With the exception of my no new clothes in 2008 declaration, I’m not much for New Year’s resolutions (a point made even clearer by the fact that it’s almost February and I’m just now getting around to posting this.) It’s not that I don’t have any bad habits to drop (just ask my husband), I just feel like evaluating all the things that are wrong with me and deciding how to make them better would be depressing. Can’t it be a rule that once you reach a certain age, all the things you’ve resolved to overcome but haven’t yet (nail biting, dawdling, gummy bear and marshmallow addictions) are declared minor character quirks? Which is really just a longwinded way of saying, aren’t the things we DO far more important than the things we manage to STOP DOING? I think so, and it’s with that mentality that I created my master to-do list for 2010… five things I want to be able to check off come December 31st:
- Make our new house feel like home – The past few weeks have made me certain that the expression “labor of love” came from someone who had recently purchased their first home. Amidst all the loan documents you have to sign they should slip you one that says “I hereby acknowledge that all those things we want to do to the house will henceforth become things we have to do and we will inevitably feel overwhelmed and drained of our savings.” Needless to say, reality has set in. Our house is old and flawed and has been the victim of a couple small DIY renovations gone awry, but… it’s ours and it’s perfect. My goal for year 1 in the house is simple: make it feel like home. Whether it’s with paint, fabric, art, photos, wood – I’m determined to fill the house with handmade touches that represent us, our favorite music, and our travels. So be on the lookout for home décor projects as the year goes on. (And if you don’t see any, please feel free to flood my inbox with emails reminding me to get my butt in gear!)
- Re-engage at my “real” job – 2009 was an interesting year at my job, to say the least. Without getting into the gritty details, becoming desensitized to what was going on at work was the only way to stay sane. And now that the dust has settled I find myself needing to get re-engaged. I’m not quite sure how I’m going to accomplish this one, but I’m going to start by making a conscious effort every day to be more focused and organized… perhaps helped along by some lovely new stationery goods from Paper Source. Wait, did I just build a whole year's goal around having an excuse to spend more money at Paper Source? Kinda brilliant. Kinda sad.
- Launch the made by bird Etsy shop – Yep, that’s right. This is the year. The first of the products I’ll be selling is currently being tested by two of my dearest girlfriends, and I have a couple more I’m hoping to get out of my head and onto fabric before summer. Stay tuned!
- Run a marathon - The Rock ‘n Roll San Diego marathon to be exact. And that’s all I have to say about that right now.
- Greatly improve my photography skills – The need for this goal should be painfully obvious given the number of posts on here that have included pics from my phone. For shame! But, I promise, I’m working on it. Our new house has lots of windows and a backyard so it should be much easier to photograph my projects in natural light. Any tips or links you’d like to share on craft/sewing photography would be greatly appreciated!
So there you have it. My mantra for the year is to be focused and fearless. What about you? What are you hoping to accomplish this year?