michellephilippi.com

I’m not really one for New Year’s Resolutions, but there is a blogger that I follow who posts goals for the new year and then a weekly update on where she is to those goals.  I think there’s probably something to writing them down and updating them as the weeks go by to keep you accountable while also watching your progress.

So, I’ve got some goals for the year.  One that I did not write down initially but am going to add to the bottom of the list is:  do something with the blog. It’s my blog, it’s got my name on it, I pay for it, so I might as well use it.  I don’t craft or coupon as much as I used to, but I want to do something here, and maybe my weekly goals update is a good place to start.  And with that being said, I present to you my goals for 2019.

1 – Lose 100 pounds.  Wow.  That’s a lot.  I can’t believe I actually typed that.  I read THIS STORY last year, which led me to a site (that I can’t find anymore) which talked about all the different diets there are out there but that the bottom line (in their opinion) was calories.  It had you punch in your weight, your age, your height, your activity level, and then choose do you want to maintain, lose, or lose fast.  I’m all for losing fast, so it gave me a daily calorie target.  And that’s what I’m starting out with.

2 – Read 4 books.  The last time I remember LOVING reading was in Mrs. Richardson’s class in 8th grade.  I’ve heard that reading, doing puzzles, doing crosswords, and word searches can help your mind stay healthier as you age.  My Yaya had Alzheimer’s and died less than a year after being diagnosed.  So, I’ve got that in my family.  And if a little reading can help me be as mentally intact as possible for as long as possible, I’ll give it a shot.  I bought a Jillian Michaels book from DollarTree, and then I got a Judy Blume book for Christmas, so I’ve got books to start with and now just need to figure out where to program the time to read.

3 – Canning.  We have a pretty good size garden, and a couple of peach trees that should both be bearing fruit this year, so I’d like to try my hand at canning.  I don’t want to spend millions on supplies and then find out I can’t do it or don’t like it, but I want to try it and see how it goes.

4 – Bake a pie from scratch.  I got in to The Great British Bake Off last year and tried some bread-baking and it turned out pretty good, and I enjoyed it.  I have also been making quiche with a homemade crust.  Now I want to try baking a pie.  I need to figure out a kind that all 4 of us will enjoy because we all have different tastes.  I am thinking it’ll probably be peach.

5 – Save $1000 cash.  I have no idea what this is for, or why.  I just want to see if I can do it.  Maybe I’ll buy some new clothes if I hit goal number one!

6 – Self-care.  I work 6 days a week, and I need to do something just for me.  Maybe it’s doing a face mask.  Maybe it’s doing my nails.  Maybe it’s making a card.  Something that I enjoy and makes me feel good inside and/or out.

7 – Do something with the blog. 

So, there you have it.  My 7 goals for 2019.  I officially started on January 2nd.  Come back tomorrow for the update on how my first partial (5 days)week went.  If you’re still here – do you have any goals?  Or any tips for me accomplishing mine? 

TTFN!

Fall is officially here which means the holidays are going to be here in a jiffy.  I love sending smiles across the miles, but with the to-do list being long and time being short, I’m always trying to find ways to maximize efficiencies.  Jazzing up a plain paper sack, with a personal touch, fits the bill.

First up is a little feel-good package I put together for a friend.  I designed an image on my phone, printed it out at Walgreens, and then put it on the front of a Brown Paper Middy Bitty bag along with some stickers.

A friend of mine took a really cool fall picture of the Capitol here in Boise, Idaho and I asked her if I could use it to send happy mail.  She said yes, so I added some words to it and adhered it too to the front of a Brown Paper Middy Bitty bag to easily and affordably send pictures to family across the country.

And lastly, I thought I’d share a quick shot of a gift box I am putting together to ship for Christmas.
To add some crafty in the midst of all the standard wrapping paper, I used various red and gold bags from Whisker Graphics, and tied some off with Divine Twine.

This time of year is my favorite!

Birthday season for us ramps up in May and goes through October.  Which is perfect because then it gives way to the holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter.  We had a family birthday at the beginning of this month and I craftpackaged all of her gifts.  Starting with some fun face masks packaged in a red polka dot Bigger Bitty Bag from Whisker Graphics.

I simply adore the Casablanca pattern on these yellow Middy Bitty Bags.  It’s fancy, but you can still make it fun.

A Gold Metallic Bigger Bitty Bag topped with a diecut, and a gold clip to go with.

(I buy the big roll of tickets at the party store for like $5 and use it on craftpackaging all the time.)

This notebook Middy Bitty Bag takes me back.
I have a Dymo labeler that I use for personalizing and it’s a natural pairing for the notebook pattern, don’t you think?

I’ve got some birthday happy mail to send out this month and wanted to crafty up my wrap a little bit.
Bitty Bags from Whisker Graphics always make it super easy to do.

This first package I kept super simple. Summer colors, and a pretty clean look.
I attached a large colored tag, topped it with some diecut HAPPYs, and then finished it off with a button.
Easy peasy.

I went a little fancier on this next package.

I keep a paper bow template set in my craft drawer and decided to bring it out and use some gift wrap remnant to make a bow to top my package with.

Aren’t paper bows just the best?!

Here’s a shot of some crafty wrap I did for another birthday.
I used this super rad Casablanca bag, topped it with some tickets, another HAPPY diecut, a gold heart sticker, and a little wooden star.

Birthdays.  They are the BEST.

We have a big birthday in our family this month, and I thought it’d be fun to personalized and craftify some of the gifts.
I started out with these Polka Dot Bigger Bitty Bags from Whisker Graphics.

I topped them off with a large gift tag stamped with a birthday sentiment and then added some die cut 50s to them.

And lastly, I tied them off with some Divine Twine.

Super easy, super fun, and now we’re ready to party!