2017 Intentions

Happy New Year.

The fun and frolics are over for another year, and the excesses of the season are long behind us. I know that for some, the prospect of January holds thoughts of doom and gloom. All the money’s gone, the waistband has expanded and it gets dark around 4pm. For me, however, I enjoy this time of year. It’s a fresh new start, time to kick your life into touch and set your intention for the year ahead. Maybe you’ve been reading books, or listening to podcasts that have inspired your goals for the year, and perhaps you’re raring to get going. Maybe you are one of the ones for whom the prospect of reimagining their journey will have swept them away long before the chimes of Big Ben have sounded.

Whilst I have set my own goals, I have a tendency not to announce them, not all of them at least. For me, they are a more private affair, something to set the compass of your life by during the forthcoming 12 months, and to take stock at the end of how far you have travelled. There are a few aims though that I’m happy to share with you since, hopefully, some of these will provide blog fodder for the year to come.

Books

I love reading, but I have this awful habit of buying books and leaving them to fester on a pile that never gets read. That doesn’t mean I don’t read, it just means I read other stuff instead of the books from the pile, some of which have been there over 2 years. I intend to read 10 books this year. I know some of you are prolific readers, and that will sound like such a small amount, but, for me, 10 books will be an improvement on previous years. The books I've chosen vary between feminism, self-help, biographies and novels and whilst some are my selection, others are recommendations from friends and relatives. With this in mind, I will not be buying any books for myself in 2017 unless they are on this list (there are a couple I don't own but really want to read), a big statement, I know, but there’s no point buying them when I already have a burgeoning ‘to read’ pile.

Sewing

Sewing has been sorely neglected for well over a year. A couple of skirts were pretty much all I made in 2016, and then I lost a fair bit of weight and they no longer fit properly anyway. The Mr. is creating space for me in the studio (AKA the middle bedroom) to have a dedicated craft and sewing space, which will include a table large enough for me to sew, cut patterns and do whatever else I need to do to contribute to my homemade wardrobe. This combined with the reduction in clothing I have, due to the aforementioned weightloss, will, I hope, be enough stimulation for me to dust off the sewing machine again. Ideally, I would like to expand my sewing repertoire too, perhaps branching out into some small handbags and amateur millinery, but I won't set my sights too high just yet.

One of the few skirts I made in 2016

Knitting

What can I say about knitting? I’ve come on leaps and bounds in the past year, and still I have so very many projects that I would like to tackle during 2017. My ultimate goal will be to knit my own vintage style Christmas jumper at the end of this year, but overall I see knitting playing a key role in my homemade wardrobe om 2017.

Style

Talking of style, it’s felt a bit all over the place this past year, and I feel like I’ve lost some of my quirk. I’m not sure if that’s because I have less choice, having purged such a lot of my wardrobe post weightloss, but I think I would like to continue to pursue a vintage inspired look. It’s important to point out, that doesn’t mean leaving the house looking like an escapee from the 1940s every morning, but it means paying more attention to doing my hair, and leaning towards a more vintage shape in my every day attire. I will be making a lot from vintage and repro patterns, and I think I have the skills to do it. I miss the pride of knowing that what you’re wearing has been lovingly fashioned by your own hands.

Blog

I am going to post more regularly to the blog, and share my journey with you. I’ve been blogging on here for less than a year, and already I have made some new friends, and fallen back into contact with friends I made through my previous blog. Sometimes I’m regular with posting, but there have been periods where it’s fallen off the map. That’s life and we all have to appreciate that there are limitations to what we can achieve each day especially alongside a full time job and some other hobbies, but with some sensible planning, I can be a more regular contributor to my little online world.

Travel

As much as I often look at people's instagram accounts with images of far off tropical climbs and wish that were me, the truth is that at this stage of my life, finances will not allow for such luxury. That's not a bad thing though, my entire childhood was spent taking holiday's and daytrips around the UK, and that's what I intend to do in 2017 too. Just because you have to stay nearer to home, it doesn't make it any less fun or any less of a holiday, so I'll be planning some UK trips and breaks this year, and I'll look forward to them too.

me and Mr. exploring Edinburgh in 2016

So, what intentions are you setting out for the year ahead? Do you share your goals or are you more private about them?