helencellohome

Right then. Deep breath.

After a number of false starts, I’ve decided it’s about time I follow my creative urges and stick to it! For years I’ve been dreaming of that creative business/beautiful Instagram/organised life thing we all pin to secret Pinterest boards at 11pm whilst surrounded by laundry, barbies an empty petit filous pot and the discarded contents of numerous pencil cases.

The Challenge

Can a 40-something mum with a full-time corporate job, a 7-year-old daughter, school runs five days a week, a house that desperately needs sorting (and eventually decorating), and a spectacular talent for procrastinating, getting overstimulated and completely overwhelmed… actually build a consistent, aesthetically pleasing Instagram, blog and craft business whilst keeping everyone fed and the basil alive?

(The basil’s already looking dodgy, if I’m honest.)

Why Now?

My daughter’s nearly 7. SEVEN. That’s seven years of putting everything else first, seven years of “I’ll start that when things calm down,” seven years of craft supplies sitting neglected in their pretty boxes from Homesense that I definitely didn’t need but absolutely had to have.

Something shifted recently. Maybe it’s my early forties. Maybe it’s finally accepting that life will never actually “calm down.” Maybe it’s the shelves of wool that’s been judging me every time I go into my home office. But I’m ready to stop waiting for the perfect moment and just… start.

The Reality Check

Let’s be crystal (this may be a theme 😊) clear about what we’re working with here:

– One desk that doubles as everything-else storage

– Filming time limited to lunch breaks and after 9pm (glamorous, I know)

– A house that looks nothing like my Pinterest boards

– Possible undiagnosed ADHD making everything take three times longer

– School pickup at 3pm most days (5pm on Wednesdays – small mercies)

– A deep desire to not show my face on camera because, honestly, my self esteem needs a lot of work (and also perioral dermatitis!)

What I’m Actually Trying to Do

Beyond raising a confident, happy, healthy daughter and keeping the basil alive (genuinely concerned about this) amongst the other plants I bought for the garden which are patiently waiting to be potted. I want to:

– Share quick crafts that don’t require a crafting degree or unlimited time

– Create cosy home corners on a George/Dunelm/B&M budget

– Build a little creative business selling jewelry on Etsy

– Find my people – other creative mums who get that “organised chaos” is actually just chaos

– Maybe, eventually, possibly, transition to my dream of creative entrepreneurship

The Promise

Here’s what I won’t do: pretend my house is always tidy, that I meal prep on Sundays, or that I have a morning routine that starts at 5am with yoga and journaling (even though I wish I was that kind of person!)

What I will do is share the real stuff. The 15-minute crafts made during Brownies. Snippets of my genuine interests that nobody asked for. Products, experiences, DIYs that I think are genius. Room makeovers big and small which definitely take more than a weekend and are never quite finished. Things I’m proud of which may be rubbish.

Join Me?

If you’re also a creative mum who’s been waiting for “someday,” whose craft supplies have their own postcode, who scrolls Instagram after the kids are in bed wondering how everyone else manages it all…

Come follow along @helencellohome

Let’s find out together if we can actually do this. And if we can’t? Well, at least we’ll have tried, and we’ll have some wonky creations, disgusting recipes and dead plants to show for it.

The journey starts now. Well, after school pickup. And dinner. And maybe that load of washing…

Are you attempting your own creative restart? Or any other sort of restart? Leave a comment below – let’s cheerlead each other through the chaos!

Follow my probably-chaotic journey on Instagram | Find me on Pinterest