2018 Goals: Embroidery

The Embroiderer's Guild of Victoria

Follow the White Bunny

Sarah K. Benning

Mary Corbet's Needle N' Thread

What Delilah Did

I read crochet blogs all the time and I work on my crochet.   Now that I've found all of these lovely embroidery designers, I want to take my embroidery out again.  

Tangled threads made me put aside my last project "for awhile".  What I'll need to do is just work on several projects so that if I get frustrated, I can pick up another.  I don't want to lose what skills I gain by not using them.

By February, which is National Embroidery Month, I'd like to be able to do the Stitch A Day Challenge.   You practice a different stitch each day of the month.

I have so many patterns, I'd like to put them on the flour towels I've accumulated.

Also, find some small bits of nicely colored linen fabric to do some art in hoops of different colors.

I'll need to work on my tracing skills, and pattern transfer skills.

2018 Goals: Papercrafting

I really need to work on my paper crafting in 2018.  Of all of my hobbies, this one is richest in possibilities and materials to work with.  Whether working on a scrapbook or making cards for various occasions,  you can do so much here.

Rubber Stamping   I love my vast stamp collection, and use them when I can.  The best I've managed so far is to color in some of the stamped images with color pencil.  I could be using markers, watercolor paints or water color pencils.   I have most rubber stamping techniques to learn, and the books, natch, to learn them from.

If I use my so so tracing skills, I could also be using my nice watercolors and watercolor pencils to produce nice cards.

Who has a lovelier collection of papers than I do?  I've individual sheets and books of themed papers.

I worked a little with glitter this holiday season, but I like it very much.  More glitter in 2018.

Sequins!  I watched this video on easily affixing sequins to cards, and I'm going to get some toothpicks in my craft room so I can try her technique.  Sequins aren't too bad in the mail.  I'm assuming the cards I sent with sequins kept them all on anyway.

I have a glorious Crop-a-dile I need to use. 

Somewhere, in my re-organizational efforts, I buried my sweet little kits for punching sewing like patterns in paper.  Find them!  Then I'll be able to embroider on cards and in scrapbook pages.

I like the multi-media possibilities of papercrafts, and would like to add some fabric bits to cards and pages.  Oh no, I'd have to get a bit more fabric.

Pocket Pages!  I have many documents of varying sizes I'd like to include in scrapbooks.   Here are some pocket templates  http://scrapbooking.craftgossip.com/10-ways-to-make-use-paper-pockets-templates-tutorials/2015/07/20/

I'm looking for a pattern for making an entire pocket page for a 12x12 page, and I know I've found one in the past but, on the list, find a pattern.   This is close  http://www.dotcomwomen.com/crafts/how-to-make-pocket-pages-for-scrapbook/4380/

2018 Goals: Family History Project

Because I'm only trying to work back a few generations, and in good detail, I feel as if this project shouldn't be taking me so long.  Zzzzzz.

I suspect it's because I'm combining names and dates and photographs and timelines, and interesting paper and layouts in scrapbook form, rather than just listing listing listing.

Problematically, I'm listing willy-nilly and my files and photos are in as much chaos as if I'd never worked on the project at all.  How is that possible?

Must get a solid organizational plan for all materials and information already gathered.

Decide on a good layout for the book itself.

Tell a good story.  Nobody will look at these if a good story isn't told.

Settle on a family tree graphic, fill it in and use it to guide everything.

Organzie all files.

 Organize all photographs.

2018 Goals: Cooking and Baking

Ah, talk about dreamy goals.   I did some nice baking at Christmas, trying out cookie recipes, some carmel corn, and a few snack mixes.   I didn't get to all the recipes I wanted to try, but I think tomorrow there will be cookies.  To round out the year. Must have cookies.

I have so many recipes marked on various sites, and my cookbook collection continues to grow.  I think January will be a good time to work on a whole month menu, making sure to include new recipes each week.

I'll be working to perfect my cookie skills.   I want them to be just perfect, and nice to have with a cup of coffee.  They must also be something I can share with others so I don't balloon up.  We don't want that.

Breads might be something I can do this year.  I think I've conquered my fear of yeast and its gnarly temperature requirements.  I got the Sullivan Street Bakery Cookbook for Christmas, and have several other books specific to breads. 

We have three staple soups that are very good.  I'd like to develop a nice vegetable soup as a standard menu item too, and have several recipes to try.

I have the most wonderful Chicken Pot Pie recipe I've culled from quite a few other recipes.  It is so perfect.  What I need is an easy and perfect crust.  I've marked a number of possibilities.   I do like a bottom and top crust.

Pies, pies.   I am going to boldly work towards pie heaven.  I have yet to find a blueberry pie recipe I quite like.  Ick on almond flavoring in it.  Just gross and overwhelms the berries.   I had a Christmas request for Apple Pie and Pumpkin Pie.  Both turned out really well, even though I had to make a crust from scratch for the pumpkin.  I think I can do the homemade crust now, though.  Ive cheated with Mama Pillsbury's ready crust far too long.

Acquire two tools I don't have:   a waffle maker (I love waffles, plus I've seen some recipes using waffles as a sandwich base that look good) and a deep fryer.  We love fries, but they're not the same baked.  Sizzle em!

I also want to make doughnuts!

2018 Goals: Handywoman 101

It is always a goal to learn a few simple home maintenance tricks, things like caulking, and wall painting for bozos who like to spray everything with paint.

I also wish I could build simple garden structures like benches and trellises.

Though my house is small and there's no room for a single stick of furniture, I've always wanted to be able to find cute old furniture and restore or refinish it.     I read the Little Green Notebook Blog and Artsy Chicks Rule Blog  .

I see the lovely things they find and restore and think, I'd like to try that.

Somehow I need to start at the beginning and learn tools and their uses, including power tools--just sanders and little buzz saws.  Dangerous stuff!

 When we were first married, we looked at books on basic home maintenance and tried out hand at keeping our home cozy.  Busy busy lives led us to hire others to do these things, but I think it's time to return to becoming basic Fixit personages.   See me help Mr. DOA with a few goals for 2018!

2018 Goals: Crochet

Ah, the thrill of making good progress on a project!   I'm really enjoying my little stacks of Christmas Granny squares.  I had to move them at Christmas to allow for you know, guests and tidiness.  Itching to put them back in their pleasing stacks of ten so I can admire my progress.

My skills have improved so much this year, despite a few ambitious squares that I stalled out on--temporary, for sure.   Willow square, I'm looking at you.

I have a steady gauge now that isn't a stranglehold, all my squares are consistent!

My speed has increased nicely thereby increasing my chances of finishing projects.

I need to update my blogrolls because I now follow so many incredible crochet artists that I can make a separate list just for them.

Learning new stitches is on my horizon.  Half double, treble and maybe the front post stitch.  Maybe.

I'm branching out from afghans, though I love them best. 

Scarves are desirable projects.  Maybe if I find even one pattern I can do well, that will get me started.

Filet Crochet is something I'd like to work on again.  So beautiful and intriguing.  

There's a Yarn store hop upcoming.  Social me might go.

There's a local Crochet society.  I'm not very good, but maybe I could go once and see how forgiving they are of less skilled crocheters.

2018 Goals: The Garden

Sadly, I think I tossed my little DOA skellie doll.  Tsk, a goal for 2018, find a new little dressable skellie.

I haven't actually sat down with my garden notebook to make a good solid gardening goal list, but we're in Posting Mania mode so here are some off the top of my head goals.

Stay ahead of the weeds.

Get mulch in April this year, boy it is overdue for refreshing.  I like to cover the entire vegetable garden area and part of the sideyard.  I haven't been good about mulching my perennial gardens, because I'm always thinking I might want to add or move something and I don't want to have to dig through mulch to get to a spot.

Double check all gaps in the fence line to keep rabbits out of the side and back yard.  They're cute but voracious.  

Tighten up the bird netting on the vegetable garden fence to keep who knows what else out, somewhat.  Stop dragging away my corn and other plants, beasties!

All my raised beds need some replacement boards.  Might just make some smaller beds instead of the two larger ones in the center of the vegetable garden.

Find a way to solve the root problem in my raised beds.  Gawd, its like a solid root sponge in some beds.  Nothing can grow in that.  It may be that the solution is to take all the dirt out of each bed, and put in fresh landscape fabric and newspapers.  What a job.

Add a few perennials this season.  I've been pretty immersed with vegetables and annuals the past few years.  I need to overhaul my small perennial gardens and freshen them up.

Create a hosta garden along the south side in front of the arborvitae there.  It will free up space in the perennial beds and reduce the amount of greedy grass that grows all too well where it shouldn't.

2018 Goals: Tech Goals

I love technology, for what you can do with it, not simply for itself.   I'm also a big fan of lifelong learning and think no matter how crammed with information your head may be, there's always room for more!

 Learn the basics of Photoshop.   I just have Elements, but the basics elude me.   I need to take a step by step approach, and I did write up one day how I might learn the basics in much the same way as I presented the basic of Microsoft Office products in classes.  Structure it that way, and point by point figure it all out.

I have a voice recorder from Sony which I bought to do some family history type interviews.  RTFM, and start talking!

Cringeworthy that I have a Brother label maker I haven't bothered to learn to operate.

There are a number of sites that help you do cartooning--love my cartoons or not, I enjoy them!  I need to really learn the possibilities that are offered and I'll torment my small reader base in proper fashion in 2018.

There are many Forms I'd like to create for myself, for everything from crochet to family history.  Word and Excel have many features I'm not using.  Time to deep dive.

2018 Goals: The Social Beast

Without causing my homebody, introvert self any undue anxiety, I'm thinking I need to get out more in 2018.

The fact that I have hardly seen any movies this year is an indicator I've gotten a bit too cozy.

Out to the movies.

Look for a gardening group or two.

Visit museums.

Go out to lunch.

Once things thaw out, continue a plan I had a few years ago to visit many of the public gardens in the area.

I should also go on some garden tours of private gardens.

Maybe join a few plant societies.

Try a few online books clubs.  ( I think it counts as being social)