I got home from Spark a week ago today and still have a giant grin on my face! I'm still glowing from the experience, but am also slowly getting my feet back firmly on the ground and starting to get back into normal life. I've signed up for my first creativity coaching course (yay!) as well as Marie Forleo's B-School. They both start in June and will take up most of my summer as I start to route out my future - what the coaching business will look like - and also start gaining the skills I need to help others get in touch with their creative best self.

Because these courses will take up most of my summer (along with my desire to delve back into making things for manusmade - new designs are percolating!), I'm trying to do some spring cleaning. I want my home space to be ready for me to be free to dive into my studies. I don't want to fall behind just because I feel the office is not the room I want to be in because of the mess. So, I'm starting to go room by room and getting rid of the things that I no longer want or need, and really identify the things I still want in my life. Clothes that no longer make me feel amazing? Gone! Stuff that's been sitting in a pile for more than a year waiting for attention? Getting sorted! Things sitting there sadly in the corner unused? Listed on used-goods websites! I'm trying to be realistic with my time - I do only have a couple of free hours each evening to do anything - including manusmade/household, etc. Being able to just do one little space at a time is actually good - it seems manageable in the moment (of course I can just go through these 3 drawers, no problem!), and is pleasing my need for productivity and actionable things I can check off my list.

I even spent some time standing out in the backyard this weekend staring at empty spaces trying to figure out the design I want back there - I want new grass, veg gardens, flower gardens, patios, dining areas, gathering spaces, hot tub, pool, and maybe a hammock too. I actually figured out some designs and even some ideas to bring in some of those items on the list in an affordable and manageable way.

Seriously, I haven't had this much clarity and decisiveness in months (years??!)! Thank you, Spark!

Speaking of spring cleaning, if you've got some organizing to do, and want items that will help you organize your stuff, check out my 100% wool felt boxes available now in the shop. I've got more colours and box styles coming soon, send me an email or convo on Etsy if you'd like to chat about custom sizes and requirements. 

I'm so proud to say that the picture above was sent in by a happy customer - their beautiful baby enjoys the natural felt box as much as the goodies inside! If you have photos of manusmade stuff, too, I'd super love to see them!

I'm sitting here in my office back at home after returning from Spark late last night. I'm surrounded by the comforts of home, Arek, and the pups, and it feels good! Warm, welcome, loving return home. Parts of me, though, are still in New Mexico - partly my desire to return to that magical place, and partly the emotional and soulful bits of me that I let go of that I don't need anymore.

I can't begin to describe this entire experience - it was transforming, grounding, discombobulating, funny, strengthening, and nourishing. From the moment that Deanna and I started to plan the retreat, I knew it would be magical, I just had no idea how much so. It will takes days, weeks, maybe months, to process everything that happened and figure out the things I want to put into action now.

So how to describe my experience of New Mexico? Pictures and lists, of course! Here's a little of what I learned this past week in New Mexico, and especially during Thursday to Monday at Spark:

• I love adobe. I want to live in an adobe house, surrounded by wood and more adobe. Love!
• I love New Mexico. It's scrubby and beautiful and mountainous and warm and grounding
• I need to drink about 4 litres of water every day in NM - the full-body moisturizing that I did about three times a day was not enough to keep me hyrdrated
• it's hard to breath when you are doing a lot of walking and shopping when you are 7000 feet up

•  I continue to love architechtural details, including doorways, lights, and frames

•  I could live very happily at the Hacienda Dona Andrea and never leave. Seriously, it was beautiful and the perfect spot for the retreat - warm, inviting, big enough to have lots of little places to get away, relaxed, and full of personality 

• I crave female connection more than I think I need it
• laughter is still my favourite sound
• smiles, hugs, and love from instant friends is heartwarming
• I'm connecting with the same people on the internet as I would in real life - when I met some of the women at the retreat for the first time (after knowing them online for a while) it felt like coming home

• one of my favourite things is sipping wine at lunch time with an old friend in a beautiful patio with flowers falling all around, eating amazing food

• I am reminded, yet again, that I am stronger than I realize
• I am able to take charge of what I feel is a confrontational situation and turn it around in a compassionate manner in my own way and still come out alive and stronger for it on the other side
• I am bossier than I ever realized, and am loving embracing this side of me - it will help me define the things I want and require in my life, take charge of my own happiness and health, and it will help me help others
• I can sit and release years of pain through sobbing statements and feel happier than ever as I'm surrounded by complete love from 14 other women
• that even when you think you have things figured out, you really just have touched the surface
• after the release comes the feeling of complete disorientation and worry that I had it all wrong - and even this is ok as it was the turning point to step back and realize that the best parts were right, it just needed tweaking
• I will be moving forward as a life and creativity coach, but in a different way than I thought - in a way that is so completely true to myself, yet in a way that I never allow myself to see and be. I know this sounds a little vague right now, but I seriously feel I've reconnected with my kick-ass warrior who likes to say punny things on the side.
• I'm more sensitive and empathetic than I've admitted to myself over the years - explains a lot of the emotional drains and overwhelm I go through. I've realized I need to protect myself better than I have in the past
• I more fully committed to being the boss of me - defining what I need and going and getting it
• good health - emotional and physical - is a non-negotiable. I am determined to stay healthy through exercise and food and well-being. It is the ONLY way that I can be in order to be at my best
• that when you work with Dyana Valentine she will seriously kick your butt and get you digging so deep it will change your life
• that Alexandra Franzen is one seriously cool lady who will empower you through her words, and get you to write things you never knew were inside you
• that Jessika Hepburn is nothing but love, support, courage, sparkle and laughter. Everyone needs a Jessika in their lives.
• and that coming from a place of love can change the world, one person at a time

I'm sitting at a giant harvest table here at the hacienda - the sun is streaming in the windows and the view to the mountains is breathtaking. I'm here with most of the retreat leaders and we are getting ready for all the participants to arrive this afternoon. Jessika is sitting across the table writing a blog post and getting ready for the #omhg tweet chat at 11 MDT (1pm EDT). It's all coming together and it feels perfect - welcome, relaxed, generous, and warm.

I don't feel in control of the weekend - in the best of ways.  I feel like Deanna and I have created a space for amazing things to happen, but it is all the participants and workshop leaders that will make it amazing. They each are bringing their own perspective, their own desires, their own hopes for the weekend. I can't wait to see everyone here tonight - the energy is already amazing amongst those of us that are here. Once the particpants get here, the energy will be unstoppable!

We'll be talking, connecting, learning, playing, writing, exploring, looking inside, and reaching out. And I'm pretty sure there will be an all-out dance party at some point over the weekend.

I am so happy to have felt the fear of setting up this retreat - those moments like putting down a huge non-refundable deposit on the hacienda or reaching out and inviting our speakers - and moved through it and did it anyway. If I had got stuck in those moments, I wouldn't be sitting here now with all these wonderful women.

Do you want something? Like really want something? Go make it happen, you'll be glad you did.

Hello, my lovelies! I'm really excited today to bring you an interview with Laura Clempson from Cupcakes for Clara. Laura is absolutely lovely and not half as grumpy as her little girl character Clara who is maybe even grumpier than I am early in the morning. Through Cupcakes for Clara, Laura sells paper dolls and stationary with her adorable drawings of Clara, Macy, and Colin. She also sells some toys and sewing kits related to her characters. Laura lives in England and started her business while at home after having her baby jut last year! She has already taken the handmade community by storm - we can all learn a lot from her with respect to branding, staying true to the essence of a business (ie, Clara' grumpy character - often the images and text on the blog have a grumpy side comment from Clara), and being able to balance a creative business with the rest of her life. I wanted to talk to Clara about some of this - where she gets her creatiity and inspiration from and how she is able to fit it all in.

Pop on over to Cupcakes for Clara and read all about Clara, Macy, Colin, and Laura. There is lots of behind the scenes looks at the business, and check out her shop on Etsy to see all the goodies! Laura's got a brand new launch of goodies starting on May 9th, so stay tuned on her site and in her shop!

Thank you so much for doing this interview with me, Laura, I'm really excited to share all your comments!

Cupcakes for Clara is adorable and whimsical, and it's extremely easy to fall in love with the characters! Especially Clara, as I too can be very grumpy like her - especially in the morning :) Who do you find the characters appeal to, or who is your ideal customer?



Ah, thanks Tania! I think we all have a little bit of grumpy Clara within us - especially in the mornings! I know that it goes against all business advice, but my ideal customer is myself. I create things that I personally love, and think that if I love them then other people will too. I have found though, that the characters appeal to mums a lot - probably because they recognize the same grumpiness in their own children!

When did you start your creative business, and what was the impetus to get it up and running?



I've had my blog for about five years now, and had a small etsy shop too but nothing concrete or with any kind of definite direction. Clara & Macy have also been around that long, kind of growing organically in my mind. In September 2011 when my maternity leave finished, the company I work for had no work for me to go back to, and so I figured it was going to be a now or never kind of thing with my own business. So I took the leap and launched my shop in October 2011.

You lead a very creative life - from your business to making things with your children. Have you always been creative, or is it something that came later? Did you take any training, or are you self-taught?



I have been creative for as long as I can remember. Since early childhood I was constantly making things, drawing, painting and being generally crafty. I loved to transform toilet roll tubes into fancy things, and I would spend hours in the local library looking through craft books. I did Art & Design Technology GCSE's, then continued Art at A Level. I studied Animation at university and have worked as a puppet maker since leaving. I can't imagine not being creative, I guess it's just inbuilt!

What is your process of taking your ideas and bringing them come to life. And to add to that, do you record all your ideas as they come and then pull the best from those, or do you act on everything?


I keep a notebook with me all the time, and scribble ideas down when I think of them. Some things I ponder on for a while, developing them in my head, but mostly I keep all of my ideas in various notebooks, folders, and scraps of paper. Because my husband and I work together on Clara & Macy a lot I often take his ideas and run with them. Sometimes I have ideas that I know I can't create into products straight away eg. screen printing or toys but I others can start with a sketch and become finished artwork a few days later.

For my illustrated products I start with rough sketches, then experiment with colours and fabrics before tightening the drawings up. I use tracing paper a lot and have a homemade lightbox which is super helpful. Then I'll draw the artwork out onto my fancy paper, paint the watercolour portions, and then begin to add in photocopied fabrics.

I know that Clara is very outspoken, and you get a lot of inspiration directly from her - where else do you get inspiration for both your products and your designs?



Clara is such a huge inspiration - considering she is a fictional character it seems funny, but so many times I'll just think of thing Clara would love or really hate and a new design pops up. But a lot of my inspiration is from my husband. He is a writer, and often comes up with funny little Clara ideas. Other illustrators inspire me tremendously, and just looking through a bunch of picture books can send me into a frenzy of ideas! But other things like colours or little things I hear the kids say can inspire new designs.

Everything about your creative business fits together so nicely - from the designs to the packaging and the branding on the website. Do you do everything, or do you have help with some of this?



Ah, thank you so much! I pretty much do everything myself, but feel like I'm kind of cheating really - as soon as I put Clara on something it fits the branding. I don't print the products or packaging myself, mainly because printers and me don't get along so well. I would rather spend time on other things! But I often finish off the printed items eg. turning postcards into euroslot header cards, or business cards into swing tags. It keeps costs down and allows me to get exactly what I want. I never really set out with a branding plan - I just did what felt right. I'm a great believer in gut instincts, and fingers crossed it's working so far!

Tell us about what's coming up next for Clara and the gang? I hear rumours of a book!

I am beyond excited for everything we have planned for Clara & Macy. Tom and I are working on a series of picture books, and amazingly we have an interested publisher (squeal!). The next step with that is for me to produce a dummy book and get an agent.

Product wise there are so many things in the pipeline. I would love to expand into fabric, creating a range of fabrics and toys. Magnetic dress-up dolls are hopefully coming later in the year, along with a larger range of greetings cards/notecards. I also plan to offer art prints of my illustrations very soon.

Thank you so much for interviewing me Tania - it's been fun to answer your awesome questions!