Another Year

So how'd I do? Well, I did better with some than others.

BLOG

Well, as you can see from the grand total of five posts from last year, I did not do so great keeping up with the blog. I will do better. Hopefully.

MAKE A QUILT

Yes, I DID make a quilt. And it was an awesome geeky quilt, too. Although I was happy with the results, I think I learned from that experience that quilting is not really my favorite craft. I really admire people who can do it, because it takes so much patience, precision, and organization. Maybe I'll try another in the future. We'll see.

LEARN TO CROCHET

Sigh. I never got around to this. It is definitely on my to-do list for 2014. See below.

GET MY SCRAPBOOK UP TO DATE

Um, yeah. I might have to give up on that one altogether. But I still want to come up with some sort of system to organize my pictures in a creative way.

REOPEN AND MAINTAIN MY ETSY SHOP

My shop is open! And so far so good. 

BUILD A PORTFOLIO FOR PATTERN DESIGN AND LICENSING ILLUSTRATION

I spent a lot of time this year working on this. I developed some pattern collections and illustrations that I am pleased with. I got an artist website up and running (You can see the results here). I entered a few design competitions, and even won a small one. I feel good about the progress I've made so far in this area.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Even though I didn't get to all of the things on the above list, there are plenty of other things that I did do. I learned how to zentangle. I learned how to use a knitting machine. I started exploring typography and handlettering. I made a bunch of Christmas ornaments and gifts for friends and family. It was a good year, and now I am excited for 2014. I feel like I'm in a good place right now—full of creativity and energy and ideas. Here are some of my goals for the coming year:

The BIG things:

-Keep working on my design and illustration, and pursue professional work. 

-Maintain and expand my Etsy shop

-Develop my craft patterns/tutorials

-Blog, blog, blog

And just for FUN, it would be nice to do some of these things I've always wanted to do. I probably won't get to all of them in a year, but they are always in the back of my mind:

-Finally learn to crochet

-Build a dollhouse. I've done doll clothes, and I love miniatures. I think a dollhouse would be a fun long-term project.

-Design and create a small clothing collection. Maybe even make a pair of shoes. I don't even know where to start with that one—I just think it would be fun to figure out.

Whatever this year brings, as always, I will continue to LEARN and CREATE. Happy New Year, everyone!