My new hero

Johanna Basford.  I just discovered her work today through random, mindless internetting.  And now I'm obsessed.  Go check her out here.

I haven't died...

I promise.

I live. I breathe. I just don't write. And for that, I really am sorry.  I'm mostly sorry that this type of post seems to be recurring.  Which is why I have been taking this break from all of the various grand projects I so optimistically committed to over the past few months.  I think it was mostly an attempt to find my passion and organize my life.  Good news is I have direction.  Well, I have an idea of a direction. Now I am planning how to follow it.  Yes, part of it involves a greater commitment to my online presence so hopefully I will be posting regularly soon. But first I need to work on my plan.  Jumping in too quickly appears to be my downfall. As much as I would love be structure-less, full of possibility and the necessary will to just go, take, do as I please....I'm not. A lesson learned the hard way. I need a plan, thought out and written down somewhere I can constantly look back at it to keep myself on course.

My new direction is big.  Which means I need to focus.  So I have given up on the quilting and knitting and random other acts for a while so that I can focus on my creativity, something within me that I have feared and hidden for a long time now.  I can't anymore.  I know it's in there somewhere and I need to bring it back to the surface.  In my youth, I was fearless and somewhere along the way, self-doubt crept in and took hold of me.  I stopped listening to my heart and ignored my desire to create.  Well, that isn't entirely true.  I still took part in acts of artistic expression.  But not with passion and courage. I took photos because I was afraid to use my hands.  I never cultivated my drawing abilities because I never particularly loved my style (and I was operating under the assumption that my style would never grow...false).  I love photography.  But I would also love to draw.  I studied psychology because I never believed my artistic abilities would reach a level that could sustain me (monetarily).  Again, I loved psychology and I still enjoy studying it, but I don't want to pursue it as a career.

Now, I know where my heart is and I know that it's feasible to create a lucrative career I love. It will take planning and hard work and patience. But realizing there is a solution is the first step to reaching a goal.

One fish, two fish, red fish.....diapers?

Created by: MastersDegree.net

Quilt Along

I'm doing a quilt along!

Something you should know about me.  I become infatuated with things.  Not people (although that happens too), but objects.  More specifically, things that come in a variety of colors and can be bought and hoarded. Over the years, this has included key chains, men's neck ties, yard, vintage pyrex, vintage drink ware, English bone china, shoes, handbags, etc., etc.  You name it, I'll collect it.  Around this same time last year, my new "thing" became fabric.

Back when I was in middle school, my parents randomly bought me a sewing machine for Hanukkah.  My mom said it was because of the ridiculous dresses I used to draw when I was little.  She took that as a sign I should be a fashion designer.  I immediately bought a shirt pattern, attempted to make it out of the wrong kind of fabric, and put my sewing machine away for good.

Then, last year, I realized that clothes might not be the best place to start learning how to sew with my machine.  I developed a fascination with quilting fabric and all the different patterns you can create on a quilt top. I bought some fabric, dusted off my sewing machine, and set out to make my friend some place mats for her birthday.  Problem was, I didn't have a cutting mat, which made cutting the fabric difficult.  I couldn't cut straight and I couldn't sew straight.  The sewing machine went back up and the place mat tops got tossed on the pile of my unfinished crafts.

But no more!  I will finish the place mats.  And....AND....I am doing a quilt along on this blog.  I WILL MAKE A QUILT!  Stay tuned....

*EDIT* 2/27/13  - I will make a quilt. Eventually. Right now, I need to assemble my life.

It's a New Year so there must be Resolutions

I don't have a set list of resolutions.  Basically, this has been happening to me for the past couple of weeks:

I'll be walking along and think of a resolution.  I will proclaim the resolution to whoever I happen to be spending time with at that moment.  Then, I will forget the resolution.

I know...I need to start carrying a notebook for moments like that because they happen quite a lot and I can never remember my epiphanies, no matter how important they seem (or are).

I'm going to try and remember them now and record them here.  I have been notoriously bad at sticking to my resolutions (although, these days, it seems resolutions are more in place to break than to keep) but hopefully I have told enough people that I will feel sufficiently ashamed if I don't break them.  I'm going to do this differently than usual because my posts tend to get a little lengthy.  All of my resolutions can be stated in one or two words so this post will be my master list. Then, this week, I will elaborate on the various resolutions in separate posts.  This will keep the posts succinct and help me keep one of them (spoiler alert: I want to blog more).  Ok. Here goes:

- Exercise.

- Read.

- Write.

- Craft.

- Cook.

- Progress.

- Love.

- Interact.

- Record.

- Organize.
- Purify.
- Sustain.