much success! a guide for goal achievement and such

So lately I've been hitting some of the goals I set out for myself, like paying off my student loans, making fun stuff for people, and .... that might be the entire list. (high five ya'll)  People have been asking me "DAMN JILL, how you be doing that?"** So I thought I'd share some tips on how to, you know... accomplish goals.

Here are my thoughts:
1. Believe in yourself, damnit. You have no idea what you're capable of, so go ahead and try something new. I was asked this weekend to run a 10k race with a friend. I have never run that far in my entire life. But I had two choices: Yes or no. If I said yes, I'd either fail or succeed. So why not try? And guess what, I did it! Here's another example: I wanted to go to dental hygiene school. But as a nine-fingered 30 year old, I put the doubt in my mind that I would most likely fail. But I also promised myself that I'd do whatever it took to reach my goal. True, I sacrificed a lot. But now I'm a full-time dental hygienist and part time educator. Who would have thought two years ago that I would be where I am today? Honestly, not me. There's no reason why you can't try something new, so stop making excuses!

2. You'll fail sometimes. But who gives a shit if you fail? Most likely, you'll be the only person who gives a shit. But instead of being all pissed off at yourself, just remember: You didn't have to go out on a limb and try. But you did! Be proud of trying something new. It takes balls, and now my friend, you've got balls. Be proud of those balls! Do you think I woke up one day and was like I'M GOING TO SEW A MOTHERF****** QUILT AND MAKE A SHIT TON OF STUFF OUT OF TIES!!!? Nope. Friends, I've been sewing since before I could drive. I've had MANY MANY sewing fails, including a shirt that LITERALLY split open at the seams while I was at a party. I've even machine sewed my thumb by accident. But did I give up? Naaah.

3. If you fail, then don't beat yourself up. You're human, not a damn robot. Life is full of ups and downs. You know the expression when it rains, it pours? Guess what: THAT EXPRESSION IS PURE BULLSHIT. It makes you think that when one shitty thing happens, then other shitty things will pile right on top of it until you're covered in shit. Here's what people don't tell you: The rain brings out the beautiful colors in life, like the brightness of the leaves on trees after a rainstorm. Which means, sure: Bad shit is going to happen. But take a look at everything  around you. When you take a minute to realize how fortunate you really are, the one shitty thing happening can't ruin your day like it use to. 

4. If you want to feel like shit, then go right ahead and feel like shit. Or be happy if you want to be happy. The lesson is, don't let anyone tell you how to feel. You're your own person. Don't let others dictate your feelings or make you feel small.

5. Treat others how you want to be treated. You know how I go around being nice to everyone? Guess what? It's because I'd also like people to be nice to me.  I have a real problem with people that are shitty to others, either because they judge a book by their cover, they are prejudice against their race, religion, sexual orientation, or hell, because they're nerdy, overweight, skinny or whatever the case is. We're all human, damnit: Nothing makes you superior to the person you're judging.

So, that's my life advice. Technically I'm allowed to give advice now that I'm in my thirties. But hey, just remember: You're taking advice from a person who has zits, twirls, wears children's hats, gets nose bleeds, hangs out with butterflies and mimics a child eating ravioli. You're welcome.

**More like, "good for you", and no mention of a question asking me how I did these things. 

projects, projects!

I'm happy to say that I've been busy: Not the same type of busy when I was in school, thank goodness. But busy like, "hey I'm busy with stuff that I actually want to do instead of stuff that I'm being forced to do while being silently judged by everyone!".

FJÄDRAR: A soft pillow that sounds like slang for vagina.

A couple weeks ago, a co-worker of mine mentioned that she had a friend, who in turn, had a bag of ties. They were her late husband's ties, and she was looking for someone to make pillows with them for herself, her mother-in-law, and her three children. I haven't made pillows in YEARS, nor have I ever made tie pillows. But of course I'd do it. Soon after, I received the bag of 32 ties and began thinking about what I would want to do. The easiest way for me to make pillows is, of course, buying a pre-made pillow. So off to IKEA I went, and I purchased 5 FJÄDRAR, 20x20" feather pillows.
 
So to make 5 pillows, I'd need to use ALL of the ties twice. And there was no way to make them double sided: I'd need WAY more ties to do that. So I found a nice black velour fabric (on sale, naturally!) to be the back of the pillows. Since the pillows were 20x20" I cut the ties into two, 22" pieces. With the ties cut down, it was time to assemble them into "sheets" of ties. Using a zigzag stitch, I alternated big pieces of tie with little pieces of tie until I had a sheet that was again, about 22" long. For the veloooour, I cut 10, 14x22" pieces. Why? So I could make the pillow covers into envelopes. That way if they ever get soiled, you can throw them into the washing machine without the inner pillow part. I know... you can high-five me, it was a great idea that I celebrated by eating copious amounts of Campbell's Chunky Soups. (not pictured.)

Here's the trick with pillows: You want the covers to be snug as hell. If the pillow is 20", you want to cut your fabric down to 20". (I always allow for an extra inch or two when cutting down fabric, you never know if you'll need more, so it gives you a bit of a safety zone.) When you sew your pillow case together, it will be about 19": This will give the pillow a more plump look. Also, it's time to admit that I was lazy as hell with the camera for this project. I kept thinking "this is the moment I should take pictures! Look at the stitches and the glorious colors!" but then was all like "the camera is downstairs, f*** that." Even now, the camera is downstairs. I will go get it, but I will also get a piece of Halloween candy, thank you very much. Take that, motivation!

 Without further ado, here are the five pillows. In no particular order.