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So.... apparently its National Blogger Day……whats all that about…..?


Apparently blogs started in the 1990’s …..I am so behind the times…what was I doing in the 90’s??? I am very sure I wasn’t blogging or even knew what a blog was …..to be honest the 90’s are a blur don’t ask me why, I wasn't a party animal.

I purchased my first house in 1988, so I would have been very respectable I am sure….buying a house aged 20 was a big thing …not just the responsibility of a mortgage but that I had to have a cat….I know you thought I was going to ramble on about the cost of houses back then …but I will add, a 2 bedroom terrace house in a lovely little town in East Yorkshire cost me £24k….oh those were the days ….anyway new home, new cat…


I had never had my own pet really ……obviously living with an animal crazy mum it did mean I always had lots and lots of animals around me…the waifs and stays ….we actually had a dog that mum had seen advertised in a local news paper looking for a holiday home for two weeks…..his owner never came back….I remember it was mystery …..he was a gorgeous 10 year old Labrador called Twist…he used to wag his tail with his whole body and had a lovely nature…the owner turned up 3 years later, Twist went bonkers ….so did mum. Not only had he never been in touch, the dog actually thought he had come back for him ….he hadn’t…poor Twist ….he lived the rest of his life with us bless him.


Anyway back to the 90’s my first cat was a jet black boy called Peter….he was named after a story book I had once read called Peter no Tail….my Peter had a tail but I liked the name. He was the son of my mums cat Muppet who bless her only had one eye but she live until she

was around 30 so it obviously did not have any impact on her life whatsoever apart from she looked

odd….but I don’t think that ever bothered her.

Peter was so loving and loved shoes and sunbathing in the greenhouse ….funny little cat …. I then got the chance of a stray someone had found…a gorgeous tabby who had originally been called Stripy but in accordance with my human names for cats she became Susie. She was so cute…the first night home with us, Peter was not happy so I made sure when I went to bed they were separated so they wouldn’t be stressed. Susie was in the conservatory and Peter was in his usual bed in the kitchen……the next morning Pete was so pleased to see me he was extremely vocal and was telling me all about the awful cat he had met the night before,,,,,,,as I opened the conservatory door Susie popped her little head into the kitchen ….Peters face was a picture of horror…..SHE WAS STILL THERE!!!

They actually became wonderful friends and used to sleep together often in his little bed in the kitchen ….so my own little gang started with the two cats…..number three came along a little later but that’s enough animal talk I'm sure for one day….she was named Katie.


The funny thing was when it was my dads 60th Birthday I put birthday wishes in the local news paper….Happy Birthday Dad, lots of love, Julie, Peter, Susie & Katie…..my mum bumped into one of her friends who said she had seen the birthday message and how she was so pleased for my mum who was now obviously a Grandma to wonderful grandchildren…my poor mum had to explain ….no not children just cats….the apple never falls far from the tree, she was still very proud I had inherited her love for animals.


So the 90’s were a blur probably due to the fact I was just in my 20’s, a home and a job and my singing….oh yeah did I never tell you I can sing….I don’t sing anymore but I did once upon a time…I have met some of my best friends through singing….in choirs, in churches for weddings…oh yes I have bushel and under it are lots of things not many people know…an International Woman of Mystery….anyway that’s a whole different blog.


So how are you? ….what have you been up to?


I tell you, everything I type is like talking to an old friend….I know I ramble on but to be honest I think I get that knack from my Nana …..she used to start a story, go around the houses, and come back to the original story ….what a woman….


So here we are in 2023 and I am finally getting down with the kids and blogging….Happy National Blogger Day to you …..and don’t forget please to let me know how you are doing…..I do love feedback.

I have always got new things appearing on my website so don’t forget to have a look in my shop if you get chance …..

.....you never know, something might just catch your eye…..ciao for now.








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Updated: Aug 4, 2023

Thank you for joining me again….its been six weeks since my first blog…..sounds like I am about to go into a confession….and maybe that’s what my blog is…. I told you before I see this as a chat, a natter, two friends just sat chewing the cud over a coffee or herbal tea…..

I think if it was a confessional I would be saying …I AM AN IMPOSTER ….I seem to have struggled with doubting myself or possibly imposter syndrome my whole life…obviously I googled it to find the true definition:


Imposter syndrome is loosely defined as doubting your abilities and

feeling like a fraud.

I am even going as far to say I think I have always doubted my abilities even as a little one ….. I am the only girl in a family of 4 children and I was the youngest…. I have 3 older brothers and I was always in competition with the youngest one ….who was mums favourite? Who could impress mum with the best gift?….all extremely stupid but I think it sowed the seed for not being good enough and doubting myself.

As time went on and I went to school, I was always the class clown, the chatty girl, the one with the report that said ‘could do better if she listened’…..but I think all this was covering up I was not particularly interested. To be honest looking back it wasn’t that I wasn’t interested or smart enough, it was that I am easily bored and need things to move at a pace so that they kept my attention.


I left school with average exam grades ….no thought or interest of going to university, I just wanted to get a job and earn some money…it was the 80’s after all and there were lots of jobs around. I did well I moved jobs every 3 or 4 years not really knowing what I wanted to be when I grew up....but enjoying what I did ….thats always been my goal ….no big plans of being a high flyer just enjoying myself.

I was once called a diamond in the rough…I had no idea what this meant but apparently its someone who has potential, a person who will achieve success with the right care and polish…..it was a compliment …I am not sure I took it that way at the time…I wish I had.


Then one day someone asked me if I had a degree…..obviously I said no …"why" they asked ….".never needed one" I replied, they were shocked… everyone around me had been to university and I hadn’t - OMG I was a fraud. I had worked my way through the business and I hadn’t been to uni…..this stayed with me, I think I have mentioned before I am an over thinker!!


Even when I became a director in the business I never ever believed it…..how is that possible. I knew I was good at what I did but I never thought I was better then anyone else…..I was an imposter!!


I always tried not to show how I really felt inside which as you can appreciate made some days exhausting ....but luckily I had stuck to my original goal from the 80's of enjoying what I did, I always made sure I loved whatever job I was doing, which I am sure made it easier to cover it up.

So here I am ….I now have left the corporate world behind me and I AM AN ARTIST…..but without any formal training and only been doing it a year how can I be an artist ….still the doubt kicks in and the imposter syndrome raises its ugly head again…I get so many compliments and I am always surprised when people buy from me …so what will it take to stop feeling like an imposter….


Apparently the feeling will never truly go away, I just have to learn to manage the feelings, stop playing down my achievements and start to celebrate success no matter how small….stay in the moment, don’t worry about what has happened or what might happen ….now is all that matters. I also think surrounding yourself with like minded people who share your passion and love you for who you are is really important....


So thank you for taking the time to read this little blog, for allowing me to share ….its very cathartic to open up and I think by sharing we can create a positive change.


I try make my life all about positivity ….its hard as life has its ups and downs but seeing the good in things is the only way …..be kind, be happy and be in the moment.


Thank you again for your time…if you get chance take a look around my website and let me know what you think….it all helps.

Take care and lets catch up real soon :-)


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juleshandmadewithl


So …..here we are blog number 5 OMG, I feel I better get back to the journey…..


.......where had we got to….I think so far I told you I had made my first clay heart with my lovely hen Doris’s name on it in 2021 to hang in the pear tree which grows in the chicken area, so she would always be with us in the garden and never forgotten......


I feel I need to tell you about my first rescue hens, they were 5 ex caged battery hens that had never seen daylight in their first 18 months, it was May 4th 2019……Red, Doris, Layla, Betty and Flopsie….they were so bald it was unbelievable and heart breaking in equal amounts, its an awful thing to say but they were technically oven ready.

The little gang consisted of gorgeous little Red (I had always wanted a little red hen called Red) she was the boss hen, she was so very sweet and never became cross with the others as she had a partner in crime, a hench hen called Doris…..yes Doris my little sweet hen who passed after only 6 months with us, she was number 2 and was like Red’s bouncer - ensuring the pecking order was maintained and kept in place at all times. Layla and Betty were very good friends and would often sit together and look like they were discussing knitting patterns and then there was Flopsie she was such a personality with her comb so big it obscured one of her eyes ……so I had my first flock….I was in love.


I think I mentioned before mum & dad had had a small holding from when I was around 10 years old …they wanted to live the good life, to be as self sufficient as possible. Chickens,

ducks including Daffy the handsome muscovy drake, the odd cow, a couple of pigs and a few goats. It was a wonderful way to grow up…there was often a baby lamb or calf in the kitchen getting extra TLC….much to the dismay of my eldest brother who lived away by this time and was absolutely mortified to find a calf on the kitchen sofa when he turned up one day with a new girlfriend…..a story often repeated in the family. Even though we only had the small holding for 10 years the love and compassion for animals was encouraged ….it was a place for waifs and strays …..and I love that concept, and it has stayed with me always.


So there you are an older lady with a new found thing that she absolutely loves doing enhanced by my lovely hens & cats all waifs and strays who live together with me and my husband ….


So what happened next well I shared my hearts with friends and they loved them ….they asked me to make them, not just for chickens but for all sorts of events ….birthdays, Christmas, christenings it was just lovely to share this and that is where Jules Handmade With Love began …..fast forward to March 2022….

So I had been making hearts and personalising them and decoupaging anything that sat still for about a year…making signs, buckets, memorial stones, just whatever I was asked if I could do, I just gave it a go.......it was so much fun and on route I met some wonderful people this was my journey.

So what happened in March 2022 took it to the next level ...this sounds dramatic but it actually was ……my lovely husband bought me some watercolour paints for my 54th Birthday …..now let me state for the record I had never ever painted anything in my whole life ......

……but during this journey I had started to surround myself with lovely people who were also creative and that give me the confidence to believe in myself….anything is possible….my very first painting was not brilliant but I loved it ….my

second was better and so on …..people often don’t believe me when I say I have

only been painting for just over a year but its all true….I love to sit and look and study …

I will be honest my drawing is not great ….and everything starts out as a really rough sketch but I love colours, the light and shade and how with light and shade things

become alive and have definition ….do I wish I had found my love of watercolour painting before now? Of course I do but I can’t change the past I can only embrace the future and what that brings.

As for the waifs and strays they constantly inspire me and give me the view that life is in the moment and we need to be part of the moment to make sure we don’t miss a thing…..easier said than done but its true…..just give it a go.


Thank you again so much for reading these ramblings of an older lady and taking the time to visit my little page….I really do feel like this is a two way conversation….I love your feedback ….take a look in my shop and please let me know what you think ….

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