New Year’s Resolutions 2016 to 2017

It’s a new year, a time for reflecting on the past and looking forward to the future.  And that means setting goals.

This is something I attempted to do last year (see 2016 New Year's Resolutions), but I wasn’t as good about updating you all about my resolutions (my last update was 9 months ago!).

So here’s how I did:

Make more tutorials

My goal was to make 12 tutorials last year and I made 10.  Two shy, but that’s not too bad. 

Here’s all the tutorials for 2016:

• Lace Twin Hearts Hair Clip Tutorial
• Easy Fitted Bodice or How to Make a Dress for Any Doll
• Lace Rosette Tutorial and Kitties!
• How to Make a Ribbon Bow
• Lace Rosette Shoe Clips Tutorial
• Cute Doll Drawstring Tank Tops Tutorial
• Cute Felt Bags for Dolls Tutorial
• Lace Sandals for Dolls Tutorial
• Doll Head Bands Tutorial Including a Cat Eared Head Band!
• Rhinestone and Pearl Pins, A Quick and Easy Tutorial

 

Reduce craft stash

This one was mostly successful thanks to the basket trick I used (see Major Craft De-Stash, Part 2).  The problem was in staying away from craft stores.  Thanks to that, I think my craft stash is almost a large as it was at the beginning of the year. :(

Exercise and Stretch

I put these two goals on hold to focus on the others, but I found I made some progress on them anyway.  I found myself squeezing in small bits of exercise most days without thinking about it.  And stretching too, especially during slow periods at work.

Save money

I changed this goal from building up my savings account to paying down my credit card.  I’m happy to say that I brought the total balance down to $1000 and should have it completely paid off in less than two months.  Yay!

Clean out my closet

This goal was was successful too because of the basket trick, sort of.  My closet and drawers are full of clothes that I love that actually fit me, and now I can actually close the door.  The problem is I also have bags of clothes that don’t totally fit me, but I love them enough to alter them.  I just need to get to them all.  I at least made some progress on that this year (see Blue Plaid Revisited, a Dress Makeover).

Despite a few issues, I’m pretty happy with how the year turned out.  But now it’s time to look forward. 

So here’s:

My 2017 New Year’s Resolutions

 

Pay off Debt

This one is obvious.  Since I’m so close to paying off that card, I might as well add it to the list.

Say No to New

This one is a little more interesting.  I’ve been thinking a lot about our planet and how much space we take up on it.  When new products are made and purchased the old ones have to go somewhere, and many times this somewhere is landfills. 

I thought to reduce this somewhat in two ways.  First, avoid buying anything unless I really, really need/want it.  This way I have less stuff that occupies valuable space.

The second way is to only buy stuff second hand if possible.  This means searching out items at thrift stores, yard sales, consignment shops, antique stores, etc.  The bonus for this is that I will save money and may end up with more interesting stuff.  Thrift stores and antique shops are full of fun stuff.

Organize and Plan

I’ve been thinking that so much of the stress in my life is somewhat linked to a failure to plan things out and organize them.  True I’m good at making to-do lists for crafts and stuff, but I think I need to go a bit further than that. I’ve got a lot of stuff in my life to juggle around, and as I get older I will probably gain more to juggle.

So I’m starting out in search of a system that works for me to plan out everything in my life.  From blog posts to birthdays, work schedules to workouts.  I intend to keep it all in order so I don’t end up pulling my hair out toward the end of each week.

And that’s it.  I’m keeping the resolutions short and sweet this year.  Doing too many makes it too overwhelming, just failure waiting to happen.

What about you?  Got any goals for this year?  Let’s work on them together!

Read More »

Major Craft De-Stash, Part 1

I mentioned before that most of my craft projects on my current list are de-stashing my crafts instead of making.  I’m happy to say that I have just completed half of the job.  I used my basket trick to make it easier (see 2016 Resolutions Update: Round 2). 

Here’s the first few batches.

First batch is patterns.  I actually have several more in storage, but they are almost impossible to get to anytime soon. 

Just sorting all the patterns cluttering up my craft area at home.  A few store bought, some free ones I found online, and several patterns I made based on the other ones.  

And here they are all sorted. 

The ones in the basket are the keepers.  The ones are the right are going straight in the trash.  They are ones that are too damaged to use or those ones I made based on other patterns.  They were mainly made for a single dress and so there isn’t much point in keeping them around.

The small middle pile is actually a pattern for a teddy bear I made from scratch (see Sewing for Baby).  I am going to scan that on to my computer before tossing.  If I do some editing on it, I may post it here. 

That last pile is some patterns I will either sell or giveaway.  I have never used them anyway, and some of them are too similar to patterns I have or can find for free.  No point in keeping them.

The next batch is the most fun.  Lace, ribbon,flowers, buttons and beads, etc.  Lots of pretty stuff.  Fun to sort through, but difficult to part with.

Difficult, but not impossible.

The ones in the basket are all the embellishments I am keeping, and the rest are going.  That smaller pile at the bottom is heading straight to the trash.  Not sure why I kept them so long.  The others I will giveaway or sell.

The last one is full of things like pins, scissors, tools, needles, glue, zippers, elastic, etc.  Stuff that come in handy when making stuff, at least when I actually use it.

Again, the keepers are in the basket and the rest are getting the boot.  Mostly extra pin cushions, needle cases, thread in colors I don’t use much, and random stuff.  Yes that is a box of dental floss, don’t ask.

My crash stash is clearer already, can’t say the same about the rest of the house.  When I say I’m giving things away, that usually means to my family members.  They may need to de-stash soon too.

Here’s the updated list:

• lining
• patterns
• lace
• pins
• scraps
• fabric
• supplies
• uniform

Four down, four more to go.  The next few should be up in a couple of days. Look forward to it.

Read More »

2016 Resolutions Update: Round 2

It’s now over four months into the new year and I'm long overdue for an update on my resolutions (see 2016 New Year's Resolutions).

Make more tutorials - I think I’ve done a decent job with this one, making video tutorials is super fun.  Total so far:

1. Lace Twin Hearts Hair Clip, A tutorial
2. Easy Bodice or How to Sew a Dress for Any Doll

Two out of twelve, and the third will be coming up soon and possibly a fourth.

Reduce craft stash – I caved on this one a little.  I had a gift card for Joann Fabrics and Crafts and they had a $1 sale on Simplicity patterns.  I only bought 2 as well as some Velcro and some clearance winter gloves.  You will see them when I start sorting out my stash.  The basket trick will work greatly for that too (see 2016 Resolutions Update: Round 1).  I also ended up buying some fabric for Easter, and some impulse craft items (see Just Several Pretty Lace Accessories...and And Now...The Dress).  Oh the shame.

Exercise – Because of how busy I've been at work and how miserably I been doing on my goal, I've decided to put this on hold to focus more attention on my other resolutions.

Stretch –  Same as with the exercise, it's on hold for the time being.

Save money – After much thought, I decided to change up my goal for this one. 

I've realized it matters very little how much I've been able to save if the interest on my credit card is eating a good chunk each month.  So the new goal is to reduce the balance on my credit card to under $1000 by the end of the year, and I have a stretch goal of reducing it to 0 if I can manage it. 

So far my strategy is to pay at least $220/month on it.  The $200 is because that's double the minimum payment amount and the last $20 is because that's how much I usually set aside to save for stuff for crafts/hobbies.  If I'm trying to reduce my craft stash I probably don't need that $20.

I have also been splitting the $220 and making two payments each month instead of just the one.  I’ve read that this affects the way the interest is calculated (Here's a good article on it). 

Clean out my closet – This one I'm quite proud of.  I continued using the basket trick and finished sorting out my closet.

Here's one ambitious basket full of clothes to sort.

Now all sorted.  The basket is full of the keepers, the pile on the right is stuff that needs fixing/mending, and the pile on the left is the stuff to get rid of.

Now all bagged up.  Two more bags of giveaways, and the mending has been added to the ever growing mending bags.

Now this is the final basket and the one I saved for last for a reason.  It's full of all the pretty dresses and skirts I have sewn myself over the years.  Extremely difficult to part with any of them as you can imagine.

Difficult, but not impossible.  Again the basket is full of the keepers, the bottom pile is the fix/mend pile, and surprisingly the top pile is all the ones I am giving away.

Now here’s the three completely full bags of mending with another bag of giveaways on the left and a basket full of keepers on the right.

Now to deal with the mending.  I had decided to re-sort them before attempting any sort of fixing.  No sense in keeping all this if I’ve lost interest in fixing them.

First bag, fixing the stuff on the left, goodbye to the stuff on the right.  The top right will be cut up for rags.

Second bag, top keeping, bottom left giving, bottom right will be used for other purposes.

The third and final bag.  This is the one full of pretty handmade dresses and skirts, but I’m still only fixing the top ones.  The bottom pile will go to good homes.

Now here’s the full bags of mending sorted from left to right in order of difficulty.  Guess which one I will probably get to first?

And of course two more bags full of stuff to give away/donate. 

The closet is fully sorted.

Goal completed.

New goal: Deal with each bag of mending, preferably before the end of summer.  Wish me luck!

Read More »

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.

Read More »

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.

Read More »

Weekly Recipe #4

Sad thing about last week’s recipe.  I procrastinated on trying it all week thinking that I didn’t have time to make it and I was just too tired, blah, blah, blah.  So yesterday when I finally found the time, I realized I didn’t have all the ingredients I needed.  Figures. 

Now on to this week’s recipe:

Cabbage No-Rolls

They only take 6 ingredients to make, and it use cabbage which is great.  I recently scored a great deal on Napa cabbage, 39 cents per pound.  So with 5+ pounds of the stuff ready to go, I really need to use it.

Read More »

A Time for Change

I know I haven’t been doing a good job about blogging regularly for the last couple of months.  It’s been what, two weeks since the last post?

The same old excuses apply this time, especially about being sick.  That’s what bugs me the most, it seems like I was constantly feeling unwell throughout the past year which really got in the way of everything.  It even got in the way of my pre-season training for work (it’s tax season again).  Which is why I decided to make some changes.

A new year is a time for resolutions, so my first one is to devote myself to healthier living.  So far what that amounts to is forcing myself through fitness videos at least once every other day and going through recipes.  The recipe thing is the big thing.

I have piles of nutritious (and not so nutritious) recipes that I have collected from various sources, and most of them are untouched.  I thought I would start small and try at least one new recipe per week.  If it’s a good one, I will probably make it several times until I’ve mastered it.

That’s what is happening with this week’s recipe, miso soup.  I found the recipe on the package for the miso.  It’s easy to follow and I have even developed a quick way to make it in the microwave.

Another resolution that may be more relevant to this blog, clutter control.  I think it’s easier to show what I mean than to type it.

This is the current state of my crafting space.  Enough said.  Sadly this is only slightly worse than it’s normal state. 

And notice that blue plastic bag under the pile on my chair, that’s a bag of supplies I bought at SAS recently.  As if I really needed anymore.

I’ll show what I got tomorrow, it’s important since it will be the last craft purchases I’ll make for quite some time.  I intend to straighten up my space, sort though my stash, and craft strictly with what I have on hand for as long as possible this year.

Wish me luck, I may need it.   

Read More »