Hello 2009

To tell the truth, I wasn't very excited for this year to begin. 2008 was so exciting! I had surgery, quit my job, moved, started school, and made a bunch of new friends. In 2010, I'll be finishing my degree and (hopefully!) starting a new career. 2009 is like this weird, in between year that I must trudge through to get to the other side.

So naturally I set my standard 8 million resolutions, which I do every year, and then forget about them until December when I look back on my list and realize how much I didn't accomplish. "Wow," I thought, "That's really depressing". So I scrapped my list and wrote a new one, and when I looked at it, I realized that every resolution I made could be lumped into one category, and that became my single resolution for 2009.

This year, I resolve to make my life as beautiful as possible. This includes my usual "be more tidy" and "exercise!!!" resolutions, but it also includes crossing things off my craft list, throwing my energy into a larger, more planned out garden this summer, spending as much time as possible with my friends and family while also taking time for myself, and working through all my bookmarked recipes. It means that I am going to try to notice and appreciate the little details every day, take walks, be outside. I want to never feel as if a day was wasted. I want to limit my crankiness and try to bring happiness to other people's lives as well. And, the best thing about this resolution is that if I fail to accomplish one of the items on my list, I will still have accomplished many others, making 2009 a success.

I got my year kicked off with a new sewing machine (thanks mom!) and the completion of this project. It's a lap quilt that I started working on in August, using a vintage tablecloth as the top rather than patchwork. Getting this pile of batting, fabric, and threads up off my floor and morphed into something functional (and snuggly) made me happy, neatened up my space, and adds something a little bit more special to evenings curled up on the couch with a book. (The picture up top is a sneak preview of my next project, an embroidery sampler, which I plan to frame and hang above my desk for inspiration all year.)

I hope your 2009 is as great as mine is going to be! Happy New Year!


xoxo
Rachel

Little bit-o-craft 4.18.08

I just was sitting here at work and realized that I'm surrounded by a super easy craft to share with you. Because practically living in a dim little cubicle is kind of sad, I whipped up these thumb tacks to brighten up my space. All I did was hot glue some extra buttons onto thumb tacks, and used them to hang up work stuff on my upholstered bulletin board walls. It's appropriate, too, since I work for a coat company and have buttons on my mind for half the day.

The picture is a little dark, I took it with my phone and it's not exactly well lit in here. See you all on Sunday! We're planing more cooking and fun.
xo Rachel