30 Before 30 List

So every January I do what I think a lot of people probably do - think of all the things we want to change in our lives and try to come up with "resolutions".  Often the resolutions are so vague - " I want to eat out less" " I want to blog more " I want to go to the gym more often" "I want to go outside more". Then I think "ehh... resolutions are stupid - you can't make me do them!" (I have a problem with authority even if that authority is me telling myself what to do - I have to say no because nobody tells me what to do - not even me!) Anyways.. I had been seeing a lot of these "30 before 30" (or 26 before 26 etc) lists on the blogs lately and I thought it was a kind of a neat way to come up with a list of things I want to accomplish in a year - some that are tiny goals leading up to those big lofty resolutions and some things that are just silly.  Yesterday I turned 29 (and I'm hoping I at least look 15 by now!) so I came up with a list of 30 things I want to accomplish by the time I turn 30 - January 24, 2013:  

1. Clean out closets and donate everything I don’t need/use
2. Learn to use camera in manual mode
3. Buy reusable shopping bags and use them at the grocery store
4. Make more of an effort to shop local
5. Go on a road trip
6. Fix my bicycle and use it.
7. Visit Washington DC
8. Double my blog readership
9. Take a photo of Dustin and I together at least once a month
10. Read 24 books
11. Try out 30 new recipes
12. Take a class
13. Get a tattoo
14.  Let go of negative memories and relationships and focus on building happier and healthier relationships.
15. Discover 20 new things/places about Richmond
16. Celebrate a holiday at my own house.
17. Sacrifice something I don’t really need in order to save money
18. Go to the movies by myself
19. Hike 5 different trails
20. Go 10 days in a row without eating out
21. Decorate my house – put some art on those walls!
22.  Make 5 projects using my sewing machine (and one of them has to be entirely made of fabric – no paper!)
23. Cut my hair
24. Sleep 8 hours in a row- at least once!
25. Make something I have seen on Pinterest
26. Go to a festival
27. Double the items in my Etsy shop
28.  Finally create a wedding album (before I forget everything that happened!)
29.  See the final Twilight with Danielle
30. Organize the house and come up with a system to keep it clean

Featured Artist at SNR

Today I'm the featured artist over at Scrapbook News & Review.  I created this cute little file folder portfolio project just for the occasion.  Check it out here for a tutorial!

And if you are visiting for the first time from SNR - welcome! Be sure to check out the About Me and Tutorials sections (see tabs above). I would love for you to become a follower of the blog or facebook page (link on side of the page).  And check out the Bursts of Creativity Etsy shop for ephemera packs and fun vintage finds!

A little about me

I was trying to come up with a great "About Me" section for the tab under the title of my blog. And after thinking about it for weeks (and really longer because I have avoided the about me section of my blogger profile and facebook profile for years) I have come up with this random list of facts about me. It may be more than you ever wanted to know:

• I look like I’m 14 even though I’m actually 28. Most people say I will appreciate this when I’m older. I am about 99% sure that as soon as I turn 30 this age thing will reverse and I will instantly look 80.
• I once climbed to the face of Crazy Horse (the world’s largest mountain carving) in South Dakota. It was one of the worst ideas I’ve ever had… just ask my sister Danielle… she climbed it with me and I’m pretty sure she’ll never forgive me.
• I have the most fantastic husband. He’s a super smart Electrical Engineer and resembles the characters in the show, the Big Bang Theory (especially Sheldon). He’s very proud of this.
• I once spent the night outside in a cardboard box in November… it was cold and hard to sleep and I wouldn’t recommend it if you have any other options.