My favourite magazine and the article about basket making that lead me to get hooked!

There is just one magazine I buy faithfully each month: the British version of Country Living. Since 2015, I have enjoyed the simple relaxed decor featured that makes you feel like you could conjur up the same atmosphere with just what you have and maybe a fresh coat of paint, rather than layouts that require fancy furnishing.  I love old houses so relish the spreads about centuries-old stone houses of Britain.  They highlight the rural life and agricultural families in this magazine and I have even made a few of the recipes.  Christmas and Easter crafts are simple but delightful and often incorporate nature. The first thing I turn to in each new copy is the their Kitchen Table Talent feature which highlights crafters and artists who have turned their love for a craft into a business.  In the February 2017 issue, they featured basket weaver Annemarie O’Sullivan in “A Way with Willow”.  I poured over the words and photos and it inspired me that year to sign up for my first basket workshop!

In keeping with my 2019 goal, I am going to follow their special publication Turn your Hobby into a Business: Volume 2 Finding your Confidence.  I didn’t catch the Volume 1 when it was on sale in Canada, but this volume is the result of feedback they received from workshops they ran.  This volume goes beyond the how-tos of business set-up and delves into some of the nagging challenges people shared. Each chapter title speaks to me in my hobby-to-business journey, so I’m going to share what I learn as I work through this book one chapter at a time.