A new year, hopefully a happy and more peaceful one for all of us - creatures and humans on our beautiful Planet Earth.

I have returned from visiting my family in Yorkshire, and now in the process of packing all the remaining Christmas and Winter decorations to bed for another year. 

My sketchbook is on the table and I am enjoying the chance to draught and brainstorm new ideas. Sometimes it is hard to put what is in my head directly into a design so although my drawing skills are not that honed, the practice of putting a real pen and real paint to real paper is invaluable for allowing fledgling ideas to develop. Naturally at this time of year it is all about the Snowdrop -our precious and most beloved Galanthus Nivalis; although this year I am thinking of  our other Winter beauty the Helleborine family and looking forward to early Cherry Plum Blossom- that most delicate of flowers.

I will of course wait to see where pen and paper take me then begin the process of working digitally to translate my ideas into files ready for cutting. It feels very exciting to be at this stage again and I look forward to sharing the new work as it unfolds. 

The global supply of Birchwood has been affected by the dreadful war in Ukraine (with most supply routes being from Finland and the Baltic), consequently the price of the wood  I use almost trebled in price last year and the quality I prefer to use has become increasingly scarse to source. Although I have a modest amount reserved for the beginning of the year I have been working with one of my trusted suppliers to test new timber products and their suitability for the laser cutter; I continue to be commited to working with responsibly sourced and sustainable materials so am also investigating these aspects too. 

January is also traditionally the time that event organizers get in touch with forthcoming dates so my eye is on my inbox as some of my favourite events book up very quickly so cannot be slept on! 

Alongside this my workshop is getting a thorough tidy and a much needed refurb; so once measuring up is done and taxes paid up (yes that time of year again!) I can get a clearer idea of my budget and how best to approach streamlining the space. I know some of you are very keen to visit and attend training so refreshing the space will be a big step towards enabling this to happen.

Finally - there will be a few of the current Flower and Card range listed shortly, and the new ones being added when ideas and sampling have reached fruition.

So it is very much a case of onwards and upwards as they say... thank you for your interest and support  - I wish all of you all the very best for the year ahead.

Maggie x