The last resolution I will unload on you: To learn an instrument. I just think it would be awesome to have the ability to make music, even at the most basic, amateur level.

I know a resolution to doodle more sounds a bit goofy, but I think it pretty much encompasses my desire to make things for the fun of it and be a bit less results-driven. Just play and enjoy the process.

This is another ongoing type of thing. But this year, I’d like to experiment more and switch teams a bit to shoot with film.

I’ve also joined up with Project 365, so this should be a well-documented year.

(my photo for the day)

This isn’t so much a goal I suppose, as a long path. More and more, I’ve tried to stay conscious of my desires and mindful of my life and the choices I make, but there is a lot of room for improvement.

I generally would like less clutter in all aspects of my life, more time, and more focus. I’d like to learn to live with less.

“Do not keep anything in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful” – William Morris

I’d like to share my new year’s resolutions with you.

Last year, I had a very long list of very concrete goals (happily I accomplished a lot of them, or am close to doing so). But I don’t feel like doing that this year, so instead I made a short and sweet list of a few things I’d like to do and some general ideas/themes I want to pursue. So here’s the first:

Grow a garden.

I have this dream of a teeny urban farm and growing at least a significant chunk of our own food. I’m realistic about the amount of work and learning this would involve, so I’m planning to start small and work up to this.

The next place we live will need to have some outdoor space. Right now, I’m making the most of the narrow strip of weedy concrete behind our building with several herbs and my darling little meyer lemon tree.

I have defended her from one pest after another, pollinated her by hand when she was indoors, and I am happy to report that today we had our first harvest of beautiful lemons. A good sign for the coming year.

I hope everyone had a good holiday. This was my favorite gift- a new Holga! Kenn gave this to me along with a tea of the month subscription.

Our house is all gussied up now. It is such a pleasure to come home to at night and wake up to in the morning.

A pair of these birds hang on our wall year round, but something about them feels particularly festive right now.

It’s that time of year, to start pulling out the long long soft wool socks. And I have been living in this grey fuzzy cardigan that goes almost to my knees.

Also: making soup. baking persimmon bread. drinking cordials. basking in the christmas lights. knitting a huge scarf.

Lights, candles, bokeh. A few of my flickr favorites (click each for source).

I have been hard at work getting my little business on its feet. So hard at work that Kenn has forbidden me from making any decorations this year. But we still added some shimmer and shine to the house this weekend. Photos to come.

Also, if you emailed me about testing a pattern and didn’t hear back… there were a couple people who must have had a typo when entering their email address, because mail bounced. If I didn’t respond to you, please send me your address again. I’d hate for anyone to think I don’t appreciate the offer.

And if you are wondering where the name came from for Colette Patterns, this is Colette, poking her head out of her penthouse:

She, in turn, was named for the writer, Sidonie Gabrielle Colette.

“Be happy. It’s one way of being wise.” - Colette