Happy New Year

Hello and welcome

To the first blog post of 2020. 

Did you have a good festive season and fun over your New Year celebrations? I fell asleep at about 9.30 pm but then I am an old fogey!

I can remember a time when New Year's Eve was the second most exciting night of the year after Christmas Eve. On New Years Eve we were allowed to stay up past midnight and my dad would make us snowballs which were alcohol and therefore highly grown up and civilised despite the ice cream in the them. Christmas Eve we had to go to bed as early as possible so that Santa would come, but New Years Eve, not only were we allowed to stay up beyond midnight, at midnight we were allowed to go outside and bang saucepan lids with wooden spoons, watch fireworks light up the sky and listen to the fog horns of all the boats and ships in the harbour. 

I did make a brief appearance at midnight, (my bladder was very insistent - guess it wanted to hear the fireworks) and it was lovely to hear so much local participation this year. I think a lot of people all over the world are welcoming 2020 with joy and glee.

I have a lot of changes planned for 2020, the most prominent being that I am going to be focusing all of my business efforts on Byzantine Crafts alone from now on. I was split in so many direction during 2019, trying to keep a flagging jewellery business afloat and coming up with other ideas using the crafts I enjoy that I was running around chasing my tail for most of the year.

On the subject of tails, 2020 is to be the Chinese year of the rat, which is the Chinese zodiac sign that both my son and I were born under. I am taking that as a good omen (have you watched Good Omens yet, awesome show) that this will be our year. 

See - rats can be very creative :D

One of the reasons for this is that my 11 year old ratty son Dan, otherwise known as #ByzantineBoy has decided to help me with doing some mosaics this year which should be.... interesting!

My other son Ted (who is 17) is going to be helping too, with the photography and more of the behind the scenes stuff. He has learning disabilities and is at college and has a new boyfriend, so he will have to try and fit it in somewhere :D 

So we are going to be working together as a family, to create micro mosaics that you will just adore, as unique gifts for those hard to buy for friends and family members, or as a treasured heirloom that you cherish and pass on to younger generations one day. 

In the bugs and beasts part of the Garden Days collection which is launching April 30th 2020, I have not done any rats sadly but here is a picture of a squirrel which is from the same family at least. Bushier tail mind you, but possible not as creative as Ratthink up there!

Just finished his tail, when I took this!

Loads more things happening this year so if you want to keep posted, join us on our Facebook Page, by clicking this link - Byzantine Crafts

I will be back on tomorrow to explain some of the new and exciting plans for 2020,

Bright Blessings - Nici xxx