A year of finding

I am back after a months absence. Most of it spent madly dashing to finish assignments for my Interior Design Diploma. I am pleased to say they all went in on time and with positive feedback. I hope to share some of the details of them with you in the coming weeks or early in the new year if I don't escape the festive season grip.

The last week has been catching up on the domestic side of things - all the stuff that goes by the wayside when you are just too busy and are getting too little sleep to worry if that washing ever goes near a draw before heading back to the laundry again.

It is fitting that I am back in action today as it is a day of celebration.
A year ago today Find & Dandy was born!

The seed of an idea that is this blog had been rolling around inside of me for some years and this day last year I finally hit that publish button and held my breath.

What has a year meant for me and Find & Dandy? Has it been all I would imagine it to be?
Yes and No.

The experience of blogging and sharing my ideas with you has been better than I had ever expected. I have enjoyed every minute of it. The only trouble has been the ideas have been bigger, more ambitious and too many than my schedule outside this blogoshpere has allowed me to deliver - an eternal frustration I must admit but a delightfully exciting frustration to have, one I hope to alleviate at every opportunity through this next year. I especially hope to dandy it more for you this year - yep getting my dandy on at least once a week is a new blog years resolution.

Here is just a little of what I have found this year:
• What I want to be when I grow up. I have had a few jobs and a few careers and have studied a few things along the way but these last few years of studying Interior Design have shown me that I have found my place, my language and my area of contribution - what all that means is what I, fortunately, still have time to figure out. Lucky me.
• I like yellow! This one has been a great surprise to me. I have never liked yellow before. I still can't wear it close to my lilly white skin but I do now own mini yellow chairs, yellow shoes and a yellow macramé pot hanger among other sunny additions this year.
• Instagram. A little insight in snapshots to other peoples days - sanctioned voyeurism with colour and style, what's not to like.
• I can draw better than I thought I can. This one is an ongoing practice.
• I am obsessed with needlepoint - but then you knew that.
• I already knew this but it is great to find out again - the support of family and friends is the best thing to have in your life. I am truly blessed in this regard.
• No matter how busy I get I must visit an Op-Shop at least fortnightly to fuel the finding addiction. I doubt there are programs for this but even if there were I could not be encouraged to attend.
• Above all else time is the thing I most wish to find more of.

Find and Dandy will turn two before I know it but before then I have a real train themed 2nd birthday to plan in a few weeks for the little man in my life so I'm off to practice fondant and make party bags.

Happy Birthday Find & Dandy - thanks for sharing the year with me.

xo
Siobhain

P.S Thanks to Craig Proudford for the photo (craigproudford.com)

P.P.S If you feel like giving me, I mean Find & Dandy, a little present I would love to hear if there have been favourite posts for you in the year or favourite finds.