30 Before 30 List: 7-14

My 30 before 30 list continues with what I'll call the "crafty" items. I am always in awe of people that are so crafty. My mom and sisters are great artists, but me, eh, I didn't get those genes. I want to venture into my craftiness though and really make an effort to finish projects this year. I always see projects and think "I can tackle that," but never really try. Or when I do try, I never finish. That stops this year. It will be the year of trying AND finishing!

7. Complete my digital portfolio (at least all my older work). As a communications professional, I have tons of work samples. Over the years though, they get lost, forgotten, etc. I want to show off my web skills and my work samples by putting together a digital portfolio. I've already started, but haven't really gotten very far since I just recently got a job and am not actively looking for a new one. What I learned from being laid off though is do not wait until you are looking for a job to tackle this project! Start now--a little at a time. 

8. Successfully plan, implement, and complete a DIY project. I'm not sure yet what the project will be, but as I mentioned above, I want to be more crafty. I want to tackle some projects myself instead of just buying something.

9. Finish the baby blanket I started years ago...hopefully someone I know will have a girl! So back in the day, I used to knit--not well, but I could do it. So I started making a baby blanket for a coworker. I didn't finish so now I have a half finished baby blanket. I should finish it at some point and hope that someone I know has a girl!

10. Master my new camera. Matt's dad very generously gave us a nice camera. I still have yet to get all the cords needed to use the camera and therefore, haven't really used it that much. I plan to finally get the necessary cords and a bigger memory card this year. I also realized at our recent tri-mitzvah events that I am no master of this camera. The focus seems to be hard to handle, making the majority of photos horrible. I want to master this by the end of the year...hopefully sooner!

11. Create yearbooks for each year Matt and I have been married. It's no secret that my family loves photos. If you've been to my apartment, you've seen all the frames. I want to remember our activities and moments from every year and so I'm determined to make "yearbooks." I figured I'd start with years Matt and I have been married since it's only a few. I even started one months ago and never finished (are you sensing a theme here).

12. Start a cookbook/organize the one I have with recipes I love. I have a nice recipe book already, and actually took time once to organize it. Since then, however, I've gathered tons of new recipes that I use often. It's time again to spend some time organizing favorite recipes.

13. De-clutterize the apartment. Donate to GoodWill at least every six months. I'm not sure this is crafty, but it will help us live a more organized, stress-free life. When the apartment is cluttered, dirty and disorganized, so is my mind. Our tiny apartment cannot handle all the new things we acquire in life so I am constantly reassessing our household items. It's about that time again!

14. Have a quilt made from all my old t-shirts. I have tons of old high school, college and volunteer t-shirts that I will (let's be honest) probably never wear again. Yet, I'm not willing to part with them. Solution=t-shirt quilt. I've been wanting to do this for a while. I lack the sewing and creativity to do this myself so I need to find a reasonably-priced company that can.

See 1-6 here.