2015.

I'm not really a resolution type of person. First of all, I clearly have trouble meeting my creative goals, as evidenced by my sad lack of creating anything between Halloween and this moment. With a full-time job outside the home and two small kids, it's a wonder that I manage to do anything beyond keeping the house, children and myself (relatively) clean, cooking meals (though to be fair, I do make most of our meals from scratch) and doing all those other things that human beings have to do to move forward. If I have time left over, I always intend to spend it productively but, more often than not, I spend it catching up on Downton Abbey (So. Obsessed.) or looking at the beautiful things that other people have created in my Feedly reader. That last part is a tough trap to fall into...I follow so many talented people's blogs and find it really easy to become jealous that they have the time to create amazing clothing or even just put their words out there on a regular basis. But more and more, I am trying to remind myself that the choices I make need to reflect my desires. To create more. To sit less. To be healthier.

To that end, I am making not a resolution but a goal. A goal to make my activities and efforts line up with the things that are most important to me. To do that, I am making commitments that have accountability, because letting others down is something I hate to do.

First, I registered for a DietBet challenge. DietBet is a website where anyone can create a weight loss challenge. Participants pay a fee to join the challenge and everyone who meets the weight loss goal splits the pot, minus some fees collected by DietBet. Because I am cheap, the risk of losing (a small amount of) money makes this more motivational than other forms of losing weight. This is my third challenge and while I was successful the first time, I made the mistake of starting the second one right before Thanksgiving. The day itself wouldn't have killed my chances, but driving 12+ hours over 2 days to visit relatives for a week effectively guaranteed that I wasn't going to make my goal. I have 14 days left in this particular DietBet and am pretty sure I am on track to succeed.

Second, I signed up for a fitness challenge that begins the end of this month and runs through April. There are weekly activity goals that need to be met in order to keep my team eligible for prizes. I am going to dust off my practically unused gym membership, try to recall my lock combination and commit to doing something active for at least as many minutes as the weekly challenge requires.

Third, I jump-started my creative goals by signing up for Sanae and Ute's Secret Valentine Exchange. I did this last year as well and really enjoyed the process of making something for someone I had never met. I put a lot of effort into the clutch I made and was really proud of the result.

Folded clutch.

Origami animal lining fabric by IKEA. Still kicking myself for not buying an entire bolt.

This year, my Secret Valentine lives in Scotland and I have an idea that I am really excited to get started on for her. I will show sneak peeks in the weeks ahead. I need to have it mailed by the beginning of February so I need to get moving.

Last (for now), I am planning to participate in ElsieMarley's Creativity Club. I don't know that I will share the results here, but it is a good way to motivate myself to create something on a deadline. Plus, the motto is pretty motivational:

Be well,

Me