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Hello Hooray blog Take time out to be creative with Clare Albans and stitch your own colourful fun embroidery!
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01/09/2026

Went back to the day job today, but mentally I’m here 🤣🇮🇹🍋

We have absolutely loved the Starting Lines exhibition at Baltic Gateshead by foundationpress - it’s a wonderful celebra...
29/08/2026

We have absolutely loved the Starting Lines exhibition at Baltic Gateshead by foundationpress - it’s a wonderful celebration of risoprint, and the way you could interact and create as part of the exhibition was a big hit for all of us! 😊 The whole exhibition is full of wonderful creative prompts and I also love the community element of the works on display.

We went back in April when it first opened and really enjoyed drawing some postcards. When we went back in June my postcard was still on display (see last photo!). It’s probably the closest I’ll get to having my work on show at the Baltic and I’ll take it 😂 look for the rainbow and you’ll spot it!

The exhibition closes tomorrow (30th August) so if you’re in the North East I’d definitely recommend it 🌈

This summer we spent a week in Italy on the Amalfi Coast, and it was absolutely glorious 🇮🇹 🍋 It was the first time that...
27/08/2026

This summer we spent a week in Italy on the Amalfi Coast, and it was absolutely glorious 🇮🇹 🍋 It was the first time that our kids have been abroad and it was so lovely that I didn’t want to come home! I even read two whole books (which never happens!) and just had the best week ever 😍

We stayed in Maiori, and did a few day trips to different places along the coast - my favourite of these was Vietri Sul Mare, which is a gorgeous and colourful hillside town that’s a creative hub for ceramics. They are literally everywhere you look and this is just a small number of the photos that I took 😂

I loved how the ceramic tiles are used everywhere, and not just as tiling - fragments of these beautifully coloured ceramics were used on steps, paths, plant pots, houses and so much more. We climbed up a very (very!) steep hill to the ceramics museum, which was unfortunately closed when we arrived, but the views and ceramics we saw on the way were totally worth it. I felt really inspired creatively just being there - it was amazing 🥰

I’d absolutely love to go back, and would definitely recommend it if you’re planning a trip to the Amalfi Coast 🍋 Swipe to spot the Wes Anderson style fishmongers, which I absolutely adored!

“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” ❤️
25/08/2026

“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” ❤️

I loved painting this so much that I didn’t want this project to end! 🩷 If you’ve been following my stories this month, ...
24/08/2026

I loved painting this so much that I didn’t want this project to end! 🩷

If you’ve been following my stories this month, then you’ll have seen the behind the scenes of this beautiful kit by Modern Craft Kits by Emily Dawe already, and it’s been the perfect way to kick start my creativity. This kit has been waiting patiently for me to find the right moment (and the confidence) to paint it, and it has taken me a few years to get there! I’ve learnt so much along the way - not only about this particular craft, but also where I’m at creatively and how I want creativity to be present in my life. The process has been slow and truly wonderful. Isn’t it amazing how a small handmade project can bring so much joy and clarity?!

Thank you to Emily at Modern Craft Kits by Emily Dawe for creating such a gorgeous design and kit! I’ve got another kit for something completely different from a different maker lined up next, and I’ll share that in my stories later 😍

Over the past year or so, I’ve had a period of creative block. It comes around every now and again and as a highly creat...
19/08/2026

Over the past year or so, I’ve had a period of creative block. It comes around every now and again and as a highly creative person, it’s always a bit disconcerting when it does. But trusting the process is important and I know that I have to just wait and get through it, however long that may be. This time it’s been much longer than usual, and although a few things have prolonged it (which I might write about in more depth at some point) I do think that after closing my shop and going back to working full time and no longer being self-employed, in a funny way I actually really needed it!

Anyway, one of the things I love to do when I’m in a creative rut is to keep noticing things that inspire me. I am obsessed with colour and patterns - they just make me really happy and can often be a starting point for a new colour palette or idea for a project.

One of my favourite places to go to completely immerse myself in colour is RE in beautiful Corbridge, Northumberland, which isn’t too far away from me. It’s just amazing! I could spend hours in there admiring all of the beautiful fabrics, homewares and things you didn’t know existed but would love one in every colour 😂 There is so much inspiration there - I mean, who knew that a line of hot water bottles could be so pleasing?! 😍 I’ve had a couple of visits this year and took a few photos for inspiration. If you’re up north, I’d highly recommend a visit!

What do you do when you’re stuck in a bit of a creative rut?

Do you want to take a peek inside my new craft room?! Over the last few weeks, we’ve moved my stuff out of storage and i...
04/08/2026

Do you want to take a peek inside my new craft room?!

Over the last few weeks, we’ve moved my stuff out of storage and into our little box room. This room is actually where it all originally started with my blog, and I’m back so it’s like a full circle moment! 🥰 It has been a nursery for both of our kids, as well as Tom’s office (and general dumping ground!)…

But now the thread wall is back and it brings me so much joy! 😍 I’m excited to be able to create things and not have to pack everything away for dinner each time now…it’s doable but it has also put me off getting started on a lot of things.

I had to arrange my books in rainbow order again 🌈🌈🌈

And it’s lovely to have lots of things on display again! This little project is from my second book, The Modern Embroidery Handbook ☀️ Also love my two new owls that I got in Italy last week 🇮🇹🍋

Having the pegboard back is wonderful too! My loose ends jars are looking lovely - might need to dip into those for a fun project soon 🧵

I’ve put my painted pegboard on the wall, but I need more hooks for that. It’s lovely to have my sewing box out now - I realised I never put this on the blog, so that will definitely be coming when I get back into writing! 🥰

I love this IKEA trolley so much - they store so much stuff and it’s a great space saver in a small room too 👌🏻 The clock is from my first book, Colourful Fun Embroidery, and the other hoops on the wall are projects from Love Embroidery (which is sadly no more and I am gutted! 😭)

I’m still sorting through a load of stuff, and these crates are very useful for hiding random things in a very pretty way 🤣

Still don’t think I’ll ever get over seeing my books on a shelf tbh 🥰

This tiny space is actually packed with projects from my books, and it’s lovely to see them again! This is a great storage project from The Modern Embroidery Handbook 🧵

There’s also another storage cupboard in here, which helpfully fits my large fabric boxes! I still need to sort a lot of the stuff in here, but there’s no rush for that…

I did wonder about putting the bolts of fabric on display, but decided they’d keep nicer in this cupboard. I love the shelves from IKEA

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