Yesterday...

I turned 27 (totally excited because I am hoping that 27 will be better than 26!). I had a great day filled with work, lunch with a friend, a little shopping, dinner out, got season 4 & 5 of Murder, She Wrote as a birthday gift, and watched criminal minds before bed. So all in all it was awesome! Anyways, I thought it would a great time to wrap up my 26 things to do before I turn 27 list!

(items in blue are the status of each goal, so I can see my progress and figure out what I need to work on more. I want to make sure that I keep up with them) 

1. Practice yoga 3 times a week
2. Start my own business (sent for my business license so I will be up and running very soon!)
3. Illustrate 5 days a week 
4. Read 1 book a month (I only got 9 books read *not bad* but I did read a ton of magazines and am slightly behind on reading them.
5. Conquer Iced sugar cookies
6. Wear high heels several times a week 
7. Sew 1 quilt at least full sized 
8. Make more of my own clothes (slowly but surely) 
9. Eat more fresh food  
10. Drink only 1-2 pops a month until zero 11. Have a nightly ritual (like tea, cookie, and sketching)
12. Clean out my studio and simplify
13. Build a website (hopefully soon!) 

14. Plant another garden 
15. Bake more 
16. Scrapbook at least twice a month (Really didn't make any progress for that one- guess I will have to try to catch up on them in the next couple of months.)
17. Improve my photography
19. Organize my "library" 
20. Back up my computer frequently
21. Take time to be present in the moment
22. Have a booth at a craft fair (I am not sure I will actually get this one done or not, I will wait and see when I get a few pattern ready to be sold and see what happens from there.) 
23. Quilt Market (have a booth at) (my goal is for May 2011 when it is in Salt Lake, so I guess this one won't technically get crossed off before I turn 27, but trust me I am going to make this happen.)
24. Design my own fabric line (I am just planning on keeping my sketchbook full of doodles and inspiration and probably focus on this more in the next year.)
25. Have a girl's night out once a month 
26. Go on a solo weekend adventure 

 

Overall I think I did great on my goals and will try to finish them all up in the next couple of months! I am still debating whether I should try making some new goals for this year. What do you think?

September's gone already?!

This month has been so busy and I have had a hard time trying to keep up with everything that I have going on, but I am trying.  A new tutorial is in the works and I have some plans for another round of Holiday Projects 2010 (similar to the Holiday Projects 2009), its just a matter of fitting in some time to make them and write up instructions. My work-in-progress list is slowly getting a few things crossed off (I am trying to avoid the temptation to add more to that list). Since it is the last day of the month its time to check in on my 26 things to do before I turn 27 list. October is the last month to get my goals all checked off, I turn 27 in November! I have crossed off several of my goals this month and hopefully I will get the few that are left off the list next month.

(items in blue are the status of each goal, so I can see my progress and figure out what I need to work on more. I want to make sure that I keep up with them) 

1. Practice yoga 3 times a week
2. Start my own business (My business is super close to be ready to go, just a few more details and I will be ready to go.)
3. Illustrate 5 days a week 
4. Read 1 book a month (8 books and counting... really failing in this area)
5. Conquer Iced sugar cookies
6. Wear high heels several times a week 
7. Sew 1 quilt at least full sized 
8. Make more of my own clothes (still adding to my clothes pile, last month I added a belt and skirt) 
9. Eat more fresh food  
10. Drink only 1-2 pops a month until zero 11. Have a nightly ritual (like tea, cookie, and sketching)
12. Clean out my studio and simplify
13. Build a website (i am going to count my online shop when I get it up and running for this goal) 

14. Plant another garden 
15. Bake more 
16. Scrapbook at least twice a month (not really at the top of my list but I am going to spend a few hours next month on this one)
17. Improve my photography (I also started keeping inspiration photos for photography ideas and layouts) 
18. Keep up my relationships 
19. Organize my "library" 
20. Back up my computer frequently
21. Take time to be present in the moment
22. Have a booth at a craft fair (I am not sure I will actually get this one done or not, I will wait and see when I get a few pattern ready to be sold and see what happens from there.) 
23. Quilt Market (have a booth at) (my goal is for May 2011 when it is in Salt Lake, so I guess this one won't technically get crossed off before I turn 27, but trust me I am going to make this happen.)
24. Design my own fabric line (I am just planning on keeping my sketchbook full of doodles and inspiration and probably focus on this more in the next year.)
25. Have a girl's night out once a month 
26. Go on a solo weekend adventure

26 Things August Recap...

August came and went, it seems like it was just the beginning of the super hot days filled with fun, but now everything is back-to-school, Halloween and yes, Christmas (one store I went to a few weeks ago already had there Christmas items out. I really wish stores didn't do that, am I the only one that feels like they are rushing the holiday season along and it turns into one big stressful blob that you barely remember?) Anyways, I will be 27 before I know it and I still have a few more goals to work on (from now until the end of November things are going to be insanely busy in my life, but I am looking forward to it). Alright time to recap the 26 things to do before I turn 27 list. 

 (items in blue are the status of each goal, so I can see my progress and figure out what I need to work on more. I want to make sure that I keep up with them) 

1. Practice yoga 3 times a week (working out is now a habit for me, I have only missed 2 days during the last month and I was sad to say that I missed my workouts. I have increased my distance in jogging and have really started toning up. Working out is also becoming easier when you have a little almost three year old who will remind me everyday to work out. I am glad to set this example for him and he always tries to work out with me so I can't help but think he will be in the habit of being active everyday just by watching me.) 
2. Start my own business (I have made some more progress on this and hopefully next month it will be launching!)
3. Illustrate 5 days a week 
4. Read 1 book a month (8 books and counting... I have 2 books in progress and will try to get them finished up this week.)
5. Conquer Iced sugar cookies
6. Wear high heels several times a week (I am getting ready to break out the fall heels, but the flats were still the most practical for the month of August.)
7. Sew 1 quilt at least full sized 
8. Make more of my own clothes (I finished up one more summer blouse for me, a skirt and I have a few more things in the works, like a dress, skirt, and some accessories.) 
9. Eat more fresh food  
10. Drink only 1-2 pops a month until zero 11. Have a nightly ritual (like tea, cookie, and sketching)
12. Clean out my studio and simplify (I have been busy sewing so it isn't has neat as it should be but I am working on it...)  
13. Build a website (not sure when I am going to get this done...) 

14. Plant another garden 
15. Bake more 
16. Scrapbook at least twice a month (this one is still just in the back of my mind maybe later this month.)
17. Improve my photography (A couple of photo shoots were done and I spent more time editing and improving the photos.) 
18. Keep up my relationships (I am trying my best on this, even though I have so many projects going on...I am trying to set aside time for the people in my life who are important to me.) 
19. Organize my "library" 
20. Back up my computer frequently
21. Take time to be present in the moment (I really have found the most gratification in slowing down and focusing on a task at hand, especially when spending my time with my son. It makes me feel more positive and just plain happy.) 
22. Have a booth at a craft fair (I am not sure I will actually get this one done or not, I will wait and see when I get a few pattern ready to be sold and see what happens from there.) 
23. Quilt Market (have a booth at) (my goal is for May 2011 when it is in Salt Lake, so I guess this one won't technically get crossed off before I turn 27, but trust me I am going to make this happen.)
24. Design my own fabric line (I am just planning on keeping my sketchbook full of doodles and inspiration and probably focus on this more in the next year.)
25. Have a girl's night out once a month 
26. Go on a solo weekend adventure

Only 4 More Months to Go...

on my 26 things to do before I turn 27 list. July went really fast with some more progress with a few more goals. I did try to focus on more of the "lifestyle" goals during the month of July. My plan for August is really just to get at least one or two of the goals crossed off. 

 (items in blue are the status of each goal, so I can see my progress and figure out what I need to work on more. I want to make sure that I keep up with them) 

1. Practice yoga 3 times a week (instead I have started walking/jogging with my mom at 5:30 AM every day, so far it is working out great and I am adjusting to a new schedule. I do feel like I get a ton more done during the day.) 
2. Start my own business (I am getting ready to launch everything this fall. Patterns are being written up, things are being planned, my business plan is being reworked and it is just going to take a little bit more time before I can reveal all of the exciting things that I have been working on... )
3. Illustrate 5 days a week 
4. Read 1 book a month (8 books and counting... I need to catch up on this one big time. I did start another book, but have sort of forgotten about it.)
5. Conquer Iced sugar cookies
6. Wear high heels several times a week (still living in flats mainly because it has been fairly hot and I haven't really gone anywhere that I felt I should wear heels to.)
7. Sew 1 quilt at least full sized 
8. Make more of my own clothes (I have another summer blouse cut out and a skirt to finish up but I have a lot of sewing projects going on at the moment, so those will have to wait just a little longer.) 
9. Eat more fresh food (doing well this, so I am going to go ahead and cross it off! )  
10. Drink only 1-2 pops a month until zero 11. Have a nightly ritual (like tea, cookie, and sketching)
12. Clean out my studio and simplify (about 90% there I just have to clean off two desks and the clothing out of the closet and it will be finished up.)  
13. Build a website (I have the plan & did the illustrations for it, this is sort of at a stand still but I know what I am going for and just have to get it going.) 

14. Plant another garden 
15. Bake more 
16. Scrapbook at least twice a month (Some new photos have been printed but this is one of the desks that needs to be cleaned up. Again with all the other things that I am working on this just seems to fall to the back burner for right now.)
17. Improve my photography (working on editing my photos in photoshop a little bit to make them look a little better.) 
18. Keep up my relationships (I think I have been doing a little better at this, plus I have been trying to step out of my comfort shell and meet new people. It is a lot of fun, I am finding out!) 
19. Organize my "library" 
20. Back up my computer frequently (check, check, check!) 
21. Take time to be present in the moment (Again always trying to work on this, I really am trying not to over schedule myself with different things. I think time management is the main goal in order to keep things balanced.) 
22. Have a booth at a craft fair (I am not sure I will actually get this one done or not, I will wait and see when I get a few pattern ready to be sold and see what happens from there.) 
23. Quilt Market (have a booth at) (my goal is for May 2011 when it is in Salt Lake, so I guess this one won't technically get crossed off before I turn 27, but trust me I am going to make this happen.)
24. Design my own fabric line (I have been doing a few sketches nothing much on this for the month of July and I probably won't get to much into it in August so hopefully September I will be able to build up my portfolio in this area.)
25. Have a girl's night out once a month 
26. Go on a solo weekend adventure 

On the Downhill Slide...

of my 26 things to do before I turn 27 list. I am really going to have to get moving on a few of these so that I make it before November. The month of June just went by so fast, I feel like I didn't accomplish as much as I could have plus I was sick for around 2 weeks which threw me off track a little. For July, I am really going to try to focus on more of the "lifestyle" goals, since they are long term/life changes type of things, I am hoping to make them stick.  

 (items in blue are the status of each goal, so I can see my progress and figure out what I need to work on more. I want to make sure that I keep up with them) 

1. Practice yoga 3 times a week (for the month of July this goal is going to be a primary focus. Not just getting into the habit of yoga, but back into regular workouts.) 
2. Start my own business (I have a logo, some patterns in the works, finished up awesome business cards, and I have few more things that will be revealed in a few weeks. I still need to finish reworking my business plan along with the branding. I am really excited with the direction everything is going, it definitely is helping with my whole outlook on life.)
3. Illustrate 5 days a week (going fairly strong with this one)
4. Read 1 book a month (8 books and counting... and I actually didn't even pick up a book this week, I have been catching up on some magazine reading instead, so for July I am going to try and get at least 2 more read.)
5. Conquer Iced sugar cookies
6. Wear high heels several times a week (doing fairly well with this, however, I just picked up some new summer sandals (flats!) and they have become my go-to/most in love with item right now.)
7. Sew 1 quilt at least full sized 
8. Make more of my own clothes (I made the second prototype of my knit dress but adjusted the pattern for a light to medium weight cotton fabric. I also made a draped knit top and a summer blouse. I am planning on making another blouse, skirt, and dress next month.) 
9. Eat more fresh food (I am making a lot of healthier food choices and I think once I up my exercise, even more weight it will be lost. I am really trying to stick to the Naturally Thin lifestyle and it is really working well for me. I am hoping to pick up the second book which is filled with recipes. So far everything I have made from her book has been super yummy! Plus the garden is going to start producing a ton of fresh food and that will really help with this one.)  
10. Drink only 1-2 pops a month until zero 11. Have a nightly ritual (like tea, cookie, and sketching)Tea won!!
12. Clean out my studio and simplify (my mom is going to be helping me tackle this goal and clean out the entire studio and get it ready to run my business in effectively.)  
13. Build a website (I have the plan & did the illustrations for it, this is sort of at a stand still but I know what I am going for and just have to get it going.) 

14. Plant another garden 
15. Bake more 
16. Scrapbook at least twice a month (I have really been paring down with the photos and I just need to make some time for this, but there is so little extra time and I generally fill it with sewing.)
17. Improve my photography (I just keep practicing and taking a lot of photos to use as inspiration for other projects.) 
18. Keep up my relationships (This is always a tough thing for me. I am hoping to do better by just keeping up connections that I have made and that are already in my life. I realize some things just end up not turing out the way you want them to and that can be okay, too.) 
19. Organize my "library" 
20. Back up my computer frequently (I really, really need to do this and I still need to get something to back it up on) 
21. Take time to be present in the moment (Watching xavier grow and discover all sorts of new things is amazing, he is a fun energetic guy. Plus I am really enjoying starting my business and the entire process of it.) 
22. Have a booth at a craft fair (I am not sure I will actually get this one done or not, I will wait and see when I get a few pattern ready to be sold and see what happens from there.) 
23. Quilt Market (have a booth at) (my goal is for May 2011 when it is in Salt Lake, so I guess this one won't technically get crossed off before I turn 27, but trust me I am going to make this happen.)
24. Design my own fabric line (this month I sort of slacked on this and have just been creating different color ways of the same flower background, but I am hoping to come up with something new for July)
25. Have a girl's night out once a month (this is pretty much attending quilt guild meetings which is a ton of fun and attending sewing nights!) 
26. Go on a solo weekend adventure (I did go on the trip with the quilt guild and that will probably count as this)

A long post...

First of all, Happy Memorial Day! I hope your weekend has been wonderful. On Saturday, I went on a little road trip to see some family and make a stop at the Joann's Superstore to pick up a few things. Sunday was mostly spent working on a few projects and cleaning/organizing my office area (a task I loathe but am glad that I got almost everything sorted, filed, and into a system that will hopefully keep me fairly organized). I also came up with the new logo for my business and have plans to get it finished up sometime this week. 

Since today is the last day of May, it is time to recap my 26 things to do before I turn 27 list. Overall, I am making great progress and since there are only 5 more months to cross off most of these things, I better get to work on them. (items in blue are the status of each goal, I want to make sure that I keep up with them) 

1. Practice yoga 3 times a week (I did this about once a week, I have been lacking in the exercise area, however, I have been eating a lot healthier and practicing a lot of portion control. I recently read Naturally Thin by Bethenny Frankel and loved, loved, loved it. The recipes are great and I actually have been feeling so much better since trying to follow her 10 rules. I have already lost some weight and plan to follow this lifestyle. Now, I need to get her next book.) 
2. Start my own business (reworking my business plan, working on branding, and logo ideas. I actually made spent a bunch of time working on business cards and other branding material, but I wasn't in love with it. It just didn't feel like me or what I was aiming for. Finally the other night around 2:00 in the morning, I finally had a brain wave and have designed a logo that is exactly what I was going for.)
3. Illustrate 5 days a week (This has been happening quite often and I love it!!!)
4. Read 1 book a month (8 books and counting...)
5. Conquer Iced sugar cookies
6. Wear high heels several times a week (this has actually been happening when the weather is nice!)
7. Sew 1 quilt at least full sized (I actually conquered this a couple weeks ago and is out being machine quilted, then I just have to attach the binding. It turned out really cute and is going to be in the window display at The Quilt Barn.)
8. Make more of my own clothes (I made a dress for me *it is going to be one of my first women's wear, there is fabric waiting to be cut for a second prototype and then I will start working digitizing and grading the pattern.) 
9. Eat more fresh food (I really have focused on this and so far so good!)  
10. Drink only 1-2 pops a month until zero 11. Have a nightly ritual (like tea, cookie, and sketching)Tea won!!
12. Clean out my studio and simplify (just organized my downstairs office area, which is really going to help me find things and not just find them in piles all around my desk.)  
13. Build a website (I have the plan & did the illustrations for it) 14. Plant another garden (my dad has really been helping me with this and things seem to be growing really well, but some little critters are attacking a few cucumber and bell pepper plants.)
15. Bake more (3 times a week this month)
16. Scrapbook at least twice a month (so far this hasn't been happening, but I have been sorting through all the computers on my computer and deleting unnecessary photos. I went from 6500 to around 4000 and I still have 2 years of photos to go through.)
17. Improve my photography (trying to keep interesting shots (different perspectives, light sources, time of day, etc.) and think about the composition before taking them.) 
18. Keep up my relationships (I am really finding great security of being my own person and deciding which relationships are positive, loving, supportive and which are just negative and may not be worth the amount of effort that I have been putting into them. I am realizing that over the course of one's life relationships really change, grow, and evolve into different places. I have met some new people and think that some of these are going to blossom into great friendships.) 
19. Organize my "library" 
20. Back up my computer frequently (I still need to get something to back it up on) 
21. Take time to be present in the moment (I am trying to really focus on this. One of my favorite times during the day is when Xavier and I read stories, just the two of us for about a half hour everyday. It is a lot of fun!) 
22. Have a booth at a craft fair
23. Quilt Market (have a booth at ) (probably won't happen until next year, but I am working on it)
24. Design my own fabric line (I have been busy practicing my pattern repeat skills by designing backgrounds for my blog)
25. Have a girl's night out once a month (this is pretty much attending quilt guild meetings which is a ton of fun) 
26. Go on a solo weekend adventure 

Now if you have actually read or scrolled through all of that here is a peak of the table runner I have been working on:

The pattern is from the Spring 2010 Stitch magazine. All the pattern details will be up once I get it finished (I am actually in the process of quilting it right now and if I am lucky it will be done today). The whole thing really came together and is very fun to look at I have to admit! Alright, I am off to get some more quilting done and watch It's Complicated since I just rented it last night... 

I can't believe that it is almost May...

Really where has April gone. I seriously have no idea where the time as gone. I have been a lot busier than the past few months which is actually really refreshing and given me a lot more confidence in moving forward with all aspects of my life. So I thought I would do a little check in with my 26 things to do before I turn 27 goals, I think I made a little more progress with them this month. (items in blue are the status of each goal, I want to make sure that I keep up with them) 

1. Practice yoga 3 times a week (I am average 2-3 times a week, but have been alternating with other forms of exercise)
2. Start my own business (reworking my business plan and working on branding)
3. Illustrate 5 days a week (I have been sketching small sketches almost every day- working on just drawing something everyday whether it is on paper or the computer)
4. Read 1 book a month (6 books have been read and I am almost through another one)
5. Conquer Iced sugar cookies
6. Wear high heels several times a week (one average about 1-2 times a week, but with the weather warming up and I have my high on some new wedges, I think I will be meeting this goal in the next couple of months)
7. Sew 1 quilt at least full sized (work in progress, a zig zag quilt for x)
8. Make more of my own clothes (started a new shirt, drafting a new dress, and have another summer shirt in the works)
9. Eat more fresh food (I actually have been doing fairly well on this one, except for one week. I also have been actively using the Shape virtual trainer to help take my eating and exercising, I have already lost some weight!) 
10. Drink only 1-2 pops a month until zero
11. Have a nightly ritual (like tea, cookie, and sketching) Tea won!!
12. Clean out my studio and simplify (made huge progress on this goal, I just have the closet, a few boxes of stuff, and one sewing area left to clean out and organize) 
13. Build a website (I have the plan & did the illustrations for it)
14. Plant another garden (things are sprouting like crazy in the greenhouse)
15. Bake more (3 times a week this month)
16. Scrapbook at least twice a month (I really need to attack this one)
17. Improve my photography (I have been busy taking lots of photos and practicing using the macro setting)
18. Keep up my relationships (I am really working on this one. Sometimes life really throws you curveballs in this area, but I am trying to make sure all the people that are in my life are great relationships and that I am making an effort to keep them strong)
19. Organize my "library"
20. Back up my computer frequently (I need to get something to back it up on)
21. Take time to be present in the moment (I am really trying to make sure that I am actively listening and participating in the activities that I am taking part of, whether with my son, my parents, or spending time with my friends)
22. Have a booth at a craft fair
23. Quilt Market (have a booth at ) (probably won't happen until next year, but I am working on it)
24. Design my own fabric line (I have been busy practicing my pattern repeat skills by designing backgrounds for my blog)
25. Have a girl's night out once a month (this is pretty much attending quilt guild meetings which is a ton of fun) 
26. Go on a solo weekend adventure 

 

I am very excited that I am making great progress on these goals and hopefully I will make a bunch of headway on them next month, so I can get a few more crossed off. 

Over the weekend...

I planted some more flowers and veggies in the greenhouse, sewed some pillowcases for charity, got all the goodies for Xavier's Easter Basket, worked on sewing the bunny bowling, and spring cleaned my serger and sewing machine. I also picked up two more pieces of foam board for my soon to be design wall (I am getting the final two today), then I am going to pick out the fabric for it and get it hung up on the wall. I also updated the layout of the blog (I designed the background a few weeks ago, I am in love with yellow umbrellas right now) and came up with the header the other day. I am excited that spring is in the air, but since it is only march it is seems like it is freezing one day and warm the next, good thing I like to layer-

 I love this gray cardigan, but it is starting to wear, so i will have to turn it into something else as soon as its summer. Anyways it is time for my monthly

 recap of my 26 things to do before I turn 27 goals and see if I am making any progress:(items in blue are the status of each goal, I want to make sure that I keep up with them) 

1. Practice yoga 3 times a week (small setback here, but I am really going to focus on this one for the month of April)
2. Start my own business (on hold for a little while, but I am working on drafting a few patterns)
3. Illustrate 5 days a week (I have been sketching small sketches almost every day- working on just drawing something everyday whether it is on paper or the computer)
4. Read 1 book a month (6 books have been read, since I was ahead on this one I have been focusing on magazines, but I do have another novel started)
5. Conquer Iced sugar cookies
6. Wear high heels several times a week (I have been wearing them about once a week, next hopefully more)
7. Sew 1 quilt at least full sized (work in progress, a zig zag quilt for x)
8. Make more of my own clothes (need to hem a new skirt up, I participated in a sew along online)
9. Eat more fresh food (doing fairly well here, I have good days and bad but this is going to be focused on a lot more next month) 
10. Drink only 1-2 pops a month until zero (I have finally won the battle! I haven't had a pop in about a month- the sparkling water works like a dream! When I am craving a pop, I just drink a glass of sparkling water (I used to mix it with lemonade) and it is just right)
11. Have a nightly ritual (like tea, cookie, and sketching) Tea won!!
12. Clean out my studio and simplify (made huge progress on this goal, I just have the closet, a few boxes of stuff, and one sewing area left to clean out and organize) 
13. Build a website (I have the plan & did the illustrations for it)
14. Plant another garden (i have begun the seed starting process and already have a few sprouts)
15. Bake more (3 times a week this month)
16. Scrapbook at least twice a month (I haven't done any scrapbooking this month, but I did get all my scrapbooking supplies organized, cleaned my scrapbooking desk off and got new knobs for the drawers. Its already to go now!)
17. Improve my photography (I haven't really taken a ton of photos this month, but I practice messing with the aperture setting. I will have some examples of that soon along with a lot of plant photos.)
18. Keep up my relationships (I have made some new friends and reconnected with several of my long distance friends. One of my best pals is coming to visit in the middle of April and I am already counting down to seeing her for a few days)
19. Organize my "library" (I sorted out most of my books and got them into categories, it looks nice and I have been making sure to put them back where they go so they don't all get mixed up again)
20. Back up my computer frequently
21. Take time to be present in the moment (I am really spending a lot of time hanging out with Xavier and just enjoying him and all his toddler goodness)
22. Have a booth at a craft fair
23. Quilt Market (have a booth at ) (probably won't happen until next year, but I am working on it)
24. Design my own fabric line (I have been busy practicing my pattern repeat skills by designing backgrounds for my blog)
25. Have a girl's night out once a month (this is pretty much attending quilt guild meetings which is a ton of fun) 
26. Go on a solo weekend adventure

This month I got a few more goals completed and next month I am really going to focus on health, food and getting in shape, hopefully the other goals make a little progress, too. 

Are you working on any goals for the year?

Monday...

I love the beginning of the week, it is filled with promise, plans, and goals. Whether, I actually get everything finished up on that list is another story. I have been doing some sewing, finally getting a few projects crossed off my to-do list, but I have added about 10 more so the list isn't getting any smaller. I have added a lot of clothing projects to my list- mainly because I want a new wardrobe filled with staples that will last awhile, a few trendy items, and clothes that have excellent fit. Here is a peak at a new top I made for spring. 

 it is upcycled- from a men's t-shirt that only cost $1.00. On my list for my spring/summer wardrobe are lots of dresses, skirts and tops. I am not a big fan of shorts and for now I will just keep buying jeans. I did finish this top up and am waiting for this afternoon to take some photos of it finished when there is some better light. 

In light of my new wardrobe plan, I went for a new look with my hair on Saturday. I am working on growing it out some so I can pull it back when I am out in the garden. 

 I am pretty smitten with it, super dark, heavy bangs, and will grow out nicely. It makes me really happy right now. 

Since it is towards the end of the month, I thought I would get in my recap of my 26 things to do before I turn 27 goals and see if I am making any progress:(items in red are the status of each goal, I want to make sure that I keep up with them) 

1. Practice yoga 3 times a week (I have been working out 3 to 4 times a week most weeks)
2. Start my own business (my business plan is done, now I just need to find some quiet time to start making things happen)
3. Illustrate 5 days a week (2 days a week right now)
4. Read 1 book a month (6 books have been read, just finished one up the other night)
5. Conquer Iced sugar cookies
6. Wear high heels several times a week (I am really waiting for the weather to warm up, but I have been trying)
7. Sew 1 quilt at least full sized (work in progress, a zig zag quilt for x)
8. Make more of my own clothes (Finished 1 new spring shirt)
9. Eat more fresh food (I have been eating a lot less processed food- last's night dinner is a good example: *all from scratch* broccoli-cheddar cheese soup, cheddar, potato, & ham slab pie, and chocolate pudding with cinnamon whip cream)
10. Drink only 1-2 pops a month until zero (I have had only 6 pops this month)
11. Have a nightly ritual (like tea, cookie, and sketching) Tea won!!
12. Clean out my studio and simplify (the studio is in chaos right now and is going to take a while to clean it up)
13. Build a website (I have the plan & did the illustrations for it)
14. Plant another garden (Have Tuesdays in the Garden on the blog & input all the planting dates into iCal to stay on track)
15. Bake more (3 times a week this month)
16. Scrapbook at least twice a month
17. Improve my photography (trying to be more artistic with my photos, focused this month on self-portraits)
18. Keep up my relationships (I am working on maintaining, reconnecting, and establishing friendships, sometimes I just get to busy with stuff. So I wanted to make sure that this year I make people a priority)
19. Organize my "library"
20. Back up my computer frequently
21. Take time to be present in the moment
22. Have a booth at a craft fair
23. Quilt Market (have a booth at ) (probably won't happen until next year, but I am working on it)
24. Design my own fabric line (I have a few concepts that I am working on)
25. Have a girl's night out once a month (going to see a play this week)
26. Go on a solo weekend adventure

I made a small progress on quite a few goals this month- I guess my motivation is coming back. I hope with long days and warmer weather (crossing my fingers on that one) are on the way I will be able to get more done! 

What about you, are you ready for spring? Any big project plans for the next few months? 

Happy February!!!

Now, that the groundhog as said there will be 6 more weeks of winter, I am going to use the that time to plan my garden, finish up a bunch of sewing projects, and work on my list of 26 things. I thought I would do a progress report on that, here's the list: (items in red are the status of each goal, I want to make sure that I keep up with them) 

1. Practice yoga 3 times a week (I signed up at Shape.com for the virtual training & am going to check out a gym this weekend; I think I might just make this one more of a getting fit goal)
2. Start my own business (my business plan is done, now I just need to find some quiet time to start making things happen)
3. Illustrate 5 days a week (I would say I am at about 1-2 days a week right now)
4. Read 1 book a month (so far I have read 5 since Nov. a little bit ahead on this one)
5. Conquer Iced sugar cookies
6. Wear high heels several times a week
7. Sew 1 quilt at least full sized (work in progress, a zig zag quilt for x)
8. Make more of my own clothes
9. Eat more fresh food
10. Drink only 1-2 pops a month until zero (was doing great on this, but had a small relapse with wild cherry pepsi and now i am back to doing okay)
11. Have a nightly ritual (like tea, cookie, and sketching) Tea won!!
12. Clean out my studio and simplify (this is happening slowly, but surely)
13. Build a website
14. Plant another garden (starting my plan for this, my dad built me a greenhouse)
15. Bake more (I have been baking at least once a week)
16. Scrapbook at least twice a month
17. Improve my photography
18. Keep up my relationships (I am working on maintaining, reconnecting, and establishing friendships, sometimes I just get to busy with stuff. So I wanted to make sure that this year I make people a priority)
19. Organize my "library"
20. Back up my computer frequently
21. Take time to be present in the moment
22. Have a booth at a craft fair
23. Quilt Market (have a booth at )
24. Design my own fabric line
25. Have a girl's night out once a month
26. Go on a solo weekend adventure 

It's nice to see that I am making some progress because it didn't really seem like it. Yesterday, I didn't get much of anything done, due to a migraine so I need make up for lost time.  Heading up to the studio with a cup of tea, have a great day!!

26 Things I Would Like to Accomplish by 27...

so my birthday was in at the beginning of November and I started working on a list of goals/things I would like to accomplish by the time I turn 27. I have recently finished getting the list composed and I thought I would share it. (I am not going to be making any resolutions this year because I think that some of these would have just ended up being my resolutions.)

1. Practice yoga 3 times a week
2. Start my own business
3. Illustrate 5 days a week
4. Read 1 book a month
5. Conquer Iced sugar cookies
6. Wear high heels several times a week
7. Sew 1 quilt at least full sized
8. Make more of my own clothes
9. Eat more fresh food
10. Drink only 1-2 pops a month (until zero)
11. Have a nightly ritual (like tea, cookie, and sketching)
12. Clean out my studio and simplify
13. Build a website
14. Plant another garden
15. Bake more
16. Scrapbook at least twice a month
17. Improve my photography
18. Keep up my relationships
19. Organize my "library"
20. Back up my computer frequently
21. Take time to be present in the moment
22. Have a booth at a craft fair
23. Quilt Market (have a booth at )
24. Design my own fabric line
25. Have a girl's night out once a month
26. Go on a solo weekend adventure

So there they are putting them out into the universe, so I can make them happen. I will be posting a monthly update to show my progress on these goals. What are some of your goals for the new year?