Turning 25: Looking Back and Moving Forward

TODAY I turned 25. I went from being 24 to 25 at 5:30 a.m. (I think) My mom always tells me the story of the day I was born (not the gore guys--ew). She said she told my dad at around midnight that it was time to go to the hospital, and he said they had plenty of time and went back to bed! Four hours later they welcomed me into the world. Weird.

Unlike a lot of people I know (or at least read about on the internet) I am pretty excited for the occasion. Twenty-five isn't a quarter-life crisis for me. Instead it's cheers to another year of life, which has been pretty great lately--even if I've been MIA on here.

I wanted to look back because a year ago I made a 25 before 25 list. Let's recap and see what I did/didn't do.

1. Travel to the Pacific Coast
Check! Josh and I traveled to Newport Beach, CA in June. It was fantastic to dip my toes in the Pacific ocean and experience the West Coast!

2. See Ben Folds live
I didn't get to do that when I was 24, but I do get to see him live at 25. He's coming to play with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in June, and Josh and I are going as our anniversary present to each other. So. Excited.

3. Find my style
I think I will always be trying to find this. I'm not there yet, but I am definitely on my way.

4. Make a dress I love
Floral Laurel = check! And many more to come.

5. Adopt a dog/puppy
Still working on this. I would loooooove to adopt a dog that doesn't shed (Josh is allergic).

6. Celebrate Hubby's 25th in a big way
I surprised him with friends and family at a Pirates game. Check and win!

7. Reorganize everything
Well, we did just move, so I am in the process of organizing everything. I think that counts.

8. Write more
Another goal to work on in 2014!

9. Create my own tutorial(s)
Still working on this, too. Hopefully 2014 will bring some good ideas!

10. Visit Laura in NYC
Still need to head to the Big Apple.

11. Go to Mood in NYC
See #10.

12. Start and keep an inspiration journal
I've been keeping a notebook for ideas in my purse, and it's been really great to have!

13. Explore Pittsburgh
I can get to Squirrel Hill without using a GPS. Definitely working on this!

14. Blog every day
HA. Jokes. Too much.

15. Volunteer
I've been doing things here and there in our community, and I plan to continue that in 2014.

16. Learn my camera/Take more pictures
This will definitely be something high on my priority list in 2014. I did okay with this, but haven't been taking as many pictures as I've wanted!

17. Design a line of cards
I've made a lot of cards, but no design line yet.

18. Start a monthly boardgame night
We do play a lot of board games (see future pics of our living room builtin), but no monthly night yet.

19. Go on more dates
We went on a ton of dates in 2013. Excited for 2014!

20. Create monthly meal plans/budgets
Failed miserably at this. It's definitely something I hope to get better at--it's so difficult for me.

21. Read at least 10 new books
Failed at this too. Definitely want to read at least one book a month starting this month.

22. Send birthday cards this year
I did okay at this. I didn't get a card out to every single one of my friends, but I did do my best.

23. Make (sew) something completely different/out of my comfort zone!
I started an Archer button up (totally out of my norm), but its a WIP. Pants are definitely on my sewing goals list this year!

24. Run a 5k
Check! I ran my first 5k (non stop--no walking) in August and hope to run another this year.

25. Lose 25 lbs.
This didn't happen either, but my health is definitely a focus for me this year.

It's great to be able to look back and know that I did a lot in 2013. Now I'm looking forward to a new year with lots of exciting things in store. I mentioned that I've been reorganizing after a move, and that's because we bought a house! That means in addition to my usual sewing/life posts you'll be seeing a lot more DIY home action around here. Sewing/hobby room transformation anyone?

The process for moving in and organizing is definitely take a lot longer than I expected, but it is so wonderful to be able to come home to something that is [our] own. I can't wait to share more!

Happy 2014: Sewing Goals for the New Year

Happy 2014! I can't believe it is the new year already, and I've been blogging for over a year now. That's not to say that I have been blogging as much as I want to/should, but I'm excited for a new year full of new goals to start with. There have been a lot of super exciting things happening in my life lately, and there are definitely some exciting things to come within the next couple weeks. My husband and I have been so busy with MBA classes (we hope to be finished in JUNE!) that I haven't been able to sew as much as I want/need. Even still, I'd like to share a few of my sewing/blog goals for 2014!

1. Review my wardrobe, purge, take inventory and sew the staple pieces I need. I am hoping to start on this one as soon as possible. I'm like a lot of people who have a lot of clothes, but I only wear a few key pieces. It's time to really get rid of what I don't wear--no matter how much I tell myself I will wear it in the future.

2. Sew a pair of pants. Pants seem scary to me, but I'm up for the challenge. If anyone has any pattern recommendations I am all ears!

3. Make something for Josh. I've been sewing for over a year now, and I'm sad to say I haven't made anything for my dear husband! I'd like to make him something (anything) as I move forward in my skillset.

4. Sew a coat. I've been pining over all of the Minoru jackets out there, and I really want to challenge my skills in 2014.

5. Blog more! When I started this blog I think I said I wanted to blog daily. Looking back, I think that makes me sound pretty crazy! However, I do want to blog more. I want to blog more of my projects and I want to create a few tutorials. I want this blog to be great, and that means I need to commit to blogging much, much more than I did in 2013.

There are a few other goals that I have in my mind, but I think starting small is key. You'll [hopefully] start hearing much more from me. I hope you had a fabulous Christmas and holiday. Cheers to the New Year!

Four Simple Goals

It's November--I can't believe it! It seems like just yesterday it was June. And now I'm here.

I was inspired by this post on the A Beautiful Mess blog to create four simple goals for the end of 2013. While posting them November 1 was my goal, November 5 isn't that bad. So here we go.

1. Practice yoga three times a week.
When I decide to do it I really do love yoga. With two grad classes this 8-week session it is going to be tough to accomplish, but I think I can do it.

2. Create bi-weekly meal plans.
While I love to cook I am the worst at planning meals. In an effort to help our budget I want to start getting into the habit of meal planning. I did a pretty good job this week, so hopefully that will continue!

3. Start at least two new holiday traditions for just me and the hubby.
I made the mistake of having kind of a Scrooge-like attitude about the holidays, especially Christmas, last year. Though I want to blame the retail hours hubby had I know I can't. And I shouldn't. So to make up for last year I want to start some new traditions as we get ready to enter into 2014.

4. Finish two sewing projects by the end of 2013.
This goal can definitely be accomplished--I have THREE projects in my queue, and one of them has to be finished before Christmas.

I have no idea what my "rewards" will be for meeting each goal (the original goals post says they can be big or small) but I am excited to start this week. I'm also going to go out on a limb and say I may or may not be retiring my 25-before-25 list. Looking at it now there are a lot of things that can't happen on that list. This list of goals is much more reachable though.

Do you have any plans to make some simple goals before 2014? It will be here before we know it!

Happy November,
Victoria

The best is yet to come...

I promise!

So I've been MIA for three months now. Life has just been so crazy lately, and I'm sure you can relate in one way or another. Between July and now I've traveled to Guatemala (such an eye-opening experience), ran my first (and probably not my last) 5K,  started MBA classes again (just finished one, and the hubby and I start TWO more next week) and just enjoyed a lot of time with family and friends.

Now I am on to cleaning my craft space (the second bedroom in our apartment looks like a tornado whipped through it) and planning more projects. I am hoping to finish another Laurel and a couple of Scout Woven Tees (I just purchased the pattern yesterday) within the next month and a half. If it is anything I say I need more of, it's dresses and tops!

I'll be back soon. Until then, here are a few pictures from my trip to tide you over until next time:

Our view from the center we stayed at.

We visited a local village, and the views were just breathtaking.

I had the opportunity to share one of my favorite loves (CRAFTING!) with the kids in Patzun.

Life Lately: Checking In

It's been awhile.

I haven't posted in over a month.

So much for blogging everyday, right?

The past month and a half or so has been hard. To be honest, my heart just wasn't in keeping up with everything--and I mean everything. I've been in a bit of a funk to say the least, and I'm hoping to get back to normal soon. While I haven't gotten around to completing the Pencil Skirt Challenge, or anything really, I did have a lot of exciting life events take place.

 Remember my 25 before 25 list? Well, I have officially crossed off three things on the list!

First, I made a dress I love, which I blogged about here.

Then I celebrated my hubby's birthday in a big way. I surprised him with all of his friends/family at the Pirates game that took place on his birthday. Before the game I took him to Primanti's, his favorite comic book store and a few other places to try and distract him. It was a lot of fun and I'm glad I got to share his 25th birthday with him.

Surprise!

And I finally got to see the Pacific Coast! I was traveling out to California for a conference, and luckily the hubs got to go with me. It was such a nice trip, and I really, really enjoyed being on the West Coast. Even though traffic was pretty awful!

I am hoping to continue to blog more often than not. I unfortunately have nothing to post about regarding the Pencil Skirt Challenge. In the midst of the last month's craziness I just haven't had the time, fabric or energy to devote to completing the challenge. However, I might be posting a fun tutorial soon.

Next week will be pretty quiet around here though because I'm traveling to GUATEMALA! I have the honor of helping lead a mission trip down there with the university I work at. I'm extremely excited, and I hope to take some great pictures to document my trip.

Hopefully all is well where you are!

Floral Laurel in Action

It's been CRAZY here in PA--I really don't know how I finished my first dress/blogged about it last week. Between mother's day, my mom's birthday and my husband's 25th it was a miracle I made it through to say the least. I do have good news though: I celebrated my husband's birthday in a big way, and I can mark that off my 25 before 25 list! More on that surprise in a future post--I promise.

For now, here's my Floral Laurel in action. I wore it to a wedding this past Friday, and it was SO comfortable! Of course there were little things that I knew about that made the dress not so perfect, but that's okay. My husband was so adorable and kept telling our friends that I made it. I wish I would have made him a matching solid tie, but he looked handsome as always.

Coming up next: my ideas/inspiration for the Pencil Skirt Challenge!

Super Sunday: a Floral Laurel

I [finally] have a new project to share! Yes, a finished project. One that will help me with my 2013 Bucket List. I made a floral Laurel! It is definitely not perfect--but it is definitely wearable and I love it. My first dress since 4-H? Check!

The pattern is wonderful. It is easy to understand, and it is perfect for beginners who need to learn how to assemble sleeves and install an invisible zipper. I've definitely fallen in love with it.

The fabric is beautiful, but it is not something that I recommend working with something less silky for your first go around. I used a silk shantung I got online and it frayed like a beast. Not what you want for your first project.

Here is my result:

I belted it against my husband's recommendation, but he really just doesn't understand the green belt vs. a black one. The belt helps define my waist, and the thin belt doesn't make the fabric bulk up. Perfect.

As far as the dress not being perfect, the finishings of the sleeves, neckline and the hem of the dress wasn't done perfectly. I also have to hand-stitch the end of the zipper because it is kind of wonky.

Overall I love it, and I am so glad that it is complete! I'll be wearing it to a wedding this Friday (hence the 2013 Bucket List comment). I'll hopefully have some pictures of it in action next weekend. :)

More things to come. Happy Sunday!