November 2020 Ordering Special

 

For every $40 you order with me this month, I will send you a surprise pack of 6"x6" patterned paper!

Just be sure to use host code 2TH7DQQC at checkout so I can track the orders.

When you use this host code, it will look like you are shopping with my friend, Wendy Cranford. Don't worry, that's right! I'm restructuring my business and so for the next three months, I'll have a host code open with Wendy. When you use my host code, it lets her know that you are shopping with me and lets me know who I have the pleasure of sending thank-you notes and thank-you gifts to!

Day 5 - 30 Days of Work in Progress - Let's Go!

We have a plan and 25 more days to work on it, let's get this going!  

But first, I have one more housekeeping challenge for you:

Put the rest of your projects away

I know, this sounds terrible for me at least!  First of all, I hate tidying more than most things.  Secondly, what if I put something away and suddenly feel inspired to work on it?  Well, this month I'm really going to try to challenge myself to focus on a few key projects I can really finish.  So I'm going to try my best to work on those things and put away the rest of the chaos.

Share with us your progress and accomplishments big & small on Instagram with #30daysofWIP

Day 4 - 30 Days of Works in Progress

Baby Steps

In order to make progress, we need small, actionable steps that we can accomplish.  There's probably a reason these projects are stuck and in order to unstick them, we need to figure out concrete steps to get us back on track.

Of course it would be lovely to have a beautiful tracker for your project... but let's get real here.  This month is about getting projects in progress done, not designing a new project to organize our projects.  #sorrynotsorry So grab a fresh sheet of paper or a new sheet in your notebook and let's start a project sheet just for this project.

1.  List out step-by-step what needs to be happen for this project to get done.  Each one of these steps needs to be something easily trackable and ideally something that can be finished in 15 minutes.  
2. Are there supplies you need to purchase to finish the project or things you need to research to get unstuck?  Those are both actionable steps, write them down.
3. Clear a space to work on your project
4. Plan out you when you're going to work on your project.  Can you squeeze in 15 minutes/day after dinner?  Can you carver out 2 hours on Saturday afternoons?  

Previous Post: Day 3

Day 3 - 30 Days of Work in Progress

Let's break it down!

In order to make progress on your project, we're going to need to break it down into small, actionable steps.  If you're starting with a bucket/category of projects, we'll need to break it down further.  If you have a more concrete project, you can skip to step 2.

Step 1: Break down that Bucket 'o Projects:

This is for those of you who have chosen something that's really a bunch of projects, like "garage" or "bins of quilting projects"

1. You are going to need to subdivide your category before we go any further.  An example of a project tracker I like, is this Quilting Work in Progress tracker. It's nice to have a visual like that for projects that have similar pathways.  You could also just create a simple list.
2. Estimate how close to done you are and mark that next to each project.  In the Quilting example below, it's easy to see from the various steps.  For other projects you can just guess.  Example: Is it closer to 50% done or 90% done?
3. Pick a project to start with, here are a couple of ideas on how to choose:
• Start with the one that's closest to done.
• Start with one that's most timely (for example, I have a dress I'm knitting for my daughter that if I don't finish soon, will be too small for her).

Step 2: Figuring out where to start

1. What's the very first thing you will need to do with this project to make progress?  Here are some ideas:
1. Find the pattern for sweater
2. Figure out what piece I'm missing so I can order it and get unstuck.
3. Clear a pathway to the part of the garage where the project is hiding...
2. Organize the materials you will need to do that first step in one place.

If you still have time and motivation today, go ahead and do that first step!  We'll break it down even more tomorrow.

Previous: Day 2 Post

DIY Gift Tags Video

You guys, I have finally uploaded a new tutorial to YouTube.  I have recorded several over the last few years, but I they always get stuck at the editing stage!  I just don't have a good process for editing and so it holds me back.  Hopefully I'll get better at it and will be able to share more!

I made these super cute tags as packaging on my little gifts I gave out with purchase at my summer BOGO sale in August.  They really spruced up the gifts and made them feel special. 

This paper is off-the-charts-beautiful.  It's already in low-inventory status, so if you'd like it, grab it up now before it's gone!

As an added bonus, this month I'll be sending customers that use host code 2TH7DQQC at checkout a little gift of a surprise sample pack of 6"x6" paper with every $40 ordered.

Day 2 - 30 Days of Work in Progress

Today we're going to organize and prioritize!  And then we may have to dive a bit into our feelings around these projects... but one step at a time.

So how making your master brain dump go yesterday?  Do you feel any lighter with it out of your head?  You may be feeling overwhelmed by the list... that's ok.  We're not going to finish that list this month, but we are going to make progress.  

Step One: Categorize

Take a fresh sheet of paper and we're going to transfer those projects over to into categories.  Make some big categories like home repair, quilting, memory keeping, decluttering, etc. 

Step Two: Prioritize

This is where things need to get a little more "woo" before we can get to taking concrete steps again.  It's important to think about where you can get the most bang for your energy bucks so you can keep the momentum going.  Here are some questions to ask yourself:

1. What do you need the most this month?
• A cleaner house?
• More space in your garage?
• Less mental clutter?
• A sense of accomplishment?
• Some creative time?
2. Where is your energy level right now?
• Can you tackle some hard or would it be better to focus on small wins to build your confidence?
3. Look over you list(s) and pick the project or category of projects that's calling to you right now.  
• This is just our focus for now, you aren't making a permanent commitment. 
• If you finish that project, you can pick another project.  If you hit a roadblock, you can regroup and work on something else.
4. Circle the project you feel motivated about - this is going to be great!

Previous: Day 1 Post

Next: Day 3 Post