January blog carnival post

While I am at it, let's do some blog carnival posting, ja? ja!
This month the topic is...
1) What are your new year's goals for your blog and/or shop

How timely, eh? I have so many goals I don't even know where to start. I think this post is going to be in grocery-list form, just because there are a lot I want to remember to post. So without further ado, here are my etsy/blog related goals!
1. Be better organized about my listings - put info label on bottom of ceramics, for example.
2. Put more information for ceramics, including how much liquid they hold (get ounces or is cups enough?)
3. Work on a new series of cups - the "possible lives" cups and the "things to do before I die" cups
4. Make soap with Amber
5. Make ceramic soap dishes
6. Make felted coin purses with needle felting tools
7. Have booth at farmers market
8. Organize my computer photos - take from laptop and work computer and put on home computer, organized by etsy>big category>item
9. Put blog carnival dates on my calendar so I do BOTH carnivals a month instead of just one
10. Do more themed photo shoots - e.g. ceramics with candy hearts inside, for vday, etc.
11. Work on a portfolio - using Julie's project as a start, and other photos of pieces I am proud of
12. Acquire potters wheel (from Wilhelms?)
13. Acquire kiln...or place to fire...
14. Use portfolio to sell pieces in stores such as Art4theSoul and Fern's Garden
15. Write more about the processes of doing things here on my blog, including in-process photos!
16. Put in bookshelves in my art supply room so that I can organize my materials better.


I don't think any of these goals are new, exactly - but it sure is nice to have them all in one place to look at. I am making some progress on some of them, but definitely need to step it up a notch. Amber and I need to order lye for soap (we can't buy it in California...) and organizing photos is something I just need to remember to do a little of every day.

Some of my etsy fervor might have to be placed on hold for a little while in the upcoming months. My boyfriend is about to start Police Academy, and the last two days I had a little glimpse of exactly what that's going to take for me to be supportive. Nothing horrible - I just forsee making all of his lunches, picking up his drycleaning, and doing all of the household chores that he did, in addition to my usual housecleaning, a Life Drawing class, karate, work, etc. I am also planning on getting a puppy sometime - I think the next month or so is going to be a period of great adjustment, and I am going to just have to see how it all works out.

I am actually looking forward to being strong, staunch, supportive, etc. When he decided to go for this job that required police academy, we talked a lot about what it would entail from both of us, and I definitely agreed to go along with him and do everything I needed to do to help him succeed. This mostly involves staying out of his way and not asking ANYTHING of him. That's going to take a little getting used to - but in a strange way, I am looking forward to reclaiming some self sufficiency. He will be getting nothing but discipline at boot camp, and I am eagerly anticipating some increased discipline in my own life as well. I need to be dependable. I can't say that I will pick up his dress uniform from the dry cleaners and then forget, for example. Who knows how many pushups that would make his whole team end up doing.

I have it in me. I know I do. I'm nervous and excited though, both for him and for me. I have a few really big projects coming up that will consume a lot of my energy, but I know I am going to miss him. I just have to put that off for 6 months. Some of my other goals involve making sure our home is still a warm, welcoming home to come to after 10 hours of getting his butt kicked by the academy. I also have my academic goals and my professional goals that will definitly not get lost either.

Today I figured out a new organizational tool I am going to use, and I have included etsy goals, housekeeping/cleaning/errands, work related things, and other stuff. I am inspired all over again. We can do it! Hoooooray!