The Last Day of January....

As the title says, today is the last day of January. Always a good time to see how the goals are going and if I am getting off track.

My vision for Pink Lilli Vintage is getting much clearer and the future looks so exciting. The plan is to search out vintage items.... linens, quilts and some dishes. For linens and quilts,  they may need to be repaired or revamped. Although with any luck I will scope out deals that just need to be cleaned up.

 There are trade shows coming up that I am going to be preparing for, which means that I am stretching out of my comfort zone. So I am busy looking at ideas for exciting booth ideas. Pinterest is such a great source of ideas.

This is amazing from vintageshowoff.blogspot.com.... I will certainly need to find a few more cool pieces and need a big booth space....all in due time.

Something smaller...more like this, may be in order for my first few go rounds.

 

 

As for the rest of my goal list....things are going well, although maybe a bit slower than I would like to see. BUT that is on me and no one else. So I am recommitting to try harder for the month of February. Work harder, do better. As long as I keep going and don't give up, then that is considered moving forward.

 

I hope you are all reaching your goals as well... if you lost motivation, tomorrow is a new day.

 

Until next time......

 

Michele

It Is Time To Change Things Up!

You may have noticed that the title of this little place on the internet is no longer called the Renegade Seamstress. Yup, that's right I am changing things up a bit. I am still sewing! But I no longer want to be defined as "just" a seamstress.

I have had a long term love affair with anything old, anything vintage and anything that is still usable. I love vintage linens, and vintage dishes. I have boxes of things that I have collected over the years. I also love estate sales, yard sales and thrift stores.

So I am combining all my passions into one place! And by calling it a business, it gives me the perfect excuse to shop, hoard, fix, and sell. I call this a big win!

I find lots of vintage linens, that are just to pretty to not buy, they may not be really usable in their current condition but they are perfectly fine to take apart and make them into something else that will be loved in a new home.

Some items are still in decent condition, but may just need to be repaired, such as a vintage quilt or a table cloth.

Lastly some things just need to be cleaned up and find a new home where they can be loved for what they are.

This isn't just about linens! I also love to source out vintage dishes, pyrex bowls, tea cups and other interesting things. There is just no way that I can keep everything I find. BUT I can purchase it, use it, love it for a while and then turn it over to a new owner. 

 Of course I will also still be sewing items that fit with what I love to do....Vintage inspired little girl's  clothing and décor. With less actual sewing as a business I am able to really have the time to love my personal sewing as well.

My own decorating style doesn't always allow me to use a lot of the items I love.... I do have cats, so pretty linens and table cloths are out of the question. And my personal clothing style isn't a vintage look, even though I love it. So this allows me to have the best of both worlds.

I am super excited about this and I hope if you are a lover of vintage you will follow along on this adventure.

A Week Into New Years Already!

Here it is, already January 8,  2016!

I always love New Years. I love how it feels like a fresh start, much the way I used to feel about September, with a whole stack of clean notebooks. A whole blank year is ahead of me and I can make it whatever I want it to be.  I love looking back over the goals I made at the beginning of last year and seeing how did. As usual, I had some hits, really big hits, and a few misses.

I like to look back and evaluate myself...am I a better person than I was this time last year? The biggest thing is 'did I try'? As long as I am trying then I am happy with my progress.

I have spent the first week of 2016 not so much making resolutions, but making a list of goals. I am not sure why this is always so hard. When asked to write down 10 crazy wild goals, I usually like to put a lot of thought in...in fact I probably overthink them! I rarely come up with anything to wild or to crazy. (Sometimes I make more of a 'Dream" list. Things I dream about one day.)  My goal list gets written and rewritten as I try and determine where the goal is coming from. Is it something I think I should do....or is it something I really, really want to do.

I won't list all of goals for the year...because I am pretty sure some of them will still get changed. But a few of my 2016 goals in no particular order are as follows:

1. Spend time reading something other than Facebook.... I am reading 2 books a month, one for knowledge and one for pleasure.

2. Up my photography game....I am taking online classes and spending more time taking proper photos of my projects and for my blog. I also intend on organizing, printing and sharing more of photography.

3. Be in the best physical shape I have ever been in. ..... I have my Hashimoto's Thyroiditis under complete control through an exceptional diet. I exercise daily to be a strong, sexy gramma with killer tank top arms. I intend to be at least 2 sizes smaller.

4. Spend more time on my sewing business with some rebranding! I want to turn it into the place to come for vintage inspired children's dresses and reused and upcycled items from clothing to home décor. Keep watching this blog for the updated changes that are going to happen around here!!

5. Landscaping! Last year we moved in the summer, and had to take care of a lot of the yucky boring stuff. Now that most of that is complete, I plan to spend a lot of time this spring and summer making compost, building and planting gardens and raised beds and giving this house some yard appeal.

6. Spend time learning....... take online and live classes to increase my skill and knowledge whether it is sewing, nutrition, gardening or whatever else sparks my interests.

7 Work through 1 wedding gown a month for Alberta Angel Dresses.

I have a few more things on my list, more personal things, but the above list is pretty much the main things that I will accomplish this year. It is going to be great, I am excited and I know I can do this.