Anticipating...

Not that 2013 was a bad year...it was far from it...but I like fresh starts.  New Years, new months, new weeks, new days.  There's always a fresh start, sometimes right around the corner.  I have no real resolutions this year...seriously...why bother?  I'm not very good at keeping up with something that I truly don't feel a part of.

I've signed up for a couple of on-line classes...one is just for January, the other runs the entire year.  Alena Hennessy's Year of Painting, and N*Studio's (January) Creative Jump Start.

My simple goals are to somewhat pare down the massive amount of art and craft supplies I've accumulated over the years.  If I can't do that, I'd at least like to have them organized.  That's the hard thing...I'm an "out of sight, out of mind" girl, so if I don't see it (or can't easily put my hands on it), I'm either frustrated, or I buy a replacement.  That's not a good thing any way you look at it.  I've been working on this massive project since just before Thanksgiving, and I probably won't finish it any time soon.  Taking my time to do it right.

I started 2014 off by attending a yoga class.  Yoga seems to work out some of those kinks I have, and the feeling of well-being in the hours following a practice is, as they say, priceless. 

The year seems pretty fresh and new to me, even though it is already (already!!) the 10th of the month.  We've had "way-too-cold" to go to work cancellations, an early dismissal due to a serious city water treatment issue, and now we're at the end of just week #2 of the new year and we haven't had a normal work-week yet. 


While at home on my "bonus day off",  I fell down the Pinterest rabbit-hole.  I came across a pin that truly inspired me...and took off with it like a dog with a tasty bone.  The pin was of a hacked Moleskine planner/art journal, and as I clicked links I came across a wonderful huge group of journalers subscribing to A Documented Life.  All it takes is a weekly planner (Moleskine or other), add-in papers (they call them tip-ins) and Washi tape.  You end up with a thick, chunky combination planner/art journal.  I used the small size of Moleskine (because it's what I had...and I like the fact that it easily fits in my purse) and spent some quality time with my paper cutter making tip-ins of watercolor paper.  Add the colorful and fun Washi tape and here's what you get:

 

Instead of stressing over a large art journal (the plan, for 2014), I now will just be following the weekly prompts and documenting my little life...and reveling in all of that Washi!