Let’s see – I finished 2 quilts, 10 bags, 1 skirt, 1 shirt, and 1 much-beloved jacket.  And I’m starting the year with 2 quilts to finish (late Christmas gifts) and lots of plans.

I don’t normally “do” resolutions – but this year, I”m setting up goals.  First, I”ve added a new page called WIP (Works in Progress) which is where I intend to put my projects as I start them – and hopefully as I complete them. I want to document this learning process and also to become a little more accountable.  I also need to figure out a better work/personal balance.  I’m a happier person and more productive when I do things outside of work that’s not more work. With all of that being said – here are my 2010 goals:

1. stop wasting so much time on my beloved Bejeweled Blitz, Mafia Wars and Facebook.  Oh,how I’ll miss thee – but really, time is too precious.
2. work at home less than 3 nights a week and limit those work hours to less than 4 hours a night.
3. increase my organization in my office so that i can snatch snippets of time to work on projects.
4. find a tried and true (TNT) skirt pattern – I have high hopes that this one will be it.  But if not, perhaps this one.
5. Make a dress to wear to work and out of work.  I’m thinking perhaps this one (the one with the stand up collar) or this one.
6. make this jacket
7. make this shirt
8. make 4 new quilts – including one for dominic.
9. use my walking foot and quilt at least one of the quilts myself
10. make myself a new messenger bag

so, let’s get going on 2010!

]]> http://www.secondwinddesign.com/laurel/archives/160/feed 2 http://www.secondwinddesign.com/laurel/archives/133 http://www.secondwinddesign.com/laurel/archives/133#comments Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:39:08 +0000 laurel http://www.secondwinddesign.com/laurel/?p=133 Since it’s getting close to the holidays and I can’t really post anything without giving away what I’m working on, i thought i’d post some other great projects from Flickr.

1. Working on a Fundraiser, 2. christmas bird ornaments, 3. Eco Market Tote, 4. Hard to resist, 5. Casal 20! , 6. Bird Ornament, 7. Καρφίτσα : Η πολυταξιδεμένη Γατούλα_softerror, 8. Pillow Talk Swap (ready to send), 9. Molly’s Sketchbook: Sunny Tied Quilt, 10. YIP 365.153 :: Twinkle mini pillow, 11. Untitled, 12. a gorgeous gnome and girl pillow!

and now back to working on my own projects!

Let’s see what have I been doing? I’m sorry – life has just taken over here.  For nonprofits and especially for their development directors, this year is a rough one.  On the positive side, thanks to President Obama, we have some opportunities that are amazing and that we have a good chance of getting.  But my organization has typically had strong support from banks, who as everyone knows are not doing so well. And individual donors, well, my family isn’t the only one that’s hurting.  So, right now, as the development director, I don’t feel that I can let one opportunity pass us by. And that means long hours and little balance between life and work.

On Thursday, we just had our annual event and came in shy of our goal by about $3K.  So, good – really, only a 3% drop over where I thought we’d be.  But the work that it took to get to that point was incredible.  But so is the need.  Every day, I am seeing more and more people come to us for help with their rent, utilities, prescriptions, food, etc.  People who never thought that they would need to turn to a charity for help and are having to do so now.

So, we’re still out there hitting the pavement, applying for both foundation and government grants, and working to make sure we hit all angles and every possibility.  It is exhausting – to be honest.  But I can’t stop – there is such a huge need and there is nothing worse than turning someone away because we don’t have the money and know that their children are going to lose their home. So, we keep plugging… and praying that this economy turns around.

okay – so back to last Thursday’s event – I actually found time to work on a chinese coin quilt and, thanks to one of my mother’s friends (Denise – the lifesaver) actually got it quilted and finished (thanks to Mom, the binding queen) in time to turn it in.  Although, I have to admit it was a difficult decision to turn it in – I loved it.

I was a little bit worried because our auction people aren’t so into the handmade movement as I am.  But I think the fact that there was a lot of white space (7 inches around each side) helped.

And I think the funkier fabrics than what many are used to seeing (love me some Amy Butler and Joel Dewberry) and the colors worked out really well.  I will admit that it was a bear to make.  I am pretty much a mostly solid quilt sort of gal and it was difficult for me to have some many patterns – actually I started with only 7, but at about 3/4 of the way through, I decided that I really needed more patterns – which that alone is weird for me to say.  So, I”m pretty surprised by how much I loved it.

So, now I’m one down – 1 still to finish and 3 to start.

And you know what?  I can’t wait!

The big news – in case you couldn’t see – is that L caught her first fish. I’ve been dying to get her and S to the park to go fishing. She’s quite the fisher – this impatient child can actually concentrate on fishing longer than I can! For the past few months, all I’ve heard is “I just want to catch something.” I figured that if she was ever going to catch anything, S. could help her. We had originally planned on going the next day, but S unfortunately had to work, so we went after C’s party since L was going to spend the night anyway. That hubby of mine is a fishing genius – he picked the perfect spot for her; as soon as we put her line in the water, she started to get nibbles. and then her bobber went down – and it was on! We managed to keep the (baby) fish on the line and reel it in – no small feat. It’s a smidge bit complicated to pull up while reeling, but she did it. She couldn’t stop yelling – “I caught something, I caught something!” Luckily the fisherman around us, just laughed. Several came over to congratulate her. That was the only fish for the night, but she did also manage to snag a turtle – which I didn’t get a picture of. I think the turtle-catching was actually a bigger deal than the fish was.

So, now, we have a new word – turtle-ishing (fishing for turtles!)

In other news, I sewed this weekend – I know, gasp! I wanted to make a tote bag for C to go with the “Creative Family” book I got her. Mom loaned me an old machine – that I love precisely because it’s so old. I figure that I can’t mess it up too much – it’s obviously lived a lot! Anyway, a huge thanks to my Mom, who rescued the day by showing up early Sunday morning to help me figure out the whole threading thing. It turned out great – I even lined it, which really for me, is a huge step. It turned out really nice. S. even said that he thought his daughter would be “all over it” and I should make her one for her birthday. HUGE compliment, I tell ya. Normally, he just puts up with my crafting, but this one … well, it was really cool.

Then to top it off – I made another bag on Sunday – this time for me. It’s beautiful. Heck, I’m loving it so much that I may make everyone bags.

Nothing else too interesting going on – a birthday party for L on Thursday and then her birthday with her friends and a wedding to go to on Saturday. Thank goodness for Sundays!

Before I leave – here’s 2 of my favorite pictures from the weekend, ’cause who can resist these 2?

although she doesn’t look it, she was actually quite happy – i didn’t even have to bribe her to take her picture (really). love, love, love this face

how’s this for some cuteness? why is it that i only get this smile when he’s beating on me? LOL

If you read my blog, you’ll see that earlier this year, I signed up for the gocco swap offered by Sarah at cloth.paper.string. My mom and I first came across the Gocco too many years ago to remember. We took at class offered at our local Paper Source and instantly fell in love. And by instantly, I do mean instantly. So much so that immediately after the class we purchased said Gocco and then proceeded to Gocco almost everything we could think of. Bags for my mom’s business - check. Christmas Cards – check. Just because cards – check. We even almost did my wedding invitations on it – until I realized that I needed to use fairly small print and it wouldn’t print that well.

Eventually, it found its way up to the craft-storage-of-the-long-forgotten, which is otherwise known as the guest room. Like the velveteen rabbit, it languished there and if not forgotten at least not always remembered.

Skip to 1/13/2008. I had resolved just 13 days earlier to do more creative things. You see, I have a tendency to just think of creative things. I admire people who find time to create – people who move the thinking into action. That has been one of my biggest sticking points – how to find time to move from the idea stage to the action stage. Sure, I get to do some creative things at work. But really, let’s be honest – it’s work – no matter how fun it can be. Then I saw Sarah’s blog.

Oh, the plans that ran through my head. Let’s do something representing the budding trees that seemed at that point just around the corner. Then a cold snap came back and I thought I would add a bird looking up at the trees – waiting for spring and the foliage to arrive. Then while at work, parked under a tree … well, I think you can imagine what happened. And so I wasn’t so in love with birds any more and since every morning when I walked outside, I got to revisit the presents several had left (remember, it was a cold spell – so no car washes were running) and I didn’t think I would love birds for a while. Plus the original thought for the print wasn’t turning out well – splotchy lines, weird fading print.

Maybe my ink was old. No problem, I’d just buy some more.

While I was waiting for my new ink to arrive (Really, I would still be on time to mail them at this point.) I came across some of my pictures and my journal from Morocco. As I read this passage, an idea came:

“When I first found out that I was headed for Morocco in Africa, I had dreams of heat – deep, sweltering, dessert heat. I thought that I would miss the seasons of Colorado – the fall, the winter, the spring. Surely, I thought, I will be lucky if we go below 50 degrees. How can I, the person who hates summer solely because it’s so hot, possibly live in Morocco?

Well, let me tell you, I doubt I will long for winter ever again. Ait Hoediggen {edited to add: where I lived} in February is cold – bitingly cold. And by cold, I mean, here, you get to wake up to see that water you so carefully prepared the night before is frozen solid. Sitting in the house is unbearable, so you try to find tasks you can do outside in the sun, but really the only thing keeping you warm as you trundle through snow past your knees is the fact that you are carrying 40 litres of water up the hill from hell. Where else can you see your breath – in your house? The tiles that line your walls, in the summer offering such solace from the heat, suddenly become your enemy, radiating that cold throughout your room. I swear today I woke up to find the tiles with frozen with ice crystals. I crave central heat and warm showers…”

Oh, the tiles of Morocco – they were beautiful.

I know that the colors do not have much to do with mid-winter, but for me they are reminiscent of some of the colors of Morocco. Whenever I see that combination (this one is from Paper Source’s fantastic collection), I think of the Djemâa el Fna – the fresh squeezed orange juice, the colorful spices, and djellabah’s.

They’re not perfect. I’ve thought of things I would change on the design. But I like them. And only a week past the deadline, I finally got them in the mail. To all of my swap-mates, I apologize for being so late.

Now, I get to open all the one’s I received so far. Whoo Hoo! I just opened one (’cause I couldn’t resist after writing that!) and I have to say I’m more than a little intimidated. I hope everyone likes mine as much as I’m liking their’s.

Pictures coming soon …

I’ve emailed the organizer to see if it’s okay if I’m an amateur and I participate. I’ve got a couple of ideas swimming around, so we’ll see. if not, y’all might get a few surprises in the mail from me….

This is probably my favorite day of the year as far as days go and certainly my favorite part of the holiday season. I love the possibilities that come with a new year. I’m normally a fairly (very?) grounded person – one who looks at goals and sees the steps needed to get there. I tend not to set “resolutions” because, honestly, I’m lucky if they will last the week. But over the past few years, my January 1 ritual has been to spend some time just jotting down dreams – without thinking of boundaries, self-editing, or reality. I’ll revisit them later and pare the list down to what I think I may actually be able to accomplish, but today is just for dreams and brand-new beginnings.

And a brand new calendar! For the past few years I’ve been creating my own planner and calendar. For some reason I’ve been loving the color combo of red + gray and have been looking for opportunities to use it. Usually, I head to Office Depot and get it spiral bound, but this year, I wanted to do one that I could use at work. This one fits inside a CD case since my desk space at work is limited (by my other clutter.) I’ve had a couple of requests for it, so to celebrate the new year, here’s a link to the PDF version.

To download: click on the picture + the pdf will open in a new window.

To print: set your paper orientation to landscape + set page scaling to “print multiple pages” – 2 across will fit on a 8.5×11 piece of paper perfectly. Print, cut out the individual pages, slip into a CD case + viola, a brand new 2008 calendar! (Oh, here’s a tutorial on how to reassemble the CD case so you can use it as a stand …)

I hope you enjoy!

Other stuff:

In the spirit of new starts, I’ve spent the day going through my closet + pulling things out to donate/recycle/toss. Still have a fair amount to go through, but by golly, it’s getting there. I’ve unofficially dubbed this year as “the year of de-cluttering”. I’m sure my husband will be thrilled. (C – do you want some new-ish clothes?)

Of course, I’ve also dubbed it as the “year I finally learn how to sew”. I actually bought this book with a gift certificate I received for Christmas from my stepson + his fiancee. Love it! Lots of great projects that are really simple to do + that fit in perfectly with my design style. Plus, my niece (I ran into her with her dad at the store) picked out several projects that she would like me to do – as long as they are pink and purple. Tried for the green + gray combo, but she wasn’t having it. So pink and purple they will be – cause you need to be able to give away your learning projects!

And another pic to celebrate the new year…

(Really, it’s in the mail!)

1. Breakfast, 2. simply white., 3. morning pinecones and coffee, 4. my inspiration board 4, 5. fuzzy was a puppy, 6. Untitled, 7. WAWA-jie3_2, 8. polar bear, 9. feet, 10. my studio: inspiration board + wallpocket, 11. sill, 12. Saturday morning coffee on the patio, 13. back when…, 14. paper basket + globe balls, 15. cravings, 16. “a” small bag for anna