Sleightholm Folk Art

It seems like I just got the hang of writing out “2020” and here we are, starting a fresh year of 2022. Thinking back to the start of 2020, it seems both just a moment ago as well as 100 years ago. A LOT has happened since we started our brave new decade, hasn’t it?

As we begin this new year, however, I am feeling hopeful. We are now officially in our second semester of homeschooling second grade with my son (and the dog— we consider him part of our second grade class as well!) and I am finally feeling like I’ve found my footing. This month we are reading “Little House in the Big Woods” and he’s going to start piano lessons this week.

We had a nice, quiet Christmas and my grandma gave me a wonderful gift– these transferware dishes that belonged to her mother, my great granny Emma. I love that the dishes are red and white– and the pattern is all English cottages! I washed them and am have them displayed in my kitchen hutch, and I am just feeling so lucky to have these beautiful things that were once in my great granny’s kitchen.

Speaking of beautiful dishes, I found a wonderful Etsy shop called Lund Studios, and she handmakes pottery mugs that are so adorable! For Christmas I got a sweet quilt square mug and a dala horse mug (y’all know I couldn’t resist the dala horse!!) All her mugs and other creations are made in Minnesota and I know I’ll most definitely need more!

As for what I’m up to now that the holiday rush is over, I am settling in and making plans for the year. I am hoping my health has settled down enough for me to do more than I did last year— so far so good (she says, in the first week of 2022 and then knocks on wood!)

I’ve already started planning art for my 2023 calendar! And I definitely want to make more patterns and booklets. In fact, I’m already working on a few patterns now, one of which uses this beautiful Scandi-red yarn that I bought locally at Get Stitchin’. I’ve got Sweden and St. Lucia on the brain, and if I start now, well, I should be ready in plenty of time for St. Lucia Day! I’ve also got a trusty helper in the studio, and there’s nothing kids love more than a yarn winder!

And while I’m knitting…and painting….and evidently teaching second grade…. 😉 …. I’m going to try to be better with blogging here and reviving my newsletter. I’m getting a new edition ready to sign out very soon– and if you haven’t already signed up, you can HERE.

Really, though, what I’m most looking forward to is delving into the things that I love to do and have been doing for years– I still deeply love painting! And I love sharing patterns and stories with you. And I am using this opportunity to have my son home this school year to really savor these moments when he’s little and still happy to be with his mama.

It is my hope as well that the world can calm down and heal this coming year, and that we can put much of the stress and uncertainty of these Covid years behind us. I know we are forever changed, but I hope we can look forward to a future that’s a bit more stable and where the bottom doesn’t fall out of daily life on quite such a regular basis.

I also hope that you are well and safe, and that you are able to do some things you love each and every day.

Thank you so much for coming here to visit me, and I hope that you return soon!

In the meantime–

Take JOY!

H