Hi everyone,

Happy New Year!!

Yeah, I know, I am a bit late for that and a bit MIA lately and I so very much apologize!

It seems that all together, holiday hustle, polar vortex, flooded basement and few other “fun” things combined lately to take me away from regular blogging. I also realized that I needed few days to joust RELAX, do whatever, do nothing, NOT have a schedule…just chill (as my kids would tell me). So I did that too. Loved it. However, now it is time to get on with this year. 🙂

One thing I realized these days (you know, that old year-new year re-cap, re-evaluation, resolution and ….thing? yeah, that one.), is that blogging is a very important part of my life now and when I am not doing it, or when I lag in realizing all my ideas and inspirations – it makes me very frustrated! So – what is one to do? Not sure if I have all the answers but I do know one thing that I AM going to do – stop whining (mostly to myself), get organized and just get on with the program! Ha ha! Sounds funny maybe, but I am really going to do just that. It also sounds easier said than done of course. Well, I got some help…

Yup, you saw that right – got me a BLOG PLANNER! Now we are in business! Ha, ha, yeah having a planner is just a start of course, but it does help! The best part – this one is FREE! Made by Erica, you can download free PDF and print it – if you should need it, it is HERE .

Oh but that is not all. I am so getting organized in this year! I also have this wonderful planner and unlike other, regular planners, the best part of this one in the BEGINNING – where you clearly outline many things, goals, wishes, what works, what doesn’t and HOW are you going to get where you want to be. Sounds all so common sense of course, but it isn’t as clear, at least for me, as when you put it down on paper.

Now this one is not free but for me, it is worth every penny. I found it through the blogosphere and got it on Amazon of course.

So my friends, look out for new, organized me – she will show up eventually! Ha ha!

OK enough with organization (oh yeah, I also cleaned my sewing room!), let’s talk about some fun stuff. Resolutions anyone? NOOOO….and that is not really that much fun. I don’t do resolutions, at least not in the classic sense – do you?

Instead of resolutions, I went this year again with a WORD of the year. Word that is my focus, inspiration, guidance for this year. Last year it was REALIZE – and I meant it in many meanings of that word. Some I did realize, some I didn’t… but that’s last year anyway. This year I choose a bit more narrow sense – my word for this year is WORK. In general it means that I have to work harder for what I want, for what I dream and because I want every minute of my life to count. But in more narrow sense, it will mean WORK ON QUILTS. Well DUH….you will say, what else will you work on Marija? And that is true, except that I want to do it with more focus and plan. The main inspiration, and “light bulb” moment came to me from one of my favorite young quilters and bloggers, Maureen Cracknell. In December Maureen was blogging about all the quilts she made in 2013 and how she actually accomplished her goal to make/finish one quilt every month. And that is one BED SIZE quilt. You can read about the result of that in her post HERE. I just love it.

Simple goal, right? Many of you maybe did it already, maybe many times… Well, not me. And I want to. I really, really want to! Why? Because I have this list of quilts that I want to make for all of my loved ones – my husband, my kids, my mother, my mother-in-law… And somehow this list always gets sidetracked, pushed aside, not completed projects…  There is always a class sample to make, a gift for so and so, pattern to finish, new idea to try…yeah, all that is good, but that LIST is now my main focus for this year! So you would agree – I need to WORK. And please feel free to call me on it too! I don’t know if I am going to have a quilt completed every meeting to show you, but by that third week, I should have at least a top to show you at the meeting – please ask me for it! Ha ha. Seriously now, even if I have to miss a meeting (as it will happen tomorrow, 🙁  family stuff…), I WILL have both then next month.

I already have a LIST – which quilt what month and for who. January – a cuddle quilt for my son and daughter-in-law because they are cuddling their little baby in her belly right now…Yes my friends, if you didn’t hear me yet, shouting from my roof top – I am going to be a grandma in May!!! Wooooo-hooooo!!!! It is a girl and yes, first quilt, her mommy’s wish, is already planned and in the making! But of course, not the ONLY quilt… Feeling happy is a major understatement. 🙂

SEW….anyone else wants to join in this “calendar quilt project”? 🙂

You know who else is doing the word of the year? Our recent Seminar teacher, Pat Sloan. Go read what her word is and why, right HERE. Speaking of Pat, you know how she is this pile of limitless energy and fun? She has a new, fun quilt-a-long, block of the month too and this one is called Globetrotting. Blocks are inspired by major cities in the world, starting with Washington DC. You can find all about this one also on Pat’s blog here. She also formed a fun Facebook group for that – lost of pictures, exchange of ideas, questions and all other projects and UFOs, so if you are on Facebook, you might want to check that out too.

I didn’t do a Block of the month or quilt-a-long in quite some time now, but this one really appealed to me. As soon as I read about it, all i could think of is that I actually have fabric from all over the world! My daughter, who travels a lot for work, brings me fabric wherever she goes, so by now I have it from Africa, Bangldesh, Nepal… How perfect is that for Globetrotting quilt?  So here are my fabric:

and here is where I am now – Washington DC block (with fabrics from Kenya and Bangladesh!), half of it, all laid out and ready to sew:

Two gray fabrics above will  be a “mainstays” (and they are commercial, American fabrics), in all blocks and sashing, red and royal blue are ones I have most of so they will be “sprinkled” all over too and then the rest will be…well, Globetrotting!!  This should be interesting!

There is another, really fun BOM I found and it has a very good cause that I love.  Fat Quarter Shop is doing a WISHES quilt-a-long that will benefit Make A Wish Foundation. Every month you will get a free block pattern, even a YouTube instructional video, and all they ask is that you make a contribution to Make A Wish Foundation. You can do it in their, lovely fabric choices (Wishes collection from Moda – very yummy!) or do it as a stash buster, but either way it is such a great cause and it should be a lot of fun. I have my fabrics piled-up, made fist donation already and so hope to keep up every month! (with my “big plan” from above and new grand baby…it will be a miracle, but at least I will try!).

I hope I didn’t lose you in all these wanderings of mine but you know, it has been a long time and I have so much more to tell you and share with you and hope you will share/tell back – you know how we love those comments! Leaving you now with few photos for inspiration or meditation…:)

Have a wonderful Wednesday,

Marija