Leona Lane

52 PROJECT PROGRESS + CHECK SHEET

As I mentioned awhile ago, I decided to embark on a 52 Project with painting. I'm still loving it! I've also realized I like black & white much better than working with color - at least for text. I'm curious to see how this will morph over the course of a year. I've finished seven so far, and since I started sometime in November that is roughly one per week - although I've definitely missed a few weeks. I decided to try and get Tuesdays off this year (from my day job - I'm feeling like I need some consistency in my life) and if that works out Tuesday mornings are going to be for painting! 

So far the one below is my favorite! I saw the Tyler Knott quote "mountains know the secrets we need to learn" on Lisa Noff's instagram, and almost literally jumped out of bed to paint it! (ps. I'm giving away three of them on Instagram today... head over there to enter!)

I had a blank wall in our office that I turned into a drying/display area. I certainly don't have lots of floor or desk space to use, so this works really well. It's super simple - just six nails placed evenly apart from each other and in-line with the ones below, then black embroidery thread tied fairly taught between them. I clip up the paper with mini-clothespins. I love it! (and it doesn't overwhelm the office since it's just black and white!)

Then to keep tract of my progress, I made a little check off sheet. A simple grid with 52 boxes and '52 Project' painted across the bottom. I just paint an X in one of the boxes at the end of each painting session - super easy.

Since it's the beginning of a new year and some of you lovely readers might be embarking on your own year long project, I thought I'd scan it and turn it into a printable for you to use! It's already sized as an 8 x 10, so all you should need to do is click the link below to open on your computer and print it out. 

Click Here For Printable 52 PROJECT TRACKER

ONE LITTLE WORD FOR 2015

As fall moves into winter I always find myself reflecting on the current year and thinking forward to the year ahead. This year I've been thinking a lot about life in general, goals and priorities. All the heavy stuff that has a way of keeping you up at night. Sometimes it all feels very humbling, sometimes it feels exciting, the air feels thick with the anticipation of whats to come and all the possibilities life holds. 

I have a tendency to feel like I can take on the world - in a day. And then get so very disappointed when that obviously doesn't happen. Yet I've also realized that I underestimate what I could get done in an hour, or a week, or a year. If I would just get started and then stick with something for awhile.

A wise man once told me you can only do so many things at once. And I've found that to be very true. In general I have great aspirations for a bunch of things - to keep up the house, cook healthy meals, keep up this blog and make stuff, be active and take care of my health and have a family. And I also still work full time and have bills to pay. And when you think about all that for a sec, well it sounds a bit overwhelming.

Recently, I feel like I've been craving routine, craving a familiar schedule. And I keep having this urge to get rid of literally everything. (Don't worry, I could never actually pull the trigger on something like that.) But Joe and I keep talking about this idea of minimalism and what that would look like for us. And while we have a pretty good idea of what it wouldn't look like - a stark empty white house - we haven't exactly landed on what it would look like.

Yesterday I shared a giant list of what I would love to 2015 to look like, which in a sort of inverse way leads to my one little word - the idea that has been circulating and percolating in my head for the last several months. LESS.

Less is not fancy, it doesn't have a nice ring to it. But it feels right, it feels real, it feels authentic for the current moment. What does less look like? Right now it means less stuff, less mental clutter, cutting out the stupid stuff that didn't really matter in the first place. It means less pressure on myself to be perfect and to give myself permission to let the less important things slide. It means figuring out where my priorities really are. 

To have more, to do more and be more, you have to have less first. That's just how it works, you can only do so many things at once. I love the saying "have less, do more" - that's what I want 2015 to look like. I'm excited!

What about you? Did any of you pick out One Little Word for this year?

IF 2015 WAS PERFECT

If 2015 was perfect... 

we'd go hiking a lot 
and spend time in the woods
find a new homemeeting
cook simple and delicious meals at home
drink lots of hot cocoa with or without hazelnut schnapps
have a million cuddle sessions with mr. malcolm
i'd do lots of yoga
listen to lots of records
and burn lots of candles
we'd make things simpler
and get rid of clutter
i'd always take my vitamins and drink lots of water
we'd go on a bunch of camping trips
and go somewhere new
i'd take more pictures of people
and we'd spend lots of time with old friends, new friends and family
i'd make things from scratch like marshmallows and popsicles
we'd drink lots of coffee
and eat good food
we'd chase the light and watch more sunsets and maybe some sunrises
i'd become a morning person
we'd keep dreaming about our cabin in the woods
and print our adventures
and keep painting
we'd carve out a reading nook
we'd go hammocking and paddleboarding
snowboarding too, on lots of powder
i'd make some cool stuff
and write lots more lists of good things
and be happy.

This is the stuff I want to make time for in 2015. This is absolutely not a pie-in-the-sky list, this is absolutely the opposite of that. When I started writing this list, I only wrote down things that are one hundred percent possible right now. Not things to dream about, but things that can absolutely happen in this stage of life, right where we are, right now. Here's to 2015! Hope you're a fun one!

PS. The wood calendar is from Artifact Uprising. I'd been looking for a calendar for the new year and I absolutely love it! All the pictures are Instagrams from our Europe trip last September. The quality is fantastic (as expected, they make great stuff). All opinions are my own and I was not paid or perked to write this post. The link is a referral link however and it should get you 10% of your order!

6 DECEMBER GOALS

There is something to writing down goals and putting it out there. I don't know if there is much merit in being accountable to the internet. But whatever gets you motivated I say. Last month, I managed to get quite a bit of my goals checked off - I surprised myself a bit. However, I am still working on clearing out the annoying paperwork stuff. I did finally finish my prepaid yoga classes and plan to start the new gym classes on my next day off - going back to Spokane for Thanksgiving put a cramp on getting that done earlier. And I'm happy to say, I'm hitting the snooze less often and continuing on my quest of becoming a morning person. I keep trying to remind myself that I've been a night owl for 29 years so becoming a morning person isn't going to happen overnight (bad pun...haha). Anyways, here's what I'm hoping to work on for December...

Make |Finish the quilt square for a group blanket (and mail it back). Then think of lots of other crafty projects to start. Any of you locals up for a craft day?

Read | The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Health | Cook and eat more veggies. (and start Les Mills Body Flow class, carryover from last month)

Habit | Make coffee at home in the mornings, especially on work days. (Motivation to get up earlier.) We finally caved and bought an electric burr grinder which should make this easier.

Unplug | Go on a snow hike?! Winter is officially here, so here's to hoping the snow will stick in the mountains.

Unclutter | And I think I have Joe on board to tackle the kitchen this month! Last month of the Great Unclutter of 2014...

7 NOVEMBER GOALS

Make | I decided to start a 52 Project! Mine is going to be simple (I hope)... more on that later this week!

Read | Heidi, I picked up a copy at the thrift store last week.

Health | Finish yoga classes (only 2 left!) and then start at a gym with Les Mills Body Flow class

Habit | Continue the quest to stop hitting my snooze button in the morning.

Unplug | Enjoy Thanksgiving!!

Unclutter | Take care of annoying paperwork stuff.

and ... Open the Leona Lane Shop!! eek. Keep your ears open for more on that one...