Happy birthday to me! I’m turned 29 years old today, and as hard as it is for me to believe, in 365 days I’ll be hitting the milestone of the big three-oh. I’ve explored many crafty areas in the past, but there are many projects I’ve been dreaming about.
I’ve made it my goal to complete 30 projects on my to-do list to complete before I turn 30. Crazy? Maybe! But with 365 days to go, I essentially will need to complete a project once every 12 days. It could be possible! I’ll be tracking my progress here on Craftcore.
Here is my to-do list for the upcoming year, organized by category.
Home Decor Projects
- Recycled DIY Ottoman – via Good Home DIY
via Good Home DIY I’ve been looking for an ottoman for my living room, but most options are too expensive for my liking. This DIY ottoman uses recycled bottles to make the core. It looks fun and with the right fabric, it could be a real success!
- Woven Vase – via Cool DIY Tricks, Tips & Ideas
via Cool DIY Tricks, Tips & Ideas I absolutely love the look of this half-woven, half-ceramic vase. The website I found it on has step-by-step pictures, but there are no text instructions.
- Giant String Chandelier – via Inspirera Mera
via Inspirera Mera This chandelier appears very expensive, but it’s not. I’ve been looking at similar ready-made ones at decor shops, but I can’t justify the price. This project looks do-able!
- Cut Out Canvas – via Joyfully Jenson
via Joyfully Jenson This canvas project looks very elegant. I’m thinking it would look great with a patterned sheet of scrapbook paper attached at the back.
- Scrap Wood Snowflake Decor – via Ana White
via Ana White This wooden snowflake would look great hanging from the rustic shed at the side of my house. I love the design!
- Upgraded Bathroom Lighting – via Houzz
via Houzz My lighting is essentially the same as the before picture. I want to do something about this harsh lighting.
- Finish my Bedroom Decor
I’ve been living in my house since December 2014, but I still haven’t finished decorating my bedroom. I would love to get this completed this year. - Organize My Closet
My master bedroom closet in my 1950s home is small. I’m always looking at closet organizers for closets that are supposedly small, but if those ones are small, mine must be tiny! I want to create a custom solution to store my clothing as efficiently as possible.
Fabric and Textile Projects
- Learn to Paper Piece – via Craftsy
via Craftsy I’ve never tried paper piecing, so I’d like to give it a try! I haven’t decided on the exact pattern I’d like to try, but this cat pattern available on the Craftsy website looks like a good contender.
- LynneBobSquarePants Quilt Block – via Lily’s Quilts and My Fabric Obsession
via Lily’s Quilts and My Fabric Obsession This quilt block is adorable! I’d love to adjust this pattern to make it jumbo and hang it on my craft room wall.
- Complete a Shirt Alteration
I rarely sew clothing, sticking to mostly flat objects like quilts. I have an oversized bowling shirt that I would love to adjust to make more flattering. - A Pair of Cozy Slippers – via Charise Creates
via Charise Creates These slippers are so sweet. I hope they will be as comfortable as they look.
- Folding Quilting Tool Stand – via Haberdashery Fun
via Haberdashery Fun This DIY A Frame Organizer would be perfect for toting around sewing supplies. I have sewing machines in two areas of my house so I’m often bringing scissors, rotary cutters, seam rippers, etc, up and down from the sewing room into the basement office. I’m always forgetting something. Having a handy tote would be extremely handy! Maybe this would solve my “where did I out that darn seam ripper” problem? …I shouldn’t count on it.
- Christmas Folded Star Ornaments – via Mark Ballard
via Mark Ballard I see people making these a lot on all the online craft groups, and I want in on the fun! They look really fancy but I hear they look harder than they actually are.
- Sharpie Pillow – via The Happy Housie
via The Happy Housie No fabric paint is required when you have a Sharpie! I want to make a ‘The Big Bang Theory’ inspired pillow as an ode to Sheldon Cooper’s often repeated phrase, ‘That’s my spot.”
- Travel Artist Carrier – via Lea + Lars
via Lea + Lars This project is supposed to be for kids, but I love the idea of this for me when doing some sketching at the beach. I think this could be adapted to look more mature.
- Rounded Zipper Pouch – via Quiltsalott
via Quiltsalott I always make flat zipper pouches. This year I want to up my zipper pouch game, and this tutorial from Quiltsalott will fit the bill!
- Microwave Safe Bowl Hot Holders – via Craftsy
via Craftsy I love the idea of this hot holder because instead of moving a hot bowl to a waiting pot holder, the hot holder gets to come along into the microwave with it. Brilliant idea!
- Felt Food Pincushions – via Tiny Hands Online
via Tiny Hands Online I’ve made felt food before, but never something as cute and intricate as this.
- Pen Holder for Daily Planner – via Belinda Selene
via Belinda Selene My planner includes a slot for a single pen, but I’d love to be able to bring multiple colours of pens with me. I am inspired by this image featured on Belinda Selene that shows a pocket for pens as an insert / cover page. I think this could be recreated out of fabric using button holes for the hole punches.
Yummy Food Ideas
- Cake Pops – via Love from the Oven
via Love from the Oven
I was tempted to purchase a cake pop maker, but this method without one outlined by Love from the Oven looks completely do-able! - Piped Potatoes – via Pinterest (original source unknown)
via Pinterest Look at how cute these mashed potatoes are! I just can’t get over it. I need to try this.
Miscellaneous Fun
- Yard Dice – via Blue i Style
via Blue i Style Can you imagine playing Yahtzee with these bad boys?
Jewelry
- Wire Wrapping with Rock Tumbled Rocks
My husband purchased a rock tumbler for me years and years ago for one of my birthday presents. That was prior to us being engaged, and we were engaged for nearly three years prior to getting married. Needless to say, there’s no excuse for me not to have a batch of beautifully tumbled rocks in all this time. I need to tumble some rocks, and then I need to make them into some wire wrapped jewelry. I need to stop being intimidated by the rock tumbler!
Paper Craft Projects
- Origami Stars – via Origami Fun
via Origami Fun I’ve always appreciated origami, yet I’ve never made these adorable tiny stars before. This is definitely on the wish list! I’m not sure what I’ll do with them yet – maybe I will just put a bunch of them into a mason jar and call it a day.
- Exploding Card – via Balzer Designs (video)
via Balzer Designs This great video shows how to create this dramatic card. I already have a fun idea of what design I would want to create. The video explains how to make a stamped design and the folding instructions start just before the 8 minute mark.
- Exploding Box – via Penny Wessenauer
via Penny Wessenauer The theme of exploding continues, but this is very different from the previous project. This box unfolds into a layered 3D scrapbook. This would make a great gift box; the box could easily outshine the gift inside!
- Paper Handbag – via Silvey’s Craftroom
via Silvey’s Craftroom These bags use a standard 8.5″x11″ sheet with no cutting required. The decorating really makes these paper bags shine.
Yarn Projects
- Crochet Amigurumi Kitty Cupcakes – via Stuff Susie Made
via Stuff Susie Made A few years ago, I purchased a set of crochet needles. I made a crooked 3″x3″ test swatch, then never attempted to crochet ever again. I’d love to try to make these kitty cupcakes! Aren’t they just darling?
- Dish Cloths with Raised Designs – via Down Cloverlaine
via Down Cloverlaine I have knit basic scarves before, but I have never purled in a project. This cat dish cloth is so cute.
And there we have it! 30 projects I would like to complete by next September 9, 2016. Let’s do this!
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