The end of an era… and the beginning of something new

Hello friends, how have you been?

It’s been almost a year since my last post (this feels like deja vu… I’m sure I’ve said that before after some very long absences.)

Anyway, I’m just back here briefly, one last time, to let you know that I’ve decided to bring Cute as a Button to an end.

When I started this little blog nearly five years ago (how on earth is it that long already?!) I had no idea that I would find blogging so much fun or that I would meet so many wonderful people! I simply wanted a place to record some of the things I made and had no idea that other people would actually want to join me on my crafty journey too. It amazes me that even though I haven’t posted anything new for so very long, there are still visitors stopping by to look at past posts. I would like to say a huge thank you to each and every one of you who has taken the trouble to visit, comment on posts, follow links and just spend time here.

When I started blogging I was working part time as a teacher and found plenty of time to craft and blog. When I switched to full time work, I found it much harder to get a good work/life balance and even though the crafting still went on in the background I didn’t really have the time or energy to share it with you all. Earlier this year I got to the point I was signed off work with stress. I decided at that point that I needed to get out of teaching, at least for a while, and left the school where I had been working for five years. It was really sad to say goodbye to the place where I had spent the majority of my teaching career, but it was totally the right decision.

I wasn’t working for a couple of months and during that time I started to dream. I’ve always wanted to have a little craft shop – in my mind it’s a light, spacious place, walls lined with shelves of wool and fabric, a huge table in the middle of the room for crafting groups, cosy armchairs with piles of magazines to browse through for inspiration… Sadly, I can’t actually afford a bricks and mortar shop, but I have decided to take the plunge and open up an online shop instead – eek!

But as I started to think about all sorts of shop related things, I grew more and more dissatisfied with the name Cute as a Button. I think it did the job just fine at the beginning, but I feel like I’ve outgrown it somewhat. It sounds a bit twee and I wanted something that was more unique. I spent a lot of time toying with different ideas until I finally came up with something I loved. And because you’ve made it this far through a very long post (thanks for sticking with it!) I want you to be the first to know my new name! Are you ready? I will now be known as…

I have tentatively begun a new blog already. It’s in the very early stages, but if you want to pop over and have a look you can find me at goslingandplumb.co.uk. I’m still getting to grips with a slightly different way of blogging, so please bear with me while I work it all out. But I’d love to see you, so feel free to pop by any time! The shop isn’t in existence yet, but I’ll keep you posted on progress…

Before I leave, let’s have a little look back at some crafty goodness! I’ve loved sharing so many different projects with you all. Some of my favourites include:

• Timmy and Tamara Turtle

I loved making these little guys – almost as much as I enjoyed making up stories about them! You can read the beginning of their tale here.

• The riverbed blanket

I made this for a friend’s birthday, and I love the fact that she still has it in her living room!

• Paper cutting

I’ve not done this for a while now, but remember being really pleased with how these Easter/spring pictures turned out.

• Several cosy cowls

I still enjoy wearing mine and am looking forward to the colder weather so I can dig it out again!

• A multitude of cushion covers

You can read about the cushion jumper here, the cable cushion here, the granny square cushion here, but unfortunately I can’t find the post about the recycled skirt cushion cover. It must be out there somewhere…

Which are your favourites?

So that’s about it. I’m slightly sad to be saying farewell to Cute as a Button, but so very excited about Gosling & Plumb! I really hope you’ll come with me on the next part of my journey, I’m sure we have a whole lot more fun in store.

By the way, I mentioned starting to knit a pair of socks in my very first post. I still haven’t finished them.