Glancing Back

Man, that is one crooked horizon!

You know what they say about moving forward. It’s important to take a look back to see where you’ve been, recognize how far you’ve come, then turn to the future with open arms. Preferably while smirking and slurping some green tea (mmmm). I’ve set my intentions for the year but I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shout-out to 2011. What a busy and fruitful 12 months! I made big leaps with my sewing skillz, visited wonderful places, met soooo many lovely new friends and (most importantly!!) birthed a crafty baby girl named PeepThread. Thank you for letting me share and connect with you over the last year. If you’ll humor me a little longer, here is my personal highlight reel from 2011.

Prom dresses: who knew? One of my most popular posts of 2011 was about DIY Prom Dresses. Every single day at least one person searched the interwebs for “DIY prom dresses” and landed on my site. Every. Single. Day. All year long. Craziness.

The Alameda Flea Market was a huge source of inspiration for me last year. Talk about shutter candy! Not to mention, all of the priceless little gems I scored for my own collection. The Alameda Market sparked my lust for vintage jars and coffee cans. Without a doubt.

Zippity zip zip. Anybody who has tried to sew a zipper for the first time can attest to the anxiety about doing so. Then you do it and you shout, “HEY! I can actually do this! It’s really easy and kind of fun. In fact, I’m going to make 500 zipper bags right now! Also, I love caffeine!”. It was the ah-ha moment where I realized how accessible sewing could be. These lined zipper pouches were one of my very first projects involving a zipper and I still love them like my first babies. My little cotton babies with lip liner stains on the inside

The SJMade local vendor fair started in 2011. The events really opened my eyes to all of the crafters, artisans and food trucks in SJ. I enjoyed the opportunities to support local talent, especially since Silicon Valley is often perceived as artistically void. SJMade has made me proud to be San Jose-ite.

First Annual Etsy Craft Party 2011!! What a fun day that was. I teamed up with my crafty partner in crime to host our very first maker party…on-a-stick. Folks really got into the spirit of creating AND posed in our photo booth with their crafts on-a-stick. Such posing the likes of which has never been witnessed. It was truly amazing and poem-worthy. What’s our theme for 2012? Wait and see, amigo. Wait and see.

One of my photos was used in a Groupon last year. This was a cool moment because I enjoyed the photoshoot and getting to know Victoria of Satori Tea. She has been a great supporter of PeepThread, especially in the early days when I had no idea of what I wanted PeepThread to be.

It’s true, these little business cards were fun to make last year. They were a bridge to so many new friendships. And that’s the best part.

I issued a challenge last year and people actually answered. I loved seeing all of the submissions and trying new skirt patterns myself. It’s a great feeling to put something out into the world and get a positive response.

One of my favorite weekends was spent in Portland last spring. I especially enjoyed meeting and talking with the folks at SewPo, Modern Domestic and Bolt. Portland is a crafters dream. Sigh.

Maker Faire 2011 was a blast. The Craftzine panel was amazing (hello, Jenny Hart!) and so was the post-session demonstration (hello, Jenny Hart again!).

Ring ring, it’s Judith calling. How could I talk about 2011 without mentioning this delicate flower and her icy stepford stare? She will forever haunt my nightmares, eat my soul, and grace my favorite pillow. She is my spirit animal.

The best meal of 2011, hands down, was at Blue Plate in Portland. Bacon mac & cheese fit for the gods. Food so good you’ll slap your mom on the lips. Do you even think I’m kidding?

BlogHer 2011 really rocked my socks off. Great sessions, brilliant women, all-around a fun time. It was at BlogHer that I met two of my favorite bloggers: Oh Jenny Mae and Club ChicaCircle.

Let’s talk about the best thing in my 2011. Stella. She is my little sunbeam and she makes me laugh and push myself to be better. Without her I wouldn’t be where I am today, and that is the honest truth. And yes, she drives me crazy too. Still, I loved doing craft projects with her over the last year and look forward to a lifetime of creating/laughing/arguing together.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading my long post! I can’t wait to share with you in 2012

Tagged as: Inspiration, Last Year, Stuff I made