Hi friends! I hope you all had a wonderful New Year! I had a busy day working, attending my cousin’s wedding, and finally falling asleep on the couch before midnight! How did you celebrate your new year? Did you go out or are you a homebody like me?
Now that 2014 has arrived, I’ve been thinking a lot about my goals and resolutions and what I hope to accomplish in the coming year (both online and off). But, before I go on with this new year, I wanted to reflect a bit on all that’s happened in 2013.
All in all, 2013 was a really good year for me. It was full of trying new things and beginning new phases in life. Here’s a little re-cap:
In January, Phillip and I opened our first antique booth in the Depot Antique Mall in Los Alamos, CA. We’ve learned a lot running it in this past year and have always had fun searching the thrifts and estate sales for new wares. Selling in a mall has certainly had ups and downs throughout the year, but I’m happy to report our little booth is going strong!
I turned 29 this year, it’s hard to believe I’m almost out of my twenties! It was a good decade in many ways, but I have a feeling my thirties will be even better.
I tried my hand again at selling at a craft fair twice this year. I had mixed success, but the experiences have really helped me figure out what I want to do with my handmade brand in the coming year.
In May, Phillip and I spent a fun day wandering around the Danish town of Solvang. The best part is always getting some warm aebleskivers-yum!
We took a trip to down to Disneyland in the spring, making sure to go in the middle of the week this time.
The next day, we strolled down LA’s Olvera street to check out the Mexican market and take home a few souvenirs.
In June Scavenger Hunt had it’s first Blogiversary and got a new look and a Facebook page.
This summer I got (very) dirty and gave our overgrown backyard a little makeover.
I snapped some photos as Phillip and I wandered around our local swap meet.
I spent a lot of time and effort re-branding my vintage pattern shop and I debuted a new brand and Etsy shop for my handmade goodies, Hello Camellia.
Phillip and I got engaged! You can expect lot of wedding-related posts in the coming year!
At the beginning of 2013 one of my goals was to post more DIYs here on the blog. I think I met that goal for the most part! Here are the DIY projects I shared this year:
Use vintage suitcases for storage.
Re-paint an old filing cabinet in a fun color for a cute and practical piece for your home.
Sew a cute and simple piped pillow cover. A great project for beginners!
Learn how to fold pretty blossoms out of paper.
Give your patio set a makeover with oilcloth.
Use a saucer to make your own magnetic pin plate. A great use for pretty “orphaned” saucers.
Sew up a pair of skull pillows for Halloween (or any time!) with a free template.
Another free template to make some vintage-style ornaments with felt.
How to make mid-century style dyed bottle brush Christmas trees.
Of course, I did a whole lot of sewing too!
I made two dresses for Colette Pattern’s Laurel competition- a blue and white one and a coral pink one. I was blown away when I won not one, but two prizes! It was amazingly gratifying and motivating for me to hold my own among so many talented seamstresses. It really boosted my confidence in that arena and made me eager to take my sewing skills to the next level.
I made this bright, summery dress with a vintage sheet with one of my vintage patterns and then wore it to Disneyland. It was perfect for a balmy summer day.
I took the plunge and bought a new serger. It’s been a really nice addition to my sewing room and I’ve used it a ton already. Now if I can just finish paying it off in 2014!
I finally made the Sencha blouse in a creamy white and finished it with handmade striped bias tape.
On a bit of a whim, I entered to compete in Sew Mama Sew’s Super Online Sewing Match and was actually selected as a contestant! It was both fun and super challenging to try to do my best and most creative work each round. I was proud (and a little bit shocked) I made it all the way to the final round! My entries for the match were:
• An A-Line skirt with cowboy-print pockets
• This ice-cream themed dress for a little girl
• A fun blue purse (which I’m still using daily!)
• This plaid western-style shirt for Phillip
I whipped up this kitty-cat tote bag for my friend Danielle’s birthday.
I made a pink-and-black version of Colette Pattern’s Hawthorn dress. I’d like to make a couple more one of these days!
I shared some of your best tips for learning to sew.
The lovely and talented Jennifer Lauren interviewed me on her blog.
I shared some of my favorite sewing tools and why I love them.
I participated in the Fall for Cotton challenge by (sorta) re-creating a gorgeous striped vintage dress.
I compiled some great resources for sewing with vintage patterns I’ve found online.
I made myself a new Halloween costume- a female Sherlock Holmes (one of my favorite literary characters)
I made yet another sheet-based dress with Butterick’s retro pattern 5708. This one has feathers on it 🙂
There were a whopping 40 Thrifty Thursday posts in 2013 (numbers 25-65!) You can see all of them here, but below I chose my top 10 thrift finds of the year:
I had been looking for a great tree skirt and was so excited to find this adorable 1960s one at an estate sale.
This cool owl lamp was another great find- perfect for Halloween decorating and it looks so spooky when it’s lit up.
We found this amazing mermaid ceramic wall planter at another estate sale. It goes perfectly in our bathroom!
These Libbey horse glasses are so pretty! I was so stoked to find a whole set at the local Goodwill.
I usually stay far away from vintage Avon products, but this set of Small World bottles was too sweet to pass up.
This Dinning Sisters record is one of my very favorites. Not only is the cover the cutest, but I love their harmonies too. They might have to be incorporated into the wedding playlist.
I might have a bit of a train case obsession, but I can tell you I’m never selling this blue and white train case!
There isn’t much that can top a huge box of vintage sewing patterns. Especially when it cost $5.
This big ‘ole Santa was one of my favorite Christmas items. Maybe I’ll actually get around to cleaning him next year.
Another great Christmas find was the female match to my Dream Pets deer. They’re so cute together I almost left them out all year, but then I thought they’d make Christmas time that much more special next year.
Phew, it really was a busy year! Here’s to 2014!
