Personal | 2015 Reflections

I have umm'ed and ahh'ed over whether to write this post, as lets face it my blog has been very neglected. This is due to time and commitments in other areas of my life but also lack of inspiration on what to post. I have written this blog post about 3 times now... and I thought I made a decision to skip writing a reflections post of the year. However I also reminded myself how much I love to read the past year's reflections to remind myself of where I have been and how I have grown as a person.

So here we go again... third time lucky!

The reason I was hesitant in writing this post is due to 2015 not being the best of years. I mean there has been some major highs (which I will get to in a minute) but also some super lows. I have had friends wonder where I have got to as I have kind of taken a step back. Not due to not wanting to spend time with them, but due to the fact that I have had to prioritise what is needed and important and this year it was spending time with family.

For those of you who don't know my family has been surrounded by Cancer. I have pretty much grown up with it surrounding mine and my families life. I think the first time I felt it's presence was when I was about 13/14 when my mum was first diagnosed with Cancer. Ever since then it has hit many members of my close family whilst I have looked at a distance. I have seen how my family has tried to cope with each blow and it amazes me at the strength that they all hold. I say this, as its no secret that I am the BIGGEST wimp when it comes to needles, blood or anything to do with hospitals, so I have the biggest respect for anyone that is going through it. I think I make them all laugh at my shudders especially when a drip is involved (Vom!!!).

So it came as an absolute blow to my whole family in July to hear my mum's cancer had come back after a 10 year break and it was here to stay. I was actually on holiday in Morocco when my mum told me and this time felt different, as to hear she would never be able to get rid of it is a hard thing to take in. It was one of those moments when I felt the world changed in an instant. Devastation is the word that sums it up. I am devastated for my mum, she had already fought many battles of cancer it just seemed ridiculously unfair it has returned. I would never wish cancer upon anyone else however there was a moment when I thought... why can't it go and bother someone else's family as we have had so much more than our fair share but then I know that isn't how it works.
There is nothing like cancer to remind you of what is important in life. My mum's strength and courage amazes us all each day as she undergoes chemotherapy. I don't know how she does it, but she does and we all love her very much so for it.

However to balance this major blow, is the best thing to happen in 2015. We had a huge blessing in our family with a new addition, my beautiful nephew Travis. He has brought so much love and laughter to our family at a time when we needed it most. He is most beautiful baby boy I have ever met and his smiles are the best thing ever. The joy he brings to our family is insane... and he brought our family even more closer together.

Also with all this going on, we have found out who our true friends our. The love, support and understanding we get from them is amazing and this year would of been very different if our friends were not involved. Also to new friendships... we have lived in Falmouth now for over a year and we have never felt so settled before. We have been made to feel so welcome by so many people and we have both made some amazing new life-long friends. We are currently on the hunt for our first home and although we have been out-bid on two houses we are not losing hope. We know the perfect home is out there!

There have been some other big positives for the year too, in regards to my business Sincerely May. This year has been a challenge in trying to learn how to balance a full time job alongside running a business that is growing every day. I wrote a list at the start of 2015, and I over achieved everything that was on the list. I could never of predicted what Sincerely May would become! I have so much gratitude to the couples and suppliers that I work with, as I would not be in the position that I am in now, without them. Don't get me wrong, it has not been easy... working late into every evening after a long day at work and working most weekends. I have learnt some hard lesson's along the way but when I look back at what I have achieved, it makes it all so very worth it. I am so thankful for all the love and support I get from my family, especially that husband of mine. He has helped me grow my business to where it is. He is head of post office runs, envelope lining, photo taking and tea-making. I really couldn't do it without him!!

We didn't get to travel as much as we wanted to this year due to Sincerely May taking up all my free time, however when we did, we made it worth it! The highlight trip for me, has to be Isle of Skye. I had been wanting to visit Isle of Skye for many years, and I am so glad we did. It is my happy place. I have never seen so much beauty before, and that is saying something as I have seen a fair bit of this world. To think its right on our doorstep is crazy, as it felt like a different world! If you ever get a chance to visit, then you must go! You really won't regret it.

Also this year has been turning my hands to new skills. Earlier on in the year, I tried my hand at letter-pressing in Bristol. It has been something I have wanted to try for such a long time and it ignited my love and respect into this art form. I wish I had the space to buy my own press, maybe one day we will! I also tried my hand at wreath making with my mum which has been on the list of things I wanted to do for a while. It was such good fun and we made some beautiful wreaths for our front doors.

I am looking forward to 2016 even though there are some major hurdles in the way, I still feel there are some exciting things planned.

So here are my intentions for 2016:

• Keep spending more quality time with my family.
• Keep growing Sincerely May. I have lots of exciting projects lined up which I can't wait to share with you.
• Live more in the moment and try not to sweat the small stuff.
• See more of this world we are living in whether this is more city breaks, or road trips! Who knows but I want and need to see more of this world.
• Be more mindful and kind to myself by doing more of the things I love. Yoga, reading and just sitting on the sofa watching TV with my husband and not being tucked away in the studio.
• Declutter my wardrobe the amount of clothing I have vs the amount of clothing I actually wear needs to be reviewed!
• Stepping away more from social media. Running a business means I need to be on these platforms but more so on a personal level. I have taken a step back from Facebook slightly but I feel I can do more of this. 
• Drink more water - this might be my trickiest intention...
• Find a house to buy - we have been looking for the past 5/6 months and put in offers on 2 properties to be outbid. We are hoping by Christmas next year we will be in our own home.

Happy new year to you all!!!

Personal | 2014 Reflections

What a year 2014 has been! It has been pretty quiet here on Pencil Stitches but that just means life in general has been busy. I wanted to do a 2014 post, as one of the reasons I love to keeping this blog is being able to look back across the years and see what was happening in life at that moment in time.

2014 has been a CRAZY year.... its up there with 2013! We learnt a lot from this year. Australia taught us to be more open. Whether this was more open to meeting people or more open to what we wanted to do in life, or just to keep our hearts open as you never know what adventures are around the corner for you.

Moving abroad to live and work was a huge shock to our system. One that we love and one that we don't regret doing. We have seen and done things, most people will never get to experience in their lifetime. People don't truly 'get' it unless they do it themselves. Alex & I have learnt to aways try and step outside of our comfort zone as we know great things come from stepping outside of it. We do things that are right for 'us' as at the end of the day, we are the ones that are living this life and thats the greatest thing we have learnt.

Moving back to the UK was a large shock for the people around us as they couldn't understand why we would want to leave such a beautiful country to come back to the UK with no jobs. We knew it was the right thing for us to do though. We made sure that it worked for us. It was one of the hardest decisions to make, but if we knew what 2014 had in store for us back when making the decision. We would of made that decision with a lighter heart. Hindsight is always a good old thing...

2014 was the year for:

• Taking a big jump and leaving our home in Australia to move back to the UK.

• Travelling to new parts of the world to open our eyes to new cultures and new ways of thinking.
• Ticking off things on our bucket list.

• Settling back into UK life.
• Reflecting at what we wanted out of our lives.

• Learning new skills & passions.

• Starting my business Sincerely May.

• Moving down to Cornwall to create a new home & life for ourselves.

• Meeting like minded people.
• Living life and living the adventure.

2015 is going to be a year for:

• Pushing my business more

• Illustrating more and just trying to be more creative in general
• Capturing more moments as they happen

• & most importantly exploring this world we live in more....

Happy 2015 to you all! I hope this year is kind to you :)

Personal | The Husbands 30th Birthday

Last week my very handsome husband turned 30. Happy Birthday Mr May!!! 30 to me is such a big milestone, to my husband Alex, it was just another day. He really wasn't fussed. Luckily I took it into my own hands to well and truly spoil him!!

30 is an age where most people analyse where you are in life… or thats what I thought! However Alex completely took it in his stride and saw it as any other day. I however decided to analyse it for him ;) 

In the eye's of a traditionalist of where we should be by the age of 30 we are not doing so well. We are married, which is a big tick. However the house front & kid front is a big empty box. However in the eyes of us, we are doing good. Alex is in a position where for the first time in his life he is doing something he loves and is passionate about. Photography & Coffee! I am so proud of him for not falling in to the 'daily' trap of life and jobs. He has stood his ground and went after what he wanted. 

Not many people in this world can say they love their job, but that husband of mine can. Yes it means we have had to sacrifice a few things a long the way but I think it's entirely worth it just to hear Alex talk about his day with a smile on his face. He has changed paths and he can see a future thats bright. He is working his astra-barista off (see what I did there Alex ;) ) not just for himself but for his family too. 

We only took a few photos of the evening at Gwithian, where we set camp for the night. We also ended the day with Champers on the beach. 

p.s I heard Thirties are the new Twenties Alex… luckily I have a few years left to find that one out!! 

Personal | Hi my name is Cathryn

© Pencil Stitches

After a pretty long hiatus I feel like I am ready to start a-fresh on this blog. I started to become a bit frustrated with writing as I felt I had no inspiration or felt like I had nothing interesting to share. I would sit down at my computer for hours on end and just get severe writing/creative block.

I was even close to giving up this blog, but then I started to miss it and what its purpose was for. I thought about the direction I wanted to take this blog, as lets face it! I started 5 years ago and a lot has happened and changed. I want this blog to grow naturally with me.

I decided to give my blog a little bit of a re-vamp to celebrate that I am back and I love its modern yet feminine feel to it. I promise to finish off our travel photo posts, and to post more about life back in the UK. This blog will be about illustrations, life, fashion and travel. The things I love the most!

So lets start afresh…

Hi my name is Cathryn. I am 27 years of age and I live in the UK. I am married to an amazing husband and I am self employed starting up and running my own design business. I am pushing myself to believe that 'The world really is my oyster!'

Illustration | Drop waisted wedding dress for Juno & Joy the wedding blog

© Pencil Stitches | Cathryn Nicholson

Ok ok ok…. I have been SUPER quiet over here at Pencil Stitches. I guess it has taken a little bit of a back burner as I have started up a new company called 'Sincerely May'.

As you all know, I love a good wedding so I thought I would combine my love for design & typography and mix it with weddings & hen parties!!! If you are planning a wedding or a hen party, then please head over to Sincerely May for some paper goodness! Here you will find modern and contemporary wedding stationery & hen party badges that will reflect the bride and grooms as a couple.

Its been hectic, I am not going to lie but its been so rewarding. I have loved every minute of it and I know I am on a bit of a roller coaster but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I am slowllllly getting close to that bright light. Although I know I have a way to go!

I have also been approved to sell on Not On The Highstreet, so head on over to have a nose. This was a huge achievement for me and I think its a great move for Sincerely May

In the mean time,  I am still illustrating when I get a spare minute and I was asked by the lovely wedding blog Juno & Joy to create a set of wedding dress illustrations. The first one has just been posted so head on over to have a look!

Travel | Australia..The Start of the Adventure!

© Pencil Stitches | Cathryn Nicholson

Ok, so I have finally got round to posting a 'few' photos of our trip. I say few, as we took just under 2000 photos within the month. We could of taken a lot more but there was days when we didn't take the camera out as we wanted to sink in the sights & sounds without any technology.

I will start from the beginning as thats always the best place to start ;) We both knew we were moving home to the UK and I basically put my foot down saying I was not leaving Australia until we swam at the Great Barrier Reef. What started as a 2 day weekend in Cairns followed by Thailand led into a full on road trip of the east coast of Australia!!

I was so glad we decided to do this though as it was my favourite part of the whole trip. When we mentioned to our Australian friends what we were doing, we were given very bemused looks asking us if we realised how far it was!! We just both nodded our heads nervously wondering what we had signed up for!! Eek!

We hired a Jucy camper van and we navigated our way up the coast with a map and absolutely no plan other than knowing we had to be in Cairns to catch our plane on a certain date. We packed our house into a container, and had to hand the keys back on the same day. When we handed our keys back to our home in Australia we both got in the van and looked at each other nervously. Alex drove away from the place we called home for 20 months. We had no itinerary, we didn't even know where we were sleeping that night. We just drove... and so the adventure began from Geelong, Victoria, Australia!