Happy New Year! *Toot! My first blog post of the year is going to be a selfish one. Toot! I’ve got lots of Christmas stuff I want to post about too (and soon) but today, it’s all about me! Toot!….. I’m in a magazine, a real life magazine!! And a flippin’ good one too. Toot! (*toots are not associated with the musical fruit kind).
A few months ago I summoned the smarts to email the editor of Inside Crochet magazine. I asked if they’d be interested in my designs. I felt quite brave. Over the last six months or so I have developed a sort of “why not?”attitude. A couple of years ago I would never have been so brazen as to approach someone with my ideas. But recently, I’ve been thinking that it’s about time I stopped being such a cowardy custard and just did the things everyone else seems to find so easy. The catalyst for my sudden burst of proactivity was a presentation Husband gave to a bunch of tech dweebs about the future of technology. In it, he talked about the difference between Generation X and Millennials; how Gen X waited to be discovered whilst Millennials went out and got the thing they wanted. I learned that I was old: Gen X. Ugh. It was time to do something about it. Anyway, a week after I pressed send I got a fabulously positive response, which got me pacing around the living room whispering the “F” word for a while.
Issue 85 of Inside Crochet magazine is in the shops right now. I saw it in Tesco’s the other day and I pointed it out to my son who grinned. He recognised the cover and was nicely gobsmacked. We were in Southampton at the time and he couldn’t fathom that the magazine I was in, wasn’t just the copy we had at home.
The process of designing has been brilliant and really quite interesting. The making bit is obviously the best bit and it feels pretty good when the pattern is all typed up too. My biggest fear is that this is one trick pony territory, that the ideas will dry up or get rubbish. Who can tell?! What I will say is, just keep your eyes peeled for future issues too. Hmm, maybe go and buy next month’s copy of Inside Crochet too…
Changing the subject, at some point this month I need to share the things that I made for family this Christmas. Also all the things crafty I received. I’ll take some pictures of all the goodness and then I’ll be here again.
Righty, Happy New Year to all, may it be just as interesting as 2016 (but in all the good ways not the nasty)…X Toot!
Well, Congratulations on both the published article and having the guts to go out and ask for something that you want!
Thank you very much! I realise I’m very much blowing my own trumpet but I’m too pleased to be modest!
I always do exactly the same – and the novelty never wears off, believe me!
So great! To see your name in print with such a cute design! Well done you… you should be very proud and there’s no shame in shouting it from the roof tops! 🙂 🙂
Thank you very much!! I’m super happy! Xx
Yay! Congratulations! That’s fantastic 😃
Thank you! Yay!! 😄
Congrats! What a wonderful way to start your new year.
Isn’t it just!? Thank you very much. X
Congratulations! Well deserved recognition of your talents 🙂
Thank you very much! I’m super pleased!! 😄
That is just fecking brilliant !!!! Well done you, i treat myself to this magazine now & then (it’s a bit pricy here ) but will def get my hands on a copy.
💐💐🍾🍾 now go & tell everyone !!
Aw cheers, Maura!! I’d love to get all the crochet magazines all the time but yeah, gets pricey! A perk of being in it meant I got a free copy though! Well chuffed!! So many exclamation marks!!
It deserves a lot of exclamation marks !!
How exciting! Well done for having the courage to “put yourself out there”. It was clearly worth it! Happy New Year by the way.
Thank you ever so much! Happy New Year! X
Congratulations! You deserve the publication:). Great purse design:)
Thanks very much!! Glad you like it.
Congrats! This is something to celebrate 🎉! Great design, now I want to pick up the mag so I can make one myself!
Thank you very much!! Oh go on, I’d love that!! 🙂
Toot toot indeed! Many congratulations- how exciting! Well done for having a go and being brave enough to ask. I’m a similar Generation Xer but I’m feeling a bit Millenial too these days…. here’s to a braver 2017 all round!
Thank you, toot toot! Yes, here’s to being brave!! X
Congratulations! That’s really exciting for you. I spend hours crowing if one of my cards is on the letters page in a magazine, I can’t imagine actually having a project featured x
Thank you! Last year I got an Instagram pic printed on a readers page of another crochet magazine, I was so pleased to see it!!
Wow, congrats on that! What a great way to start the new year – appearing in a magazine!
Thank you!! I love that it coincides with the new year! Roll on 2017… Xx
Rosina that great! Congratulations and well done you for taking the plunge. UK magazines take a bit of time to get Down Under but I’ve taken note of the issue and will definitely be buying one! Go girl! Here’s to a fabulous 2017 for you.
Thank you so much! It’s definitely a good start to the new year! Xx
Congrats this is so cool!! What a way to start the year!
Yes indeed! Thank you very much! 🙂
Oh wow, how exciting! Congratulations!!
Thank you very much! xx
A big huge YAY for you! I have bought the magazine and have told everyone that’s my friend on the internet you know, she’s in a magazine!! So excited for you, what a brilliant attitude to have. My uni tutor always used to say shy bairns get nowt… Gen X sounds a bit cooler but it’s the same thing!! Xxx
Thank you so much!! Honestly, I was ridiculously excited. A real ambition actually achieved!!
I have known for a long time that shy bairns get nowt but it can be really hard to drag yourself anywhere scary. It’s taken a while to stop being a shy bairn. There’s no denying that having confidence gets you places! It’d be nice if I wasn’t just pretending most of the time! X :p
I know exactly what you mean. I’m not a shy person but when it comes to selling myself I just can’t speak! All my anxiety comes to the front, and frankly it’s quite ridiculous! I’m going to have to make myself do some scary stuff this year if I don’t want to really annoy myself! Xx
Mostly I’m not that shy either but I stall (or run away and hide) when it’s up to me to instigate. It has probably meant missing out on quite a few opportunities. Let’s put a stop to that. X
Definitely! Xx 😊
Woohoooo! Nice one… And you got name-checked by the editor as well! Congratulations on being a published author, and your project looks SO COOL! I might have to try some of this go-getting malarkey myself now…
Aha, thank you so much! Excting times. x