2015 in review

Annual year end review workbook 

I can't believe that 2015 is over.  It feels as though it went by in a whirlwind.  In my annual tradition, I am ending the year with a look back to acknowledge the year's accomplishments and evaluate the misses and then set intentions for the new year.  I find that the busyness of life means I don't always get to savor some of the accomplishments as they happen or don't take enough time to take a look at what didn't work and why so I can make corrections or be at peace with letting go.  I know this doesn't work for everyone, but taking just a few hours for this makes me feel as though I am setting myself up to make the most of the coming year.  This process helps me put things into perspective and it's interesting and rewarding to see what I was able to accomplish and how differently some things turned out from what I imagined.

Last year's word was embodiment and I dug deeper into a few topics and projects that I had been dabbling in for awhile to see where they might lead.  I enjoyed my explorations which are leading to more changes ahead and my word for 2016 which is transformation.  This is just the beginning of the changes to come, and I look forward to sharing them with you.

Here are a few highlights from 2015:

Volunteering at the DC Food Bank 
My son and I usually volunteer at the DC Food Book once a month and we were able to make 8 times last year.

1.  Sorting food into bins  2.  View into the warehouse

Road trip to an ancient forest

A day trip to Beall Woods State Park in Illinois which is a forested area that has not been logged or altered and remains today pretty much as it was hundreds of years ago. 

Fall Craft Cornucopia with Hyattsville Aging in Place
A great day of demonstrations and teaching crafts along with some of my neighbors who are also crafters and artists.  I enjoyed teaching the participants how to make collaged gift tags.

Starting in the upper left:  1.  weaving demo, 2.  felting wool, 3.  some of the seniors group working on their needlework and sharing stories, 4.  my table with supplies for making tags, 5.  upcycled old t-shirt, 6.  origami instruction, 7.  wool for felting projects, 8.  origami examples, 9.  reclaimed t-shirts cut into strips ready for weaving, 10.  weaving on t-shirt strips on a stick loom, 11.  t-shirt weaving examples

Garden adventures
Lots of hard work in the garden yielded abundant harvests and filled our freezer for the winter.

Art exhibition at the Popcorn Gallery
Two pieces of my mixed media collage were chosen for an exhibition using reclaimed materials.

Thank you for reading and wishing you all the best in 2016!


Resources:
Unravelling the Year Ahead
Zen Habits: The Practice of Year-end Reflection

Sunflowers in the garden

Easy Chunky Crocheted Beret and Reading List

Chunky crocheted beret

I'm ready for spring, but winter is not over just yet.  Gigantic wet snowflakes are swirling around outside the windows making it look like I'm sitting in a snow globe as I write this.  I have an indoor project to keep you busy until spring finally arrives - a crocheted beret.  It is a super easy crochet project even if you aren't very experienced and it only takes one ball of yarn.  I'm sporting the stylish and warm chunky beret in the photo above.  It's just the right combination of homespun and chic based on the positive feedback I've gotten while wearing it.  This project comes together in just a few hours.  I think you'll find the instructional video easy to follow.


If you're looking for an interesting documentary, perhaps to watch while you are working on your crocheted beret project, this is one to add to your viewing queue:

Waste Land - Vik Muniz, a Brazilian artist based in Brooklyn collaborates with trash pickers (catadores) who extract recyclables from Rio's then the world's largest active landfill, Jardim Gramacho.  It's an enlightening look at the daily lives of the pickers, into the creative process of the artist who takes photographs of his "paintings" made with garbage and how these interactions change the lives of all who are a part of the project.  It will make you give more than a second thought to the consequences of consumerism.

And if you are stuck inside and looking for something to read, here are a few books on my reading list for this month:


The Power of Habit:  Why We Dow What We Do in Life and Business - a fascinating look at how habits are created and methods you can use to change or create new ones for yourself.  I just finished this one, and there are some great tips help overcome some of the challenges of habit change that have been stumbling blocks in the past.



May Cause Miracles:  A 40-Day Guidebook of Subtle Shifts for Radical Change and Unlimited Happiness
- exploration of how making simple shifts can lead to major transformation.



Crazy, Sexy Kitchen: 150 Plant Empowered Recipes to Ignite a Mouthwatering Revolution - a cookbook full of simple, healthy vegan recipes.  I'm sure that I will be featuring some recipes inspired by all the tasty looking photos in this book.

Despite this winter storm, I can't wait to get the garden started.  Now that the seeds I ordered have arrived, I'll be setting up my seedling table in the coming week and look forward sharing the progress in this year's garden with you.

Thanks for reading!

Farmers market stall at Eastern Market on a sunny, winter Sunday in Washington, DC