I’m not sure what other teetotals do to celebrate New Year’s Day, but I like to greet it with a cup of tea. ☕ In the last couple of years, I have made things a little more interesting by exploring new flavours, such as Blackcurrant by Heath & Heather and Strawberry Champagne by Tea & the Gang.
Most of you may not find this as exciting as popping a bottle of real champagne 🍾 but this has now become a bit of a tradition for me. This year’s beverage of choice has, in particular, been a revelation as it wasn’t one I expected to enjoy. I’d heard so much about the benefits of Turmeric Milk that I thought I’d see if it would live up to the hype, and prepared myself for an unpleasant experience akin to drinking curry. 🤢
I’m happy to report I was mistaken! 😅 Yes, Golden Milk (another name for Turmeric Milk) isn’t tea, but I still count it as a “brew” since it is equally calming, and involves some prep as well. You could make your own from scratch as loads of recipes can be found online. However, I decided not to chance it and went for the more convenient “instant” option, again from Tea & the Gang. Ok, perhaps it isn’t all that “instant” since you have to heat the milk up and whisk in the ingredients, but it really doesn’t take long.
The Guru (as seen in the main pic at the top of the post) is a comforting blend that’s part of Tea & the Gang’s Neon Latte Signature Collection, and it tastes absolutely lovely, especially with a little grated cinnamon sprinkled on top. 😋 I also added two teaspoons of my usual zero-calorie sweetener (erythritol), though you can add sugar or honey instead if that’s your preference. Turmeric Milk will definitely warm you up on cold winter nights, and if you have any chocolate biccies to go with it…even better! 👌
My little adventure with Golden Milk has set the tone for 2021. Plus, I also marked the start of this decade with new hair colour! As with previous years, I have not bothered making a resolution, but I have set myself some goals. Although I haven’t got very far with any of them, we are barely out of week one! Perhaps if I share my list with everybody, the thought of being shamed at the end of the year, because I haven’t made an effort, will motivate me. 😆
1. Keep My Shop Open
When I first opened my shop years ago, it was to trial new products, but because I’m also juggling a full-time job, my business has been very stop-start. Hopefully this is the year that will all change! Apologies for the delay in re-opening my shop after the holidays…I had a very poorly kitty, but fingers-crossed she is now on the mend so normal service will now resume. 🤞
2. Learn Something New Each Day
This is the easiest objective since it’s always been my motto, as mentioned in my 10 Things That Bring Joy to Life post two years ago. The simplest way to go about this is to read a broad range of news to keep up with the latest discoveries! 😉
3. Improve My Sewing
I began this journey in the latter half of 2019, first by attending a few local workshops 🧵 and last year I finally summoned the courage to buy my own sewing machine. If you too would like a stab at this, check out my Easy Sewing Projects post which features a few guides I can recommend. It ranks them according to difficulty and showcases my end-results, along with links to a few more tutorials which I intend to put to the test at some point this year.
4. Begin Resin/Quilling Projects
I haven’t decided which of these two new skills I want to focus on. I love all forms of papercraft, but seeing as I already have all the equipment and materials necessary for resin jewellery, and not for quilling, I’m very likely to pick the former. Plus, I am planning to launch jewellery cards in my shop this year, so some experience in handling resin will come in very handy.
5. Complete an Animation/Video-Editing Online Course
Again, not quite sure which route is best for me…I already have some knowledge of editing videos on phone apps and the old Windows Movie Maker, but ideally would like to get more familiar with Premiere Pro. For now, the professional videos I use are done by my husband David. As for animation, my ability is limited to gifs created in Photoshop, but I’d like to go further.
The fact that we’re all likely to remain in some form of lockdown for the first half of 2021 will be an advantage as I can continue working from home. With most attractions closed, I guess there will be less distractions tempting me…though there is of course still my Kindle and Netflix! 🤦🏻♀️🤣
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