After the review comes the challenge! This New Year's Day is the perfect time for good resolutions for the coming year... Promises that we keep, right... otherwise it's pointless 😂
Reviewing the year 2023 last week allowed me to adjust my needs and desires for 2024. Treating yourself is very important to keep going in the long run. Ready to discover what I have chosen and possibly take on part of the challenge with me?
Enough talk... here we go for the 2024 resolutions!
1. Managing time and space
At the risk of sounding like a science fiction series, we are going to talk about space/time. In 2023, I unfortunately bumped into some limits... Why don't my days last 36 hours, it would be so much easier!
Even with a prayer to Saint Rita (patron saint of hopeless causes), it didn't work... so I will have to do better this year!
Time management
It is obviously the first, as last year 😂. I was full of good will! It worked well at the start, when Marie Hélène arrived at the end of May. Then I let myself be carried away by my creativity and I increased the offer of course themes, the time slots... In short, Marie Hélène, who was mainly supposed to support me, meanwhile also has her own course load. It's great because she has been embraced by both old and new students. I look forward to this collaboration every day but as a result... I am still as busy 😂 Whose fault is it? Mine!
So, this year, my main goal for the first quarter is to strengthen the team in order to take better care of myself. It's a bit of a cliché phrase but it is by taking care of yourself that you can take care of others: my students, the customers but also my family, my partner, my godson Martin,... and especially me 😂.
There will therefore be a new face to strengthen our team in 2024 and maybe more if my creativity sparks too much (we will talk about this later in resolution no. 5)!
Moreover, in terms of time management, we will continue to offer you workshops during the day, in the evening and on Saturdays so that you can find times that suit you. We will continue to offer you: sewing (from complete beginner to advanced), embroidery (classic and sashiko... yes yes level two is coming 😂), knitting and crochet also for beginners and advanced!
We will also continue with groups of 6 people for sewing up to 10 for theoretical courses so that you are always in small groups in our charming little cocoon.
The program for the first quarter is online and is already filling up well, so don't hesitate too long to register if some themes interest you.
Space management
You have seen it, throughout 2023 our shop has grown a lot with the arrival of wool and knitting supplies, fabrics of all kinds (Japanese, wool, jersey...), the development of classic embroidery and the arrival of sashiko supplies, the jolys coupons: our 3m coupons at great prices... In short, all this requires space and despite my imagination and overflowing creativity to fit everything in, we are reaching the limits of the available space.
Since we want to stay in the Ixelles cemetery district and we have not yet found larger affordable premises (if you find any in the area, let us know 😊), we will get help from architects to help us restore order, flow and logic to all our wonders.
There will probably be changes... but you will see that in a few months when we have worked on the plans.
The workshop will also have some adjustments, especially in terms of storage space (you can never have enough, right?) but also to better arrange the machines and facilitate movement. It will be great, that's for sure; even if it will require work from us.
2. Continue developing C'est du Joly
Last year was crazy in terms of expansion. You always tell us when you come into the shop "oh, there is something new again" or "oh, you changed that..."
One thing is certain, I want to strengthen my collaboration with our preferred suppliers, those who produce the highest quality supplies/patterns. My philosophy when I opened the shop was to have a haberdashery where I myself would have wanted to get lost: good quality products at a fair price served with advice and a smile.
I want this spirit to remain the cornerstone of C'est du Joly.
New suppliers will come in due time, that's for sure, and we will introduce them to you.
Secondly, Marie Hélène, Céline and I will continue to develop new courses so that during the summer holidays 2024 and especially at the start of September you will have new course themes ever more suited to your requests... and we have plenty of ideas!
3. Keep order in the shop and workshop
As I told you last week, I feel like I spend my life tidying up but this is partly explained by a lack of storage space. So, I am eagerly awaiting the changes we will make, see resolution 1 to better manage order in the shop and workshop.
For our architects to make the workshop more efficient, I have to do a big job explaining how a workshop works, the flow within it, the management of course preparations, the students' work...
Besides that, the shop will have to be "redesigned" to better display new items.
After that, I will have no excuse 😂; tidying up will have to be spotless... well, I am also counting a bit on you to help me.
4. Continue training myself and the team
I think my review of last year is quite good and I want 2024 to be in the same vein.
I already know - because I really want to - that I will continue to specialize in sashiko and carry out several projects in this art of thread. I have plenty of ideas that will need to be channelled!
In sewing, I have several training ideas for 2024. I have not yet chosen the subject I will deepen among the many themes that tempt me... I will share this with you during the year.
Moreover, Marie Hélène and Céline will also join me for this theme (for tidying up too, by the way 😂 they didn't know it yet 😂😂😂). Marie Hélène continues to train in sewing on various themes, I challenge her regularly 😂 and Céline will continue her training in sewing and knitting... and frankly in knitting Céline is starting to do great things. In short, I am really proud of my two colleagues who really invest themselves in their work to give their best every day.
5. Sew and embroider for pleasure and to make you dream 😊
So all these resolutions are good but the most important thing in life is still to have fun (and health) so I will also set myself the goal of sewing and embroidering simply for my pleasure.
It's good to write blog articles, to run after time to be on trend, post photos, make stories, reels, tik toks, POVs and all those letters I don't master 😂...
In short, I invite you this year to take the time to sit down and create without paying attention to society's dictates or the search for performance because life is not that! By the way, my Instagram account reflects this a bit, you won't find polished fashion photos made by a pro but photos of real life, those when you haven't done your hair because you didn't have time to go to the hairdresser, when the light is not right because it's late when you can/must take the photo, when you forgot your lipstick... in short, real life!
So this year, I want fun and also to make you dream! With the girls, we will share a little, a lot, passionately, our little bits of shop life, arrivals, courses, our search for suppliers... In short, the simple little moments that feel good and show you that we are not perfect and that's just fine!
Whew, that's a programme for next year! Well, it's too late, if you have made it this far, it means you have read it... I can't change anything anymore and I will have to follow it... when I think that I wrote it 😂.
To sum up this year, there will be work yes but also lots of fun! So inspired and ready to take on the 2024 resolutions challenge with me? I'm good now, I'm ready!
So let's go, get your needles ready!
