Twelve: January Edition

Ah, 2012. Already a bit into it and still not quite where I want to be yet.

I'm not doing project life. Or anything really big right now, actually. Okay, I'm maybe going to be working on finishing my OLW project from 2011, but right now I'm deep diving into cleaning, purging and organizing clothes, books, finances, craft supplies, and all my digital stuff. Still working on being mindful about the things I make and use and keep around and in my life.

Time to start on the list making. That always helps. :)

I always love reading about Shimelle's 10 things posts. And Katie's round up posts are also quite good. So I shall try to keep up by sharing twelve things I like right around the twelfth of each month.

That totally sounds achievable.

Number One: Kindle Touch

I bought myself a Kindle Touch (no ads, wifi only) for my birthday. It's kind of a bigger purchase, but I'm really happy about it for few reasons, some related to physical space, some related to convenience. I'm not going to completely give up on paper books (long live Powell's!), but this should help with managing my "trash" book collection. Craft books and books from my favorite series will probably still be purchased and retained in physical form. But the Seattle Library has an amazing collection of e-books available to borrow for free, so that helps.


Number Two: Organizing!

image courtesy of balzerdesigns.typepad.com

Totally getting myself organized right now. Love Julie's Organization Week series. So great to see so many FUNCTIONAL craft rooms. Mine is an absolute total disaster right now. I'm fighting not to turn into a hoarder, but also to keep things which are inspiring. It's tough.

This webcast by the scraprack is also pretty great.

Also, don't laugh, but this was the second book I bought to read on my Kindle. I'm not reading the chapters in order, but the checklists are actually pretty helpful. And they hold me accountable for action, which is always good.

I also found this post on craftypod to be quite thought provoking.

Number Three: Smoothies
For the next three months, Greg is participating in a health and wellness fitness challenge (with points; it's a little cutthroat) with a group of people at work, and I've joined him in his commitment to healthiness. This means really really sticking to a workout schedule, and plenty of homemade fruit and yogurt smoothies. Peach and raspberry is my favorite.


Number Four: Create to Remember with Heidi Swapp

image courtesy of heidiswapp.typepad.com

Heidi Swapp's show on my Craft Channel is actually pretty great. I've gotten quite a few ideas for minibooks and color combos already. I actually even made one of the books using a cereal box which I've yet to share here. Waiting for photos. ;)


Number Five: The Cricut Expression

image courtesy of provo craft (cricut.com)

Greg got me a Cricut Expression (and SCAL) for my birthday through some amazing crafty sleuthing on his part (he actually tried to get me a Silhouette Cameo but they were sold out for months, apparently). I'm pretty excited to start experimenting with it. My first project is to design an envelop in Illustrator. Also, I was really happy to discover that the sticky spray I use on my slice mat works perfectly well on the Cricut mat (mine did not come sticky at all).


Number Six: Lynda.com

I think I first learned about lynda.com from a podcast that Izzy Hyman was on... can't remember if it was Paperclipping Roundtable, Digi Show, or The Foolish Adventure. Either way, I am on my first month of membership and it's already improved my quality of life at work. Currently working through learning Illustrator tips (see item number five above) and also a bunch of things for Excel and Access. Highly recommend this site.


Number Seven: Staying Motivated and Fierce

image found via pinterest from Alana Taylor

Found this image on pinterest on a day when I really needed it. It has since been passed along to a few other friends who apparently also needed to punch the day in the face. It's the best new meme around here.


Number Eight: Pretty Fonts

Have recently gone on a font binge. The above image was an attempted design for the Etsy shop (final design still pending). My two favorite sites right now are Lost Type Co-op and Font Squirrel.


Number Nine: Amusing TV Shows
I tend to listen to a lot of hulu while I'm chugging through the data mines at work. Cannot get enough of Once Upon a Time and Grimm. Also Sherlock on the BBC (while I'm waiting for more Dr. Who and Warehouse 13). I also like Happy Endings and Castle. I'm starting to get more into Body of Proof and I just watched the pilot for The Finder (a Bones spinoff) today. I haven't seen the new Alcatraz show, but I'm intrigued.


Number Ten: Hawaii (Specifically the Big Island)
I swore a vow that I would go to Hawaii this year. I am making it happen.I may or may have already bought the products for the scrapbook of this trip about two years ago. Everything for this trip is still in the planning stages, as I'm trying to figure out how my air miles work. But I'm super excited. And a little terrified of flying over that much ocean. But more excited than anything.


Number Eleven: Pinterest
Still having a good time using Pinterest to catalog and browse for ideas. Need to be more active about "doing" things that I find on there though.


Number Twelve: EfferDares
Hell yes. You go girls. Love that you've kept the project going and stayed  true to why and what you want to make art about.

Phew, that was tough! One down, eleven to go!