the reverse bucket list

Have you ever heard of a Reverse Bucket List? A compilation of things you have accomplished/done/seen/experienced. I started writing this list when I was in Venice Beach when I came across Erika's own Reverse Bucket List on her blog Chimerikal. It was also about the time I read Melyssa's post about why ex-expats need to tell their story on The Nectar Collective. Guys, I miss Italy. I really miss it. But even more so, I miss talking about it. Telling a 2nd grader during an art class that I've visited a particular spot on a map doesn't feel the same as finding another fellow travel addict or Italophile and just letting loose and gushing about our shared love for it. 

It's fun to think back over all the things I've seen/done/visited/experienced but I've never really sat down and compiled a real list of them. I've been pretty dang lucky these 26 years so far...pretty lucky indeed. It's also a good brainstorming activity to find things that I haven't done yet and want to add to my real Bucket List...which is getting pretty lengthy...

Erika said it pretty perfectly:

"sometimes we need to look back at the things we've already done and say, 'Wow. That's pretty awesome!'...And my intent is not to feel superior. My intent is to share and to open up. It's kind of a fun, 21st century blogging way to express some gratitude for some great things I've experienced in my life"

1. Road trip across the USA solo
2. See Mount Rushmore
3. Watch Old Faithful erupt
4. Go on a cattle drive and branding
5. Hunt for arrowheads and petroglyphs
6. Rent a boat and cruise the Mediterranean coast
7. Own a copyright 
8. Own my own small business
9. See the 4th of July from the air
10. Eat paella and drink sangria in Spain
11. Hike Antelope Canyon

12. Fly to a new country solo on an impulse (France)
13. Visit Death Valley
14. Surf in Hawaii
15. Fly from Belgium to Sicily in one day
16. Go to Disney World and Disneyland
17. Eat a 4 course, 4.5 hour long meal in Italy (for only 90 euro for two people!)
18. See a Broadway show in NY 
19. Study abroad for a semester
20. Live and work abroad
21. Nanny for an Italian family
22. See the Venice Biennalle
23. Race Go-Karts
24. Hear Elton John live in concert in Las Vegas
25. See the Grand Canyon in the snow
26. Graduate from college
27. Go backstage at a concert (Incubus!)
28. See Picasso's Guernica in Madrid
29. See the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris
30. Sail to Catalina Island
31. Meet one of my favorite artists (Arielle Alasko)
32. Find of one my designs on someone
33. Go to a commercial filming
34. Go to a movie filming (Death Proof)
35. Be introduced by Quentin Tarantino
36. End up in the extra bits on the DVD of a movie
37. Design a wine label

38. Be an extra on a TV show (Lizzie McGuire)
39. Camp on the beach 
40. Go to a concert solo
41. Take a defensive driving course at the Texas Motor Speedway
42. Go river-rafting
43. Sleep in a treehouse
44. Visit the Four Corners
45. Stay out all night til the sun comes up dancing at a discotheque
46. Get a tattoo in Europe
47. Go/get stuck in Russia
48. Live in a different state
49. Walk through Central Park
50. Be a bridesmaid
51. Get lost in Rome
52. Ride bikes through Ghent, Belgium by the moonlight on our way to a Chilean restaurant
53. Help with a wine harvest
54. Make gnocchi/pasta from scratch in Italy
55. Drink wine in the vineyard it was grown
56. Flirt in Italian
57. Learn bronze casting
58. Learn how to weld
59. Draw an 8' x 8' chalk drawing at Il Madonnari
60. Hike a rain forest

61. Visit the Caribbean
62. Go to a college football game
63. Find an underground network of tunnels
64. Pull a full all-nighter
65. Have an incident in Switzerland
66. Join a Bocce team
67. Finish a magnum of wine
68. Taken a tattooing class in Italian
69. See Lake Como
70. Kayak on a Bio-luminescent bay 
71. Visit the Sistine Chapel
72. Sketch Michaelangelo's David
73. Visit Pompeii
74. Find a FIELD of sunflowers
75. Roadtrip across Italy
76. See La Sagrada Famiglia in Barcelona
77. Drive a Vespa in Italy
78. Read the whole Dark Towers series 
79. Get onstage at a concert (Flogging Molly)
80. Shoot a bulls-eye
81. Go to a movie premiere
82. Learn how to drive a manual car
83. See a ghost town
84. Make/finish a full sketchbook

85. Sketch during a blackout by the light of a cell phone
86. Run a bar
87. See a World Cup game in person
88. Sew a dress and wear it
89. Go snowboarding
90. Visit Yosemite
91. Go to SXSW 
92. Go to ACL
93. Fly somewhere First Class
94. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge
95. Visit Alcatraz
96. Walk through Muir Woods
97. Ride on a glass bottom boat in Mexico
98. Visit Sicily
99. See a Catacomb
100. Visit Carlsbad Caverns
101. Visit Roswell, New Mexico
102. Ride on a old fashioned train (Durango, Colorado to Silverton)
103. See Rainbow Bridge at Lake Powell

Have you ever made a Reverse Bucket List? What's on your Bucket List?

2014 lists

I mentioned earlier this month that I wasn't going to do a 26 by 27 list this year. This past year I found that as my business grew, my focus drifted from the original 25 by 26 list. That list was much more personally oriented and I wasn't prepared for all the business hurdles I would face in 2013. I can't beat myself up too much though...as much as I would have liked to read 10 new books last year (I finished 7!), filing for copyright of Sketchy Notions and similar accomplishments took precedence and helped my business grow so much! 

So this year I'm making two lists, one for my Sketchy business and one for me. Smaller lists for each, both equally important. By compartmentalizing, I'm hoping I'll be able to knock the two lists out better than one giant, unfocused list. A lot of the goals are going to be big challenges, some are just general life changes I would like to make during the next year. Even if I end up drifting focus again from one to the other, hopefully I'll have at least one full list knocked out this time next year! 

Sketchy's List:

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1. Launch new products in both shops
2. Self publish Lumen 
3. Apply to a larger craft/art market
4. Wholesale products to another store
5. Create two new travel postcard sets
6. Donate more as a business
7. Write a new children's book to self publish
8. Advertise regularly for both shops
9. Stay on top of paperwork, documenting and organization
10. Collaborate with another artist

Chelsea's List:

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1. Host a Yard Sale! 
2. Sketch more & create more personal art/books (instead of everything for a product/shop)
3. Quarto, the next version of Terzo. Bind and fill this summer...
4. Take personal time away from Sketchy more
5. Meet up with a blog friend! Any takers?
6. Save money / file for a CC or a loan
7. Italian fluency
8. Better organization habits / daily to-do lists
9. Cook more & try more ambitious recipes (I got a stand mixer for Christmas!)
10. Contribute more at home

I'm going to write both lists inside my new planner that I made so I'll always have them on me. Isn't it cute? I had some downtime last week and grabbed a used FedEx envelope, some cardstock, a ruler and a highlighter. I had such a hard time finding a planner I liked but this one is perfect for me and Sketchy! 

Do you make goal lists every year? Have you tried doing a 25 before 26 type list?

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Did you enter the birthday giveaway I held this week? Check to see if you won! 

25 before 26 update

One thing I know I need to get back in gear on more is my 25 before 26 list. I know it has only been about 3 months since I started on this list, but I feel like I was farther along at this point with my list last year. I'm not sure why it is but I'm less focused on knocking out all of them out this year but hopefully this post will be a nice little boost to get me back in gear. 

Albeit some of them are a bit ambitious compared to my list last year.  Even though I haven't made much progress yet, I am able to check off a couple new ones from the list, and change a couple as well. Plus I still have 9 months to hopefully finish all of them...gulp...





25 before 26:

1. Travel somewhere new...hopefully remedying this one very soon!
2. Publish a book by myself or with a Publisher
3. Write 3 new children's books
4. Make better photos for Etsy/blog/website  still a work in progress tho
5. Promote Etsy shops more last month I experimented with sponsoring blogs, and loved it! I'm shopping around at the moment  for some new blogs for this summer. 
6. Finish one of my Grandma's quilts
7. Really downsize
8. Redesign/update business cards/shops/website 
9. Expand Etsy items both 8/9 have been taken care of...
10. Submit illustrations to magazines/sites...nothing has come from that yet unfortunately...
11. Learn to play guitar chords...my little sister is learning to play guitar at the moment so I may ask her to help me!
12. Hand-print a small edition...although this one hasn't been accomplished yet, I have been handprinting so I may revise this goal...
13. Get products in another store...I'm hoping to network a bit at the Art Market in Santa Barbara next month.
14. Find a new hobby I'm a little embarassed to admit it, but I joined a bocce team here in the valley. Yes, it sounds like a joke (which it is) but it is always a very fun and entertaining evening when we play! Plus, our team name: Sonofa Bocce. Win. 
15. Embrace change better
16. Shop wiser/invest in better quality clothes I have shopped so little these past few months! And when I have, I'm happy to say they have been smarter purchases!
17. Print digital photos
18. Make more artist's/blank books did you see my lovelies in that top photo?! I plan on making more too!
19. Turn Terzo into prints
20. Read 10 new books... a work in progress....
21. Blog more DIYs
22. Visit a craft show...I'll be participating in one next month! I think this goal can be revised! 
23. Keep in touch better
24. Procrastinate on lessons less...always a work in progress, but I have my workshops this summer to fully implement this one! 
25. Bind/fill another giant sketchbook

25 before 26

It's my birthday! Geez I feel old now...I'm heading to Las Vegas for a quick weekend getaway/surprise with the boy, HOORAY!  With the new year at 25 starting today, I wanted to share my newest list: 25 before 26! It was a bit daunting to pick 25 goals for this next year but the best part about them all is that (I think/hope) they're all obtainable. I stayed pretty focused with last year's list, and hopefully I will be able to cross out this entire list by January 26, 2014! This last year when by crazy fast and I'm sure this one will go by even faster...

1. With all the trips to Europe over these past few years, I still have yet to go to England or Germany or Ireland! I love you Italy but I need to branch out a bit more...

2. I've been working on getting Lumen published but without any luck yet. I will try the normal route a little longer and if nothing comes from it, I'm self publishing her!

4/5. I love my blog and I love sharing it, but my blog is not a source of income for me. I need to refocus my efforts in promotion. My Etsy shops need more love and attention, and better photos to help with that hopefully. 

7. Okay, I'm a bit of a hoarder. This needs to be remedied...

11. Aiming a bit more realistically this year with the guitar...last year I failed this one miserably, but this year I think my littlest sis wants to learn too. Might be better to learn together! 

12. I need to get back into printmaking, it's been far too long since I last made an edition. I'd like to try sewing some printed pouches too!

14. This one is already in the works, but more on that later...

16. I got a jump start on this one with a mini birthday shopping spree to Lucky! Ideally with better quality stuff, I'll spend less continually replacing all the cheaper and poorer quality clothes I have that wear out so fast. 

19. Terzo needs to be in prints big time. I need to work out scanning him asap...

20. I love reading, but I have the bad habit of only rereading my favorite books. 10 new books this year that I haven't read...any recommendations?

22. This goes along with promoting my Etsy better, I want to get involved with the crafting/Etsy community a lot more. 

23. Me and my procrastination habits need to be severed...especially with my art lessons! I'd love to be able to get a full night sleep the night before I teach, and be less anxious about them too. 

I'll do updates along the way as I try to knock out all 25 of these this year. Kind of a daunting list but here we go 25! 

24 before 25 recap...

I'm turning 25 on Saturday. Whoa. This year has gone by incredibly fast and was filled with a lot of adventures/firsts/projects, and a surprisingly amount of progress on my 24 before 25 list. I wanted to do a recap of how my last list went before I post about my new one, 25 before 26! Eek! 

As anticipated, I didn't accomplish everything on my list which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The outcome of all of this definitely shows where my focus has been this past year...more than anything it's helped me figure out where I really want to succeed, rather than just taking care of the "fluff" goals. 

I also technically finished a lot of goals in ways I never expected. Looking at the results too is also helping me shape up my next list too. I've crossed out the ones I finished and have written some explanations about most of them. 

1. Organize/Downsize: I think I stayed pretty organized this year, I had a giant room purge in January last year and have done a pretty decent job at staying downsized.
2. Etsy shop into a business: This past year has been my most successful year of owning an Etsy shop! And I have high hopes (and plans) for this coming year...
3. Blog more
4. Save more money: I think I did alright on this one but it's not entirely successful, there's always more room in the bank account...
5. Sketch more: I was able to fill an entire sketchbook in 6 weeks, check! 
6. Network more: business cards, a full website, a facebook page, my products in actual stores! I also submitted my work to Craftgawker and other sites as well. I'm very happy to be able to cross this one off.
7. Stop biting my nails: one year and going strong...
8. Go back to ATX and mini roadtrips: I got to visit Texas last March, and Monterey soon after. Not as many mini roadtrips as I would have liked, but a trip to Italy made up for it! 
9. Learn to play guitar: Didn't make time for this one, I'll try it again this year...
10. Sew more: I did sew a lot more than I expected this year, and in odd ways. A lot of sewing on cards, and I did patch a pair of jeans up the other day! 
11. Books into print: I can technically cross this one off, it's not exactly the mass printing I had hoped for but there is always this next year...
12. Send books to publishers: I sent my lovelies away in October. Still no good news but I'm keeping my fingers crossed and preparing to send some more out soon. 
13. Illustrate more: There were A LOT of illustrating project this year, between Lumen and my Etsy shop and commissions. 
14. Keep art bubble clean: More or less...ish....half crossed out since there's always room for improvement...
15. Write more children's books: Success! 
16. Make an edition of 5 artist's books: Yes! 
17. Start hand-printing: not what I expected but a half check nevertheless, I did have a lot of fun with it...
18. Teach art lessons: Yes! 
19. First skin tattoo: a bit prison style esche but yep.
20. Surf more: aside from the guitar, this was my most neglected one. Means I was focused more on work but still a bit depressing I didn't surf as much as I had hoped.
21. Don't lose my Italian:  Hooray! Somehow after 10 months in the states I didn't lose it. And it came back surprisingly quick when I went back to Italy in October. 
22. Make pasta & focaccia: Half check! I cooked a lot of pasta this year but no focaccia unfortunately
23. Write letters: I sent a lot of postcard from Italy, but those can't count. 
24. Make more photographs: I made a lot of photos in Italy, and with my new addiction to Instagram that helped as well.

So overall, about 19.5/24...not too shabby. I'm really pleased with how many I accomplished this year, and I'm excited to see how this next year will progress too! 

lusting for wandering

Oh the wanderlust is growing stronger every day! Day dreaming is at an all time high! Productivity is at risk! And so, I'm thinking forward to stay motivated. Past when I will (hopefully) successfully have completed my 24 before 25 list in just over 4 months. WOW! That means I'll be 25 soon...eek! (does that mean I have to settle down and start acting my age? please say it ain't so!)

Once the completion of the list happens, aside from the obvious rewards of having checked off all those babies I might like to treat myself to a special item or two. The ladies over at A Beautiful Mess had the idea of rewarding themselves with an Etsy love with the completion of their goals. Genius! I have far too many Etsy lusts but I made a little treasury list to keep track of my favorite ones, that also stick with my wanderlustful wanderings at the moment. 

One of my daydream wanders at the moment have been a road trip to Alaska! I miss road trips so much and I've never ventured that far North. I think it would be fun to make a giant trip north, Yosemite along the way, cruise Alaska, then return south and head east to visit Yellowstone. I love those parks but it has been far too long since I've seen them. This gal's adventure in a Winebago is fueling my road trip jonesing pretty bad too!  But Alaska is high on the list of destinations after this next Italy jaunt is complete! Followed by Morocco. And Ireland. And the Canary Islands. Costa Rica. Peru. New Zealand. Croatia. Greece. Turkey.... oh hell, the list just goes on and on...

'lusting for wandering' by NotionalNotions

the perfect wanderlusting ammo. (and potential splurge rewards for a successful 24 before 25 list)

The Travelers Pack MercyLeatherWo... $375.00	Shaman Stick / Alaska Series... artistinthearc... $45.00	You Are on an Adventure LifeRefocused $30.00	Upcycled Leather Journal - Y... frontporchandm... $28.00
sura. a custom not all who ... fringenfeather $45.00	Handwoven Turkish Towel, Pes... TheAnatolian $28.00	Custom Necklace. Any State o... NINOTCHKAgoods $49.00	vintage suede boots - size 9 Thrush $50.00
Safari Camera Bag - Burgund... CopperRiverBag... $156.95	Venice I 2012 Original dra... AbstractCartog... $60.00	vintage c. 1950s STELLAR met... MouseTrapVinta... $42.00	Antler Necklace with brown s... BlackStar $18.00
The National. An Altered Pos... catwalk $20.00	Road Trip Necklace // Large ... FableAndLore $24.00	Watercolour of France Print ... KittyAprilHand... $10.00	Tuscany Photograph, Italy Ph... EyePoetryPhoto... $30.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

24 before 25 update...

How is it May?! That just kind of snuck up when I wasn't looking...

It has now been 14 weeks, almost 4 months since I started my list of 24 before 25, 24 goals I would like to accomplish before my next birthday. 

New Year's resolutions always seemed like a joke and I never took them seriously enough to follow through with them from one month to the next...with that in mind, I wasn't sure what to expect with this very daunting list (and my typically absent ambition).

But so far, I've actually been keeping on task and staying motivated with quite a few on my list! A lot more than I anticipated after looking it over...

This could will likely be long and boring but bear with me. (and I really recommend making one of these...)



1. Organize/downsize: doing alright, had a big stuff purge in January and been keeping tidy since!

2. Etsy into a business: I'm happy to say YES to this one, and just recently with the addition of the Pearl Snap Earrings! My Etsy shop is getting some love!

3. Blog more: these have been my most active few months of blogging since I was in Europe...

4. Save more money: slow on this one...the trip to Austin and to Monterey has put a damper on this but it's a work in progress...

5. Sketch more: less for the fun of it and more for projects, so I guess that counts...my minis need more attention tho...

6. Network: business cards, check! Website, CHECK! Facebook page, CHECK! twitter.......not sure I'm quite ready for that dark side...

7. Stop biting my nails: COMPLETE!!! For the first time in 2 decades I have nails! Stoked!


8. Get back to ATX & mini roadtrips: Yep! Got to Austin and trip to Monterey! Next up...maybe Muir Woods? Death Valley? Yosemite? Zion National Park?

 9. Guitar: this is probably the most neglected on my list unfortunately...I have tried but it's hard to find time for it...must remedy that.

10. Sew more: I'm actually in the midst of sewing a couple tank tops up for some screen printing testing! Not sure how all this will go...sewing jersey is a big stronza!

11. Books into print: Still a work in progress, couple more illustrations on Lumen then ta-da! Livi and Grace need a few more too but they're coming along.





12. Send books to publishers: same as above...gotta finish the little buggers first! And also get the guts to get send them it...

13. Illustrate more: same as 11 too I guess. I have been illustrating a lot more but still a lot more work to do...

14. Keep art bubble clean: it's been....relatively organized..for my standards atleast...

15. Write more kid's books: Yep! I wrote a quick story for my good friend Tasia and her son Tallon and I have about 4 more I need to write//finish up!


16. Make an edition of 5 Artist Books: YES! Got that one done!

17. Start handprinting: with this makeshift screenprinting attempt it will be a yes...

18. Teach art lessons: Check! Been teaching collage for the past 4 months! And I have 4 workshops scheduled for this summer!!!

19. First skin tattoo: it may be a bit prison style...but it counts! A little low on cash to buy my glorious Bishop Rotary Tattoo machine...oh how I want thee...

20. Surf more: hmmmm....I'm a bad beach bum. But maybe it's a good thing since I've been so productive elsewhere?


21. Don't lose my Italian: I haven't! It's been rough but facebook chatting with Italian amici has helped, and the occasional skype sesh works wonders! And the random dream in Italian is nice too!

22. Make pasta & focaccia: I've made gnocchi twice and have been hankering for some legit focaccia...maybe this week....

23. Write letters: damn....failing this one. Big time. Anybody want a letter? I'll write you one! I've been making the cards, just need a recipient.

24. Make more photographs: actually, I have. Albeit a lot have been for the blog but I have been making more photos in general. May have to post them...

So yeah! That's the latest on my list. I'll post an update in another couple months but I'm rather pleased with their progress. I have 2 written lists hanging in my art bubble and bathroom for constant reminders but I think what's helping is that I actually really want all these things.

It's not like a resolution to lose weight (2 years in Italy makes you gloriously stop caring about that, for fear of missing out on a killer meal...) or something else I would easily dismiss 2 month into it, they're actually things I really want to happen in my life and work towards accomplishing. So I guess we'll see where this goes in the next 8 months...I will likely be moving to LA and getting into the stunt industry (more on that another time) so we'll see how this list progresses further!

24 in 2012

Oh mama mia! 2011 was a blur! And with it being gone, changes need to start...yesterday!I've always had trouble with resolutions, so this year I've decided to wait until my birthday later this month to start my alternative...

Instead of resolutions I'm going to make a list of goals instead, 24 to be exact. 24 goals that I would like to accomplish before my next birthday (the big 25, eek!). I was inspired by Elsie's post over at her blog, A Beautiful Mess. Hopefully I'll have as much luck as she did with her goals this past year.

My plans have recently changed, resulting in me staying state side for a while so I hope this list of goals will keep me from going into a funk and finally make me get my act together for the first time since the adrenaline of school burned out. Andiamo!

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