coming together

It's been a busy and productive week.  I finished printing the new collaboration, an entire new wedding line, taught week number two of the semester, hung an exhibition of student work, chatted with clients, wrote a ton of email, got a killer haircut, had faculty meetings, had lunch with friends, started planning a summer trip abroad. My to do list has started to get smaller, and I'm hoping to knock down a few more things before the wedding show this weekend.  I'm going to sleep in on Sunday, that's for sure!

Looking back...looking forward

Looking back...goodbye and hugs 2009.
This year was so different from last year.  I made resolutions and stuck to most of them!  At the end of 2008 I realized that I had been spending so much time on Pistachio Press that I hadn't made room in my life for my family, friends, or myself.  2009 was all about changing that, well, not all about it, but very much about it :)  I took more trips home, I went to the movies, I baked cookies (for dogs and humans), I took pictures, I blogged a little more, I read a few books, I made new friends.  And I still taught a full load of courses, still took on new jobs (including a HUGE book project) and continued to buy new presses and print a lot.  Reflecting on this year I feel like I've almost figured out a balance...almost.

Looking forward...daydreaming about 2010.
I'm actually really excited to be starting this new year.  It feels so full of potential, which is cheesy, but true.  One of the goals I didn't actually complete from last year was keeping on top of filing and organizing.  What can I say, four out of five goals isn't too shabby.  I have already started a new stystem to get organized and I hope I can be disciplined enough to keep with it this year.  I think it will make me feel more at ease and less likely to forget things or feel overwhelmed.  I'm also realizing that I need to have different goals for my personal life and for my business, and they they need to be separate to some extent.

I know I said I was going to be posting my goals here, but this year I don't feel like I need to make them so publicly.  It's kind of fun to just write my list down on paper and tape it up in my office (once the office is pile-free) and wait to be able to cross things off.  I will let you know that some of my goals will be super fun, like mastering the art of the macaron or taking a vacation with my husband.  Other goals will be more serious, like reworking my website or not answering emails at 2am.  And some will toe the line (like twitter or checking other blogs).  I'll keep you posted as best as I can, especially for some awesome new projects and monthly giveaways.  I hope you have a peaceful new year, full of potential, productivity, and fun!

Wishing for the New Year

I just put together quite possibly my last treasury of 2007. I'm hoping to buy at least a few of these things in the new year {or maybe my husband will buy one or two for my birthday, hint, hint}. Check out these great shops while you're finishing all of your Christmas shopping.

Playing Tag

I was tagged by Megan, so here are five random things you may not know about me.

1. I love popcorn from the movies. I love it so much that I bring my own seasoning to the theater and if I have leftovers I eat them for breakfast the next morning.

2. I have an obsession with 80's pop music and I play it while I'm teaching (which amuses most of my students).

3. This may not be a secret to some of you, but I can't stop myself from making piles. If there is a clean flat surface in my house or studio I cover it with paperwork, cards, prints, junk mail...you get the idea.

4. It takes me forever to compose email. I blame this on a job related to copy editing. I proofread even the most simple email several times and read it aloud to make sure it makes sense. I've been trying not to obsess about it so much!

5. I am one of those crazy-obsessed dog people who dress their dogs in clothes and send out holiday cards with pictures of the dogs. I never thought I'd be one of these people, but I guess I am. My hope is that acknowledgment of this fact will somehow make it ironic and not creepy.

I tag Abbey, Lindsay, Kris, Nicole, and Erin.

The rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 5 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

To Conquer!

Spring break is almost over for me, but I have a few goals. I figure if I post them here it might inspire me to actually cross them off my list!

Things I did today (yay motivation!):
*finally purchased a real web domain and uploaded my site (thanks, Luke!)
*went through the unopened mail that had been sitting near my front door for weeks
*sorted through all my email since December...how can it be this hard to keep up?
*brushed both dogs...not an easy task at this time of the year
*stopped by the insurance company to fork over money for studio insurance
*developed two of my three screens for a print I'm working on

On my hit list:
*reply to the email in my newly sorted inbox
*sort the hidden email from the last year (!) and send most of it to the trash (I have the hardest time deleting messages. I always think I'm going to need them.)
*finish filing my GIANT pile of papers so that we can file our taxes
*finish my print for the exchange Abbey and I are organizing (I'm late, but I'm one of the organizers and half of the participants are late, too!)
*hand-stitch the opening of the flocked throw pillows I started weeks ago
*clean out the refrigerator for garbage night
*clean up all of the files on my desktop, even the ones I've hidden in the pseudo-folders (like my "Arrg!" folder)
*catch up on Lost and my knitting