Craft Life

I’m feeling a little conflicted today. Normally I love this time of year - the promise of spring, the longer evenings inching their way back in - but if I’m honest, the lack of light this winter has caught up with me more than usual. Everything feels like it takes twice as long. Even organising myself feels heavier than it should. Are you affected by low light levels too? And yet… the daffodils have finally pushed through the soil. Their sweet yellow heads are bobbing about bravely in the garden and it’s such a reassuring sight. The frogs in my friends...

It’s February. Yay. Blustery, cold, just like January and very much full steam ahead… though in a slow way, I mean. January is a month I’ve always had a soft spot for, along with February and maybe - at a stretch - the first part of March. It’s a time for well-earned hibernation, for slowing the pace, and for leaning back into creativity without apology. It’s also a natural moment for taking stock. In my world at least. Alongside the quieter creative energy, the early part of the year is a time for tidying the craft room, reviewing what’s worked,...

Looking back over a year of making always feels a bit like spreading everything out on the kitchen table - sketches, fabric scraps, half‑formed ideas, moments of doubt, and those small, satisfying yes moments when something finally comes together. 2025 has been a year of thoughtful creativity at Parade Handmade. Not rushed. Not noisy. But full of care, new collections, and pieces that have quietly made their way into other people’s lives. This is a gentle round‑up of what was created this year - and a hopeful look towards what’s still unfolding. Thoughtful Making in 2025 Rather than constant launches, this...

It’s almost mid-November as I write to you on a blustery day from a hospital waiting room in Sligo. There’s no emergency - just back-up for someone having a procedural treatment. I rather like these moments, such as they are - suspended moments in a life’s rhythm. It’s not particularly cold in Ireland yet, though the countryside tells another story. The trees are turning - rustic orange still clinging to green, dark trunks showing through, and grey skies stretching across damp fields. It’s not quite winter, but you can feel it waiting in the wings. I’m not in a Christmassy...

It’s late October, and the wholesome soup weather has well and truly arrived. Halloween is almost here - even if officially, it’s still a few days away - and I’m enjoying seeing the autumnal displays popping up in windows and on doorsteps. There’s something so warm and celebratory about pumpkins, fairy lights, and that golden glow. I love when the local children call round, dressed as witches or ghouls for ‘Trick or Treat’. I always keep a few fun treats on hand - it gives me a great kick to see their delight. But truth be told, I keep things...