Dawanda - Dohero - Life lately!

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Hello everyone,

excuse me while I brush off all the dust from my very, very neglected blog. It's been ages, I know. But it's not like I've been twiddling my thumbs all these weeks. Far from it - after Dawanda announced it will be closing its doors permanently it was a mad scramble securing all the data. Customers kept asking me where they can buy my stuff. Sadly, I won't be selling on Etsy. The transfer tool did not work for me and even after multiple emails back and forth with Etsy Support it still did not work. I guess it was not meant to be. Funnily enough, soon after Dawanda's closure, all of these new selling venues started popping up out of nowhere. I spent a good amount of time researching at least six new sites, making pros/cons lists and finally, after careful deliberation I settled for a new site called Dohero. This site is completely brand new and only launched yesterday! I chose this site, because the people who built it already have a huge following on FB and are a driving force in the handmade scene. They also have concrete plans for promoting this site on all media outlets including radio and TV. But most of all I chose this site for their server capacity and compliance to all legalities. Of course it is still a work in progress. They wanted to be sure the technical side functioned before starting on the visuals. They will be adjusting things and optimizing the site from behind the scenes. Bonus: they were able to save all of my reviews before Dawanda shut down! I have a good feeling about this site and I'm thrilled to be right there with them at the start and watch it grow.

Not blogging and not having a second shop to maintain (not by choice, mind!) freed up some time for sewing! Last year I announced I was going to make a quilt with the gorgeous Gazebo fabrics and this year I actually finished it (see top photo). Instead of the traditional three layer "quilt sandwich", I backed it with a really soft micro fleece. With cooler weather approaching I can't wait to wrap up in it while reading a good book.

In other news my body is now able to tolerate the medication I'm currently on due to my health issue. It probably doesn't sound like much, but to me it's huge. In hindsight this forced break was actually a good thing. I got into the habit again of daily gentle exercise and generally being a lot more mindful while going about my day. Thanks to climate change we've had an incredibly hot and long summer this year with temperatures well into the 90s °F. All summer long I went about placing flat bowls of water in our garden and outside for the birds and squirrels and stray cats. Leo got an extra large bowl and boy, did he enjoy it.

My birthday was in August and I was gifted a Spa weekend from my hubby! The Spa (different one to last year) was set in the middle of the woods, included outdoor and indoor pools, sauna area, beauty treatments, sulfur and crystal baths, massages and so much more. Taking a walk in the woods was also wonderful, as there were fascinating stone, wood and metal sculptures dotted all around. Also, it included one of the best breakfast buffets I've ever had. Sometimes it's just nice to treat yourself :)

A while back I purchased a sewing book by Sarah Peel @coolcrafting. I'm loving the projects in this book. I've made the bunny and a few outfits for her to wear. The clothes are tiny, so there's a lot of sewing by hand involved, but I find going slowly is actually quite meditative. I really loved making the French knickers - remember I used to make them in grown up sizes. Here are some pics, some of my readers may have seen these on Instagram already.

So, with my second shop up and running, things will be picking up pace again. Of course my main focus will still be Duni's Studio - there's a new collection scheduled to arrive at the end of this month plus some lifestyle products for Christmas which I'm really excited about. Thank you so much for stopping by and reading along! Have a beautiful day ~