So what are you all wanting / planning to learn this year? Hobbies, studies, anything at all.
I received a light box for Christmas from hubby. Yay!!! In case anyone doesn't know what that is, it's a plastic box with a strip of mini LED lights at the top (it works off a USB charger). You put things into the box and photograph them (it's like a mini photographer's studio). Mine folds down flat, for travel or storage and it has 4 different color backgrounds (white, black, red, green) to make it easier to isolate the subject from the background (using whatever software you prefer).
I'm already really good at removing backgrounds with Photoshop, if the photo is decent. Now I just need to get better at photography. We have a professional camera (Canon EOS D60) and tripod (hubby previously had a graphic design studio so we have lots of nice tools & software). He also bought me some new batteries for the camera because they were old and wouldn't keep a charge for very long.
So I'm all ready to PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE taking lots of photos and starting my own collection of flowers, bows, little crafty things I have made, etc.
What are you all going to focus on this year? (LOL! sorry about the "focus" pun)
Humm... This year I want to learn how to customize my own clothes, even whtout a sewing machine, and I want to try some kind of new style of dressing up, though I don´t know exactly how it will work.
I'm working on improving my drawing and hand-lettering skills this year, and hopefully on getting to know a new area after a planned relocation. Once I move, I should also be able to eat healthier (since I'll be cooking for myself again and not dealing with roommate stress), so that should translate into some weight loss as well. For now, I'm trying to work up to a 30-minute yoga session each day to rebuild strength and destress as much as possible.
@Lorien - I love to sew, although I haven't done much of anything for quite some time. Several years ago I took a course to learn pattern design, so I could make my own custom clothing patterns. That was interesting and fun, and I got pretty good at it, but now it costs so much to buy fabric, so I don't really sew clothes anymore. Just things for the house.
@Holly - Yoga is great for de-stressing and also for getting your strength back. I should do it more often. There are lots of good videos on YouTube, for every different level of ability. When I was really sick last year (for several months) I did "couch yoga" because I could not get down on the floor. It helped me a lot.
I started a daily digital doodle to practice my art skills.
Marcy - I've been sewing since I was 13 (8 if you count the skirt I made in Brownies) & I took every HomeEc class offered except two - tailoring & making your own patterns. I've never regretted tailoring (as in making suits) but I've always regretted not taking pattern design. May I ask where you took the course?
As for what I want to learn/do this year -
- My main goal is that I want to get fit again after a year & a half of left leg injuries* which left me repeatedly not moving much, if at all. I'm going to need a knee replacement so I really want to build muscle again & lose some weight to take pressure off my knees
*June 2016-badly sprained ankle-tore lots of things which still haven't fully healed, December 2016-broken in half pinkie toe, & this year's fun, October 6th-tibial plateau fracture (flat top of shin bone right under the kneecap) + MCL tear, which I'm still in a hinged brace for
- I want to scrap lots more (catch up on two years of December Daily & last year's weekly album plus stay on top of this year's weekly), sew (mostly clothes for me), garden more, & learn to use the manual controls on my camera (heck, start using a camera again instead of my phone/pad)
- I want to deep clean & weed/organize the whole house. Being on crutches for 5 weeks made me hyper-aware of how much stuff we have in a very small house & how hard it is to maneuver (it's not that we really have all that much stuff but I want even less than we have!!).
Good luck & best wishes to everyone. I hope we all achieve our goals this year!
@Sarah: I hear you on the weeding/organizing... I need to do the same, but I'll have to wait until it's all out of storage so I can sort it properly. Getting around the house in a wheelchair is frustrating when roommates don't put stuff away and it's in the middle of the walkways.
Improving my digital scrapbooking. Still a beginner!
@Rose - I need to do that, too!
@ Marcy, we have a Facebook group for the daily doodle if you want to join. It's me and about six people right now.
@Sarah - I took a course here in Italy, so I don't know if the name would help you any. I think it was called "Le Chic" (or something like that). I really enjoyed it and I learned so much. They use plastic templates that have marks and numbers on them. The numbers correspond to a size. You take your measurements (or the measurements of the person you're creating the pattern for) and then you draw the pattern according to their method.
There was a book included, and it shows a "base" design for different types of garments, and then there were also lessons for different types of sleeves, collars, etc. so you could mix and match to get whatever you wanted. The lady who taught me was REALLY good, not only at design and sewing but also at teaching. At first it was a lot of drawing patterns for practice, cutting them out of paper and then she would fit them to me to see if I had done it right.
As the course advanced a lot of people dropped out, so I ended up getting almost 100% of her time each lesson, so she let me bring fabric to cut out actual garments. I basted them together during the week and brought them to the class so she could see if I'd done everything right (and to give advice re: design and construction). Then I'd take them home and do the final sewing.
I wanted to take the next level (advanced) which would have allowed me to take a certification test and potentially become a professional pattern designer (or teacher), but a few months after I finished the initial course, my instructor passed away. No one else in my area teaches this method, and I'd have to drive over an hour 1 way to get to the nearest instructor. At the moment it's not an option, since we currently only have 1 car.
With regard to organizing and de-clutter, that's an ongoing battle in our house. I'm trying to get to a happy medium between pack-rat and Scandinavian minimalist (you know, the big empty rooms with only 3 things in them... LOL! I don't think we are in any danger of going to THAT extreme... ever!)
I'm so sorry you're having all that pain and trouble with your leg and foot. Are you able to do physical therapy yet? That should help you regain muscle tone. Can you do pool therapy? I was able to do a lot of what I call "water gym" this past summer. My own version of stretching and other movements, in the water. It allowed me to do a lot of exercises that I'd never be able to do on dry land. By the end of the summer I was feeling much stronger (although I didn't lose any weight, and the cardiologist was NOT happy when I saw him in September).
@Rose - oh, I just might do that! What is the group name?
@Lori - well, Pixelscrapper is a great place to start. The forums are pretty active, and most people are happy to help out when you hit a snag.
I am wanting/planning to learn or at least adapt to being a mom
Any day now our little one is going to make his entrance and we're both total beginners but full of excitement and eager to learn 
@Rose - A Daily Doodle seems an awesome idea. I tried inktober last year and was a total fail. The fact that in the beginning of October I had a huge depression crisis didn´t help. But I´d like to draw more...
@Marcy: I don´t know if I´ll actualy sew... and well, lack of money is actually a huge issue here right now. I´m more thinking of re-thinking my wardrobe with the pieces I have, and modifying some or maybe many of them.... Or try a new style with the same clothes, somehow? I have no idea on how it will work, lol. Maybe crafting some accessories...
Thanks Lorien! I've never tried Inktober before. I think last year was hard for me as well. I lost my grandfather in February and the whole year was just difficult after that.
Good luck, Kayl!
@Rose and Lorien: 2017 was just not a good year--3 addresses, 2 sets of roommates, and roommate drama galore. I'm hoping to be able to move again this spring, out of state and nearer my boyfriend at least, and almost on the route between my parents' and my sister's, which would let them take the trip in two days without having to pay for hotels when they do travel. Rent is somewhat cheaper there, too, so I might actually be able to afford to have my own place for the first time in several years, and not have to rely on having a roommate to keep expenses manageable. :p
Good luck, Holly! Here's hoping that 2018 is better for everyone!
@ Marcy--sorry I missed this earlier! This thread is hopping!
The group is called Create 365
and the link is here:
Oh my Holly, more roomie issues?
I thought you should be fine after that moving. Sorry to hear that.
2017. What a weird, and sometimes desperating, year
@Sarah - I found a video that shows the method for making sewing patterns (Le Grand Chic). It's in Italian, but you can see them demonstrating how it's done.
@Kayl - Oh, that's so exciting! Well, my best advice is just to relax and enjoy every minute, because they are little for such a short time!
@Lorien - Crafting some accessories to go with your existing clothes sounds like a great idea. I would love to see what you come up with.
@Holly - I hope you'll be able to get your own place. It's no fun living with roommates who don't act responsibly.
@Rose - I will join today!
@Marcy--Yay!
My goal for this year is to lose as much weight as possible, & to ease the stress on my knees as I have osteo-arthritis; & being a higher-secondary school teacher where I have to walk & stand, is not all that easy.
Exercising the regular way is not an option as the doctor says with my knees its not advisable. He's advised hydro-therapy...which I'm yet to start...
Well, I've started on a strict diet...& hoping to take it from there!
Good luck to all of us this year with attaining our goals!
@Chitra - I wish you all the best with your goal. Exercise in the swimming pool really helped me, this past summer. I hope the warm weather comes again soon, so I can do more exercising. I'm trying to modify my eating habits, too. That's a very big battle for me, since I love sweets.
I missed this post when it first came around. But I have similar goals to most of you.
Healthy Up my Lifestyle - we started a 12 week boot camp of sorts at the gym this past week. Wow! am I out of shape! Tried a yoga class last Monday for stretching and destressing, too and wow it was waaaay tougher than I ever imagined it would be!
Eating better, trying to cut out the junk!
Cutting out the junk! - That part actually is going to be a goal for many areas of my life this year! Home, Clothes, Relationships, Food, Mentally, Crafting... I want to find more Focus... and start doing more of the things that really matter most and quit getting side-tracked with all the extras that add no really healthy benefits to my daily life. This is tough because you don't realize how much junk there is every where... not just the physical closets.
I want to focus more of my creativity to rekindle a couple things I love most instead of being so divided this year among the plethora of things I like a lot and not really accomplishing anything 100% complete, if that makes sense.
I hope to make 2018 memorable and a joy to look back on.
Here's to all our Goals becoming reality!
We should have a check-in of sort once a month on this thread to encourage and/or hold each other accountable? If y'all would like to?
@Shawna - that would be great to check-in and stay accountable!
I totally hear you on the "focus" thing. In December I started using a new "system" to get myself organized with design stuff. It's really simple and kind of boring to look at, but it helped me so much! In fact, after using it for all of January, I was quite pleased with all that I was able to accomplish. I am still using it, trying to improve all of my numbers (new creations, uploads, sales, subscribers, etc.)
Here is what it looks like:
It's just a month-at-a-glance style calendar where I write in my deadlines and important dates. I use it for design only, and it is separate from my regular planner (so it doesn't get mixed up with Dr. appointments, meal planning, etc.) This way when I sit down to design, I know exactly what needs to be done next. I pencil in the various tasks that need to be done before a kit or freebie will be released, and I check them off when they are done.
Like I said it's really simple and kind of boring to look at, but I have been able to force myself to focus on specific things, rather than making lots of "to do" lists that float around my desk and end up getting jumbled together with household chores, etc. So I advise everyone to figure out a "system" that works for you, make it as simple as possible, and keep it where you will see it all the time so you can force yourself to just DO IT.
I know I'm late to the gate here but here goes. I'm new to digital scrapbooking so my focus for the year is to master some of the basics while also learning and using new "techniques" ..... not sure what the right term is. Unfortunately I don't use photoshop but rather Artisan. So far I haven't seen any tutorials on the site for Artisan .......... please if I'm missing them, let me know. Thanks ........ Nancy
Hi Nancy! I use Photoshop, but there seem to be a lot of free tutorials for Artisan on YouTube. Have you tried any of them?
That's Great Marcy! Simple but effective... Ironically, just yesterday my training coach said we should do something similar for our workouts. She said it builds your self confidence to see what you accomplished and set a higher goal the next time. So, I'm just starting to use it this next Monday. I'll share pics during our March check-in.
I'll do my best to bump this thread each month, but if y'all notice I forgot... (I do tend to get side tracked by shiny things, LoL) please share your success, failures, new goals, etc with us... and get us started for the month.
Hi Marcy - I have viewed numerous You Tube tutorials and have had some input from local scrappers. I also belong to another site that shares video's. I'm hopefully off to a crop tomorrow and hopefully can get more assistance. My main issue right now is how to share my pages. Stay tuned ...... will see what this weekend does. I will also take a trip over to You Tub. Thanks so much!!
@Shawna - exactly! When I started with this calendar I just wanted to get a little more organized and be always on time with the monthly blog train and my weekly Friday freebies. But it has made me realize that I can accomplish so much more, so it's helping me to set higher goals, as your coach said. As long as my health cooperates, I plan to keep adding more things, until I feel like I'm at my optimal productivity (without getting crazy).
@Nancy - looking forward to seeing your pages, when you figure out how to share them. The gallery here at Pixelscrapper is a nice place to show them.
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