2015: the year of making

Its still January early in the year so I'm counting this as a new year outlook post. mmkay? (Apparently, I forgot to actually post this after I finished editing. Doh!)

I noticed a lot of resolutions to cut down on RTW acquisitions and to focus on making more "cake" and less "frosting". (total aside, but doesn't it just make you want to eat cake every time you see those references? no, just me then?)

I don't normally buy much RTW because (1) I don't enjoy shopping and now that I'm about 10lbs heavier than I care to admit (and 20lbs heavier than I should be), I like it even less; (2) even "throw away" fashion seems expensive to me; and (3) RTW doesn't seem to fit me particularly well (and, again, now that I'm heavier it is an even more depressing endeavor). Therefore, cutting back on purchasing RTW is not really any different than my everyday. If anything, I probably need to suck it up and just buy some basics because I have one pair of jeans that fit and I don't hate wearing and about a handful of long-sleeve shirts. Thankfully, my work clothes mostly fit so I'm good there for a while. Apparently, I was ahead of the curve with a capsule wardrobe because everything I own and wear fits in my half of the closet. I think my sister makes up for it since everything she owns covers 2 whole closets plus.

So, where does that leave me relative to the world of sewers and crafters? While I would love to have a completely me-made wardrobe the reality is that I don't have much time to sew. I have very limited time to myself and its split between reading, knitting, sewing, running, and making a small attempt to keep up with the madness that is my housework. There are also two little humans who take up most of my time when I'm home from work:

Therefore, my big "resolution" for 2015 is just to make stuff as much as possible. I'm trying to get over my perfectionist streak, exhibit A:

(Can we say WONKY? I was all set to rip out the seams when my husband pointed out that my daughter won't care. All she will care about is that it is a Hello Kitty blanket with a pink border and that if I rip it out it will take even longer before she can use it. I've got more material to do the same blanket for my baby girl only with a yellow border. I'll just have to apply what I learned this time around to hers and all future blankets.)

Also, I think the main thing for me is to just do something creative so I feel like myself. Small projects are my friend, exhibit B:

(frog template from Coloured Buttons)

The only other thing is to create things with and for my girls. I want them to feel free to be creative and find positive ways of expressing themselves. I also want them to have things surrounding them that were made with love for the times I may not be able to be there physically with them. (That Hello Kitty blanket will be for my daughter to take to school for nap time.)

We'll see how far that gets me. I'm hoping by just trying to get stuff done instead of setting impossible goals for my creativity I'll actually spend time creating things instead of paralyzed by the idea that I won't do a good job and "waste" the yarn/fabric.

Wish me luck!

PS I joined Instragram. I blame Stephanie. However, I think its a good platform for me--low commitment so I can just do quick posts and feel like I'm doing something. Plus, I like the interactive-ness of it. Although I have gotten some questionable followers (who knew Hello Kitty attracted so many "interesting" people?), I think I may actually keep up with this social platform.