The Craftiest Workshop

I have to admit that I was on the fence back in August when it came time to renew my website. I was struggling to feel motivated to write and create content. August is both a time for beautiful weather and a time when there is a lot of outdoor stuff to get done. On the flip side, the time leading up to Christmas is the easiest time to come up with content for a blog. Perhaps for 2023, I might reduce my blogs to once per week in the summer and ramp up again in the fall…I will keep you posted.

I found myself branching out this year. I had been quite focused on pyrography but, while I still enjoy it, there are other creative pursuits that I want to explore further.

I really enjoyed using smaller pieces of scrap wood to create something. I have a few other ideas that I plan to make in the New Year.

I love being able to explore our acreage and find ways to use things that we have available. Plants such as rosehips, pussy willow, willow, Saskatoon and chokecherry all provide something that I have blogged about. There are other plants that have edible and medicinal uses that I plan to experiment with.

There is also the interactions with birds and wildlife that I seem to experience almost every day. I enjoy feeding the birds by hand and capturing different animals in photos. Some of my projects this year may include some bird feeders and bird houses and clearing paths in the trees to make it easier for the deer and moose to move about.

We plan to get our garden going this year and plant some trees to start a food forest. Some of the fruits of our labours may make it into future blogs.

I have done some pyrography projects that were gifts or requests this year.
Some others were just because I wanted to try them.

My website has an average of 100 visits per day mostly from pictures of things I have made and posted on Pinterest. In the month of November I had 800,000 impressions of my Pinterest content meaning that is how many times my pictures came across other people’s home feed. These are my top five photos, some linking back to my website and others just a photo.
If anyone wants to follow me on Pinterest just search The Craftiest Workshop.

There is a certain amount of narcissism involved when you are creating art(I use that term loosely). You want people to look at it, comment and like it. It feeds your vanity I think. Seeing that others are viewing photos of my art keeps me motivated to continue making it.

I have decided for the start of 2023 to continue posting blogs twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I will change when I normally post so that I post in the evening vs the morning. That way if there is something I need to tweak or rewrite, I am not scrambling to do it late at night or early in the morning when I don’t have as much focus.

I thank everyone for reading my blog or at least checking out the photos of my work. I know that creating, as well as sharing the results with others, is essential for my mental health .

Happy New Year!! I hope you all continue to follow my blogging journey in 2023.