When I made my first list of goals at the end of last year I got to twelve and still had one more I wanted to add to the list. I like round and even numbers so this was annoying. If given the option I won’t pick 9 I will just take one more to make it 10 and probably 2 more after that to make it an even dozen. Luckily, 13 is a favorite number (5 is my other favorite since I know you are wondering that) so keeping it at 13 just worked. When I decided to make my project list for around the house I just left it at 13 because two lists of different numbers would have driven me even more crazy.
My first list leans toward self improvement and this second list is much more home improvement. I need the list because my attention tends to drift and I become idle and then accomplish very little. I want to look back on 2013 and be impressed with just how much I accomplished. Some of these are here to help me learn new skills, some are easier things I have always wanted to do and some are just needed projects in our house.
While proofreading the final post it finally dawned on me that both my lists for 2013 are 13 items. I am a little slow to catch on sometimes but there it is 13 items for 2013.
1. First up is to make a baby shower gift for a family member. Since I have started on the felt ornaments I have searched out some cut ideas for felt projects for babies. The baby shower is coming up in a few weeks so I am going to need to get started on this one quickly. More information when it is done because I don’t want to spoil the surprise.
3. Sew some pillow covers using dishtowels. I have wanted to do this for years but had trouble finding dishtowels and then didn’t have a sewing machine. Now the worlds have come together and I have both. They will be perfect on the wooden chairs next to the fireplace.
4. We have been in this house for four months and we still don’t have much on the walls. Tom has his room done with his jerseys and I have some art on the kitchen wall but that is it. The bedroom is such a mismatch of things. A lamp my mom got me years ago, a great mid-century modern side table of Tom’s and my metal typewriter desk. Some thing really needs to happen to make it all come together.
5. Create a “laundry room” in the garage. One of the big perks of moving to this house was buying our own washer and dryer. We could use some storage for the laundry supplies. We came from the city with limited space so thinking about storage solutions on this grand of a scale is completely foreign to us.
6. When I bought the Christmas ornaments I also got us an advent calendar. So before December 1st this bad boy needs to be completed. 228 pieces and I am on piece 15.
12. When we met we realized we both want to attend a game at all of the ball parks. We would love to do them all in a year but that is going to have to wait until we retire and buy and RV to drive around the country. Until then we try to get to a couple new parks every season. At each park we buy a pin and take pictures of a park to put in a frame. I would like to get these on the wall before the completion of the next baseball season.
13. I have a weakness for aprons. I love them and I do use them when baking but I have no place to put them so I need a coat rack to help here and also need a bookcase for my other weaknesses: cookbooks and Le Creuset. I really want my Le Creuset to be part of the kitchen decorations and I can’t seem to stop buying new cookbooks.
There is a little glimpse into what will be coming on the blog this year. Any project you are looking forward to seeing more than others? Got some suggestions? My inspiration is over at my Pinterest page if you want to see where some of this might lead.
Sounds like a totally do-able list! I can’t wait to see how the chairs turn out. I really would like to try a big upholstery project like that, but if I buy an old chair my husband will kill me, lol. ..because it will sit in the garage for a year before I do anything. Good luck!
What a great list of goals. I can’t wait to see what you do with the felt. I love felt projects.
I am awe of your advent calendar project.
Love the lines of the yellow chairs.
Thanks ladies. I am little scared of the chair project! It sounds very daunting. I really should get started now while it is still kind of cold outside and I don’t want to be on the back porch!
The felt will be done soon and should be posted in February. I am very excited about that project.
Are you allowed to paint the bedroom walls? That would help to start to pull the room together. If not, you could hang a “curtain” on the wall to give yourself some height and drama, or try one of the bazillion headboard hacks and fakes you can find on Pinterest [some of them are really awesome!]. When we first moved into our apartment, I made a Gee’s Bend-inspired paper quilt on the wall.
You’re a braver soul than I for attempting upholstery! We’ve looked into it as well but, despite the high cost, I think we’ll go that route for a couple of pieces. Eventually.
Maya, I am truly scared of the upholstery project! I have no idea how that one is going to go. I remember your Gee’s Bend paper quilt. I loved it and have thought of making an actually quilt inspired by that exhibit we saw at the DeYoung.
We can’t paint the walls so it is going to need to be something else. I have a few ideas but I just need to settle on something. The big decision is do I wait until I find the right thing and go for it or try some inexpensive things since I may change my mind.