Crafty New Year: Goals I’ll Actually Complete in 2025

When I read Marie Kondo’s book, “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up” 10 years ago, I thought holy crap I’m going to finally achieve the clean and pristine house that I’ve dreamed of forever.

And truthfully, it did motivate me to actually go through my closet and remove several bags of old clothes. In fact, I became brave enough to part with 10 Star Wars shirts that I rarely wore. Marie promised that you wouldn’t think about them after you thank them and say goodbye (she was wrong).

However, my life didn’t change. At least not in the way that I really hoped. I tried again when she had her Netflix series and got rid of a few more clothes that I still think sadly about. In reality, all I really learned was a better way to fold my clothes. 

This is the same problem I’ve had with New Year’s Resolutions. I set myself up for failure because it’s so alluring to imagine that because I’m writing down a new year for the date, suddenly I’ll stop wanting to eat Cheetos or I’ll finally run that half marathon I never trained for. 

There’s so much pressure to perfectly fulfill our resolutions that when we fail on these goals, suddenly we say “screw this!” and rip open the bag of Cheetos. (and by we, I mean me).

Since I’m old enough to know what I’m capable of, I’ve realized that New Years Resolutions aren’t really for me. If I want to become healthier, I need to actually do it before the New Year starts or shortly after, so I can set myself up for success with an actual plan. For example, you can’t rip into a bag of Cheetos if you don’t buy the Cheetos in the first place. 

So instead of making New Year’s Resolutions, I’ve realized that I would rather focus on the things that I want and really will accomplish. At least… I hope so. 😳

Cross Stitching Goals

I’ve been cross stitching for over half my life. I remember going to Leewards (before it became Michaels) and accompanying my mother as she perused the needlework section to buy kits featuring flowers. Watching my mother do needlework was fascinating and seemed very relaxing. I particularly liked the use of a hoop and seeing how the little thread mosaics came to life. 

After watching my mother for so many years, I finally asked if she could show me how to do it myself. I practiced on a plastic canvas with ridiculously thick thread until I got the hang of it and finally made my way to a beginner Dimensions kit (featuring hummingbirds). Now I’ve moved onto more complex projects including the dreaded metallic threads, 28 count fabric (my eyes 😳) and even designing my own patterns and selling them on my Etsy Store.

However, as much as I love cross stitching, I’ve neglected it for the past year and I miss it a lot. It’s quite possibly the slowest craft imaginable and the results take forever. You can spend years, even decades, on one project. This year, I have every intention of changing that.

Goal 1: Finish 2 Cross Stitch Pieces

Like any good crafter, I have backlog projects in the double digits, multiple ongoing projects, plus an unhealthy amount of projects “to be purchased.” 

However, the feeling of actually finishing a piece is amazing. When you’re making the last backstitch, or successfully beat the risky game of thread chicken, you feel absolutely on top of the world.

Since my backlog is quite substantial, it’s time to make a dent and show some progress. My goal for this year is to finish at least two pieces. They can be any size (3 inch hoops, 11×14 frame, etc), but as long as I finish two, I’ll be happy. While two may not sound like a lot, trust me it is.

Goal 2: Design 1 New Cross Stitch Pattern

One of my favorite pastimes is cross stitching while watching TV. This is one way for me to actually feel productive while I’m lazily lounging on the couch. When I first started watching Kdramas in 2012, I realized I wouldn’t be able to pretend like I was productive since it’s nearly impossible to actually cross stitch properly while simultaneously reading subtitles.

Some people learn languages to communicate with family members, for work, or perhaps because they’re moving to a new country. I learned Korean so I could… watch Kdramas and cross stitch simultaneously. 🤣 Since I loved Kdramas so much, it only made sense to start cross stitching the things I was watching, and in 2017 I ended up designing and stitching patterns honoring my favorite Korean dramas.

Surprisingly there are other people who really enjoy watching kdramas and cross stitching. I recently get a message on my kdrama stitch Etsy (aigostitch) asking what my next kdrama pattern will be and I’ve had an idea in my head for quite some time but have struggled to get the pattern out. I really want this year to be the year it gets released.

Baking Goals

Goal 1: Make Lemon Curd for Scones

Lemon is my favorite fruit flavor because it reminds me of summer and sunshine. I really love when we make lemon bars at our tea times, yet I’ve never tried to make my own lemon curd before. We’ve visited a few tea houses that served in-house made lemon curd, but those were few and far between.

With Xak’s cream scones, we’ve tried pumpkin butter, raspberry/blueberry/strawberry jams, mascarpone, clotted cream, fig jam, and all the “interesting” flavors that came out of the Bonne Maman advent calendar. Every single one (including the questionable combinations) still tasted good with Xak’s scones, so I’m feeling pretty confident that whatever lemon curd concoction I create, it’ll (hopefully) be edible. 🤞

Goal 2: Make Linzer Cookies

I’m a big fan of sandwich cookies (ex. Oreos, macarons, Viennese Whirls, etc.). Part of my obsession with sandwich cookies is most definitely because I feel giddy I’m actually eating two cookies under the guise of eating one.

I was thrilled to see the bakers on GBBO have to make Jammie Dodgers as a technical challenge. These are a type of Linzer cookies featuring two shortcake biscuits with jam in between. There’s also a signature cutout shape in the top cookie so the jam is visible and tempting.

I’ve had Jammie Dodgers before and while they’re great for a store bought cookie, I guarantee that it would taste even better with some of Xak’s homemade jam. The one time I’ve had Linzer cookies was at my afternoon tea experience at Cafe Renaissance and I feel pretty confident that Xak and I can make something really tasty for our next tea time.

Stretch goal: Kouign Amann

Ever since Xak and I visited Goosecup in Leesburg, he’s been thinking about the kouign amann we ordered. To make matters worse, as we were watching Martha Bakes and noting down recipes (like the pumpkin whoopie pies for Thanksgiving), one of the recipes Martha showed was for a kouign amann.

We can’t ignore the signs. This must be the year that we attempt to make this pastry. I am personally intimidated by anything involving laminated dough, but Xak has homemade croissants marked off his pastry checklist, so with a little luck and a ton of butter, I am sure we (Xak) will succeed.

Music Goals

One of my favorite things to do while Xak is in the kitchen baking is pretending I’m the Nordstroms pianist. While other kids wanted to be an astronaut when they grew up, I always thought it would be really cool playing Broadway classics behind stanchions while people walked by shopping for clothes. (Yes, I was a weird kid)

One of the reasons I had this desire is because I took piano lessons throughout part of elementary and all of middle and high school. I wasn’t a virtuoso or anything, but practicing piano wasn’t a chore for me. I genuinely enjoyed it. Learning music is like uncovering clues. As you play through the notes on the page, you start hearing the story the composer wants to tell.

I had a teacher who encouraged me by allowing me to play music like Star Wars, No Doubt, and “Only Hope” from A Walk to Remember (yes, the movie with Mandy Moore). Of course, she sprinkled those in along with the Scarlatti, Bach, and Khachaturian songs I was required to also learn.

Goal: Learn 2 More Chopin Songs

Right before I graduated high school, I started getting into Rachmaninoff and Chopin (my final recital piece) and I sincerely regret that my music education ended there. I lost access to a piano once I got to college and sadly accepted the reality that I would never do anything professionally with music. I’m over Rachmaninoff and the fact that my hands will never be magically big enough to play any of his songs properly, however I’ve never given up on learning more Chopin.

So, my goal this year is to actually learn another tune from my Chopin Nocturnes book which has sat patiently inside my piano bench for years. Will it be recital or technically perfect? No way. 

Goal: Record and Post 2 Videos

I posted my first YouTube video back in 2006. Back then, it was just a place for me to upload my acoustic guitar covers with awful sound courtesy of my “state of the art” Kodak digital camera. After a few years, I finally started posting my own songs.

While I never became a viral YouTuber or even a professional musician (or the Nordstroms pianist 😒), I really love just playing music and sharing it with others. It’s an incredibly fun puzzle trying to figure out how to recreate a song with only an acoustic guitar and piano. It’s even more fun writing down lyrics in my Star Wars notebook.

As you can imagine, writing and playing music takes serious time commitment. It also requires being in a certain mindset. In no way is it a chore for me, however it can be hard to find the inspiration or a good enough amount of distraction free time. However, I really miss recording music. I miss recording non-traditional acoustic covers and I miss singing about nerdy subjects. This year, I’ll be posting two videos again to my YouTube and will be happy with the 4 views I get. 😄

The End Result

I’m really excited for the thought of accomplishing these specific crafty goals and I spent a serious amount of time coming up with them. However, truthfully I’m still unsure just how successful I’ll be when taking into consideration some big life changes we are currently experiencing (more on this later…). At the end of the day (or in this case, year), what’s important is making sure I prioritize time for myself and the things I truly love. 😊