Do What You Love

2010 was the year… - I started a blog and discovered this incredible online creative community – We moved into our new home – I started a new business venture I also travelled to three continents and got serendipitously stuck in Paris (yippee!).  It has been a happy year, with a rollercoaster of emotions in places,read more >>

Christmas is nearly upon us, when anticipation and preparation gives way to celebration!  I love Christmas Eve – there is snow on the ground and magic in the air.  I am spending it at my parents’ house, with young nephew and niece as the perfect little Christmas helpers.  Today will go something like this… - wrapping upread more >>

Voted ‘Happiest Person in Britain’, this really is a girl doing what she loves. Rachael Taylor’s bright and fun designs caught my eye some time ago, and I bought an original piece of her work for my studio. As a surface pattern designer and illustrator, Rachel has clients all over the world, and next yearread more >>

This quirky little slide show won best creative/offbeat presentation in the World’s Best Presentation contest 2010 – it is all about a very powerful little question… The Best Question in the World View more presentations from Betsy Streeter. Have you asked yourself this question lately?

The house was filled with merry laughter, chinking glasses, and christmas songs from bygone days. We were dressed up all sparkly and festive* We dined by candlelight in my studio, transformed into a winter wonderland of silver and white. We feasted on a roast, sweet mince pies, handmade truffles and pints of steaming mulled wine.read more >>

Rain falls with twilight – the city’s fingers drumming on our umbrella *** Rain haiku by poet and creative coach Mark McGuinness (Image courtesy of Mark McGuinness) This Do What You Love interview features Mark McGuinness, a poet, creative coach and trainer and creative entrepreneur. He has been coaching artists and creatives since 1996, when he noticedread more >>

So tell me, is it worth it?  Is Twitter all it is cracked up to be?  As I decide whether or not to open myself up to yet another social media channel, I’d love to hear your thoughts.  Are you on Twitter?  Why?  What do you like about it?  Any advice for a newbie?

Although it can be hard to find time amongst all the holiday preparations, December is a great month for looking back, to create the time and space to spend January looking forward.  It is so easy for time to fly past without acknowledging both the big things and little things that have happened along the way, soread more >>

My grandma always used to make our Christmas pudding and cake.  I could never understand why she would make it so far in advance (the Christmas before!) and how it didn’t go mouldy.  She said “good things are worth waiting for” and she was so right.  When I lived in Japan I remember being soread more >>

Multi award winning young surface pattern designer and illustrator Abigail Borg is riding high, having just been awarded ‘Best British Pattern Design 2010′ by Elle Decoration at The British Design Awards. (image courtesy of Abigail Borg) Just two years since winning New Designer of the Year 2008 award for her collection of hand-drawn and digitally-printedread more >>

I am delighted to announce the third of our teachers for the Do What You Love art and creative enterprise retreat, to be held in Yorkshire, England in May.  Award-winning mixed media artist Priscilla Jones will teach ‘Structure and Surface: Creating 3D sculptures using wax, wire, fabric, paper and found materials’. (image courtesy of Priscilla Jones) This isread more >>

I am delighted to announce the third of our teachers for the Do What You Love art and creative enterprise retreat, to be held in Yorkshire, England in May.  Award-winning mixed media artist Priscilla Jones will teach ‘Structure and Surface: Creating 3D sculptures using wax, wire, fabric, paper and found materials’. (image courtesy of Priscilla Jones) This isread more >>

Last weekend I went to a beautiful simple winter wedding in a stunning old priory down in the south of England.  I thought I’d share some of the lovely details with you… Are there any lovely touches you particularly remember from your own wedding or one you have been to?

Last week I had the privilege of meeting newly-engaged Prince William, the future King of England.  Wow, what a lovely guy he is.  I have never been a huge fan of the monarchy, but meeting him changed that.  I got the feeling he understands what real life is like, and all about.  I just know he willread more >>

One of my favourite parts of Christmas shopping in London is staring at the mesmorising window displays in places like Liberty’s of London, Selfridges, Harrods and Harvey Nichols.  I have often thought it would be a wonderful job to create those window displays, digging deep into the imagination to come up with something more magical, moreread more >>

(Image credit: Kelly Whybrow) I am hugely excited to announce the second of the three fantastic art teachers who will be joining us for the Do What You Love art and creative enterprise retreat in Yorkshire, England next May. Rachel Hazell, known as ‘the Travelling Bookbinder’, has made a career of creating extraordinarily beautiful books inread more >>

Oh my oh my… what an incredible turnout for the second Great Big Stitched Postcard Swap.   Wow, what a turn out! We were joined by 85 lovely creative people from 13 countries (including 24 states of the US!) across 5 continents – with first time participation from Argentina, Puerto Rico and the Philippines!  It was fascinatingread more >>

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