Happy New Year!!!

happy new year!!!

have you been thinking about what 2012 holds in store for you? made any resolutions?

i’ve been giving the upcoming 2012 a lot of thought… what are my priorities, what direction do i want the next 12 months to take, what changes do i want to make — out with the old, in with the new!

the rolling of the clock and calendar to a fresh new year always gets me in the “clean slate” frame of mind, at least for a week or two. i wish i knew how to make that feeling last long enough to really MAKE THOSE CHANGES that seemed so important on 01/01 of each new year!

i haven’t made any plans yet that i would apply a coat of sealer to, i thought i’d have things all mapped out this year, but alas – i’m a procrastinator at heart! why do today what you can easily put off until tomorrow? unfortunately, a few years of that mantra has put me way behind in some personal goals!

so, i better hurry up and FOCUS on the upcoming year, IT WON’T wait for me to figure it out; those days just fly by!

some of the “professional” changes i’ve been thinking about making – in order to get to some of those personal goals are:

— teach my “regular” monthly classes – photoFULL and money $aving $ketches bi-monthly instead.

— schedule a “specialty class” like an altered book, mini album or decor project, once every quarter.

— try teaching a “cluster” of classes – a day where 2 or 3 different classes are taught, twice a year.

another idea i’ve had for awhile, is to get several regional instructors together and plan a weekend of classes.

i’d love your input about these ideas because right now, that’s all they are! you can post a comment here, or click on my “contact me” link at the top of the page and drop me an e-mail.

i know i need to change things up in order to quit running from class to class and project to project. i keep thinking things will slow down “next week”, “next month”, “next year”, but the fact is they HAVEN’T!

i am happy with all the freelance design work i’ve been doing; it is something i enjoy very much. but it takes up a LARGE chunk of my time. i just need to admit i need to change up the pace. i can’t clone myself, and i have found that i DO occasionally need to eat, drink and sleep! LOL! so some changes will have to be made this year. i need to find a happy medium between the personal and professional me!

but enough of that! it’s time for the party! the ringing in of 2012!

we went over to my mom’s house to consume large quantities of things that are bad for you and you are supposed to stay away from under “normal” circumstances. we also whiled away the hours til midnite by playing games – something that we have done many a new year.

here are some photos of my “lovely” family…

they are all shown modeling the “party like it’s 1912” crown i made as a project for the Clearsnap Blog – aren’t they all good sports!

here’s a closeup of the crown…

if you’d like to see more photos, or the supplies and directions for this project, you can view it here: PARTY LIKE IT’S 1912.

i wish you the very best of everything for 2012! happy new year!