Resolutions are weird.

And kind of hard to keep up.

Why don’t we call it a to-do list instead?

Let’s start a new tradition this year and make to-do lists NOT resolutions.  There is still plenty of time to make YOUR 2016 list!  I love making lists and checking things off of them.  I pretty much always have a little notebook going with grocery store needs, crafty ideas, letters to write, and adulting to be done.

I’m pretty motivated to get stuff done, but somehow it helps me get bigger and/or intimidating things accomplished when I write them down.  When I was in high school and college I made these lists at the beginning of fall semester.  These days I do them at the year change, although I’ve also though about making another list on my birthdays.  Maybe that will be another new tradition we can start!

Without further a-do:

{NOTE: The honey-bun was just a snack delivered by some pals, and not meant as a to-do, per se, but dang I do love naughty treats.}

1. Make and use a pin-hole camera.   My buddy Anna Roe has made and used these over the years and I have loved seeing the results she gets.  I’m not terribly interested in photography in general, there is something about the truly DIY nature of the pin-hole camera that piques my interest.
2. Write a new zine.  Zines were a pretty major part of my life for a few years but they’ve sort of fallen off my radar since I moved back to North Carolina.  Making them is so cathartic and such a full expression of creativity that I really want to make another one this year.  (If you’re interested in back issues that I still have copies of, check out my etsy shop here.)
3. Go to an eye doctor.  My eyesight isn’t terrible but the time I spend in front of a computer and doing tiny needle work takes a toll on my eyes.  I’m in need of a new prescription I’m sure.  The upside is new frames!  I’m thinking of something like these!
4. Go to a dentist.  Ugh.  I haven’t been in a few years.  Enough said.
5. Set-up/load pictures to a cloud.  I’m terrified of losing all the pictures I’ve taken over the years but I really don’t have an organized system in which to keep them.   I have some on my laptop, some saved in emails, some in albums on Facebook.  After seeing my friend Lori’s system on the cloud I decided it was time to at least put it on the to-do list.  If you have any advice please post it in the comments–I’m clueless.
6. Grow a garden. I’ve had many gardens over the years with varying degrees of success.  Check out this picture of me as a pup in the garden with my dad.
   

   
7. It’s been a while since I had much of a garden, but I’ve done some preliminary mulching and composting over the past year that I hope will help this garden spot to be better than my last one.  I’ve been reading about raised deep mulch beds.  Have any of y’all had experience with this?  I’m looking forward to the cherry tomatoes that I know I can grow, and I’m also looking forward to trying my luck with some leafy greens and lettuces this go round.  Do you have a garden plan in the works?
8. Finish secret quilt. It’s top secret so I can’t tell you! (teehee)
9. Deal with vintage etsy stock.  There was a period of time during my short lived grad school stint that I sold vintage clothes on etsy.  It was a good business but I ended up having so much other work to do that I couldn’t keep up with it so I phased it out of my shop.  I still have quite a bit stored and I need to sort through it and maybe try selling stuff again.  At least until I get rid of what I have!  {Below are 2 of my favorite items that I sold once upon a time!}
   

   
10. Finish tee shirt quilt.  A few years back I decided to finally stop wearing some of my oldest and most favorite tee shirts.  They were so worn, and oh-so-perfect, but the fact was that they didn’t really look good on me anymore.  They were way too important to me sentimentally to just get rid of them so I went ahead and cut them up for a quilt.  Most of the patches are cut and ready to sew, but this year (by April for my guild’s quilt show) I want to finish it.  Here is a sneak peek of the quilt layout.
11. Build doll house.  Yes I am a thirtysomething and yes I still play with dolls.  I’m a huge Monster High and Blythe doll fan (and also other weird and/or ball jointed dolls).  I’ve actually got a pretty good lead on a used doll house that I think I’m going to trade some stuff for.   If you want to see some of the dolls I and accessories I really like check out my pin board here.
12. Purge and re-vamp wardrobe.  There is stuff that needs to GO to make room for fun stuff!  Don’t we all?

{Another note: The jelly spirit band around the bottom of the book says “GLITTER CRITTER”. Yep.  Pretty much winning.}

OKAY!  Now you tell me what you’re going to get up to this year!  Here’s to 2016 being full of checking things off the to-do list!