely architecture and inspiration everywhere.

I used Aurifloss throughout the project, to attach the pictures I made little cross stitches in each corner - piercing through the paper. Quick and easy.

Of course there's fabric involved too, I fussy cut some scraps of fabric leftover from other projects.

I love the 'Mother Strength', which is metallic silver and I collaged it with another lovely metallic, I can never have enough grid print! I tacked the grid piece using the same little crosses in the corners and layered the other piece over the top, just using a tacking stitch at the top. It adds more nice texture.

Using a larger piece of the grid fabric, I made another collage, with smaller fussy cut pieces that I fused onto the fabric. Again each one is a reminder to myself of my goals and dreams.

I made fabric stamps with pinking shears, all from the fabulous print Postage Stamps, Wish by Carrie Bloomston. Symbolising balance, my love for being in the rain and a rainbow of hope. Again just tacked down with Aurifloss, you can see how they sort of lift off the fabric and I really like that tangibility.

And then there are some sweet random additions... the adorable red riding hood button came free with a fabric order (from Sunny Day Supply if memory serves?!). This is to make sure I focus on getting outside, going to walks and being organised with a cute basket in tow.

The adorable vintage playing card was a must for me from Suzie Sharp Vintage - she has the most amazing store full of vintage fabric (GO LOOK!), jewellery, buttons, ribbons and more. Highly recommend, great quality items and well packaged. The reason I could not resist, is I have a quote tattooed on my leg "mischievous and gleeful, like an elf" ~ A Patchwork Plant, Anne Tyler; these little mischiefs look so gleeful and oak leaves have meaning for me too. It's a childhood connection, the intention is to spend time playing and allow that impish side out.

So as not to damage the card, I used this fun ampersand paperclip to hold it and tied the paper clip to the fabric using floss. This is a great way to keep your vision board changeable too. I can easily add more clips to hold other things if I want to add more to it through the year.

One element that I wasn't too sure would work is my Rosette. I made this on the fly, the idea came to me and I wanted to use my vintage ribbon and ric-rac (also from Suzie Sharp Vintage). I chose the Ladies Night, Black & White by Sarah Watts fabric as a reminder of all the love in my life and the very dear friends I have, whom I hope to see often in 2022. I appliqued a little heart, cut from the Carrie Bloomston print in the centre, to show the love.

Only after I added the ribbon and the ric-rac did I realise that it looked like a Jammy Dodger appreciation award!! That just made me love it more.

The last element was created from charms and bits I have collected. I used a pin with three hoops to add a shell, tassel and bead, and an arrow - because of this song. Again such a fun way of using items I already have and displaying them with intention and purpose.

One of the reasons I designed this vision board is so that it could preserve my word of the year, so I can add to it, have it be adaptable if I want to refocus some of my goals or add my word of the year next year and change it up if I like. All the elements can be taken off too, only the word itself is intended to always be there; everything else can be easily unpicked or moved.

The completed board hangs on a magnetic Oak Poster Hanger from Willow & Stone - excellent quality and made in the UK. I actually bought two so I may use the other one for a cross stitch project or another arty fabric creation.