Not Quite Vintage

correspondence

What ever happened to good old fashioned letters? I love email, it is fast and convenient, but there is nothing like opening my mail box and pulling out a card or letter. I am guilty of forgetting this feeling
and not sharing it often enough with others. Hand written correspondence isn't my strength. I get distracted and often feel it is just too late to send a note of congratulations or thanks once I remember that I should.

I have started writing a bucket list of sorts in a pretty new inspire and dream journal I received. I am putting together 100 things I want to do in my life, big and small. I started one a few years back but
lost track of it, so I am starting over again. One of my 100 things is to be better with correspondence. Just this week, I had four instances in which a hand written note was appropriate - thanks, sympathy and thinking if you. I even got out the scrapbook paper and made one of the cards myself (had to fit in a little crafting). Next up I am going to put my correspondence goal together with my reach out to old friends goal and write some old fashioned letters.

Do you have a bucket type list? Some people say if you write things down, put them out into the universe, things tend to start happening. What do you think?

what do I (or, you) want?

While taking a look at HOW Magazine's Business Annual, I ran across a worksheet geared toward "understanding your professional self." The more I looked at it, the cooler I thought it was. Yes, it focuses in on "work," but it also asks how you balance work with the rest of your life. In its essence, it is a tool for mapping out a balanced and successful life.

As I began to think about how I might fill in the work sheet, I realized that in some ways, work could be replaced with craft or at least supplemented by it. I dream of turning craft into a bit of a business - mostly to supplement a work life that isn't extremely fulfilling and to bring more creativity into the day to day. The worksheet might just help me map out a plan.

I do have to admit, that answering some of the questions scares me a bit. As if writing something down makes it "real" and I can't continue on with the status quo. Maybe that is a good thing, but it is still a bit scary. I have never been a person that "knows" their purpose - I have a lot of wishes and dreams, but making them a reality hasn't been a strength. (Okay, I should give myself a little credit here, I do have my masters and I have my own house...)

On the other hand, some of the questions/tasks are rather interesting: Imagine yourself at 80, Who influences you and how does that manifest itself, Name five things that you'd do if only you could work up the nerve. Wow, this worksheet may be good for me!

If anyone is interested in scribbling on their own copy of the worksheet, here you go: Download worksheet.pdf.

use what I have etc.

It is Fat Tuesday, which means tomorrow is the beginning of Lent. Lent, among all its other definitions and meaning, is a time for fasting... Or at least that is the one thing that was pounded in our heads in Catholic grade school :) So last night, I was contemplating how I might honor this time and I have decided to combine fasting with some other short terms goals. While they might not be fasting, I think this is a good time to break some bad habits and get back on track. I know some might not agree with my plan as it isn't typical, but I think it will work for me and believe the big guy wont mind my interpretation.

Goal One: Use what I have while crafting. I was inspired by the Use What You Have Flickr pool. Seriously good stuff in there - lots of creativity. In addition, I was inspired by the feeling I got while balancing my checkbook. Using what I have will help keep my budget in check.

Goal Two: Bring my lunch 3-4 days per week. Yes, you can tell that this one is another attempt at beefing up the checkbook, but it will also help me eat a bit more healthy and provide me with some additional alone/quiet time at lunch. Both of which I need, I have been feeling the effects of this long, dreary winter and need to get ready for spring.

Goal Three: Keep track of my spending on a daily basis. As a single, home owner, expenses add up quickly and there is no need to let the Latte Factor take over. So while tracking my spending, I will also be "fasting" from some of the little extras.

On the fasting front, I am giving up fried foods - which means french fries, one of my weaknesses. This seems pretty easy... but I think it in combination with my three goals will make the next 40 days a little bit more interesting and worthwhile. I will share my Use What I Have crafty projects along the way.

craft rooms

With my crafty to do list growing by the day, I have come to the realization that there is one project that needs to move to the top: organizing my craft space!

I craft (sew) in my basement. It is a non-finished city basement. Not as bad as some, but a bit cold and dreary in the winter. It is a multi-function space - laundry, storage and craft... oh, and there is a bar in the middle. Seriously, one of the owners built a bar and just left it there, in an unfinished basement. Too big to move, to hard to disassemble. Not exactly sure why, but it works as added storage and shields the furnace and hot water heater from view. Odd. And made of knotty pine. So not really all that cool.

I would love my craft corner to be cozy, warm and colorful. But most of all, I would like it to be organized, along with the rest of the basement. So I am not distracted... because I am easily distracted in pretty much everything I do.

This weekend I will embark on part one of the transformation - get rid of the pile of clutter in the middle of the room, take out the trash and organize a delivery to goodwill. I have a little added incentive to get moving - the gas company is paying a visit tomorrow to do a "corrosion" inspection - and I don't really want to be embarrassed, even though I know the inspector has probably seen worse.

Anyway, once part one is complete, I can move on to organizing and beautifying. For inspiration, I love to check out the Flickr Craft Rooms group. It has lots of ideas... check it out if you have time, it is worth the visit. Hopefully soon I will have some pictures to add.

self-check, now redirect

Friday was one of those days that started out great... and ended up quite the opposite. Well, it ended up with my laying on the sofa, under lots of covers, staring mindlessly at the tv, sad and disappointed. Between, TGIF and the sofa, I was surprised and disappointed by a coworker... and probably worse, I ended up disappointed in myself. The specifics aren't really all that important, lets just say a  conversation went from well-intentioned humor to all wrong in a matter of minutes.

So what is a girl to do? I can sit and continue to stir, sad and disappointed, or I can use this "incident" as a self-check and use what I have learned to move forward. I know the answer is the later, but my emotional side isn't ready to completely let go.

Anyway, I did a lot of thinking over the weekend. Much banter and arguing went on instead my head. I was so glad I had tennis yesterday ( we won ) to get out a little aggression so I could feel a little closer to moving on. And I ended up realizing a couple things: I need to be more mindful and a little less hard on myself. I do tend to beat myself up pretty easily, over things most people might just dismiss. This might be my biggest challenge and my biggest obstacle to success.

So, as a reminder to myself, I am adding "only criticize the critical" and "give myself a little wiggle room" to my 100 things list.

I started a 100 Things list a while ago - it was recommended by a friend to help give me some direction and perspective. Most of the things on the list were simple "to do" list type activities, like re-decorate my bedroom, but many other things were more personal and developmental in nature. The to do list activities were easily completed, checked off and something was then added in its place. The more personal ones serve as reminder of how I want to live my life. Last Friday served as a self-check - am I doing everything I can to be my best self? Now it is time to redirect, move forward... and start working on the list again.