If I could have just one room…

I was recently tagged by the talented and lovely Georgie St Clair over at Visual Toast with the question “If you could have just one room what would be in it?”. This was the prompt put forth by Jocelyn from The Reading Residence and it somehow made its roundabout way to me.

It’s an interesting question and one that’s been on my mind a lot recently.

Since starting up Mother’s Milk Books our house has been overwhelmed by boxes of books, cards and prints, as well as boxes of packaging. I kind of like the ‘literary/bohemian cluttered look’ (that’s me putting a spin on untidiness) but since I’ve begun to dabble in a little art (again, inspired by all the wonderful mama artists that I’ve met through editing Musings on Mothering) I’ve realized how wonderful it would be to have an extra room – and one all to myself – for my own creative pursuits.

I’ve seen lots of images of beautiful rooms with gorgeous colour schemes and stylish items within – there were some stunning ones over at Gina’s blog Cold Tea and Smelly Nappies. I don’t think I could do justice to those pictures so when I thought about the complete basics, I decided that all I really want is this:

A White Room (and yes, straight lines at the same angle seem to be a skill I have yet to master!)

I would simply appreciate a clean, white space with plenty of wall space to hang my daughter’s art, my son’s art, my husband’s art, my own art, the art of those painters and artists that I admire. There would be mama art, breastfeeding art, landscapes, flowers, fantastical art, abstracts, all sorts. There would also be a table – any kind of table – and some shelves to store art materials so that I could do a little painting of my own. A kettle and a stash of snacks would come in useful too.

As to where it would be, well, who knows? Maybe way up high in the trees, invisible from the rest of the world so that I could get lost in painting…

A Hint Of Reality From Invisibility (c) 2012 Treehotel AB
(Yes, there is a mirror house in those trees!)

Thank you Georgie for thinking of me, and asking me the question. I put it forth to all of you: “If you could have just one room what would be in it?” and will tag these folk for whom I know an extra room for artistic craftiness would be much appreciated.

Pippa @StoryofMum   Website: Story of Mum

Agata Lawrynczyk from Agatas Art Corner

Amy Hood @amyhoodarts   Blog: Amy Hood Arts

Julia at Be Creative Daily

and Hatti @ParentTribe   Website: Parent Tribe

Looking back at the 2013 LLLGB Conference

I like the idea of getting dressed up smartly and then going to publishing events, launches, conferences etc. to mix and mingle with the aim of letting the world know about the books and cards I’m producing and selling. The reality though is far different…

There are oh-so-many things to consider now that I am a parent: a breastfeeding little one who, although completely happy with his grandma, likes to check in with his mama from time to time for milk and cuddles; school drop-off and pick-up times for my big girl; a suitable child’s car seat for my mum’s car; enough refreshments, nappies and entertainment to last the day; and the practicality of lugging boxes of heavy books around when trying to hold my little one’s hand AND cross a busy road safely!

So at present ‘events’ don’t fit in easily with family life.

But the annual La Leche League GB conference is, for me, the one big annual event, and I start to think about this months in advance.

Why is this then?

As many of you know, LLL is a charity close to my heart, and their events are, of course, completely child-friendly and mama-friendly. So my little one, grandma in tow, came and went as he pleased – completely fascinated by going up and down the hotel lifts and then exploring the many corridors, then it was back to my stall…

When we had a nappy leak, a friendly mama offered baby wipes which I didn’t have to hand, and my friend, LLL Leader Lois Rowlands (who is also the creator of the image on Letting Go) carried boxes with me and then helped me to find a trolley to transport the rest.

At the end of the second day of the conference my little boy, completely exhausted from all the hotel exploring and excitement fell asleep nursing just as I had to pack away my stall and send my mum off to get her car out of the expensive car park, seconds ticking away… I hadn’t brought a sling with me or anything so knew I would have to ask someone for babysitting help. A friendly Leader offered to sit with both my little ones as I packed up the stall and then ran up and down stairs carrying half-empty boxes, my mum in her car waiting outside.

That’s what I love most about LLL – if you need a hand, a little support when you really could do with some then they are there for you. So this conference will continue to be in my events diary for the foreseeable future. 🙂

And by the way, the mixing and mingling was fun, and it was lovely to hear so many positive comments about my books, cards and prints. I am though looking forward to a rather quieter weekend this weekend… 😉

My daughter’s salt dough decorations – she’s a budding entrepreneur too!

And the winner is…

Drum roll…

I’m delighted to announce that Ruth Asch is the winner of the autographed copy of Musings on Mothering (she is herself a contributor to the book, so it seems fitting that she now gets to add her own autograph to the book!). On being told the good news Ruth wrote: “WOW!! And I NEVER win things. This must be specially meant to be. How wonderful.” Lyndsey Sporton and Helen Lloyd are runners up (as decided by Lady Luck – in this case, a very eager six-year-old who loves folding bits of paper and swirling them round a pot over and over again with her eyes screwed-up tight).

Thanks to all those who took part and if you’d like to purchase any prints, cards or books, you’ll find some on offer over at THE MOTHER’S MILK BOOKSHOP right now!

Or, if you’re a fan of my giveaways you might like to know that there’s another one happening right now over at Natural Mamas – you can win yourself some lovely mothering greetings cards. Have fun!