Instead of a group blog project this month, I’ve been asked to write a bit about myself. You know me as an Independent Stampin’ Up! demonstrator, but there is so much more to know about me…
My working life was spent as a doctor in the NHS in England. I married an Ulsterman and we have two children, now grown adults, with the oldest one nearing forty! Here’s our youngest with my first dog, Ben.
I fell in love with Northern Ireland on my first visit over 45 years ago. We moved over here permanently nearly twenty years ago, and I love it. People are so friendly and have a marvellous sense of humour!
We moved when we retired early from the NHS. I turned my hobby into a business and ran Down Dog Training and Behaviour for over 15 years, becoming the first person here to hold the Kennel Club Accredited Instructor status for both dog training and dog behaviour work. I also taught and mentored other dog trainers.
What you may not know about me, is that I am an author. I have written eight non-fiction books (and contributed to a ninth) about dog training and behaviour under Carol Clark, The Doggy Doctor. They can be found on Amazon and include my favourite book, Doggy Doctor Surgery Secrets. This book tells my story – about how working as a doctor helped me become a leading dog trainer and behaviourist, The Doggy Doctor, and how this made me uniquely positioned to help others wanting to become dog trainers.
I’m also a committed reader – I read around 200 books a year, mostly fiction. I always wanted to write a novel, and my first, a cosy mystery about a young woman called Meg and her border collie sidekick Moss, is nearly ready to be published. I’ve just started the second in the planned series of at least three.
I am also an avid crafter. I cannot sit and watch TV without doing some craft or other. I knit, crochet, cross stitch, do tapestry and I make bobbin lace as well as paper crafting. Here is one of my current lace pieces:
I first got into paper crafting around 30 years ago, as I wanted to make my own greeting cards, because I could never find suitable ones in the shops. I found Stampin Up! when it first came to the UK and was a regular customer. I decided I wanted the savings, so I became a demo in January 2017. I can’t believe it’ll be ten years next year! Stampin’ Up! has allowed me to meet so many people and make many friends from across the UK and Europe. Here is me crafting in Germany:
So that’s me! Why I do what I do, is I love sharing what I make and I especially enjoy running my live online classes and making videos and sharing them on YouTube (@craftcarolscards). Please do sign up for my emails to make sure you never miss my lives!
