In a minute
Oi ! It’s time to take the plunge and get something up on this blog! I can’t tell you how many times I have sat here and looked at this blank entry box and gone “ughh. I have nothing to say!”. So here is an entry about having nothing to say.
This blog started out a long time ago when what I concentrated on was the daily droplets; the tick of the clock, the squeak of the mouse, etc. I am reading a book at the moment called Diary of a Provincial Lady by E M Delafield which is all about this kind of thing. The author is a British woman running a country house between the two World Wars. While this kind of life has probably mostly disappeared (she spends a huge amount of time worrying about how to get good servants and then how to keep them) it’s the tiny daily happenings – the coughs and colds, confrontations with neighbours, discussions about growing bulbs and strange meals that appear on their dinner table – that has me wrapped.
Lately my blog has become primarily a craft blog. When I haven’t done any crafting I feel I have nothing to say. When I don’t have time to craft, my blog – always an important part of my personal creative expression – lies dormant. I love, love love the craft blogs I visit. Most blogs I frequent these days are the ones that show amazing projects which inspire me on so many levels. But at the moment my craft work is just a small part of where I am at. There is all this other stuff that mills around in my head and fills my days and while it all may not be as pretty or as cute or as potentially inspiring as a new project, it’s part of all of this and I had forgotten that it’s what I wanted to record when I began Loobylu almost six years ago (yeegads!). There are new haircuts that have not been blogged! Places I have driven to without having a nervous breakdown to report! Amelia still isn’t potty trained! So that’s where I am. I promise not to write too much about Australian Idol. But um… Laura????
I love the blog….no matter what you share..i am a fan and I am checkin’ every day for my loobylu fix.Your blog – do as you wish.
Hi, Yes, I saw the Laura fiasco. She’ll be the first voted out for sure.I know what you mean about the blog block thing. It’s just happened to me and I’m continually questioning myself about where I want to go with my blog. Just keep writing and having little breaks when you need I think.
Yes! Laura! I could NOT believe it. How could someone like Roxy get left behind…and someone who can sing in key, get picked. I haven’t been this upset since Molly died in A Country Practice. PS:Even when you say “nothing” it’s great.
Laura got through!?!? I think I’ll stop watching that show now.
Dear Looby,I’ve been a faithful reader since I discovered you blog a couple years ago. It’s funny that you should write this now, because I was just recently reflecting on how the content of the blog had shifted, and how I missed the daily life stories you used to share. I was wondering whether it was because your blog was getting more well known, and being kept in the library and so on that made you want to keep it less personal. But I’m delighted to hear you are thinking of resuming the droplets of life style. I find your stories and thoughts interesting, and thought provoking, and always felt so glad that you felt like sharing.
Best wishes,
Your faithful reader S.
what sashwee said!
love your blog!!
I know how you feel even so I’m relatively new to blogging. People seem to react much more to my crafty posts (and I’m really happy about the support!). Having a mostly crafty blog and flickr account puts a lot of positive pressure on me to do a lot more crafty things in less time. Show and tell… If I do share personal things usually nobody comments. But sometimes it would be good to read “I’ve been there…eventually everything will be OK”. I usually try to keep my blog on the lighter side. Sometimes I even think that because I’m not native speaker my English might not be good enough for people to actually read my posts (maybe they just look at the pictures). Hm…Your blog has been a great inspiration to me over the years – not only your crafty adventures. You should write about whatever you feel like. It’s your blog and people change…
Take care
Anke
i love to read whatever you write about loobylu (and please write about australian idol as much as you like)i couldn’t believe what happened on monday night either…
I agree with Anke…if your life and ideals, priorities and inspirations haven’t changed in six years, then what…! I love reading your blog, and if you’re quite for a little while, I always think it must be because you’re busy putting the finishing touches on a beautiful doll! Having said that, I think I would enjoy a driving report as much as I have enjoyed all the other things you share.
I get onto your blog everyday after I check my emails..and I love when you have a new entry. For someone who also is crafty, renovates a house and has toddlers I relate to just about everything you write. I feel like you and all that comment are just a bunch of friends having a chat…so I agree with the others Just write what ever you feel like writing about 🙂
Dear Claire
I love love love the minutes from your day that you share with us. Don’t get me wrong, I like seeing the photos of your toys too, but the real charm is in your words. Anyway, this is your blog – do whatever you want to do!
(and as Mark said, Australia, you get what you vote for!!)
This entry marks my progression from lurker/stalker??? what’s the term for someone who reads a bolg always but never contributes??? Just a quick note to say that I have just moved into my new house and the first things in were two of your beautiful prints newly framed for my boys…I can’t stop looking at them, they have a luminescence that means that they glow where they are – I LOVE them and know that my boys will grow up loving them too. Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou.
ahhhh…sigh…the amount of times you write about exactly what i was thinking (but a lot more eloquently) is amazing. We all love to hear what you have been up to.. be that driving… being a mum… studies… inspiration… or your brilliant handy work… make it yours …make it fun… besides it’s so freekin cold and my fingers are about to drop off out here too!
I am really new to blogging and often wonder what is appropriate to say. I often want to rant on about my daily grind but also want people to come back without some whingeing sheila raving on.I say thumbs up to the real day and details that are the majority of most people’s days. Its all valuable to our process.
And don’t get me started on Laura either!!
your site (with picture included) is on one of the most important magazines in my country.
it’s a three pages review entitled: Blogs, the ultimate internet revolution / something personal
give me time and i will scanned it for you to have it.
I’m from Argentina, and the magazine is called Para Ti.
It’s OK not to blog about crafts and change the subject. I remember reading about your driving lessons and still came back here to hear from you.
Keep blogging and just express yourself.
-g
I love your blog and your inspiring craft entries…but I don’t care what you write about cause its all entertaining.
By the way..not sure if I’ve missed something…but is August MOS theme “wild west”..I’ve seen it popping up on some other sites but when I look at MoS site its not there?
I love those little things! That´s what life is made of, isn´t it so? Everything else so quickly becomes boring and doesn´t seem so real…
I know how you feel – I too read loads of craft blogs for inspiration, including yours. I totally understand the long droughts of craftiness. I seem to go through them too, and my only baby at this point is an unborn dissertation!
Dear Claire,
I have been reading your blog almost as long as you have been writing it (5 years!). It has been a great pleasure to see how you have grown from being a single dot.com girl like I was into a married, freelance, toy-making mum. Personally, I miss the day-to-day blogging stuff that got me hooked in the first place. (While I do knit and sew the odd thing, I’m not really interested in making toys.) Regardless, I love getting glimpses of your little world every day, and whatever you write I will continue to love reading. But if you get a great haircut, I want to know about it!
So what you’re saying is you’re just like the rest of us? ;)Still love it!
Its funny what you said today- I have been missing the bits about the haircuts, silly stories about life and Amelia and being a Mom who also likes to make stuff. I also love the crafty blogs. I also end up feeling pressure to make more- do more- when really I just want to craft for crafty’s sake. They can be inspirational, but reading about how you do what you do when I am in the same boat has been inspirational too. Brin back the mundaneness of day to day life! I love it!
Hey there-
I’ve been missing your stories about Amelia and your herb garden and shoe shopping and your yoga class and I’ve also been missing those great drawings your used to post of people that you spotted on the street – they were so fun and inspiring. I’m a crafty type, but not especially into stuffed toys, so I for one would love it if you went back to sharing all the flotsam and jetsam from your life.
Anyway – you’ve gotta do whatever is fun for you…blogging is meant to be fun, after all, right?
Much love…
let’s see the new haircut! I love the day to day stuff. my brain can only take in so much online eye candy. the most interesting things to me these days are the daily experiences of similarly minded souls. I feel the same way, hestitant to post when I have nothing new to show. I’m always tempted to write about what happened to me at the grocery store or talk about my favorite tv programs and then I punk out and post pictures. I’d really like to change that about my weblog. As always, you’ve inspired me 🙂
Hi there!
I stumbled across your blog not too long ago and I check your blog daily to see what new things you’re making. Your illustrations are very inspiring and I am inspired by what you do. At times, we get caught up with the mundane things in life but that doesn’t mean that we haven’t been doing anything related to crafts. I’ve been trying to be inspired to make more things for here http://www.jelts-online.com
Thanks for sharing in your creative process. = )
I am really glad you are contemplating sharing the bits and pieces making up your life. I’ve been reading your blog for quite some time, and although I love seeing your creations, I’ve really missed the charming way you used to share your other tidbits. Looking forward to more of whatever you’d like to share with us!
Amy
I’ve been hooked on your blogging for 5 years too: miss the people in the street… Helen summed it up so well. You make any little thing interesting without trying. I also love hearing about the heat of summer when I’m full of winter cold, and vice versa: you always have a positive spin on things, but never saccharine, always fun. So many of us identify with you, so go forth, blog what you want: good days, bad days… you’ve helped more people get through their days than you’ll ever know.
dear claire,
i’ve been reading and loving your site since 2000 – it was actually your site that led me to know about blogs. your site is still my number one fave. i do love when you post about all the random trivial stuff that happens every day and when you add your amazing illustrations. i’d love to hear more about your renovations, your haircuts, amelia or whatever. so post when you feel like posting and talk about whatever feels right at the time.
x dani
Just adding my voice to the chorus to say that I love reading your everyday stories, too. There is so much more to all of us than what we make -and those are usually the really interesting bits! I look forward to reading more of your views on Idol! xo
The book you are reading sounds rather like the 1930’s equivalent of a blog today. Moments of everyday life are charming but easily forgotten so it’s nice to be able to have a place to record and share all of these things.For yourself and for us!
Yes, please keep up with the time-to-time bits of your life. Your lovely illustrations and heartfelt sentiments, whether they are about a burnt roast or a treasured memory of your grandmother quilting, are very meaningful and always a pleasure to read.
Don’t cave in to the pressure to post about crafts all the time. Listen to what you personally love/used to love about writing and sharing in loobylu.
“Proudly supporting young australian talent” ? C’mon golden arches, you can’t be serious about that one.
–oportolover
You MUST know we LOVE you Clare WHATEVER you write 🙂 You are my blog inspiration and my first online blog discovery, keep writing and we will read*P.S. I REALLY want a Cat, can you email me to do a custom for me or let me know when your next batch is coming up, or a pear, I’ll take ANYTHING* Gotta LOVE your work babe*
it’s waaaaay past my bedtime and i’ve never done this before but WOW!!!!… you are so talented! Thanks for sharing all your stuff…espeshilly all your links (was so excited about etsy!!!)…that’s why i’m still up!! i had to thank you. This was my first proper look at your website and i’m excited!! You seem to have accomplished so much (espeshilly with being a Mum too!!…how lucky is your Amelia to have such a clever Mum!!)…Congratulations Claire!!!… Here’s wishing you the best to come and lots, lots more to say.
maybe i’m alone in this…but when i’m going through a crafty drought, i approach blogging in the same mindset i approach craft.
but to me, writing in of itself is a form of meditation, as is crafting.
although it’s hard not to get overwhelmed by all the kickass pics people post, they inspire me daily!
as do books like the one you mentioned. ‘the remains of the day’ sounds similar. a big big house chock full of little tiny moments and emotions wrapped up in what is proper and right.
as someone who knows nothing about oz idol, given that if laura’s voice was a color, it’d be beige, doesn’t that tell you everything you need to know? ;)with you on the craft thing, although it’s so easy to cheat and merely comment on other people’s guff instead of what you’re actually (er…not…) doing…
Hi, I ran across your site and love all your crafty bits and artwork…and I am very curious as to what medium you use for your pretty illustrations. They are so cute and original.
Ooops….should have looked around a little first…so you use Photoshop. Very nice technique. 🙂