Setting craft & design goals for 2021

Wow! Here we are on the cusp of February…Where has the month of January gone? It seems to have disappeared in a wisp of smoke—thankfully!

I had lofty ideas about jumping head-first into 2021. I was going to take on the world and get shit done! How naive I was! In my defense, quite a lot happened in January. Some circumstances were unavoidable and physically constrained my time, while other issues hampered my mental capacity to think, let alone “get shit done”. 

But I am nothing if not determined. ​

Soooo…

I’ve finally pushed past the desire to hibernate under warm blankets and rediscovered the need to accomplish something. Disassociation turned out to be a fickle friend, and now I’m craving the light again (which is a far healthier relationship overall). 

Phase One of my new plans for this year is to (literally) get my house in order. The empty chasm that is my house (now that the joyful, festive Christmas decor is gone) is just screaming out for a new look, and momma’s got plans to play with this clean slate! I have a vision…I want to be surrounded by greenery and my creative decor. The “vision” requires a little thinking on my part. I want a mix of live and faux greenery to add to florals as Spring approaches, with my fairy houses, Celtic art plates, and candleholders playing leading roles in my new Spring look. My newly decorated dining and living rooms will be “nature-inspired”, transformed into much-needed healing spaces.

Faux eucalyptus. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021.

My husband and I inherited an antique settee that is in desperate need of some love and care. Repairs are needed to the wood work in places, but it’s doable, and further inspection has shown that this grand old girl has seen many a repair in her long life! Perhaps the biggest obstacle to her recovery is the upholstery. It became obvious (during a cursory inspection) that the current upholstery was not original to the piece, but some original padding is still there, so all is not lost! This means I can have a little fun with the fabric, choosing something that is eye-catching and complimentary to the current styles in the room. (I say “styles” plural because I have such eclectic taste!) Do I have experience with upholstery? Absolutely not! Am I going to do it anyway? Absolutely…because this Grand Dame deserves it! The more I look at this piece, the more in love I fall! Let the torture games begin…

Antique settee in need of some restoration. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021.

Another item we inherited is a beautiful painting (painted by my husband’s grandfather) with a canvas covered in grime and surrounded by a frame that needs to be cleaned, stripped, and re-stained. My initial instinct is it needs a matte to crop the painting to cover the dirty-looking white part of the canvas. The frame would look beautiful as a medium reddish complimentary brown, making the blue paint stand out as a focal point. It’ll look striking when it’s done—a proper heirloom!

Painting by family member, with grimy wood frame. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021.

I have ambitious plans to get my house in order. Those plans include a desperately needed dining room redesign. My dining room—sadly—has ceased to be a proper dining room by any stretch of the imagination. Over time, it has slowly become a dumping ground for my art and craft supplies, inventory storage, and my son’s art supplies. It doesn’t feel comfortable or inviting as a space to eat, let alone a space to work. Once upon a time, this was a comfortable space, but somehow it got away from me! My new “vision” is a space that has multiple functions. The space has to be a dining room (obviously), but it also needs to be an office space, display area, and work area for Di’s Studio Designs and a small artist studio for my youngest son. The search is on for the right furniture pieces—including a display cabinet, storage unit with drawers, and a new dining room set—to give this neglected space a heart and soul again. The small cubby area will (hopefully) be ideal for my son for his supplies and small art table. There are currently two storage cabinets in the space, but the truth is, they are very functional but absolute eyesores to look at and will require some work to bring them up to snuff. So, yah me…even more projects!

Dining room, "before" shot. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021.

Of course, this long “to-do” list also includes projects for Di’s Studio Designs…

Two Celtic art plates have been sitting off to the side for months (I’m so ashamed!), and they are still not done yet! I’ve been working on woodburning them for what feels like years…(But we’ll say since August.) It’s really about time they were finished! So, that is on February’s list of projects that need to be checked off as completed.

Current Celtic art wood burned plate projects. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021.

Another round of lanterns will also be in the works soon (probably closer to March). The materials for new spring-themed lanterns have been bought, and all that is required is a few weeks of my time and space to breathe to get them hand-cut, assembled, painted, and decked out with florals. This project was supposed to be started at the beginning of January before I fell into a black hole! Just as long as I get them done by Spring…

Handcrafted Decorative Wood Lantern Candleholder, September Vibes. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2020.

And last—but most definitely not least—I have decided to sit myself down (sometime soon?) and bang out a couple of new designs for fairy houses. I loved doing the previous prototypes so much that I have this inkling that I need to create more designs. (This time around, I’m looking into some new tools to make my life easier!) I would love to be able to add these precious gems to my inventory. I think customers would love them as much as I do!

English Cottage handcrafted fairy house. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2020.

So there is my absolutely monstrous set of goals for the beginning of 2021…It’s insane, but I’ll get through it…one step at a time. Gotta have goals, right?! 

What are some of your goals for this year? Leave your comment below, and let’s start a fun conversation (if only to keep ourselves honest)!


Related blog posts you may want to read:
My dining room redesigned as a multi-function space
Spring makeover for my indoor fairy gardens