It’s Back, The Pledge

I mentioned there will be a special surprise.  Well, for this summer I decided to bring back a little something I did last summer.  It’s…

 

…The Five a Week Pledge.

For those who missed it, it’s where you pledge to do five things each week of your choice.  Feel free to grab a button (<--it’s over there) and join me.  Pick a goal and pledge to do it 5 times each week than share your results.

 

I am again pledging to make five small crafts each week, and I will post the results each Sunday.  This will go on until the end of July.

 

Now time to get started.  Meet you back here next Sunday!

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2016 Resolutions Update: Round 1

It’s now more than two weeks into the new year.  I thought it was about time to report how I’m doing on my resolutions (see 2016 New Year's Resolutions).

Make more tutorials - Haven’t made any so far but I am in the process of making three, they are still in the planning stage though.  Look forward to them.

Reduce craft stash – Sadly, the only thing I have done so far for this one is to stay out of all craft stores.

Exercise – I have managed to squeeze in a quick 15 minute run after work 3 times my first week and two times my second week.

Stretch –  I’m doing terribly for this one.  I managed to do some stretching after running, but not the 10 minutes worth for my goal.

Save money – I had a set back on this one, a couple of them actually.  It’s called Christmas clearances and one very particular holiday sale.  That holiday sale was the real killer.  I won’t say what I bought since it will be quite a while before I receive it.  In the meantime I’ve been using it as motivation to help with my spending.  Whenever I see something cute in a store I choose not to buy it becasue I already bought something big and I shouldn’t really need anything else.  Nothing like guilt to keep you on track.

Clean out my closet – I have made progress on this goal quite easily.  I develop a method of organising.  I call it the basket trick.

To do it, just grab a laundry basket and head to your messy closet or cabinet.  Grab a bunch of stuff from it and dump it in the basket.  You will now sort through only the stuff in the basket and completely ignore everything else in the closet or cabinet. 

The point is to break up the big task of cleaning out the closet into smaller easier tasks.

Here’s my first basket.  Full of clothes from my closet ready to be dealt with.

Here you see I’ve sorted it in three piles.  The top left pile is stuff that I simply don’t want.  The top left pile is stuff that need to be altered or fixed that I still like enough to attempt, for now.  The bottom is the pile of stuff that I am actually keeping.

Here are the same piles properly contained.  The few items to keep are back in the basket.  The to-fix items are in an orange tote bag specifically for that purpose.  And the unwanted items are in a plastic grocery bag ready to be given away or donated.

Here’s the second basket, attempted a few days later.  This one wasn’t as full as the first because I didn’t have as much time to conquer it, but that’s okay.

Now sorted.  The pile on the left is the unwanted stuff, the middle is the to-fix stuff and the last pile is the stuff that I can put back in my closet.

Now contained.  The fix-it bag is starting to look awfully full.  I don’t actually intend to start working on the fixing or anything until after I’ve finished sorting the entire closet.  I want to re-sort it all to see if I still actually want to bother fixing and altering everything in there.

The third basket I attempted last week. 

Sadly the results weren’t as good for this one.  I’m keeping half the basket.  The two piles outside the basket are the fix-it pile and a very tiny pile consisting of two unwanted items.

All baged up.  I now have two full bags of mending.  And that’s the third bag of unwanted clothes and it’s barely half full.

Overall, it’s a good start to cleaning out my closet.  I need to go through approximately six more baskets to have it completely sorted.  Then I want to use the basket trick for my craft stash.  Wish me luck.

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2016 New Year’s Resolutions

I have never been one to make New Year’s resolutions, but I do regularly make goals for myself anyway and I am in the habit of making lists.  So I thought this year why not try it for once, it’s just like what I usually do but more festive.  Plus posting stuff here makes me more likely to do it.

So here I have my list of resolutions with specific goals for each.  I have read that it is easier to accomplish these things when you have an exact measurable goal for each one.  So instead of saying you will exercise more often or eat better, you say you will exercise 3 times a week or eat 3 servings of veggies each day.  That way it’s clear what you are trying to accomplish and when specifically you have reached your goal.

New Year’s Resolutions for 2016

• Make more tutorials – I realize that despite having blogging for more than six years, I have only made a relatively small amount of tutorials.  This must change because tutorials are fun and useful things.  My goal is to make at least 12 by the end of the year.  That averages to only one a month so it’s more than manageable.
• Reduce craft stash – I have attempted before to reduce the amount of craft supplies cluttering my space before only to have it increase greatly.  No more, I intend to fully organize my junk supplies.  The goal is to reduce my stash by half.  It’s strictly use it or lose it.  That will probably result in one heck of a to-do list.
• Exercise – it is important to be physically active, but not always easy.  I intend to squeeze at least some exercise in to my week.  The goal is to run or do a workout video at least 15 minutes twice a week.  This may increase further into the year as I slowly move out of winter hibernation mode.
• Stretch – There was once upon a time when I stretched daily and enjoyed the full benefits of it.  Never waking up with neck pain, rarely feeling stiff no matter what I did the day before, being considerably more flexible than everyone I know.  I somehow lost that habit a couple of years ago and wish to regrow it or whatever.  My goal is to stretch for 10 minutes at least twice a week.  Just like with the exercise, this one may increase as I get into it.  
• Save money – I do believe it is important to save for your future, whether the distant or not so distant future.  There are several small and large things I wish to save up for, too numerous to list here.   The important part though is saving.  Through careful budgeting (and not adding to my craft stash) my goal is reach a balance of $3500 in my savings account.  It’s already at $1215.42, so I’m off to a good start.
• Clean out my closet – This one will be a tough one.  There are so many things in my closet that I either made or got a great deal on that are so, so cute.  I have cleaned out a few things last year, but I’m afraid I still have trouble closing the closet door.  For this one though it is difficult to put a specific set goal, other than being about to close the door properly. 

To keep things on track I will post monthly and occasionally bi-monthly updates on the status of each of my goals.  Look forward to it.

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Five a Week: Bracelets

It occurred to me that lately I haven’t been making things as much as I would like.  I’ve done a few larger projects over the space of a few months, but it’s nice to have some nice smaller one to work on throughout the week. 

So I came up with something, the Five a Week Pledge.  My goal is to make five small small crafts each week.  My original thought was seven, but I think five is a more manageable number.  The first part of the plan is to work on them all week and then post how I did each Sunday.  Now here’s the second part, I want others to join me.  All you have to do is pick something you want/need to do more frequently and pledge to do it at least five times each week.  You can grab Five a Week button if you wish, it does make it more fun.  Then just come back here each week to share what you accomplished.

And since it’s Sunday, here’s my first batch of crafts.

Bracelets.

For the first week I wanted to do something simple to ease myself in a little.  I had a bunch of faux pearl beads and stretch cord, so I started playing with them.  I love the look of pearls, they are just so pretty and can be worn in so many ways.  I can’t decide whether to keep them all for myself or list them in my shop.  And that’s more news.  I’m reopening my zibbet shop soon or actually a new, improved shop.  I’ll make a proper announcement as soon as it is open.  Look forward to it.  :)

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Out of the Blue

Yesterday I was featured on Dzfantasy.  I just found out this morning.  I knew it would happen eventually, I filled out the information a couple of  months ago.  Surprisingly, all that info still fits today.  I was afraid it would be out of date.  Does that mean I haven’t grown as an artist? Of course not, my responses have just become timeless. 

Anyway, I start classes on Monday and the anticipation is blowing my mind.  I’ve set some goals for the length of the program.

1. I will study all notes and materials every day for at least an hour.
2. I will not blow off assignments until the last minute.
3. I will start everyday with a fresh perspective and new enthusiasm.
4. And I will not pass out at the sight of blood and needles, or freak out any of the animals.

Fairly realistic goals so far.  I just need to put them on the mirror with a sticky note.  I learned that from orientation, plus why it’s important not to wear large shiny earrings with dealing with patients.  Ouch.

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