A Vintage Year in Review

Hey everyone!

One of the things we see most often in the blog world this time of year is the Year in Review. I've done it with regard to my goals for 2012 and my favorites of 2012, but I thought I'd try a new spin on it. A vintage year in review, to be specific. This year has been filled with vintage goodness for me, both at Gather and personally. Instagram has helped me share most of my finds with you throughout the year, but it's fun to see them all in one place.

So, without further ado, my 2012 in vintage finds:

This chippy white bed frame represents my longest drive in the middle of nowhere to find a great vintage piece. I immediately fell in love with the casters and the chipping paint job, and I almost tackled the woman who sold it to me when she told me she thought about scraping the paint off before I got to her farm. 

This great filing cabinet was one of my first major purchases for Gather, easily one of the heaviest, and one of the first sales I made on opening day. I still adore it, and sometimes wish I would have kept it for myself! 

This croquet set was the first thing I saw in a sale bill for an auction and immediately wanted, no matter what the cost. I paid a little more than I wanted to, but it came home with me and I almost jumped up and down when we won! 

This typewriter definitely has the best story - the grandson of the owner told us that his grandpa had typed letters to his family during WWII on this typewriter. I have no idea whether that's true or not, but it's cool to think about. 

This bureau gets the award for my favorite painted piece. The transformation was awesome, and I'd been imaging great things for it for a long time before I actually purchased it. The hardware is still my favorite that I've ever purchased, too. 

This great shop cabinet is one of the only pieces my husband and I immediately agreed would be coming home with us. We saw it in an auction, dirty, and piled full of junk, but knew it would be a great fit at Gather. 

This little blue desk was something I sort of hoped wouldn't sell. I loved it immediately when I saw it, but couldn't think of how I might use it personally. I stuck it in Gather while I thought about it, and it sold not too long afterwards. I know it went to a great home, and I'm glad someone is enjoying it {by the way, I still can't figure out where I would have put it, so I'm glad I didn't keep it}.

This little green chest was probably the most charming piece I bought all year. I got a steal, and it cleaned up so nicely. It sold the first day I had it in Gather. 

This pie safe caught the attention of the auctioneer who sold it to us, and he made sure to tell us we got a great find. I've always pictured a pie safe in my store, but it's still looking for a good home if you're interested!

This dry sink made the biggest transformation, in my opinion. It was in good condition when we bought it, but not at all my style. It looked great after we painted it white, and it didn't hang around the store for too long. We have a distant cousin of this piece, a corner hutch, being finished up and she will hopefully be in the store shortly!

This buffet is the biggest labor of love. The shape was amazing and the hardware is original, but the wood wasn't great. I gave it a gray & white treatment, and all the detail work almost killed me. It turned out so nicely that I really considered keeping it for myself. She just found a new home last weekend though and I'm glad to see that someone else loves her like I do!

These vintage suitcases & trunks have been my obsession all year. I look for them everywhere I go, and my stack stays pretty tall most of the time. The trunk on the bottom was my first purchase from an auction, and I withstood a downpour and the threat of a tornado to make it mine. 

Finally, my vintage sled. I found this last winter, and knew I would hang on to it for my first Christmas at Gather. It sold at my holiday open house, so I'll have to be on the lookout for one for next year! 

It's fun to look back at these pieces and see the trends in what I purchased: I love white furniture, or furniture that can be painted white. I love furniture painted in non-traditional colors that would add a pop to a space. I love metal that is rusty or covered in chippy paint. I love to put things in Gather that I would also put in my home.

I don't see any of those trends for Gather going away in 2013! 

Many thanks to all of you who visited Gather in 2012. It was an amazing 6 months filled with lots of stories and new friendships and fun finds. We can't wait to see what 2013 brings!

Speaking of that, here are our hours for the first half of 2013! 

Saturday, January 12

2nd & 4th Saturdays of every month,  February through May

10am - 3pm

Or by appointment

I also have this piece of news:

All Christmas merchandise is 25% off! 

This is our only Gathering in January, so make sure to stop in and see us! 

Have a great week, everyone!

Favorites of 2012

Hi all,

I'm writing today about some of my favorites from 2012. If you'd like to see what I posted last year, check out my Favorites 2011 post. I started this post sometime last week and Blogger has not been my friend with uploading pictures. Needless to say, Blogger didn't make the list. 

Favorite Apps
{I have an iPhone 4 for the moment, which I love, but I'm also looking forward to upgrading in March}

Instagram

If you read this blog or follow me on Facebook {either personally or on Gather's page}, you've heard me mention my love for Instagram. Since I post just about every photo I take to Facebook anyway, this app saves me a ton of time. You can follow me @gatherboutique




myLife Calendar
I started off the year using the Calendar app that came with my phone and it just wasn't working for me. I have 3 calendars connected to my phone and I was duplicating a lot of appointments on that app. myLife seems to work out a lot better for me. It allows me to color code appointments so I know which calendar they're coming from. It also allows me a weekly or daily view and some different reminder and recurring appointment options. Plus, it's a lot prettier than the calendar app!


Etsy
Although I'm slowly phasing out my Etsy shop to launch my new Gather Etsy shop, I still access my VDC shop on Etsy quite a bit. This app has really allowed me to touch base with my customers and manage my shop much more quickly. It's also dangerously fun for shopping when I have some time to kill.







Favorite New Recipe

Source: tasteofhome.com via Jen on Pinterest

This bacon corn dip is by far the best thing I've made all year. Every time I take it to a gathering or send it to work for a potluck, I'm bombarded with requests for the recipe. It is so good, and so simple to make.

Favorite New Holiday Recipe

Source: pattysfood.com via Jen on Pinterest

Every year, I try to hunt down a new recipe for cookies or candies to include in my baking bonanza. This year, I made about 25 dozen cookies and 10 gallons of different snack mixes, and this peppermint sugar cookie made the top of my list. It's definitely added to my annual line-up.

Favorite Holiday Purchase

Speaking of the holiday, these pillow cases were my favorite purchase this year. I got them from Pottery Barn after Christmas when they were on clearance, and I couldn't be more thrilled with them. The quality is great and the print is beautiful. I can't wait to use them next year when we decorate for Christmas! It looks like they might be sold out of them now, but I think they've had them for the last couple of years, so maybe they'll bring them back in 2013!

Favorite Green Product

I'm always on the lookout for items that will simply my life and be gentle on the environment at the same time. I'm really interested in the aspect of reusable products that are typically disposable, so these reusable towels were an awesome find. I purchased mine from this Etsy seller. I don't see any in her shop at the moment, but I'm sure you could ask her for a custom listing. She customized my fabric to match my new kitchen - 6 towels in dark gray and light gray chevron, and 6 in gray with white polka dots.

Favorite Nail Color

Coral was my surprise color love in 2012. I started wearing it in March and didn't give it up until about September {when I switch to my exclusively gray & black wardrobe for winter}. So, when I found this slightly darker than coral shade from OPI - Cajun Shrimp - I was in heaven.

Favorite Snack Food

I found this salsa verde at Trader Joe's early last year and I love it. It's easily my favorite salsa verde product, and I love it on homemade Mexican food or just to snack on with tortilla chips. It's so good that I'll make stops at TJ's just to buy more when I'm running low.

Favorite K-Cup

If you follow me on Instagram, you saw the picture I posted recently of my "problem" with K-Cups. I love trying new varieties, and it helps that I know so many people who have Keurig's and are willing to share with me. My favorite find for this year is the Half and Half Iced Tea by Celestial Seasonings. It's a great iced tea with just a little sweetener. I can normally find these at my local Walmart or Target, even in the winter.

Favorite Candle

I found this one late in the year, but it's something I'll continue to burn all winter {if it lasts me that long}. This is the Cranberry Pear Bellini 3-Wick candle from Bath & Body Works. I got it during a promotion so it was about $11 and completely worth it. I'll be going back to get another one within the next few weeks, I'm sure.

Favorite Memory Keeping Tool

I found Persnickety Prints when I was looking for somewhere that would print quality Instagram photos. I heard about Persnickety through the Project Life forum on Big Picture Classes, and decided to try them out. I love the quality of the prints they sent me! They're on nice, heavy photo paper with a matte finish. You can select a ton of different photo sizes, which makes them a really great option for Project Life photo prints. And they have speedy delivery, great customer service, and my inbox usually has a great offer from them for a discount. Try them out if you get a chance!

So, there you have it! Just a few of my random favorites that made the list this year. Let me know what you think if you try any of them, or if they made your favorites list for 2012. Have a great day! 

Project Life 2013

Hey everyone!

I hope the start of the new year is treating you well! Something I always focus on at the beginning of the year is my memory keeping plans for the upcoming year. Since I started Project Life two years ago, it's been a much simpler process for me. This year will be a little different since we are moving and I don't have a dedicated crafting space in the new home. I thought I'd share just a few of the plans I have in place for 2013.

Project Life Medium

Becky Higgins offers a few different ways of completing Project Life. The first is the physical products of the core kit, page divider & album. This is the closest option to traditional scrapbooking. She also has partnered with Shutterfly for digital scrapbooks, and with ACDigitals for digital scrapbooking elements.

I'm choosing to go with the traditional version of Project Life again this year. I've made Shutterfly books in the past {and occasionally still do}, and while I love them, it just doesn't feel like scrapbooking to me. I like the idea of feeling the layers of photos and papers and embellishments, so I'm continuing with this method again this year.

In some of the forums I participate in for Project Life, questions often come up about how albums will be shared in later years or amongst children. We don't have that issue right now, but once we do, I'm sure my methods will change. If you know me from the PL forums, then you've already heard this, but for those who are curious, here is our plan: I will use the PL Baby or Childhood editions to complete physical scrapbooks for each of our children. When they graduate high school, they will likely have several albums that are theirs for the taking when they're ready {I'm under no illusion that our children will want to take thick PL binders to their college dorm rooms with them.}. I will also complete a family PL album every year, most likely through Shutterfly. The reason behind this is that I can print multiple copies to share with our children in later years while still keeping on for myself. That was a random tangent, but I do get questions about it from time to time, so I wanted to address it. 

Project Life Design

First, what I've done in past years. in 2011, I used the Amber Edition  core kit and the Amber binder. {I still haven't completed this album, by the way.} In 2012, I used the Clementine Edition core kit and a gray binder from We R Memory Keepers {the company who makes the Project Life binders}. I'll hopefully be finished with this album by the end of January...well, that's the goal anyway.

In 2013, I'm planning to use the new Seafom Edition core kit and the same gray binder from We R Memory Keepers {assuming I can find it in stock somewhere}. Here's a glimpse of what that edition looks like:

The Seafom Edition { and the Olive Edition, which is also new for 2013} should be available sometime in early January, so I will be ordering that from Amazon as soon as it is. A helpful tip, if you're waiting for a product to appear on Amazon from Becky Higgins - she is excellent at updating her followers on Facebook & Twitter about the releases of products for sale. Follow her and you won't have to stalk Amazon.

Becky also announced in 2012 that she's partnering with American Crafts to make Project Life available in retail stores. I'll share more information on my blog once I have it - it will be so nice to have all the elements easily accessible!

Project Life Organization

I'm not sure I've ever photographed it for my blog before {probably because it's always a disaster}, but I have a table in my dining room dedicated to Project Life. It holds my printer, my core kit, my album and page protectors. Printed pictures are kept in drawers until I can get them into the album. I did a post awhile back on the Martha Stewart organizing trays that I use to corral my journaling cards, filler cards & title cards, plus some go-to tools. You can read that here. This system works out pretty well for me. The table is very close to my dining room table, so when I wanted to work on my album, I could just move the organizer over to the dining room table where there is plenty or room for me to spread out.

Since we're moving in the next month or so {hopefully}, I'm having to re-think my system. I won't have a dedicated craft room, and I'm not sure I want the clutter of all of this in our dining room like it is now. I'm currently storing all my plastics in the flat boxes they are packaged in. I need to figure out a way to actually separate them by type so I can find them easily, so that's a goal for next year.

I'm not sure I'll use this Martha Stewart organizing system again. I don't tend to journal as I take pictures, so I don't think everything needs to be out in the open like it is. The box the core kit is packaged in is probably fine, plus it will stack easier since it's the same size as the plastics boxes now. I'm looking at having more of a craft storage closet, so the more use of my space I can get, the better.

I do like the idea of having all of my go-to tools and supplies together. Most likely, I'll keep a small basket in the closet near my PL supplies with my corner rounder, Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher, date stamp, etc. That way, when I'm ready to work on the album, I can pull out my plastic box, my core kit box, and my tools basket and be ready to go.

Project Life Layouts

People do this project in any number of ways. Some do a photo a day method, others do weekly or monthly spreads. Some people keep things very simple by putting photos in their holders and journaling in there holders - that's how this project was designed. Others get more elaborate and add embellishments to their photos and journaling cards. Any of those ways are great, as long as they're working for the person completing the album!

In 2011, I did {am doing} a chronological album. In 2012, I started with a chronological album and switched mid-way through the year to make my album more topical in nature. By this I mean that I'm rearranging the photos so they are grouped with other similar photos. Some of my categories include Family, Gather, Pets, and Everyday Life. I'm still in the process of grouping photos from last year, so there may be more than that. I'd like to do a 2012 Project Life video for my blog when the album is completed, so check back for that later on this year.

In 2013, I plan to go the chronological route. This one makes the most sense for me to try out at first. I like the idea of doing 2-page weekly spreads. This doesn't mean I'll be taking a photo a day {although some weeks may be just that}, but over the course of the week, will have taken approximately 7 pictures.
The great thing about Project Life is that if I decide that layout isn't working for me, I can always go back and change it up to do something that works better with our lifestyle.

Project Life Inspiration

There is a wealth of information out there related to Project Life, but here are a few of the places I regularly turn to:
Becky Higgins - Becky has info on her products, her creative team, her blog, and links to all the ways she communicates with her customers through social media. This is the best source for staying up to date on all things Project Life. Becky also regularly posts photo ideas and inspiration for cultivating a good life on her Facebook & Twitter.
Big Picture Classes - I participated in a free Project Life forum and Project Real Life last year through BPC. I don't see anything yet for 2013 in the way of classes, but I'm a little out of the BPC loop at the moment. A great e-book resource I found on BPC is Project Dig Deep.
Pinterest - Pinterest is full of all sorts of memory keeping inspiration. I have a Project Life Inspiration board where I keep interesting things and that I'll continue to add to over the year.
Instagram - check out #projectlife for tons of awesome pictures and layouts.

If you're interested in previous posts about Project Life on my blog, you can check out my Project Life tag. I'll also be tagging future posts so they can all be kept together.

Are you planning to take on Project Life during 2013? I'd love to know who else will be completing an album and what your plans are. Have a great day, everyone!

Happy 2013!

Happy New Year!!

Happy 2013 everyone! I hope you had a great time ringing in the new year. I told you in my 112 in 2012 post that I would share some of my 2013 goals with you, so here we go!

I organized these a little differently. There certainly aren't 113, but there aren't just one or two. I'm also getting pretty specific here, because I found out that if I have a broad goal, I don't make as much progress. I'm much better crossing off smaller items as I accomplish them.

Unify the Gather Brand

• Close Vogt Design Co. on Etsy
• Launch Gather on Etsy
• Develop a central website for everything related to Gather (blog, social media, online purchases, Gatherings, classes, etc.)

Grow the Gather Brand

• Teach a variety of classes in Gather
• Include party decor & stationery in Gather inventory
• Expand inventory to include memory keeping tools

Make our House a Home
(We've been in the process of moving for the last 15 months - these goals apply to our new home, once we have finalized the move)

• Utilize organizational tools to keep our household running efficiently
• Focus on feeling comfortable with the home as it is, rather than wanting all the changes to happen at once
• Take pride in our home

Attain a Stronger Sense of Financial Security

• Begin couponing and price-matching regularly for grocery purchases
• Sell existing home
• Live on 1 income
• Continue to plan dinners at home and to pack breakfasts and lunches

Maintain momentum with Project Life and other memory keeping projects

Prioritize the strength of our marriage

There you have it! Much simpler than last year, but still not a short list. A lot of projects that will take us the entire year to complete or that will never really be completed. Gather will still be a priority for me in 2013, but there are a lot of other aspects to my life I want to focus on. This list has plenty of room to grow and change. And you'll notice that a lot of the things that were on my 2012 list aren't even addressed here, specifically. I felt like a lot of them would naturally happen if I accomplish what I have on this list. And those that don't probably aren't the priority anyway.

Like I said in my last post, I'd love to see your goals for 2013. Feel free to leave a list in the comments or link me to a blog post about them. I wish you all a very blessed new year!

112 in 2012: Wrap-Up

Hi all!


Well, as you know, today is the last day of the year, so I thought I'd check in with my goals for 2012 one last time. This will be a lengthy post, so I don't expect you to read it all, but kudos to you if you make it through! I have some final thoughts at the end about this list and my plan for next year, if you're interested and want to skip down.

Here's a cheat sheet for you:
Normal text - didn't get started
Italics - made some progress but didn't complete
Strikethrough - failed miserably
Bold - completed

1. Pack or eat a healthy breakfast on days I have to work {don’t stop for fast food or skip it} {I'm calling this a win. I would say I did this at least 80% of the time this year, maybe more. That's a huge improvement from what I was doing in 2011.}
2. Pack or eat a healthy lunch on days I have to work {don’t stop for fast food or skip it} {Again, I'm calling this a win. I greatly improved over the year, and would say at least 80% of the time, I avoided going out for lunch.}
3. Plan dinners the night before so we can stop for necessary ingredients or take things out of the freezer to thaw {We definitely were better about this, and eating at home in general, but still have a long way to go with planning ahead on menus. I do have some ideas in place for 2013 and honestly, I think moving the location of our freezer will help...which is also in the plan for 2013}
4. Move closer to Elmwood {This didn't happen, and I would consider it one of the more significant fails of this year. I could say it's not our fault, but we made the choice to be in the situation we're in, so I'm taking ownership.}
5. Donate at least 20 boxes of things to the thrift store before moving {I didn't keep count, but between donations to the thrift store, to friends & family, and to my work, I know we got to at least 20}
6. Sort and organize all holiday decorations so they are easily accessible {This is happening this week, actually. It will be a win in very early 2013, but I can't say I'm done yet.}
7. Donate holiday decorations that won’t be used prior to the next holiday {We actually didn't decorate this year since we hoped to be moving, so I didn't get to go through everything. As I'm finding things we won't use while organizing, I'm making a pile to donate.}
8. Start a family {I consider this another major fail, but I'm more comfortable with this, believe it or not. It was a conscious choice to wait to have children until another time. I hated having to make the choice, but it was the most responsible thing to do for us.}
9. Complete 2011 Project Life Album {I fell so behind on my 2012 album that I didn't get a chance to work on previous years.}
10. Start & complete 2012 Project Life Album {I did get a good start on this, have a ton of pictures printed, and am working on it right now. I came up with a new way of organizing the album for this year that I think will work better for us, and I hope to get it finished in early 2013}
11. Complete at least one additional Project Life Album from a previous year {see above, #9}
12. Print pictures at least once a month from the previous month {This actually wasn't the best plan for me and my budget. I tried for awhile, and then quit because it wasn't working.}
13. Work with nieces on Project Life albums, including printing pictures for them monthly {It happened once this last year, because all of our schedules are so crazy. I hope to continue working with them in 2013, and I also hope they take some ownership of their albums without me watching over since we all have such busy lives!}
14. Grow my business {I'd say this was the focus for my year. Business didn't grow the way I had imagined it, but it also exceeded my expectations. I continue to have goals for business, a list of things I want to get done, and dreams for what I could accomplish, but I know this year was a win on the business front.}
15. Blog at least 3 times per week {Horrible. Just horrible.}
16. Engage in at least one activity per month to promote my business {I'm honestly not even sure what I was talking about here...if I meant shows/fairs, or some sorts of advertising thing...but as I said, 2012 was all about business for me, so I feel okay with that whole aspect of things.}
17. Take at least 1 picture per day {I figured out this doesn't really work for me. I tried some other options, and then really thought about this particular goal and what I wanted to accomplish. The idea was to get a real picture of our every day life, and I think I did much better at that - I participated in a day in the life, a week in the life, December daily and took a TON of other every day life sort of pictures. Even though I didn't meet my stated goal, I feel really good about memory keeping this year.}
18. Take pictures during important events/gatherings {I can't call this a win because I didn't do it universally - for example, I didn't even take my camera to Christmas celebrations - but, I did pretty well, especially this last fall}
19. Plan 1 date night per month with Mike {We did really well on this the first half of the year, and then it fizzled. I could blame opening Gather and having much less time, but the reason I had this goal is I wanted us to dedicate a night to each other, no matter what was going on. We didn't do that, and we need to be more committed to this in the future.}
20. Complete 1 project per month from inspiration found on Pinterest {I didn't keep track of what I did when, but I know there were far more than 12 projects completed this year}
21. Start an idea binder to keep inspiration from magazines, etc. {I'm calling this in progress because I started a notes section on my iPad for things like this}
22. Visit grandparents at least 1 time a month {Miserable fail.}
23. Plan and work on 1 craft project per month with nieces and nephews {I really wish this had happened, but it just didn't work out. The ones we did though were really fun.}
24. Take at least 1 vacation out of state {Didn't go anywhere this year. For the first time since we met in 2008}
25. Take at least 1 vacation in state {See above}
26. Visit 1 place I’ve never been before {I saw so many small towns in Nebraska this year on our adventures}
27. Pay off at least 1 credit card
28. Use at least 1 coupon with every grocery purchase {I still maintain that this is a good goal for us, but we have to figure out how to make couponing work with our schedule. I hope to do a post in 2013 on my couponing process}
29. Try one new recipe per month {Again, I didn't really keep track, but know I've tried more than 12 new recipes this year}
30. Learn to sew
31. Donate items from couponing to an organization in need
32. Take a photography class
33. Make our new house feel like our home {well, we didn't move, so...}
34. Purchase/borrow bikes and go riding on the trail this summer
35. Plan an outing/visit with friends at least once a month
36. Take pictures for my blog posts {Thank goodness for Instagram. I didn't do it with every post, but I was definitely better about it this year.}
37. Create a video to post on my blog {Project Life Blog Hop & Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint, woohoo!}
38. Send birthday cards on time to important people when we can’t celebrate in person
39. Create a stash of cards for multiple occasions to have on hand
40. Frame pictures for our home and display them {I wanted to wait til we were moved to do this, so it hasn't happened.}
41. Create a gallery wall in our new house of important/sentimental pictures {see above}
42. Work on creating Christmas decorations throughout the year {Ha!}
43. Relax and enjoy December and Christmas preparations {I can't say I was completely relaxed during December, but this was definitely one of the most enjoyable Christmas seasons I remember.}
44. Finish all holiday shopping by December 1 {Again, this is something I can own as a choice, but it's difficult when you share the cost of presents and others don't share your goals. I did have my list made in October, and some of my shopping done early}
45. Wrap and label Christmas gifts so they are under the tree by the end of the first week in December
46. Use my iPhone calendar to help keep me organized {I'm so reliant on that thing now}
47. Build a stockpile and only shop for perishable items as needed - otherwise, use the stockpile {This comes and goes, it seems}
48. Plant a garden or work with family to have a garden
49. Freeze or can fresh produce to use throughout the following year {We had so much stuff canned and frozen from previous years, we didn't end up doing any this year.}
50. Take a family picture to display in our home, including both puppies

51. Attend 1 Christmas event in the community {tree lighting, Santa visit, etc.}
52. Visit the local library
53. Become a member of Mike’s church {this is actually really sad for me}
54. Take all my nieces and nephews to the zoo for the day
55. Go to the Farmer’s Market at least once a month during June/July/August {This never worked out with our schedule}
56. Make homemade rolls for a holiday dinner {Garlic knots to go with my corned beef & cabbage on St. Patrick's day}
57. Drink at least 3 big glasses of water daily {more often than not, so I'm calling this a win}
58. Find at least 1 new blog per month to follow {No problems here, at all.}
59. Comment on at least 1 blog post per week {I did pretty well at this. I don't know if I did one per week, but it was probably close}
60. Host 1 holiday celebration at my house
61. Have a family dinner for no special reason at least every other month
62. Identify a space in our new home for books and make use of it {Again, we didn't move. I do have some plans though for when we do}
63. Visit a large flea market/antique show {Oh gravy, this was so much fun. We went to Walnut Antique Walk and JunkStock in June, and Junk Jubilee in April!}
64. File important paperwork so it’s easily accessible {Oh, boy}
65. Organize my spice cupboard so it’s not overly full and difficult to find what I’m looking for
66. Utilize my closet
67. Make a plan to complete chores/housekeeping responsibilities on a routine basis
68. Purchase a new vacuum cleaner and use it!
69. Begin filling my home with meaningful decorations that make us happy
70. Make time weekly to create for myself {rather than for customers or gifts} {I'm calling this a fail. I don't really create except for Gather or Etsy, and I see it being that way for awhile at least. The thing is, if I want to make something for me, I make at least 2 so one can be mine and one can be in Gather}
71. Attempt to make contact with the people who received organs from my mom {I'm just not ready yet. Maybe next year.}
72. Send Christmas cards
73. Carve a pumpkin
74. Attend a training/seminar to learn a new skill for work {I actually can't remember if I learned something new, specifically}
75. Take a picnic
76. Learn how to use Photoshop
77. Take flowers to the graves of loved ones who have passed away
78. Use my time wisely to eliminate stress
79. Check Etsy and local stores first for gift giving options 
80. Plan ahead for gift giving to allow time for shipping or searching for the right gift
81. Complete the Week in the Life project and get photographs into an album or Project Life layout {I bolded part of it. I took photos for the project, but they're not in my album yet}
82. Get my house into a state where I would be comfortable with people dropping in
83. Keep my new house in a state where I’m comfortable with people dropping in {Again, we didn't move...}
84. Change my mindset that people can drop in on a house that is not perfectly spotless
85. Strive to be more patient with people {I'm horrible. I have zero patience. It's probably my worst quality - and best, when something needs to get done - and something I really need to work on}
86. Get up at least 3 times per week after hitting the snooze button only once {set alarm for the time I want to get out of bed instead of 45 minutes early} {I feel physically ill if I don't hit the snooze buttons a couple of times...I tried it, I'd rather just wake up at my own pace}
87. Become more active in an attempt to be healthier {and lose weight in the process}
88. Purchase a pair of dress shoes that are cute and do not hurt my feet
89. Send at least 1 “thinking of you” card to someone for no particular reason
90. Make and display an advent calendar
91. Organize my pantry
92. Don’t give up on taking photographs daily if I happen to miss one day {I missed a couple days and came up with a solution that works for me...that's why I'm calling it a win. I didn't give up just because I missed, I revised my plan instead.}
93. Don’t complain about anything for a week {I forgot this was on here. I know it never happened}
94. Watch a movie I’ve always wanted to see but have never made time to watch
95. Make a custom recipe book {or find my favorite online recipes and pin them onto my Food board on Pinterest} {I started this on Pinterest, but didn't get them in order the way I wanted...so that's why it's still in progress}
96. Eat 3 things I’ve never tried before {I honestly can't remember if I did or not}
97. Learn to knit or crochet
98. Make Cold Cookies for Grandma {and Mike & me}
99. Make my own cleaning product rather than buying something {laundry detergent is for sale at Gather, if you're interested}
100. Go to the county fair
101. Go to Groundhog Days {We got snowed in sadly...heard it was a blast. Next year!}
102. Don’t swear for a week {I also forgot this was on here...I'm also sure it didn't happen}
103. Identify 25 things that make me happy and find a way to incorporate those things into Project Life {I may still do this as I'm wrapping up Project Life...but I didn't do it during 2012}
104. Journal in Project Life as I take pictures - complete journaling for the previous month at the start of a month
105. Visit at least 1 photo booth
106. Take vitamins daily
107. Organize the photos on my computer {i got my work computer organized, but not my home ones}
108. Clean out refrigerator weekly
109. Send thank you notes in a timely manner {I'm hit or miss. I don't like that.}
110. Donate expired coupons for military use
111. Create/purchase a family calendar to be used by both Mike & me {my iPhone calendar seems to work better than this would have...we just check in with each other about things that are going on and I keep track of it.}
112. Say no to things when I don’t have time or am feeling overwhelmed {I'm calling this in progress. When I started Gather, I readjusted my priorities, and made sure I was taking time to make my dream come true. Sometimes, that means saying no to things, even when it's something I want to do. I'm working to feel okay with that, because I'm often disappointed, and even more often, worrying that I'm disappointing someone else. I have to move past that.}


Whew. To best honest, I stopped looking at this list halfway through 2012 {when I wrote my last post about it.} I knew it was there, but I didn't prioritize some of these items like I should have. It became a really overwhelming list for me, because our lives changed so much this last year.

When I first posted this list, someone made a comment that there was so much on my list, and my response was, well, if I even get a few of them completed, then my life will be that much better. I really believed that going in, and if I'm counting correctly, I completed 28 of the items on my list. Another 19 are in progress. So, that's pretty awesome when you think about it. Some of the fails were due to outside circumstances, some were because I just decided they weren't important, and some genuinely were fails. Maybe I readjusted my priorities, maybe I just didn't have the time or money, or maybe I just plain failed. Whatever the reason, I feel like the accomplishments on this list are pretty significant.

Okay, on to 2013. No, I won't be doing a 113 in 2013. It was just too much trying to do this list in 2012, even when I was paying attention to it. And clearly it fizzled out. I obviously will have some goals for next year, and I'm brainstorming some ways to keep me on track with them. Once I'm finished with the list, I'll be sharing it here like I did this year. I'd love to see your years in review, or your goals for 2013. Leave me a comment with blog posts on these topics so I can share in your challenges as well.

I hope everyone has a safe & happy New Year's Eve, and I wish you all the best in 2013. I'm looking forward to a great year!

30 Bags in 30 Days

Hey everyone,

If you read yesterday's "right now" post, then you saw that I'm on an organizational kick. This actually started about a month ago or so, but since moving is on the horizon, it's kicked into high gear now.

In an example of perfect timing, my friend Becky blogged about her 30 Bags in 30 Day project that she undertakes every year. You can read her post here. She decided to create the Instagram tag #30bags30days for those of us participating in the project to share our pictures. {I'm @gatherboutique on Instagram if you want to follow me.}

So, yesterday, I took on my first project: organizing my one personal drawer in my office. Here's the before:

Now, I know you can't see a whole lot in here, but that's a drawer that's about 12 inches deep filled to the brim with all sorts of things. And that's exactly what I see every time I open it up, so I have to dig to find out what I'm after.

I started by cleaning everything out to see what I even had. I threw away anything that was expired {which was only a couple things}. I put a couple of things where they actually belong instead of in this drawer. This is what I ended up with after that process:

The two binders in the back of the drawer are actually work related, but I only access them every year or two. I have to keep them on hand somewhere, but I don't need to worry about how easy it is to get to them since I don't use them often.

I started putting things back in the drawer in a way that made sense and I thought I could keep organized. I used a small cardboard box from the recycling pile to help corral some smaller items, and some zipper bags for others. Here's how it ended up:

From the top left, moving clockwise, I have some extra plastic bags I keep on hand in case I need to take things home with me.

Next I have some food in larger packages. We live about an hour and a half away from work, and I tend to eat most of my meals either at work or on the way to or from work. So, I keep an extra box of cereal on hand in case I happen to forget breakfast or am running late, and some chips for the occasional snack {rather than spending too much from the vending machine.}

Then I have condiments, just in case I need them for lunches. Saves on having to pack them from home.

The drink mixes are in individual form to be used with water bottles or tumblers {I have 3 or 4 different kinds there so I don't get too bored with them.}

I have some granola and snack food on hand. Or, if I don't eat all of the food I've packed for the day and it won't go bad, I normally just stick it in my drawer to be eaten later.

I keep some cold medicine, cold-eze, and whatnot on hand. Again, it's not like I can run home over lunch and get some, and I hate spending money on something that I already have on hand. In an emergency, our company has a pharmacy on site so I can just walk down the hall to get what I need.

I keep a candy jar on my desk for the employees and vendors who come to visit me. There's a bag of extras to refill. I normally don't buy candy, but find that I get gifted bags of candy for my jar from vendors or for holidays.

And finally, my zipper bag of utensils and napkins. I bring these items from home to keep on hand so I don't have to remember to pack them with my breakfast & lunch at home.

Everything is much more accessible now, the smaller items {especially the condiments} are corralled, and it's much easier to find what I'm looking for.

I also wanted to share with you my list for this project. I can cross the first item off!

Although it's called 30 Bags in 30 Days, I sincerely doubt I will get all of this accomplished in 30 days, especially with moving and butchering and Gather and everything else we have going on. And some of these things are things that can only be done at the new house because they're already packed up from this house {for example, the craft stuff, the games, dvds, etc.}

Like I said above, I'll be taking photos with Instagram, so look for updates there. I'll probably do an update to the project when it's done to let you know what I got accomplished. I hope you'll join in with us by using the tag #30bags30days. Leave a comment here or on Instagram and let me know you're joining in. Good luck!

Right Now

Hey everyone,

First off, a belated Happy Holidays to you all! I hope no matter what holidays you celebrate at this time of year, they were wonderful and filled with lots of fun, family & friends, laughter and blessings.

I've been a horrible blogger these last few months, and I haven't talked about much of anything except Gather. While it's a huge part of our lives, it's not all we do, and I feel like I haven't talked a lot about my life outside of it lately. I wanted to do a little "right now" post with you, and hopefully before the end of the year, I'll be able to see how my 112 in 2012 went, share some year in review type stuff, and who knows what else. That only gives me 6 or so days, so we'll see, but I'm going to try!

Right now I'm loving these post-Christmas sales. I adore Christmas...it's easily my favorite holiday by leaps and bounds, and I am always looking for things to add to my holiday collections. The day after Christmas is like a holiday in itself for me...I love hunting for great clearance finds, or seeing what stores have items I've really wanted this season still in stock. After I buy them, I store them away for next year and then it's like opening presents when I decorate for the holidays!

Right now I'm starting to feel some hope about moving. If you've been reading my blog at all over the last 15 months or so, you know that Mike & I have been planning a move. We made an offer on a house that was accepted, and then we had to back out of the deal because we agreed to move to Mike's parents farm. Long story short, that process has taken longer than any of us had ever wanted. It's been a roller coaster of a year with regard to that change in our lives, but it looks like we will be making the move sometime in early 2013, and then listing our beloved house for sale. I'll talk more about that when the time comes, but I'm excited to be getting on with this new chapter in our lives and all the things that it will bring for us. I'm also thrilled to see light at the end of the tunnel with regard to living out of boxes! Our house is nowhere near packed up, but we did start packing some things that weren't critical, every day items a LONG time ago. Even though we don't use them every day, we do access them more than once every 15 months. I'm loving that I won't have to unpack and repack these items every time we want to use them!

Right now I'm trying to live in the moment and enjoy everything about this upcoming week. It's always my week to take a break, relax from the holiday craziness, not think too much about the future, and just enjoy. It's difficult for me to live in the moment...it's something I've always struggled with. I'm a planner by nature, and I look toward the future 99% of the time as a result of that. I give myself this week every year to really just spend time loving the slower pace of my life for 7 days, and not think about all the things I have to get done or want to get done in the next year.

Right now I'm on an organizational kick. Maybe it's because we're moving. Maybe it's because I see how inefficiently we're using space in our current house and I know we're going to be in a smaller house soon. Maybe it's because I'm just tired of not having a place for everything. I don't know, but I'm really glad it's happening. I decided that I'm going to organize as I pack so that when I unpack, I don't have any excuses. I've been finding tons of great inspiration through blogs, YouTube & Pinterest {which, to be honest, is all a little overwhelming}. I'm so looking forward to getting everything in order and having a system that works for us.

Right now I'm figuring out if I can catch up and finish my 2012 Project Life before the end of the year. I'm sure I can, because the system is that awesome. I just have to tell myself to do it. Maybe I'll be able to get everything done this weekend and do a video to flip through the album with you.

{Speaking of which} Right now I'm loving the idea of taking videos of things rather than trying to take pictures. I'm still not comfortable seeing myself on camera, so I don't know that I'll ever be in front of the camera, but I love watching videos on YouTube of different things and think I want to include more of that into my memory keeping, blogging, and Gather promotion.

Right now I'm so grateful for everyone in my life, both family & friends. This Christmas was honestly one of the best I remember in a long time, not because of the gifts {although, I got some cool stuff!}, but because of all the people I was able to be with. I'm so truly blessed to have such an awesome group of people around me. I'm also extremely lucky to have the community of people that I've met through this blog, Facebook, and other social media outlets. I would have never guessed how many awesome friendships I would have made in these ways, but I'm so glad for them.


I'll probably be adding my right now type posts to my Project Life album at some point, and when I eventually do go over my album with you, I'll show you how I incorporate those. I hope you're having an amazing week and I'll check in with you soon!