To Do List... with a juicy tidbit.

To-Do-Along.


So honestly, I'm not a big fan of lots of those "link parties" people do on blogs. There is nothing really wrong with them, I've just never felt the need to participate.

BUT I do like a unique idea that involves getting to know other bloggers, not just promoting yourself. Carmen is starting up a little to-do list blog along, and I thought it would be fun to participate this week. I always have a long crafty to-do list that is very satisfying to chip away at. But lately, due to having some very big projects to tackle, and the fact that I haven't been feeling myself, well, you've probably noticed I haven't sewn many new things lately.


To Tackle This Week Month:

1. Finish crib skirt (so close) and changing pad cover for my friend's nursery, start curtains.
2. Make at least 2 pairs of PJ pants for Hendrix. (His are so small, it's sad.)
3. Write 3-4 blog posts for Fyrefly.
4. Sew 2 Louise bags for Fyrefly and 2 to swap with friends. 
5. Sew wristlet for a friend to match a bag she bought.
6. Design and make 8 (!) new monsters for a family who has commissioned me to make one for all their grandkids.
7. Add some things to the shop.
8. Finish reading Chocolat. (I know, I'm like 10 years behind.)
9. Go to the Dr. on Tuesday because I'm pregnant.
10. Buy more fabric.

Happy Labor Day everyone, and I hope we all get to make lots of check-marks on our lists this week :)

Life Lists and Small Doses of Creativity

Yesterday I had about 30 minutes to myself in the afternoon when I got all three of the kids I was watching to sleep at once. Instead of turning on HGTV, I found some tiny post-its* and starting making lots of little lists. It was a very good thing. I'm not usually much of a list-maker, nothing outside of the occasional daily to-do list. But these lists were much different.

A list of my list topics: 3 things that inspire me, short-term goals, next skills I want to learn, new sewing skills to tackle, ways to focus on other people more than myself, upcoming gifts I need to make and give,  foods to eat more of now that it's summer, small things making me happy right now, things to do to be a better wife, and things to teach Hendrix now that he's one.

I came home and stuck them in my blank-paged moleskine. EVERYONE should own one of these. I have one and use it for everything- writing, lists, doodling, prayers, whatever. Nick has about 6-7, all for different purposes. (You can even buy some gussied-up ones here.)

What got me started with the listing was my friend Liv's current blog adventure, Project 10 for Creativity.

Each day, she gives a small, ten-minute task to get your creative juices flowing. I think today is day 5, but it's definitely not too late to start. 

Let me tell you why I think what she is doing is so brilliant. EVERYONE is creative. It's how we are made. I always have people tell me they just aren't creative at all, and that's why they couldn't make the stuff I make. But it isn't true. Of course, not everyone is creative in the way that they should sew or paint pictures or take pictures or whatever. But everyone is creative in some way every day. Moms create loving homes and fun days for their kids, nurses create comforting care unique to what each patient needs, lawyers create arguments and cases based on truth and unique interpretations of the law... it goes on. Even if you do nothing but sit on your couch all day, I'm sure you've invented a unique sandwich from ingredients that happened to be in your fridge. 

Day three of the project was to list the three things that inspire you most creatively. If you do nothing else in the project, this one is worth thinking about. Here is mine:

This little boy.

The possibility of new fabric. (These came in the mail yesterday-yay!)

And the city.

Go check it all out here.

**(Tera if you are reading this, I owe you 9-10 post-it notes.)