I am going to take some time away from Loobylu for a while. I am not sure how long for but I am in dire need of some space away from my blog. I have too much on my plate and it’s all beginning to wear a bit thin. I need to slow down and kick back and enjoy my kids while they are this small, because I can’t believe how fast it’s going. I need to stop talking about myself! I need to work on my books (procrastination is my constant companion)!
I am sure to be lurking around flickr from time to time, and I will still be checking all my favourite blogs (of which I now subscribe to 196 of them… hmm… perhaps I need to address that too! ) and leaving copious comments…
Thank you for stopping by to read my ramblings over the years. I have truly appreciated everything that keeping a blog has brought to me – friends, work, inspiration, comfort, laughs, confidence and support. Even just writing that now makes me realise that I will probably miss this more than I can imagine so I am sure I will start up again some time – but for now it’s a good-bye to Loobylu. It’s time to make a cup of tea and read a book and tickle little tummies.
Hi Claire,
I have enjoyed your blog so much over the years. It is so lovely to look at and such a pleasure to read. I will miss it so much – I have been lurking here regularly since about 2001. Like you I have two littlies and I’m amazed you found the time to keep Loobylu going for so long. I would love to see your books in print one day. Take care,
We’ll miss you!
You’re the reason I’m hooked on blogs (the first one I started to visit on a regular basis)!! Thank you for all the inspiration. Blogs & flickr are great for getting the creative juices flowing but there’s nothing like real life. Enjoy your girls – wishing you and your family all the best. xox
Enjoy your time away. Refill, renew, refresh.
I feel inexplicably depressed at the moment reading this. I’ve never really left more than a handful of comments and I’ve been a sporadic reader — but yours is the one blog I still visit after years. I don’t even know how many years — I remember sitting in my parent’s dining room on their computer, logging on to your blog, in a house they sold years ago. I’ve always stopped by when I was in need of some cheering up and your illustrations and quips would do just the trick.
Now I visit your blog when I want to remember Australia a bit. My trip there this summer with my fiance was one of the best times of my life. I love Oz! I love Aussies! I love anything that reminds me of this fact!
Good luck on your books, and have fun with your daughters. I hope you update at least *once* in a while so I’ll have something to see every now and then!
Bon voyage, Claire!
I shall miss you. But do be sure to come back and continue to delight us, the maddening mob, one day not too far from now.
Your business card which led to your online folio which led to this blog was the Willy Wonka golden ticket that lured me into this strange little bloggy universe, so it will always have a special place to me!
Best wishes for your work and the tummy tickles.
xx
♥ stay well!
I won’t say goodbye as that is so final …. see ya later mate!!
Thanks for the inspiration and the joy of seeing your illustrations, and the wonderful links you offered all the time. I always found your blog to be profoundly comforting, and I cannot nail it as to why exactly. It just did! I’ve read you for years and will miss reading your thoughts and capers. Congratulations on your momentous decision to step back for a bit. All the best to you and yours. Love,
Loobylu was the first blog that I found – many years ago. I came across your blog when I googled “patchwork central park” and found a link to Loobylu. For quite some time I read Loobylu, intrigued by the daily life of a young mother who lived in New York and shopped for patchwork at a shop near Central Park. Some details seemed strangely familiar to me … people really are the same the world over I thought.
I think it was the mention of the Ikea store in Richmond that made me realise you lived in the same country and the same city as myself. Up until then I had somehow vaguely thought that all bloggers resided in the USA.
Thank you for introducing me to blogs and for sharing your life, your family and your interests.
You will be missed.
Good luck.
Thank you for all the inspiration and good times you’ve given me over the years. I’ll miss Loobylu – but I hope you and the rest of the family will have a very good time! All the best from Copenhagen -
Au revoir Loobylu, you have been a source of delight and inspiration to me for over five years and will still continue to be. I only wish I knew you in real life. Enjoy your girls and I eagerly await your blog’s return and also the day I can buy one of your books and say “Ah,I remember Claire Neilson when she illustrated stories for The Frey” (sadly another great website on hiatus). Waving goodbye from the UK
Claire, words won’t even be able to express how much I am going to miss your site (you). You were one of the first, if not the first, artists on the web who showed me what was possible with photoshop and illustration. Your kind words and willingness to help another (I still have the email) is what makes you beautiful.
I found Dooce through your site! I’ll miss you tons and can’t wait for your return.
Thanks for everything,
Erika
I’m so happy for you! It can be so time consuming to keep a blog.. I don’t even have children, yet sometimes need to take looong breaks from my blog.
Of course I’ll miss you (and probably still check in daily, out of habit), but I’m not sad because I can picture you playing with your girls, doing family things, making wonderful crafts, trying out new recipes, and getting your books onto paper and then out into the world!! How exciting!
Good luck to you and a huge thank you for all the inspiration and joy you’ve given over the years.
Love this sweet illustration. It says it all!
Take care,
Amy
I totally know what you mean and i wish you all the best, but i will miss reading your blog. Go tickle some littlies!
Good for you. I’ll miss you while you’re gone, but so proud of you for putting yourself first. You, the kids, the husband deserve it.
Invest in a new crock pot too, while you’re at it.
Simplicity now!
Beautiful picture and beautiful sentiments – brought a tear to my eye! I have such similar thoughts myself…and working full time this year makes me miss and treasure my children in a way I haven’t before… you’ll be missed, but I’m sure you will be inspiring others wherever you are… x
Never posted a comment, but have been reading your blog for a good few years… You’ll be sorely missed! thanks for creating such an honest account of your life and creative process!
Much love to you Claire! I hope that the world will see your return eventually. For now enjoy the time with you family!
You will be sadly missed but not forgotten. (Yours is one of the only blogs I read.)
Best wishes to you!
Jessie
Yours was one of the earliest blogs I found 3-1/2 years ago. Although I’ve rarely delurked to comment, I have greatly enjoyed reading. Blessings to you and your family…enjoy your time away!
Hurrah for you and your family!
Thanks for sharing those precious moments over all the years, for revealing your humanity, for being inspiring, and congratulations of making this most selfish and unselfish decision. It must have been difficult.
All the best out in the world Claire. I’ll certainly miss you.
PS :- I found Hudson because of you, and will have a small solo there in November. I’m so excited! Thanks so much
i’ll miss you so much!! come back soon.
Oh, I’m sad! Good luck, though, with all your projects and best wishes for your family.
Take care and have a fantastic time with your family
Oh-no! Am suffering the effects of loobylulessness already! Like alot of your other readers Loobylu introduced me to the blogiverse too. But Claire, thanks for sharing your sweet illustrations, inspirational crafty-ness and your intelligent writing with us for so long. Best wishes. xx
hi claire-
i think you’re making the right decision, though i will miss your posts, adventures and creativity (yours was the 1st blog i started to read!). Frankly, i always wondered how you pulled everything off so wonederfully! will miss kiddley too, have to admit i was just starting to haunt it frequently, now that my daughter is a little older.
best wishes to you -hope you’ll email everyone when you come back?
Mari
I just started reading your blog a few months ago and wanted to tell you how much I enjoy it. I’ll definitely miss you–but at least there are lots of archives! I hope your vacation (blog-cation?) is lovely.
Oh! So sad! Don’t be too long before you send us a postcard…but what a wise decision to spend the time with your family.
Cheerio, Alex
Dear Claire – thanks for having produced such a high-quality, inspiring blog for this long. All the very best, hope to ‘see’ you on line in the future.
Rachael
You’ll be greatly missed, but I completely understand. Good for you and your priorities! Enjoy your sweet babies!
i KNEW something was up when you hadnt blogged for almost a month!
I’ve been vising your blog daily for over a year now, so i will miss hearing about your inspiring, creative, busy life, but hope that you’ll be back on the air soon.
I understand your motivation, and commend the hard decision you’ve just made – you’re children will thank you.
Hey Claire, have a great well-deserved break.
I agree, tickling little tummies is far more important then blogging.
I’ll miss you though.
: )
Hi! I’ll miss your lovely blog, but also understand about making priorities. I have a little one as well and they do grow quick. Hope you have a nice break! Enjoy!
You will be missed but I completely understand your decision, well done to make such a hard one…I am a procrastinator in this field. xx
Thankyou Claire, I have been so encouraged and inspired by your blog, and wanted you to know that it has expanded my horizons. I will be having withdrawals! THANKYOU xx
I had wondered, with such a recent long break, what you might do. I will miss your writing, illustrations and the family snippets you shared with us – for that, many thanks. Go well, be safe, and good luck. I look forward to seeing your work in the future.
I will miss you, but I agree with you. Good for you getting life in proper order. xo
Good for you Claire. Not an easy decision to make but made for all the right reasons. Will look forward to the next incarnation of Looby Lu. Thanks for all the inspiration over the years.
You are a great writer. Up there with Dooce and Birdie J. Maybe you could just blog less. Clearly with 138 comments so far, we would hate to see you go quiet (even if it is to allow you to focus on family). Best.
I just wanted to say thank you, Claire. Your blog has been a such a joy and inspiration. I have been going through a difficult time over the last few months, and, for a while, reading your blog was the highlight of my day. You write beautifully about your world and it was wonderful to be able to spend time with you, your family and your projects. I would go away, every time, feeling a little bit happier and I can’t thank you enough for that. I will miss loobylu, but think it is great that you are taking time to spend with your family and on your other work. And I will be first in line to buy a copy of your picture book! Thanks again, Claire, and very best wishes for the future.
Oh Claire! I’m torn between being so happy for you deciding to relish these days with your children – and selfishly dropping tears on the keyboard. Thankyou for all the funny/touching/colourful posts you’ve shared over the years. Now, back to the archives. Jo
That is a beautiful illustration, Claire. Definitely captures a moment in time when your children are so little and precious–they are looking up to you. Enjoy the special time you have with your girls. My girls are 2 years old and 7 months old, and I have read your blog for years. Take care.
Good for you! I will miss writing – you introduced me to the wonderful world of blogs, (although procrastination,also my constant companion, has stopped me starting my own for all these years!). Thanks for all the laughs, tears and inspiration!
You will be missed!
Your blog is one of the first I ever started reading and I’ve enjoyed every one of your posts! I totally understand your need for a break and time to catch up with life. Enjoy your time off!
Love, Rania.
ohhhh, Claire, I¬¥m going to miss you a lot… but I really understand you.
best wishes, I hope to know about you soon,
Laura
COMPLETELY understand…totally. My kids are 9 and 7 and I STILL don’t have time to do my stuff. Enjoy the lightness of having ‘one less thing’ (or two)to do. I heard about Loobylu on ABC radio and this introduced me to craft etc blogging, a new world for me. Thank you so much.
I just hope you’re not gone for TOO long.:(
Hello from Atlantic Canada Claire, thank you for letting us peak into your world. I have enjoyed caring about you and your family from afar; relating my parenting experiences with my 4 year old now my twins. One of our designers at work pointed me to your site as he likes your design sense One of the above commenters, Lisa, I bet must read xctian dot com too, because recently the quote of long days short years came from a really nice entry on a dad’s letter to his baby girl… Take care, and if you EVER find yourself on this beautiful tiny island (PEI) on this side of the planet, you have a place to say and a stroller to borrow