The Coziness Project is Back!

Why hello there! Hard to believe it has been almost a year since I last posted here at The Coziness Project! Since moving back to the United States in February, I have continued to update my romance comic book blog, Sequential Crush on a regular basis, but this here blog sorta fell to the wayside. At first I was a little stressed about not being able to maintain it through the huge transition of moving back to the States and getting reestablished, but in my heart I knew it wasn't gone forever... and well, here we are! I originally started The Coziness Project as a personal blog to document my adventures in Denmark, as well as the things that were inspiring me at the time. I have decided to shift my focus from a sort of "catch-all" personal blog to one that is more narrowly themed. If you are a reader of Sequential Crush then you already know that I am definitely a fan of niche topics! So, may I present to you -- the new and improved Coziness Project -- a blog about cross stitch and other crafty endeavors (but mostly cross stitch)!

So why cross stitch you may ask? Well, I first learned how when I was around seven years old from my very patient and crafty mom. I worked on a few projects, but then the rest of childhood came up... and then adolescence... which led to adulthood. Nary a stitch was crossed during that time -- despite being generally crafty. Fast forward 20+ years, and here I am, a fresh arrival to the beautiful state of Tennessee. A few months after the move when I finally finished unpacking the things that I had in storage while I lived abroad, I came across a beautiful counted cross stitch kit that I had purchased years ago on a visit to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello (more on this kit in an upcoming post). Soon after purchasing it I decided that it seemed far too difficult for someone who hadn't cross stitched in years and socked it away, not to be thought of again until that evening when I took it from a box containing my knitting materials. I took a good look at the pattern again, and was like, difficult? Pffft! If I can move across the ocean twice in the span of a couple years and set up camp in a new state and city where I know no one and basically start life over from scratch, then I can totally cross stitch a bookmark! So, I put needle to aida cloth and got to work. And what I felt as I stitched the intricate geometric design was an overwhelming sense of calm, confidence, and a connection to history. A history that was both my own (learning the craft from my mother), and a history of all the women who came before me who for hundreds of years partook in various types of needlework.

Since that initial project I have completed a few other pieces, and I am in no way stopping now. I. Can't. Get. Enough. And not only do I want to actually do the physical act of cross stitching, I also want to read about it, learn about it, and blog about it! But unlike in the past when I would stress about posting in this space, I am just gonna let this blog take shape organically. If I feel like posting, then so be it. If I don't -- well that's okay too. No pressure. So, whether you are a friend or family, a Sequential Crush reader, or a crafter yourself, I hope you'll join me for some reflections on my adventures in the cozy art of cross stitch!

2013 Goals

I am really good at writing to do lists. I am also pretty good (most of the time) at making the things on those lists happen -- especially the smaller, more specific things. But, where I lack discipline lately is in the making the big things happen. So, this year I have decided that instead of just thinking about my goals, I would share! Hopefully putting some of my intentions out there will help me stay on track. Here they are, in no particular order!

Sequential Crush: I have been running my 1960s and '70s romance comic book blog since April of 2009 and it has been awesome to say the least. This year, I want to continue to grow and diversify my audience, blog more consistently (which for me will mean a goal of two solid posts a week), and work on taking the blog to a new level. This "new level" (which I will share more in depth when the time is right) will hopefully consume most of my non-day job working hours.

The Coziness Project: I am committed to posting here at this blog more this year. Though it is just a little side project, I love it and I don't want to just abandon it. For years I have read lots of lifestyle, crafting, and design blogs, and I want to use The Coziness Project as a vehicle to connect more with those communities.

Get my read on: For someone who loves to read, I really don't get a chance to do it that often. So, this year I am making it a goal to finish at least 25 books. I am kind of an oddball in that I have a hard time reading fiction, so my goal this year is to make at least some of those books fiction. And because I just can't stay away from the non-fiction, I will make it a point to focus my non-fiction reading habits on immersing myself in the study of historiography (an area I have been meaning to brush up on since finishing grad school). Yes, here is where you can call me a huge nerd.

Learn to crochet: I have knitting down, but this year it is time to finally get a handle on knitting's kitschy cousin -- crochet.

Organize my digital world: I would like this year to be the year where I finally organize all my stray computer documents, scan that big stack of old photos that have so patiently been waiting in a drawer, and back everything up in multiple ways. This year i will also buy the new computer that I need pretty badly.

Get better at concentrating: This is probably an area you can identify with me on, especially with all the things out there to distract us on the internets (damn you BuzzFeed and your hilarious/adorable animal posts). I know I have it in me to stay on task, so this year I am going to really work on staying focused, one item at a time. I have in the past unofficially tried to use the Pomodoro technique (especially when writing) but this year I am really going to strive to make it a part of my daily routine.

Continue living healthfully: Moving to Denmark was actually great for me in the health department (no car, so I have to walk everywhere and eating out is expensive and not very good here). I hope that wherever I wind up in 2013, I am able to retain all of the motions and healthy habits that I have put into place over the course of the year.

Family and friends: The other major life thing that I want to be sure to do this year is go visit my family and friends back home at least once this year. This probably seems like a strange "goal," but living far away makes it difficult to find the time and resources to make a trip possible. 

Let stuff go and enjoy the now: Last but not least, I want to also work towards a few not-so-tangible goals that will improve my overall well-being. I really need to get better at filtering out the noise and other nonsense that bothers me and makes me unproductive -- the art of letting stuff go. The other thing I would like to work on this year is enjoying the now. You may have noticed those cute cows (Scottish Highland Cattle that live in front of one of the LEGO buildings here in Denmark to be exact) at the top of the post. Whenever I would see those guys, they were always so chill and easygoing. This year, I am going to work on channeling some of their contentedness and savor the present.

Well, that's it for me! I am sure things will be added and amended throughout the year, but it is good to have a place to start. How about you? What are some of your goals for the year? I would love to hear them and how you plan on making stuff happen!

Playing Around With Images - A Blog Design Mood Board

I have been blogging over at my primary blog Sequential Crush for over three years now! My current blog design over at that space is the same as I started out with back in 2009. I have added a few things here and there (mostly in the sidebar) but overall, it has remained the same. Don't get me wrong, I love it! But eventually, when I have the time, I would like to change it up a little (or maybe a lot). It will probably take me a while to settle on a new look, but the above mood board I created for Blogging Your Way gave me a chance to play around with colors and textures and also gave me a jump start on thinking about some of the changes to the overall vibe I will make when the time comes. Giving the site a new look will be no easy feat, but I feel good about experimenting and taking small steps right now!

Constantly Learning - Harnessing Time and Staying Focused

Illustration from a timely (excuse the pun) post by

Katie Evans and Bri Emery over at

DESIGNLOVEFEST

You would think that after 28 years on this Earth I would have this time management and staying focused thing under control, right? Nope! You too? Yeah, time is tricky like that. It flies by just when we need it to stay still, and there never seems to be enough of it! I feel like I used to be pretty organized and efficient, but lately, my staying focused skills have been lacking. I can chalk it up to all the big life changes of late, but really, I know I need to take responsibility and accept the fact that how I currently work is well... not working!

Back when I first started blogging over at my primary blog, Sequential Crush I pretty much stayed awake as much as possible to cram as much research, blogging, publishing, and networking in between my full-time day job and all the other life stuff. It was amazing and exhilarating and I don't regret a minute of that period of hard work and dedication. But as awesome as it was, my severe lack of sleep took its toll. Since then I have learned that sleeping at least seven hours a night along with eating healthfully, exercising, and staying hydrated are major factors in being productive. Now that I seem to have that stuff down (more or less) I need to work on the staying focused aspect of things. For me, this means not checking my email every hour, getting sucked into my bloglovin' feed, watching puppy videos... you know how it goes. Since my time working on my projects is relegated to evenings and weekends, I really need to get better about staying focused and making the best of the time I do have. There will never be any more minutes in the day, but I do have the power to manage how I use those minutes!

How about you?

Do you have problems staying on task or managing time?

Decor8 Blogging Your Way Bootcamp!

Despite things being pretty rough for me lately, I am so ready to get back to having drive, creativity, and hard work as part of my daily routine. To jump start this pledge to myself, I have decided to enroll in Holly Becker's Blogging Your Way Boot Camp! I haven't ever taken a blogging class before -- blogging is just something I taught myself and learned through trial and error over at Sequential Crush. Even though I feel like I have a pretty good handle on all things blogging, I am never opposed to learning more! I am really hoping that this course will help invigorate me and inspire me to step up my blogging both over at Sequential Crush and here, my personal blog! I can't wait to see what happens!

Surroundings

Abandoned bicycles being
absorbed into their surroundings

Well, it's official. I'm a bad blogger! Over here at The Coziness Project anyway. Between work (and working lots of overtime) and Sequential Crush, there just doesn't seem to be much time left... for anything. I am so looking forward to my brother's visit in a week. Definitely need to see some family and take some time to just relax and enjoy my surroundings. Hopefully his visit and our adventures will give me some much needed fuel and inspiration!

My Romance Comics

All my comic books are still in suitcases. This may be how I roll for a while until proper shelving and boxes can be purchased!