Busyvintagebee

For once I've finished my Christmas shopping before the end of November!! I've even finished shopping for birthdays which fall at the start of the year! It's amazing how much time searching for the perfect gift takes, visiting hundreds of blogs and websites, reading dozens of magazines, writing tens of lists before choosing something thats just right. There is nothing I love more than seeing someones face light up when they rip the paper off a gift, not because it's super expensive or flashy but because the gift, however small,  is something that touches the person, because they know I picked it out especially for them.

All this thinking time fills my spare time in the run up to Christmas, and once the gifts are in the sack so to speak, there's always a bit of a void in my life. At the moment, I'm finding myself filling these gaps by thinking about the past year, about how much my life has changed, and about the future and what I'd still like to change... I wouldn't really call them resolutions, more like a to do list for next year... here is the first rough of what I've come up with so far...

In 2012 I would like to:

1) Craft more (I started tonight with this vintage frame and decorated HOME letters!)
2) Buy a sewing machine
3) Join a craft group
4) Set up my business plan! (shhhh its a secret)
5) Buy a Kenwood mixer
6) Buy an beautiful 50's vintage dress
7) Streamline my wardrobe
8) Keep my home looking like a home: streamline, keep it tidy!
9) Test a new tearoom at least once a month
10) Try at least one new cupcake recipe per month and blog about it!

11) Budget my spending each month and stick to it!
12) Save as much money as possible each month: think of the end goal!
13) Take better blog pictures
14) Linked to 13, take outdoors blog pictures! (Get over the fact that people will look!)
15) Get out more: meet new people, see more of friends I already know!
16) I will try and sleep more, I need to go over the fact that I feel like I'm missing out on stuff, sleep comes first!
17) The same goes for illness, health comes first!
18) I will be a fabulous hostess! I will host dinner parties, brunches, lunches in my home! Even if it's small, my last brunch proved that I could do it!
19) Keep thrifting! What's not to love?! Great finds, small prices! Love!
20) I will count my blessings when things don't quite go my way. I am so lucky to have found my soul mate, to have a family who I love and who loves me etc... sometimes it's easy to concentrate on the bad things in life and not see all the great things I DO have!

Have you finished your christmas shopping? Have you made any resolutions yet?