Ok, last year I made a resolution be more goal-oriented. Did I meet it? I’m not sure really. The momentum I had in the beginning waned halfway through the year, however, I did have little spurts of momentum after that. And in fact, I worked on staying motivated and organized throughout the year even up until now so I guess that counts for something right?

Well, I think getting organized and being more goal-oriented last year has helped me think of things I want to work on this year. And now that I know what a smart goal is, this year I’ve come up with goal statements that are, as smart goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.

So here’s the first one:

#1: I will make at least 3 cards per month using scraps, tools, and/or supplies I’ve had in my stash for a while.

This is a no brainer! Use what I have and buy only what I need. If anything, now’s the time to be frugal (at least in my case) and since there’s probably no chance I’ll give up my hobby all together, I’m going to have to manage my stash better.

#2: I will mail a card to a friend at least once a month.

This one kinda ties into my “use what I have” resolution. There’s no use in buying all of this stuff if none of it ever gets used for it’s intended purpose. And when I say intended purpose, I don’t just mean the creation part, I mean the giving part as well. We make handmade things like cards and scrapbook pages because we want others to enjoy them so why not do our best to follow through with that? It only makes sense. There’s no use in buying the stuff, making the card, blogging about it, and then letting the card sit in a shoe box and collect dust!

#3: I will evaluate my crafting stash at least once a quarter and give away or sell items I haven’t used, won’t use, or don’t like.

Over the past couple years I’ve purchased a lot of stuff (obviously) and I’m discovering that I do need to size down especially since my craft space is literally taking over my bedroom. So I decided I would try to take regular inventory of my stash and quarterly just seemed more appropriate (monthly would have just been overkill).

Ok, so when I hit the publish button, that means I’m accepting responsibility for them from this day on! Do you have any resolutions this year? Post a blog response or a comment below!

This afternoon I left work a little early to pick up a couple packages that were waiting for me at my apartment office. One of those packages was this beauty: a Janome 3128. I bought it on Black Friday (shopping online of course). I was so excited to get it that I brought it home and opened it immediately, carefully extracting it from its styrofoam casing. Once the dust settled, I was left there staring at it, unsure of what to do next. I have no real plan. I know nothing about sewing (except what little I can remember when my mom showed me some basic stitching as a kid). Where do I start? Suggestions anyone?