Bucket List Progress!
In case you were wondering about that bucket list I wrote last month…
I’ve been making progress on that checklist of fun things to do this season:
Do you have the same tendency as me to think about all the things you want to accomplish, but never find – read: make – the time to actually do them? Life always seems to get in the way. I didn’t have the time, or the money, or the ingredients, or the transportation, or time, or time, or time! And it’s true, I didn’t. But, I found that once I gave myself one thing to try/do (something that was realistic and doable) and made the time by fitting it into my lifestyle/day, it felt so great to accomplish. That’s why I put together a Fall Bucket List earlier this season, with doable activities and realistic timelines, so I could actually accomplish them and feel good about it. If you didn’t catch my bucket list post, you can find it here.
When I put the 9-item list together, I wanted to make sure they were diverse activities to do: creative, physical/outdoors, social, and nutrition-based. These are all types of activities I already do so adding something new wasn’t too much of a stretch and was easy to incorporate. Some of the activities overlap with each other, like social and creative (taking a pottery throwing course, attending a life drawing session, and carving pumpkins with my siblings.) Others are more solitary activities, like the DIY doormat, 30-day drawing challenge, and making jelly. Doing a bit of both worked great for me!
Here is the progress I’ve made so far:
Pottery class
Check-ish! 2 out of 6 classes complete and I’m making progress. It’s challenging, but SO satisfying when you get it right. (Note: cut your nails, it will make everything much easier!)
Life drawing session
Check! I was inspired by seeing the work others were doing in the class. I started to loosen up my drawing style, use different media, and layer my sketches. Definitely would like to do some more drop-ins in the New Year with new media, new models, and keep those creative juices flowing.
Rain or shine hikes
Check and check! A sunny hike-walk with my fam at Smuggler Cove in Halfmoon Bay, and a rainy hike-walk with Brendan and some friends through Cliff Gilker Park in Roberts Creek. :) Checking this off the list won’t stop me from doing more, though!
Pumpkin carving
Check! Left it to the last minute – Oct 29th – so everywhere was sold out of orange pumpkins. But I did find some small white ones at the corner store, so we carved those. We had a fun evening and the pumpkins turned out great! And we treated ourselves to some treats, too.
Try a savoury pumpkin recipe
Check! I made a turkey pumpkin chili for our pumpkin carving night! I also tried a few new sweet recipes which were also big successes.
30-Day drawing challenge
Not yet – I started it and got 5 days in with portraits of women, but didn’t feel like I had much direction with it and fell off track. I was working on my looser drawing style by not looking at the page while I drew a portrait, but I just wasn’t feeling it. I still have time to try again, though! Planning a different approach with a time frame and guidelines.
Reupholster the arm chair
Not yet – but I’ve done some research and am deciding whether to get it done professionally or DIY it. I’m leaning towards professionally, but we’ll see!
DIY doormat
Check! But when I bought the doormat at IKEA, I didn’t think about the size (silly, I know) so it’s too small. Ugh. But it turned out great and I will be bringing it to the cottage for us to use there!
Try canning/make jelly
Check! I harvested the concord and white concord grapes from our backyard and made a pectin-free jelly. It is delicious!!! Something I learned: get smaller jars so I can gift it.
There is a chance that I won’t get everything checked off before the end of the season, but I’m not pressuring myself to – the 30-day drawing challenge and reupholstering an armchair have found themselves pushed to the bottom of the list. If I don’t get to them, I can either carry them over to my next bucket list, or just get to them when I get to them. And that’s OK! But I still have a few weeks left, so you never know – there’s still time.
What are some of the items on your bucket list? Share them below in the comments – I’d love to hear what you’re up to! And you may inspire me to try something, too. 😊
Hello! Catherine here.
I’m a Vancouver-based interior designer and love all things creative! I’ll be sharing things that inspire me, posting design tips and DIY projects, chatting about all kinds of topics, and hopefully inspiring some people to make little changes at home to create an environment that is functional, beautiful, and a perfect reflection of you!
