The 86 Days of Summer

Grand Beach, Manitoba

Some people create New Year's resolutions.

I create a list of...

68 things to do in 86 days of summer!

Here's the approximate breakdown:

10 items are food related
5 are related to exercise and wellness
17 of them are sports/leisure/hobby type activities
7 are literacy related
at least 12 of them involve travel
11 will help me build some mad skills
and 9 of the list items are purely indulgent

I'm sooooo looking forward to summer!

Lost in Linkland...

Candy Corn Hershey's Kisses. These are to die for.

I think I need to embrace the mustache craze and get one of these magnets...

Fairy Tale finger puppets patterns

The Meaning of Photoshop by Khoi Vinh -- an article that ponders the role photoshop plays in our perceptions of beauty, real or imagined and whether such a thing is a destructive force if not acknowledged.

Photos of Marilyn Monroe reading, reading, reading... via Sheila Variations

a few others:

Yep, reading is sexy.

Garage Sale-ing

a black and white creamer
I'm all about black and white
in clothes and now, apparently, in dishes.

A garden claw just like mom's,
only hers is blue and white

a black magazine rack to hold my library books.
It would appear they don't quite fit!
I better get reading...
a Hello Kitty Sewing Machine
Mint Green -- 10 different stitches
I did NOT pay full retail price.

some sewing goodies--zippers, bias tape,
rick rack, elastics all for 75 cents

a colorful bag for 25 cents --yippee!

I Link ,Therefore I Am.

How cute is this little card table playhouse for a child?
I am in LOVE with it.
I wonder if I could make something like this myself...
Special order them here, at Imaginative Play Toys on Etsy

Secrets of Simplicty by Mary Carlomagno sounds like a book I need to read (via Decor8)

Am dying to make these yummy cupcakes via Inchmark.

I'm all about the coconut.

Awesome wedding invitations for the music lover! via Black*Eiffel

Love this from Threefold Collection via Freshly Blended.

I think the printable checklist is pretty darn cool, for a list lover like me!

Fabrics from this Etsy Store are making my mouth water.

Fat Quarter pack of two fabrics:
Jennifer Paganelli--Polly Stripe in Persimmon
Alexander Henry--Apples & Pears in Blue

Fat Quarter:
Alexander Henry--French Countryside Granville Fabric

Better Late Than Never

There is really no good reason why this couldn't have been done in a day... and instead it took a couple years! I bought this fabric for my brother, the Scooby Doo fan, awhile back in order to make a cozy comforter for his bed. He was complimenting me on one I'd made for myself and I decided I should do one for him for his birthday--in 2007. I was nearly done with it by this Christmas but it took until this weekend before I finally did the yarn ties. Sheesh. It was a good feeling to send him home after Easter dinner with a cheerful little blanket.

My Studio.

My new computer area.
Fabric covered bulletin board to my left.
John Cusack on my right.

My yarn stash.
Projects in progress are in baggies lining the bottom shelf.

The decision on these shelves was a tough one. I brought my pal Andrea in for some consultation last Wednesday on our way to have dinner with Greg Williamson. She encouraged me to go with the 8" shelves instead of the 10". So wise. Thanks, Andrea!
I moved my blonde bookshelves into my studio space rather than store them. They are perfect for shelving and storage. I have some writing reference books in here as well as all my knitting, sewing, crocheting books and patterns. The Orla Kiely basket from Target is one of my favorites in this image.
The shoe bag organizer is something I've used in the storage area for some time. It is a lifesaver when it comes to finding things like batteries, tape, glue sticks, post its and so much more. The closed closet doors open to reveal another workspace:

My sewing nook. I have stamping, scrapbook, extra fabric, cotton batting, and mending in progress on the shelf above. I have my wooden crates from my former office space serving as shelving for things like old journals, writing portfolios, colored paper, markers, paints, modeling clay, modge podge, and felt.

Here are some details of the more decorative bits of the room.
Yum. This was the frosting on the cake.

My Studio Takes Shape

I had planned to work on the books all day organizing them all until all four bookish areas in my place (including the new-found book nook) were utterly perfect. However, after a few more errands I brought Sophie, age 11, over to work on the craft room. Thank goodness for that. Without her help I am sure I would have spread the bookshelf project out for a few more days and probably not truly started on the craft room until the following weekend.

Instead, subscribing to the philosophy, "sometimes you have to make things messier to get things in order" we dragged nearly everything out of the craft room/sewing room/computer room which will hereby be known as "my studio." We put all "containers" in the living room and called it "the container store" and we put all the STUFF of my studio into the hallway so we had piles of ribbons and stacks of yarn and fabric, cotton batting, clothes that needed mending, sea shells, baby jars, felt, markers, paints and so forth.

I'd already set up the layout of the room the way I wanted it. That was decided. The three blonde bookshelves previously from the book nook area were moved in. I bought two small tables. My computer and printer were set up. I'd already sorted the shoe bag organizer that hangs on the back of the door.

I'd tentatively chosen some magazine holders for my Real Simple magazines and Sophie helped me make the decision between black and white on that one.

The sewing machine was set up in the closet and I had some dowels to put the ribbons on and so she helped me do that too and even figured out a way to do TWO dowels so I could hang them all. The crates from my previous office space were now stacked one on top of another in the closet to create shelving on either side of the sewing machine. Our job now was to slowly return all the crafty items to the room in an orderly fashion. The following images are after it was completed a few days later.

the closet

the closet -- sewing work space

Of course, I only had Sophie for a few hours and then she went home to bed and I kept on working. The sheer mess was motivating. It wasn't all done by bedtime, but I was much much closer. Thank goodness for Sophie.

Organization --Step Four

Today I made some real progress on the craft room disaster. However, I've discovered that to move one thing necessitates I move another thing. My apartment is like a giant puzzle. I've decided I cannot have the bedding in the hallway anymore so I started making a space in the storage closet behind my kitchen. Much of the space I'm carving out involves crafty stuff like my stamping supplies (haven't done that in a million years), my scrapbook supplies (ditto), my writing portfolio and filled journals, blank journals, a tub of gift bags, tissue paper, and packing materials, gifts I've got at the ready, and everything else from sea shells to jingle bells. All of those things can go into the new craft space when I have a clue where to put it or how it will be arranged. For now I'm just moving those items to the hallway.

I bought a couple rectangular card tables and I'm hoping these will work. I'm still undecided. I've got them in place and I'm trying to figure out the big furniture layout. It just doesn't look right, but I think part of that is the lack of shelves and pictures on the walls. I also need to come up with some better lighting options. There is some real potential here. I'm just trying to find it without breaking the bank.

I'll update with pictures as soon as I've committed to a layout. This is exciting.

Is it a sign of nerdish when I am this pumped about an organized home?

Organization--Take Two

Around the beginning of December, my craft room became a dumping ground for everything that didn't have a home. At first it was just some Christmas presents I wanted out of sight and then suddenly I was having company and instead of shoving things in the closet I stashed my mess in there and shut the door. Well, the time has come to open it up and reclaim my creative corner.

In the past few months, there was a stretch where some of the craft sites I read had studio tours and readers could peek into the work spaces of their favorite artisans. I LOVE looking at the beautiful colors and rooms and dream of having a space of my own. The sad part is that I HAVE the space, I'm just not utilizing it.... YET.

Some inspirational images of creative spaces via Whip Up:

love the color and the long table
It's Soulemama's studio

Like the "multiple workstations"
with lots of table space and pegboard.
This is Candy's workspace.

This one is housed in a closet.
Perhaps I can do something similar within my room to make an additional workstation.
This is Michal's closet workspace.

And I love that idea for ribbons.
I've been trying to find a good way to store them.
My only concern is dust.
This is Robin's creative space.

I'm worried about cost, that I'll get carried away and spend a fortune trying to "get organized." That's part of the reason I haven't just jumped in. I am trying to figure out what I want, where and exactly what I might need to create my dream workspace. I know I'll need to hang some shelves. I know I need a big table or two. I know I need to move some of the stuff in that room OUT of there and find it a new home in my apartment.

One example is bedding. I don't have a linen closet. And if I did, it wouldn't be big enough. It would appear that I like to shop for bedding. I have FOUR giant tubs full. I have some vintage linens, flannel sheets sets, extra bedspreads and comforters, lap blankets... and I've truly weeded out the stuff I don't want to keep. And this is just my full size stuff. I have another slightly smaller tub full of sheets for a twin size bed (even though my mom took my twin bed to her house about five years ago). I might need them one day, and I really like some of those sheets. (I know, I know... but I'm just not ready to get rid of them)

The trouble I'm having now, is in order to organize my craft room area I will have to reorganize the storage space behind the kitchen and that is a beast I'm not sure I am ready to tackle. There are crafty things in there that could be moved to make way for the great bedding bins. I'm pretty sure whatever the solution is, it will be a colossal mess for a good while before it takes shape. Maybe if I had a week off from school instead of just one snow day?

I should take a before picture of the mess, but I can't bring myself to do it. I'll wait until there's something lovely to see.

From a Tiny House to Mine.

A few weeks ago, Jessie at Tiny House offered a giveaway on her blog. Perhaps my luck is changing, as I am now the proud recipient of one of her handmade sewing kits. I even got to pick the fabric. Yellow is so cheerful.

Inside the pouch is a needle booklet (one of my favorite bits of the whole thing is how she embroidered "Needles" on that!) The pin cushion is reversible.

Thank you, Jessie! I'm excited to use it.

2009 New Year's Resolutions from A-Z

A Act on my good intentions.
B Blog daily.
C Crochet a zig zag stripe blanket.
D Downsize.
E Embroider some floursack dishtowels.
F Find fun, new, soon-to-be favorite recipes.
G Grow a garden.
H Help others.
I Inventory my books.
J Judge less.
K Knit a sweater.
L Learn to play my guitar.
M Maintain a healthy lifestyle.
N Nurture my friendships.
O Organize and print my photos.
P Pray more.
Q Question things.
R Read more classics.
S Sew something.
T Travel.
U Use my superpowers for good and not evil.
V Volunteer.
W Wear makeup.
X eXist in the moment--notice the little things.
Y Yell at my mom less.
Z Zero in on what is important for today. Live one day at a time.


P.S. This is my 666th post. Yikes. Maybe it IS time for prayer!

Crazy Good Stuff Out There. More Luscious Linkage.

Snails and slugs.
These are from the Mochimochi Blog
You can download the pattern there for free!

Yep. That's MOSS growing in that ring.
I really think I need this. You can buy them here.

This pic? Inspiration.
This is a little handmade deal from the Lucky Beans blog.
They remind me of the Fisher Price "Little People."
I love the pirate with his eye patch.

I'd love to watch this 25 minute short
based on a book by Oliver Jeffers.
It looks delightful.
You can view more movie stills here.

Color your own wallpaper.

Sew your own pads? OR buy them here.

Cuckoo for Cuckoo Clocks?
Check out Kate Sutton's amazing rendition.
Or her bandages for that matter.
Here's a link to her blog.

I found this cute lil hat through Whip Up.
An invaluable source for all things crafty.
Here's the knitting pattern.
I really want to make this!

More Google Reader Goodies.

I just love this felt garland.
The colors are lovely and a blanket stitch is something I can do.
Check out the tutorial here.


Here's a new art blog to follow.

This dad creates a new lunch bag every day for his kids.
And this is one superpowered bag
I wholeheartedly approve of! I love it.

For those of you who know and love the
portable little Pass the Pigs game, here's a handcrafted twist.
I am overwhelmed by the cuteness.
It even has an adorable carrying case.
Check out the full post here.

And this amazing R2D2 hat, is right in line
with the Princess Leia hat
I saw on Bleu Arts a few years ago.
Man, I need to try to make BOTH of these.