New Year’s Resolutions + Tips for Keeping Them

Grace’s 2013 Resolution

I haven’t been this excited to start a year of blogging since the first day I nervously typed the words “Design*Sponge” into a polka-dotted Blogspot template. Nine years later, I’m still thankful and excited to take on all the challenges and opportunities ahead of us with everything I have and to try to make this year the best yet. Reading all of the beautiful hand-written resolutions from the design community inspired us to share some of our own, as well as the beautiful resolutions YOU shared with us on Instagram over the holiday break. From commitments to healthier living and balanced lives to vows of mental clarity and world travel, you guys have some amazing (and inspiring) ideas that I think everyone will enjoy. Thanks so much to everyone who shared their personal goals. We promise to stick to our team resolution of providing the best posts, ideas and inspiration we can every day, all day. Thanks for reading, and we can’t wait to see you again on Monday. xo, grace

Tips for Keeping Your Resolutions

Keep it simple and realistic. Don’t set goals that involve big purchases or a total change in your daily routine. Small changes are easiest to keep.
Write them down and display them somewhere you’ll see them every day. The fridge door, the back of your front door or taped to the top of your laptop work well.
Make it public! Sometimes, if you let people know about your goals, it’s the extra push you need to get them done. Try posting your resolutions on Facebook, Twitter or your blog or sending them in an e-mail to close friends.
Make seasonal resolutions: Let yourself dream big and put things on the list that you might not get done over the winter but that will be enough to get you moving in the right direction. Then adjust and add more as the year progresses.
Build a support group. If your friends and family know what your goals are, they’ll be better able to keep you on track.
Reward yourself! Set small goals for yourself and enjoy a small reward when you meet goal points along the way.
Allow yourself a slip up or two. A few small mistakes or setbacks are only natural. Don’t let them derail the long-term goal. Shrug them off and try again the next day.
Helpful Apps: Mint (finance), Fantastical (calendar), 30/30 (awesome timed task app), Sleep Cycle (sleep better), Fooducate (know what you’re eating), Mindful Eating, Buddhify (mindful meditation)

Amy’s Resolution: I’m entitled to Italian citizenship through my great-grandfather. It’s just a matter of filling out mounds of paperwork. I’m determined to do it this year.

Max’s Resolution: Clear my mind.

20 more fantastic resolutions from Design*Sponge readers (plus this week’s Weekly Wrap Up) continue after the jump . . .

entertaining by Kristina Gill 4

In the Kitchen With: Elana Iaciofano’s Roasted Chestnut Honey and Cheese Pizza

This week’s recipe by pizza enthusiast Elana Iaciofano rekindled my love for making pizza at home. Even though I made Elana’s Roasted Chestnut and Pyrénées Brebis Pizza with the wrong cheeses, I used a new flour that was amazing and that I felt totally compensated for my cheese error. (I’m a total convert now and will never use supermarket huge-batch flour again!) It wasn’t gummy, and it didn’t get hard after a few minutes out of the oven. I know that Elana’s pizzas usually have a flatter crust and look more “rustic,” but having used a new flour, it was also a new experience. My advice when you try this: Don’t worry if you can’t find the right cheese for your pizza; just think about balancing whatever cheese you choose with the sweeter honey that will be added. If you like sweet, go in that direction. If you like the contrast of flavors, lean that way. But whatever you do, try it! You’ll love it. (And spring for the absolute best flour you can find. You won’t regret it!) — Kristina

About Elana: Elena is a creative director/graphic designer and food photographer working in New York City. She and her brother started their food blog, John and Elana Talk about Food, as a labor of love . . . for Italian food, specifically pizza. You can find all manner of kitchen experiments, food reviews, photos and sibling antics on the blog, and they welcome new readers (just bring your own safety glasses).

botanical inspiration by Kristina Gill 5

Behind the Bar: Pauline Boldt’s Holiday Gin and Tonics

Photographer Pauline Boldt, whose cornmeal cake we featured late last year, has a most enviable life. She jet sets around the world photographing farms, restaurants, vineyards, chefs and more. In this way, she has the perfect opportunity to sample many different types of fabulous food. It seems that each experience one-ups the previous, so there’s no end to her culinary archive. This week she shares a recipe for one of her favorite holiday cocktails by Teen Gowler, a Canadian restaurateur. I know the holidays are over, but the cold weather isn’t. Looking at these images, I can almost get excited that the worst of winter is yet to come. I just need to make sure I have my drink cart ready to brave the storms! — Kristina

About Pauline: Pauline Boldt is an international reportage photographer and creative director who finds particular inspiration in people, places and food. Her editorial and commercial clients include Kinfolk, Airbnb, &London, Fiorentini + Baker and Tolaini Winery. Her work has been featured on What Katie Ate, as well as Sunday Publishing Cakebook. Pauline is also the photographer and creative director for a new venture called Le Tre, together with chef Marisa Curatolo and wine expert Tina Jones. Together, the three share their combined passion for wine, food and photography. You can see more of Pauline’s work at her photoblog, 26 Merton Road. She is also on Twitter (@26MertonRoad).

See Pauline’s holiday gin and tonic recipe after the jump . . .

small measures by Ashley 6

Small Measures: Herbal Sachets

In January 1991, when I was 15 years old, my mother, older brother and I moved into the most eccentric dwelling I’ve ever lived in. Montreat, N.C. is a tiny, quaint, gorgeous town just outside of Asheville. It was in this charming hamlet that we hung our hats for a mere nine months, moving into a converted stone and wood tobacco barn. Snuggled into a mountainous cove, our wild house sat beside a creek and boasted a mammoth stone fireplace, French doors off my room leading to a tiny porch and sailboat-type steps leading to the third-floor bedroom that belonged to my brother, complete with rope railing.

While our Swiss Family Robinson-style digs were seriously cool, they were also quite chilly. The house lacked insulation, caulking and the many other pleasures that make a house cozy and warm in the winter. Our home breathed right alongside us. It was during this time that I developed an interest in and love of all things natural, and finding a way to keep my clothes fresh smelling and moth-free became my mission during our stint in the Montreat house.

For today’s Small Measures, I’m sharing my all-natural solution for keeping garments in tip-top shape. Homemade herbal sachets pull double duty for your fabric items by imbuing them with a fresh scent while deterring pests. As many of us begin the new year by organizing, straightening and otherwise freshening our homes, I invite you to whip up a sachet or two for ringing in 2013. Here’s wishing you a happy, healthy and fragrant New Year, wherever you call home! — Ashley English

The full how-to continues after the jump . . .

pets by Stephanie 5

Human/House/Harvey: Cabin Style

It’s a new year, and for me and my pup, Mr. Harvey, that means a slew of new adventures! I’m not typically the kind of person who makes New Year’s resolutions, but I am most definitely the kind of person who sits down at the end of the year to make a list (usually too long to actually achieve) of travel destinations for the new year. This year, among many other locations, I have included two different cabin trips.

I live for a rustic, woodsy, snow-covered environment, and this season I refuse to let the winter bliss pass me by. So if I were to create the perfect cabin style for me, my home and my dog, here’s what I might pick. — Stephanie

HUMAN — Maybe it was my sincere love of the Nickelodeon show The Adventures of Pete & Pete (do you guys remember that show?), but the faux fur hunter’s hat has always been a favorite of mine. It is the quintessential cabin look.

HOUSE — It think there is no better home accessory that a neatly organized stack of firewood. There’s just something about the natural angles of the wood piled on top of one another that I love. This wood tower achieves that very look for your home.

HARVEY — Even though my dog has enough fur to keep him and probably seven other dogs warm over the cold season, I can’t help but love this plaid winter coat. So rugged.

products by Grace Bonney 11

Healthy New Year: Water Pitchers + Recipes

As you’ll see later today, I’m not much for New Year’s resolutions. I love reading other people’s, but the idea of big promises doesn’t work quite as well for me. I tend to focus on small daily changes and testing out what sticks, usually related to healthy living. Some weeks are better than others, but my simplest goal is always to drink more water. A few years ago I discovered that the best way to trick myself into drinking more water was to flavor it with something subtle and delicious. I’ve tested just about every fruit and water combination there is, so I thought I’d share my favorite recipes here today, as well as some pretty pitchers (many with built-in flavor infusers) that might encourage you to drink more water (and skip the plastic bottles). I’m always hunting for cool new “spa water” recipes to try, so if you’ve got a favorite, please please share it with me in the comments below. My typical cucumber/mint and lemon/lime routine is getting a little tired. Here’s to a happy, healthy new year for all of us, and a few more glasses of water. xo, grace

My favorite easy-to-make water blends

Ginger Mint
Chamomile, Mint and Cardamom
Raspberry Rose Vanilla
Pineapple Mint
Blackberry Sage (I love this made with a home seltzer machine.)
Orange Cranberry
Orange Ginger (and many more from this source)

More pitchers after the jump . . .