2010, I'm not Ready for you Yet!

As a child I recorded New Year's resolutions in a brand new diary. I often received a diary for Christmas - sometimes there was a whole page for each day, sometimes just a few lines. My resolutions usually involved vowing to write in my diary every day. I'm not sure why I was so persistent in resolving to do this year after year. It could be my 'need to please' kind of personality, doing what I thought I should do as a child - write in a diary, use the gifts I was given etc. Although I think there was also a healthy (& hilarious) dose of "If I'm famous in the future, someone will want to read this." (Oh the dreams!)

Aside from recording these resolutions in my diary (which I usually only wrote in for about a week straight - I have several diaries stored at my Dad's with scribbles up until January 7th or something - the rest of the pages are blank!) I rarely reviewed them or followed through on them. Most likely because they weren't SMART (something I've learned to consider more recently when setting goals - not that I've mastered this technique either) - if I recall correctly, typical pre-teen goals recorded in my diary usually went something like this:

- be nice (not exactly specific or measurable even - seeing a pattern with that 'need to please' child?)
- keep room clean (not exactly attainable - especially considering I shared with my younger sister)
- find a boyfriend (not exactly realistic considering I didn't really have control over that matter - though you think it would have been an easier goal to achieve since I grew up in a class full of 28 boys and 3 girls for the 9 years I spent in elementary school ; )

Anyway, you get the idea - maybe your pre-teen years were a bit like this too?

Aside from attempting fresh starts at each New Year, I liked to try for this each September as well - starting off the new school year right, you know.

Well this January 1, 2010 will be started off on a chaotic and messy foot. My new year has probably begun this way before (and most certainly will again) and it probably isn't that significant, however, this year it seems a little more overwhelming than most.

Here's what I'm talking about . . . my shared office/craft space . . . (the space where I want to begin working on finishing off those last two chapters of my MA thesis in earnest on January 4th):

{for notes on this chaos see my set on flickr}

{My handmade Christmas intentions got out of control! And I'm still not done - there are some
gifts yet to made/mailed somewhere in here.}

Since we have plans to head out tonight to enjoy our first Atomic Vaudeville show and I have a giant cramp in my neck (could it be from blowing my nose too enthusiastically with this cold?!?) I really didn't get to tackling this room today so that it would be fresh and neat, and clean, and organized and inspiring to get me off on the 'right foot' for 2010.

:o {

Well it is what it is. And you know what, I wouldn't change it for anything.

So here's to all of 2009's ideas, inspirations and intentions! May they carry me forward to an even better 2010!

And I guess that's this year's resolution - just keep doing what I'm doing - even if that goal isn't Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant or Timely. It seems to be working. At 32 I've never felt more me, nor more connected to who I want to continue to grow to be, and that ain't so bad.

Here's to 2010 - Happy New Year to you!

{What are your resolutions for 2010?}

The Ghosts of Thrifting Pasts

I posted this on our personal family blog back in April and thought I would share it here too so that some explanations could accompany some of the photos I 'm uploading to my Thrifting set on Flickr.

Here goes . . .

My weekend started out on Friday evening with my 5th Bi-Annual Clothing Swap. Twice a year (usually spring & fall) I invite a group of women to bring clothing they want to get out of their closets. We enjoy tasty food and drink (I made tasty sangria with some of the remaining bottles of our wine shop brewed Wild Berry Zinfandel) and enjoy riffling through each others cast offs to find some great new pieces for our own wardrobes. I scored well and have a new dress, 5+ sweaters, a pair of jeans and a skirt to show for my swapping efforts. It is always a fun time and I love finding clothes (for free) that I may never even give a second glace to at the store a great way to spice up the wardrobe on a student budget!

. . .

Saturday was a garage sale bonanza for my friend Bryony and her 3 year old and I. We hit the annual Rotary garage sale held at Central Middle School - Kelly's school next year. Great finds for ok prices - always got to dig a bit deeper for charity garage sales ; ) I found some cute things which I have already cleaned and put away - sorry no photos - including a lamp, some vintage linens and a steal of a deal on a vintage Pyrex divided Snowflake casserole dish (like this one here - top shelf, left hand side behind the 'S' in the snow garland) for just $1!!!

We also headed up the peninsula towards the annual Dean Park neighbourhood sale (located in a rather posh area just south of the airport) and stopped in at a church rummage sale I had seen signs for the day before as I biked out to see Stephen Lewis speak at Royal Oak Middle School. Our stop at Garden City United Church was successful and I came away with two armloads including some sock yarn and a Fisher Price Happy Apple (thanks for the keen eye Bryony!) - the prize being this quilt for $5!

It is a bit of the crazy quilt style in that the pieces vary in shape. It is backed with yellow cotton and the pieced front seems to be a synthetic rayon - shiny, smooth stuff. There are some rips and tears and worn pieces (like the pink & white polka dot piece) but I think this will be a lovely picnic blanket.

Stopping at this rummage sale was fortuitous as we saw signs for a few other sales. We missed turning at one sign and took the next right instead - this led me to see an amazing find on the side of the road and I asked Bryony to stop.

I ran over to a scruffy looking table and lifted the nailed down cardboard-like top to discover it was hardwood!

I ran back to the car and we immediately tried to squeeze it into the back. It wouldn't fit with three of us in the car so Bruce and I came back later to pick it up. When we did, we learned the story of the table from the woman who was moving and giving it away. Her mother-in-law had been a rather small German woman who made sausage. The sausage maker/grinder was clamped to this table (lots of marks on the table to tell that story) and since she was short, the legs were cut down so that the grinder would be at the perfect height for her. The table is just over two feet tall and hits me about mid thigh. I was hoping it would be a good coffee table but it is too tall.

Instead, after a serious baking soda scrubbing to remove years of sausage grime and to get some sticky bits from the topper off, some elbow grease to pull out about 25 nails and that plastic red

trim, and an oiling to freshen it up, it is now sitting under our living room window asking for an appropriately sized chair so I can use it as a bright and inspiring work table.

HEY, it just dawned on me . . . with the light from the window and the large surface of this table, this may be the perfect sewing table! No more sewing at the dining room table and having to move it and/or eat around the sewing - how great is that?

So, that was my thrifty weekend. Garage sale season is officially here in Victoria with the arrival of warm, sunny spring weather so stay tuned for more!

Wednesday is Thrift Shop Day

Today was a nice quiet visit to the thrift shop at St. Aidan's. I wasn't there too long and I had some specific things on my list (Christmas shopping to fill baskets with kid craft materials). I found a few things on my list and a few others as well (of course!).

I especially love the oak leaf soap dish - lovely find!

Check out flickr for notes and close up photos of the other items including my mysterious Pyrex find - if you have any hints, please leave a comment! I'm curious!

In other thrifty news we are the proud new owners of a big, white, comfy chair! I have been coveting a 'chair and a 1/2' for some time now - good friends of mine have a lovely chair and ottoman set that just seems perfect to curl up in with the kids, or your knitting, or a good book . . . (you get the idea)

BEFORE

This 'beauty' has been sitting in our living room with sheets on it for the past few days since it was in a pretty sorry state when we picked it up from the UsedVictoria seller who happily took 1/2 the asking price since it was in far worse shape than the original photo let on. The photo above was taken at the gas station - we drove it there to vacuum some of the cat hair off. It took $5 in loonies!

Today, Wes from The Soap Exchange came with his eco-friendly citrus cleaner and steam cleaned this chair, our couch and two thrifted tub chairs we've had for forever. I washed the cushion cover for the big white chair earlier in the day and now everything is drying. It looks SO much better and needs one more vacuum with a brush attachment (the car wash vacuum didn't have one of those!) to get the last of the cat hair and it will be pretty good. There are some serious cat slash marks (right down to the foam/wood) on the lower right leg of the chair so we'll see what we do about that. Maybe a patch a'la Soulemama's cozy patchwork chair on page 178 in Handmade Home or maybe a whiter version of these. Some day I may tackle making a slip cover but I said that about the thrifted tub chairs - somehow I think this chair is different . . . I do love it! Can't wait to reveal the 'After' shot!

Well I best go - the sun is setting and I've got too many windows open, too many piles around the apartment and oh yeah, a thesis to write!

Thrifting!

A glorious day for hitting the St. Aidan's United Church Thrift Shop! So many lovely treasures & a few holiday gift items were found as well!

Favourites include:

This lovely vintage plastic tray
- I have a weakness of these you know - $1!

This very sweet book $1

This very lovely cotton wrap sweater - $2





All this blue!
I love these flowered envelopes which remind me of all the lovely vintage 70s stationary I scooped form my mom's stationary box when I was a bit younger - $0.50




You can see the whole set on flickr.

Now I'm looking forward to Friday's thrifting bonanza at Oak Bay United Church & James Bay United Church (a whole house full of stuff!!!).