My 22 before 22!

A while ago I saw that Janey was working her way through her ’30 before 30′ list; thirty things she wanted to do in the year before she turned 30. I loved the idea and decided to jump on board, and, since yesterday was my 21st birthday, I’m now ready to start my 22 before 22!

To motivate me to get through my list, I made it look pretty:

This amazing idea was one that I found through Pintrest when I was eager to try Washi tape but I wasn’t sure what I could use it for. You can find the direct link here 🙂

The List
It was a lot harder to think of 22 things than I had first expected! But after several months of contemplating, here they are:

1. Buy a lottery ticket
There’s nothing very exciting or challenging about this one; I have bought lottery tickets in the past (unsuccessfully) but I decided that this might be a fun way to easy me in and I might even win £10…what have I got to lose?

2. Sort my laptop
There is definitely nothing fun about this one but it is something that REALLY needs doing and I have been putting it off for ages. My laptop is now five years old and, I’ll be honest, pretty much on its last legs. However, if I want another year out of it, it is time for some TLC so a good clear out of those old files and folders is definitely in order, as well as a just a straight forward clean!

3. Go somewhere new
This one popped into my head although I have no idea where it is that I want to go. It doesn’t have to be a new country or even a new city, just discovering a new shop that I fall in love with will suffice…it will be interesting to see what this one brings!

4. Crochet my winter wardrobe
This one may be slightly on the ambitious side but it’s certainly one that I want to try! The only wearables that I have ever crocheted are hats, scarves and gloves, but I have found so many lovely patterns for jumpers and cardigans that I can’t resist! I’ll probably aim for 5-10 items to be complete by the end of the year to say that I have achieved this one!

5. Bake ten new recipes
I love baking but the time and cost always seems to prevent me from doing as much as I would like. This year however, I am determined to bake ten new recipes that I have never tried before. To help motivate me, I have signed up to Stephanie Pomfrett’s 2013 Baking Challenge! Click on the link to find out how it work and join us if you like!

6. Make a dress
You might remember that a while ago I got a dress template from one of my Twitter pals. Having never made a dress before, I am eager to give it a go and see the results!

7. Have a handmade Christmas
I gave it a go this year…I really tried but I just didn’t leave myself enough time to do all of the crafts that I wanted to. I now know however, that it takes a lot of planning and preparation  so hopefully Christmas 2013 will all be wrapped up (literally and figuratively) by my 22nd birthday!

8. Finish my novel
After my NaNoWriMo success, I have a LOT of editing ahead of me. Since I have allowed my month away from it this December, January brings the mountain of editing to the foreground again. I would really love to have the novel completely edited and finished ready for me to take part again next year! I can always hope anyway…

9. Read 20 books of my choice
I’m aware that 20 doesn’t seem like a very large number, but once I have read all of the 50+ books that I often have to read for university each year, it doesn’t leave much time for anything else! If I manage to read 20 non-uni book I will be very happy (and it will leave me with an empty book shelf!)

10. Have my eyebrows threaded
I have been intrigued by this for a while but I have never quite plucked up the courage (no pun intended) but I’m going to take the plunge and give it a go.

11. Update my portfolio
I have been keeping a portfolio of my printed work for a few years now but it has been neglected for the last couple of years – this year I am determined to get it back on track again!

12. Learn 5 easy hairstyles
I am useless when it comes to my hair. It is pretty long and ridiculously thick and I never do anything with it other than wear it naturally. This year I’d really like to learn 5 easy hairdos that will come in handy for any occasion! (Ideas welcome!)

13. Go to the Globe
I love Shakespeare (as you probably know!) and I have always dreamt of going to see one of his plays at the Globe Theatre. This year, my favourite play Macbeth will be performed and I am determined to go and see it!

14. Enter 3 writing competitions
I got into a good habit of regularly entering writing competitions, but recently I haven’t had so much chance to write anything other than my novel. This year I would like to get back into the habit of wring pieces regularly and enter some competitions again. The last two competitions that I entered, I made it onto the longlist and the shortlist so fingers crossed!

15. Complete 7 cross stitch kits
I am slowly drowning in these and I have asked for more for Christmas…I need to get a move on! They don’t all have to be big kits, I just need to make progress!

16. Learn Tunisian crochet
Another skill that I want to learn. Since I fell in love with crochet after teaching myself this summer, I have decided to learn the Tunisian crochet method. I have already bought a hook to get me going!

17. Make a junk journal
Paper crafts aren’t really my forte but after The Giraffe’s Hat shared a link to these lovely junk journals, I have decided to make one (mainly because I can’t afford to buy one!) Although it won’t be anywhere near as stunning as these ones, it will certainly be fun to make and even though it will take the full year to complete, I’m sure it will be worth it 🙂

18. Never miss an opportunity
I know this one sounds a bit cheesy but it was something that I decided a few years ago that I wanted to do. Pretty much whenever an opportunity arises (within reason) I will say yes to it. This last year I have had some amazing opportunities that I may have missed otherwise! My blog being one of them! I thought it would be interesting what I fall into this year by never turning down an opportunity 🙂

19. Learn to knit in a circle
This one had to undergo a last minute change as it was originally ‘learn to knit’ but since I ended up doing that a few weeks ago, I needed something different! Although I am still working on my first knitting project, a lot of the patterns that I have been looking at involve knitting in circles so it looks like this will be my next challenge!

20. Complete 10 Pintrest/Ravelry projects
Again, I don’t think these will be big projects but I REALLY need to cut down my ‘to-do’ list of crafts!

21. Finish 3 WIPs
I currently have my crochet throw, crochet blanket and crochet table runner shoved in a bag. To save them from spending a year hidden away, they have made it onto my list!

22. Sell a handmade item
I’m not expecting to open my own Etsy shop, but if I can find one person who would like to buy one thing that I have made, I will be very very happy!

So that is the complete list of 22 things that I want to do before I turn 22 on the 12th December 2013! I’m aware that it is a little craft dominated so that may just be me making an excuse to be crafting…we shall have to wait and see!

Off to a flying start
Never one to waste time, I got off to a flying start with my list. On my birthday (yesterday) I jumped right in with number one and bought myself a lottery ticket!

Unfortunately only one of my numbers came up so no winnings for me but never mind.

I also crossed number ten off my list today as I had my eyebrows threaded for the very first time!

 

Here are the before and after photos! I was amazed at how painless threading actually is. The procedure itself always looks painful, but there was actually less pain than when I pluck them! And for only £5, you certainly can’t put a price on the hassle you are saving yourself…the professional had it done in under ten minutes! This is definitely going to be a regular part of my routine from now on!

So the first two are down…only 20 to go!