2011 Resolutions

Hello 2012! I am very excited to see what you have in store for us this year. 2011 was a very exciting year for us with trips to Europe, new jobs and our wedding festivities.  2012 is probably going to be a bit more low key but hopefully just as fun.  Last January I made a few resolutions for myself and of course now it is time to see how I went with them all.  They were nothing too major as I am also doing my 101 in 1001 but still gave me a little something to aspire to.

1 - Read More

My aim was to read 52 books this year but unfortunately I did not quite make it.  I am still pretty happy with what I did manage to read.  I hit 40 books in December (yes that means I only read 1 book in December).  This is a major improvement for me though considering all I read in the 3 years previous were text books and magazines. Before uni I read a lot but when uni started I just didn't have the time. When I graduated in 2010 I was in the habit of not reading so it just continued. Having said that I am pretty happy with having read 40 books in 2011.

2 - Introduce more vintage into my wardrobe.
At the end of 2010 I decided that I wanted to start wearing vintage clothes.  I had always admired the vintage style but was never game enough to purchase anything.  I made my first purchase at the end of 2010 when I bought 2 dresses to wear for Christmas.  In 2011 I wanted to expand my vintage wardrobe and I have definitely been successful at this goal.  A trip to London in March saw my vintage wardrobe grow considerably.  Since then there has been many purchases via etsy, ebay and in person at various vintage stores that we have passed in our travels.  I really feel like this year I have come into my own style a bit more and I definitely feel more comfortable about who I am and how I dress.


3 - Start sewing with vintage patterns.
So I didn't give myself an actual number of patterns to sew with so technically I can call this one a success.  I did only sew 1 vintage pattern though.  I used an 80's pattern to sew a pair of high waisted shorts. I do own a few more vintage patterns which I would love to make but as you will see by my next goal my sewing exploits this year were a bit slack.


4 - Sew 30 things in 2011

This goal was an epic fail with only 17 items being sewn this year.  I really wanted to sew more this year but with a month taken out for Europe and October - December being a total write off with birthdays, the wedding and Christmas I just didn't get anywhere near as much as I wanted achieved.  I am happy with what I sewed this year though. They are all items that I love and I am very happy with how they all turned out.


5 - Knit 15 things in 2011

I am so happy with how much I managed to knit this year.  I love to knit but I get a little slack when a project takes too long.  Something I would love to achieve this year is to knit a garment for myself that I actually wear.  I have knit myself a few cardigans in the past but always end up wearing them once and then getting rid of them.  Usually this is because I stuff them up somehow so that they don't fit comfortably or I knit something that isn't really my style anyway.  I am hoping to change that in 2012.


6 - Bake More (at least 30 things).

I love to bake and 2011 was definitely a good baking year for me! One thing I am really happy with is the birthday cakes that I made this year. I have been wanting to make some fun themed cakes for ages and this year I definitely achieved that. My burger cake I made my dad is one of my favourite cakes I have ever made.  I am hoping I can continue to make fun cakes like this again in 2012.

So, how did you all go with your 2011 resolutions? Have you made any resolutions for 2012 yet? I have a few things I would like to achieve much the same as this year but I will be back to post about those later.

On 2011

I spotted this meme over on Rainbowtatt and thought it was a great way to round at the year. I can't believe 2011 is over already. Here is a bit of reflection on my 2011.

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
   Got married!!! Traveled to Europe. Climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Went to the gym consistently for more than a month (we went really well from when we got home from Europe till the week before the wedding then slacked off).
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
   I made a few resolutions and completed a few and failed a few but I plan on doing a post on that soon. Probably not before the end of the year though.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
   We had two new nephews born into the family this year. Two of Corey's sisters gave birth. Krystal gave birth to her fourth in June and Kellie gave birth to her fourth in September. They were named Levi and Braxton.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
   No family members but a close friend lost his little sister which was devastating.  
5. What countries/states did you visit?
   Europe - London, Barcelona, Dublin, Rome, Venice, Florence, Munich, Berlin and Paris. Airlie Beach - Queensland for our honeymoon. We are also currently in Copacabana on the Central Coast of New South Wales visiting my aunty and uncle.
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
   Time to sew. I didn't get anywhere near as much sewing done this year as I would have liked. Most of my spare time was taken up by wedding preparations. Now that the wedding is over I am hoping 2012 will bring back my sewing mojo.
7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
   November 12th - our wedding day!
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
   Getting married to the love of my life!
9. What was your biggest failure?
   Allowing myself to get stressed out over wedding preparations.  I really didn't want to be one of those brides.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
    Nothing major.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
    My wedding dress!
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
    All my friends and family who came and help celebrate our wedding day.  Especially all of those who travelled from interstate and overseas to be with us.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
    A certain cousin. That is all I will say on the matter.
14. Where did most of your money go?
    Our wedding and our Europe trip.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
    Our wedding and our honeymoon.  The best two weeks of my year.
16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
    Sexy and I Know It by LMFAO. This had a very entertaining moment at our wedding and now I can't stop singing it.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
    a) happier or sadder? happier in some areas and sadder in others.
    b) thinner or fatter? thinner thanks to my gyming efforts.
    c) richer or poorer? richer only because I wasn't working at the end of last year. 
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
    Slowing down and appreciating the things that have happened this year.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
    Stressing.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
    Unwrapping presents with Corey, lunch at Corey's parents house then headed back down to the Coast to see my family. We ended the day curled up on the lounge watching Christmas movies.
21. Did you fall in love in 2011?
    I began the year in love and finished it even more in love!
22. How many one-night stands?
    Wow, what a question! Corey and I have been together 8 years this year so those days are far behind me.
23. What was your favourite TV program?
    Criminal Minds.
24. Did you make a friend with anyone that you didn’t know this time last year?
    Yes, my new friends from work.
25. What was the best book you read?
    I really enjoyed the Hunger Games books.  I also read Minxy Vintage which I got for Christmas and loved it. It has inspired me to start customising some vintage!
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
    Imelda May. I heard her just before we went to Europe and bought both her cd's in Dublin and have played them over and over again since coming home.
27. What did you want and get?
    A new house! We were just approved for a new rental property a few days before Christmas. We move at the end of January.
28. What did you want and not get?
    Um, nothing important. I think we have done pretty well this year.
29. What was your favourite film of this year?
    Planet of the Apes - I didn't expect to like this movie but I really enjoyed it.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
    I turned 24 this year. On my actual birthday I went to work and was spoilt rotten by my work friends with a decorated desk and baked goodies and loads of presents.  That night we went to my parents for dinner.  One the weekend before my birthday we went ice skating during the day and then out to teppanyaki for dinner with some family and friends.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
    Being able to buy a house instead of moving into another rental.  But such is life and we will keep saving and aim for that next year.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
    Have fun and be true to myself. Stop worrying what other people think of what I wear.
33. What kept you sane?
    Corey.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
    You can't go past Ryan Gosling.  He was gorgeous in Crazy Stupid Love.
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
    Same-sex marriage is a big one for me. Especially having gotten married this year it just seemed a lot more important to me that everyone be able to have the chance to experience the joy that I did on my wedding day.
36. Who did you miss?
    My sister who spent most of the year living in Europe. She came home 10 days before our wedding but is now moving to Melbourne in a matter of days.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
    Sally and Anna my two office mates from work. They are so much fun and keep me motivated and loving my job.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011
    Sometimes there are a people in your life that you are better off without and although it might be hard in the long run you will be better off if you just let them go.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year
    Baby it's youYou're the one I loveYou're the one I needYou're the only one I see.Come on baby it's you.
    You're the one that gives your all.You're the one I can always call.When I need you make everything stop. Finally you put my love on top!
    Love On Top by Beyonce