I think it’s pretty typical to use the end of a year to look back and reflect on what happened, what didn’t happen, accomplishments, failures, and what-if’s. 2024 has been a rollercoaster, an evolution, and a year of discovery - and 2025 is going to be even worse! (Or better? Maybe both. Probably both.)
Project Updates
Dollhouse - I fixed some fallen shelves, hung some interior art, worked on the exterior (finished windows, flower window boxes) but otherwise haven’t really touched it. I ought to take some really good progress photos/videos for a post.
Beetle Impasto Painting - I did finish that beetle painting!
Sea Holly Impasto Painting - Untouched
Tattoo design for a friend - Finished!
Furbinator - Untouched
the writing project - Progress has been made.
the shrimp - Untouched
the window book - Untouched
Temperature Quilt - Untouched
Annatar
The robe is sewn, lined, and trimmed. So trimmed: custome embellished piping and beading on the sleeves, foil stamped trim on the hem which is now being embroidered. The shirt is sewn, ruched sleeves and all with some fuck-ass button holes which are fortunately covered up by black glass buttons. I’m thinking about embroidering snakes along the cuffs but haven’t quite worked out the technique between the ruching and the fact that they’re already sewn. The belt is essentially finished aside from adding grommets to the back which I’m waiting on for fit (there’s been a weightloss journey this year which has plateau’d recently but I still have four months until March) - but also I’m still thinking about making a leather version - not that I’ve ever done any leather tooling before.
Which leaves the collar. The leather I initially ordered was thicker than I want for the “feathers”, I ordered more different hopefully thinner leather; and I have yet to decide on the shape/I have to commit to cutting leather and I’m procrastinating as much as possible so I and think through it longer.
2025
Bingo Card - I made one. And I probably already have to change is because the day I finished inking it - because I decided to illustrate it this year - the husband revealed to me the Flat Earth WAS ALREADY going to Antarctica, because some guy offered to pay for them to go to “prove” the earth is flat. Except they’ve almost all backed out because they’re all actually grifters preying on humanity; and now the bar has shifted and I’m sure it will be Firmament or Bust.
2025 Reading List
My reading list, documented here, because accountability. One of the podcasts I have loved in the past was the British History Podcast. I don’t know enough about British History to listen with a critical ear, but it seems balanced? And also left me searching for something similiar with American History - which this recent election and a pointed question from my mother earlier this year left me wanting to explore further and really deep dive into. The History of the American's podcast was a surface level answer to this - but ultimately I found the personality/attitude of the host Jack Henneman to be overly obnoxious and weirdly dismissive of a lot of points that were important to me, and I found myself cranky every time I listened and had to stop.
In short, I’ve put together my own reading list/curriculum to enable me to participate in conversations with facts behind ideas, and because facts sit in my brain more permanently when I take note and write about them after - that will be happening here. Ideally I’d like to finish a book a week, but with everything else in my life… well we’ll see how that goes.
Silversmithing
By hook or by crook, I’m starting my silversmithing learning journey in 2025. I have a plan. I have a bunch of books. I have the emotional support of the husband, although he’s going to be very busy working on his thesis.