If I were an organized craft blogger I would link to Flickr and Ravelry with photos and notes of all my finished projects. However, I still have the link to J. Crew up here and all my online tracking is still linked to my old job. So I’m not that organized.

I am proud of all my projects in 2007, disorganized as they may be. I’ve hinted around but never said it outright: I am deeply in debt and that is the reason I’ve made most of my clothes this year. So for me, 2007 was a year of being more than crafty; it was a year of learning how to not use credit cards. It’s been a struggle–I fell off the wagon a few times for shoes (but I can’t make shoes!) and just this week I saw my lovely sister-in-law’s new boots and was extremely jealous. But in all, I’ve made good progress, I am paying down my bills, and I’ve learned how to live on what I make. I still have my moments–“champagne tastes, beer budget”–but I can resist them now.

The other thing I’m proud of this year is learning how to live alone. (And paying “living alone” rent rates, which is linked to the financial progress, too.) Just last year in this week between Christmas and January I was house- and cat-sitting and announced, “I don’t want to live alone.” Three months later I had signed a lease on my place, and while it took some talking to the houseplants and the cuckoo clock, I did learn to be by myself, all the time. (Bonus: The prospect of being old and alone now holds a lot less terror.) (Yes, I think of these things. Sometimes quite often.)

So lots of personal growth and financial maturity and stuff in 2007. I feel a lot older than this time last year, although I think this is helping:Nothing like a high-end kitchen appliance from your honey to make you feel adult!