So, have you ever had something you needed to do but you kept putting it off until tomorrow, or next week even, then all of a sudden, it’s a few months down the road and it’s still not done? That kind of happened with my blog posts. I had plans, guys. Great plans. But life and holidays happened and I ended up taking an unexpected and extra-long blog hiatus. I know you all noticed the absence and missed me greatly… (It’s okay to laugh at that.) Now that I’m back, I’m going to kick off the year with a short recap of what I’ve been up to and some of my goals for 2018.
The biggest event that happened was 7 Mile Designs celebrated one year of being in existence in October. My first public posts were equally terrifying and exciting. It was fun to see how far I’ve come in just one year and all of the lasting friendships I’ve made across the world.
I entered my second building contest where I made a coffee table out of one sheet of plywood. There were sooo many cuts! It was fun to see it come alive, though, and all of the creative ideas from the other entrants. I’ll be sharing a post on this later.
I also added a new, very fun tool to my arsenal – a scroll saw! I’ve made a few things with it so far but I’m looking forward (ish) to much more practice on it. It has so many possibilities!
I also made a whole host of goodies for Christmas décor and gifts. This is just a small sampling.
Outside of the shop, I helped my family clear out 30+ years worth of possessions from some buildings my dad owned in order to sell them. I don’t think I could accurately describe to you what these buildings looked like. It was equally a pickers paradise and a cleaning nightmare of epic proportions. There were literally trails to follow to get through. The buildings had also fallen into major disrepair so watching your step was imperative to avoid going through a floor. It was fun to go through my old memories but I also discovered some goodies my dad had in there that are now mine. Some are mine on a long-term loan basis. Or so my dad thinks, anyway. Between reclaimed wood, tools, and other goodies, I made out like a bandit. Sadly, we could not move everything due to time and available space at our new storage building, but we got most of it. Many of the goodies will show up later as I find ways to incorporate them in my home. Again, here is a small sampling of what I came away with.
Now for what’s to come! I had some great experiences in 2017 but I can assure you that I am not one bit sad to see it go. It was not an easy year by any means. For the past couple months, I’ve been thinking about what I want to accomplish this year and where I want to take 7MD. One of them, obviously, is to devote more time to the blog and keep it going consistently. I still have projects from last year to share as well as ideas for upcoming projects and home improvements (I literally have two holes in my walls from half done projects). I’ve been making lots of lists, which if you know me, you know I make to-do lists to make to-do lists. Seriously. I’d also like to start some post series. One I’m heavily considering is a shop upgrade or improvement series.
Of the things I have planned, one I’m most excited about is opening a retail space! It’ll be small to start in a local vendor mall to see how it goes. Timing is everything on when to open it so I’ll be busting my butt over the next couple months to make items to fill the space. I have so many ideas that I should run out of space before I do projects.
Another goal for 2018 is to add more content to my YouTube channel. What?? You didn’t know I had a YouTube channel? Well, there is only one video right now but I want to majorly change that by this time next year. I need help from you though. What kind of videos do you want to see from me? Full on tutorials? Quick tidbits? Product reviews? What kind of tutorials, tidbits, and reviews? Tell me what the people want to see!!
And finally (for now anyway), one of the biggest changes that most won’t even see is administrative changes and improvements. I’ll be making some changes to my ordering and scheduling system so that it’s easier on everyone and I can have more downtime for myself. Some of that downtime will be spent practicing and learning new tools and techniques. All in all, I have a busy year ahead of me. Don’t forget that you can keep up with me and what’s going on in the shop by following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Let’s get started!
What are some of your goals for 2018? Any requests for what you want to see from me this year?
I’m going to try and be 20% as productive as you are 🙂
Ha! There’s no guarantee that I’m going to be as productive as I’ve set out to be. Aren’t first of the year goals meant to be broken??
This is such a great post Jenn! I think majority of us can relate- I especially can relate to the making of to-do lists for my to-do list. So glad I’m not alone! I’m sure any video you do will be useful, perhaps some Sketch-up help? Thanks so much for the great read- looking forward to 2018 for 7 mile designs!