Last year I was given a broken bracelet of beautiful blue beads, which I knew from my parent's travels to be 'evil eye' beads. I made some pins, and people liked them. I also made a range of earrings for sale at bellydance events, featuring a little hand charm called a hamsa, which people also liked!...

Cue me looking for and finding gorgeous Mediterranean and Egyptian beads and charms. So apart from them being in some lovely rich colours, what's with my new range of amulet and talisman jewellery? Read on to discover a bit more about the Beetle, Hamsa and Nazar I am loving right now!

It's a few weeks barely into the new year of 2016, and I am seeing so many creative people step up and say "This is what I want to achieve, and I'm going to work out how to achieve it!" The determination is admirable, as is the amount of support coming from others. When some do folks falter a bit, and worry that "I'll never be as good as X person!" the message keeps coming up about how different people are at different stages - so don't panic!

The biggest hub of ideas, inspiration and genuinely useful clear advice I'm involved in at the moment is Etsy Resolution, a project by Etsy to help people get set up selling their crafts online. If you are already set up, then it's there to help you achieve the next step you want. Be it making 5 sales a month, or being able to give up the day job in two years, all goals are just as valid. 

The beauty with creative people is in the mix of brand new folks just starting out,and older hands who are continually developing. If you get out and about on social media or in person, you'll find we're chatting, reassuring and energising each other all in equal measure. Yes, there are some grumps, but by and large, creative people want to see other keen creative people with original ideas and good attitudes succeed - because we all know the burning drive which means that makers are always gonna make!

Whether it's "I'll draw something each week" or "I'll set up my own studio and be selling my handmade ceramics by December" remember that your creative journey can be to any goal you like, and may be wholly different to anyone else you know. Good luck, and enjoy it!