Resolutions

Ok, so if I post my New Year's resolutions here, does that mean I have a better chance of sticking to them? I say we start a "Resolution Tracker Team" - who's with me?!

Resolution #1: Get more exercise
Plan: Bike a min. of 1x week and yoga 3x week, along with the walking and running already in place.

Resolution #2: Budget finances (work and home)
Plan: Create spreadsheets, use Quicken, track all purchases, and yes, if needed, resort to using colorful, labelled envelopes with "$40/wk = groceries", etc. It worked for Mom!

Resolution #3: Everything about friends
Plan: Keep better contact with the ones I already have and do what I can to make more.

Resolution #4: Grow the business 25%
Plan: Might sound like a lot, but, um, its not. And I need to do it. Keep the creative juices flowing, track down new clients, be on the lookout for new materials. Write or draw for an hour each morning to get going. Add at least 2 designs a month. Oh, and for pete's sake, get the website up!

Merry Christmas

I have a confession. A few days ago, I wasn't feeling too merry.

It is hard to be away from family, knowing that they will all be together, remembering all of the old traditions that are hard to keep when you are so far away. I was also letting the grinch in me see too much of the commercial side of Christmas (and you have to admit, it certainly has gotten a little out of hand). I had to spend a torturous day at the mall amid the hustle even though all of my shopping was done weeks ago. I was beginning to wonder if Christmas would be just another day for me and the hubby. But then I remembered.

I remebered that Christmas is how I choose to keep it in my heart. I looked at the faces of shoppers and instead of seeing "red-tag frenzy" I saw groups of girls giggling together, families turning the day into a time to be together, and the quest for the perfect gift a search for the reflection of the love one felt for the other.

Some people make things, many people buy things, others do nothing at all. And yet, on Christmas day, the real thing that matters is love. I love my family and know they love me, even though they are far away. Sitting at my window typing, I see what I would stereotypically refer to as a young, grunge-sort of boy walking by, pants slung well below the waist, an uncombed head of hair, and a hard rock slogan on his sweatshirt. Just next door to me lives an elderly woman who I know is often lonely, but sits out on her porch each day and chats with whomever will listen. What a surprize to see the two greet each other by name and wish each other warm!

The world is full of so many people, and though it is a large place, it helps to remember that we are also all neighbors. There are communities everywhere of every size and distance; some physically close to each other, others joined by common interest, even though there are miles between them. We are all here for a reason, whatever you believe that reason to be. I want to let each of you know that I am glad you are here and glad of your reason for being.

Merry Christmas!

Sevens

Aagh! I just found a really old to-do list and double checked it against Gnome G's blog and I am indeed WAY late on a Seven's List! As in like almost two months late! (Ummm... can I blame genetics?) (Love you, Mom!)

So here goes...

7 Things to Do Before I Die

1. Buy a house
2. Write a book
3. Own a letterpress
4. Start a foundation/company/nonprofit/whatever focused on the environment
   
5. Start a family and raise them to still love me through their teen years
   
6. Row on the Charles River
7. Live in Italy

7 Things I Cannot Do

1. Get my website to work
2. Understand why my little devil of a cat pees on the bathroom rug
3. Hunt an animal (but hunting for bargains, that's another story)
4. Finish all of the craft projects I start
5. Get up the nerve to sing solo to anyone but my hubby
6. BBQ a good steak (me and red meat don't mix)
7. Cold call - I'm not a phone-talker
   

7 Things that Attract Me to the Opposite Sex

1. Eyes
2. Good sense of humor
3. Seeing them play with children
4. Seeing how much they love their mother
5. Intelligent
6. Ability to be silly or serious per the situation at hand
7. A love of the outdoors

7 Things I Say Most Often

1. Aw, crap...
2. Turd
3. Guess what?
4. Grrrr...
5. Oy!
6. I need a brain break.
7. ilym

7 Celebrity Crushes

1. Mel Gibson
2. Josh Groban
3. Orlando Bloom
4. Mark Ruffalo
5. Zach Braff
6. um... that one guy
7. and that other guy
   

7 People to do This

1. Any
2. seven
3. who
4. want
5. and
   
6. have
7. time...

(just let me know when you do!) =-)

Anyone else feeling un-blog-ivated?

Is there interesting stuff happening in this corner of globe and elsewhere that could have even two sentances scratched out about it?
Sure.

What with the big holiday of the year (and my favorite, I might add) a week away, isn't there some sagely advice about gift giving or wrapping or what to do with a two-pound fruitcake that could be posted?
Probably, although the sagely scale is highly debateable, especially when it comes to the fruitcake. I'll leave that expertise up to Alton Brown.

And isn't buisness going quite well, thank-you-very-much?
Well, yeah, it has its shining moments, but still... I got nothin'. Could be because I went to bed at 2am with perfect plans to snuggle and sleep in this morning until at least 10am, but the cats decided that 10 wouldn't do. 6am, however, has a nice ring to it.

Coal has already been purchased.

Craft Sale: Success!

Yesterday was the first ever craft sale held by me and the girls and I have to say I think it was a success! We weren't sure what to expect, either in terms of how much would be available for selling or how many people would show up to buy, so it was pretty much spread by word of mouth and the 60 postcards we sent out to people we know. There were a lot of mothers, aunts, and friends, and I was impressed by the amount of stuff that was ready to be sold! There was quite a bit of jewelry, some great bags (including two of my hand-made diaper bags), skirts and tops, scarves, belts, photography and, of course, cards. Since all purchases were tallied by each individual seller, I am not sure what the final total amount sold was, but everyone was happy with their sales.

We now feel confident for next year to advertise in some local papers and also know how much stuff we should be working on bringing. I believe the next trunk sale will be in the spring/early summer, so if you are in the southern CA area and are interested in attending either as a buyer or seller, let me know! We will also sell items for you if you can't make it yourself!

Needless to say, the pressure I had been under for the past few weeks finally let up. I slept 12 hours last night.

Big Red Button

I sent off 3 jobs to the printer for custom work this morning and am working on some design ideas for a restaurant's gift cards. I've never done gift cards before, so this is something new. When you have a new project, I think that one of the hardest parts is just getting over the fear in the back of your mind that says "You've never done this before. What makes you think you know what you're doing?" I still have a hard time calling myself a designer. Moi? Artistic? I dunno about that. Crafty, maybe, but a designer? That would mean I'd have to know what I'm doing. Most of the time I'm really just playing around, experimenting with all the knobs and levers I can find. Its kinda like those old TV shows where the kids take a field trip to the Whatsit Factory and the guide reminds everyone not to touch anything. I'd be the kid punching the big red blinking button right below the sign that says "Never, EVER touch this button unless you want to unleash the largest ooey, gooey mess you've ever seen that will take seven years to clean up and your mother will ground you for life!"

Right now the button is blinking and I'm about two seconds from hitting it.