Monday, February 7, 2011

day 1 - his room

After announcing last night that I was going on an 11 day mission I did what any self respecting procrastinator would do. I went to a friend's house and drank coffee in her gorgeous garden all morning.

But I had to come back eventually.

Ive started with his room. His studio in our back room. Ive begun here as this will be the hardest for me.
It needs to be tidied up but needs to be just how he likes it.
It hasnt been like this for long but it gets like this very easily. Too easily.

We begin the tour here at a table that is the dumping ground for anything that enters the space. He never sits here to work as the chair is too low and needs to become a stool. There is a spare one in the bathroom. Good. But I dont know where to put the chair? Maybe on the front porch for now. It needs covering if we keep it so that will go on the list im compiling.

 How he likes his paints left? or how he leaves them? im not sure? he can deal with this.

The entire table load of stuff. Time to phone a friend to chat to while I do the sort out for the next half hour, hoping I can do it with one hand. Two out of these four chairs need to be on the list to be painted white.

I had taken it all down from here and have scrubbed the drawers to rid them of old stickers, theyll both be painted soon (put on the list). That pile of canvasses and frames, although it has been rotating, has stayed there for a year. Ive tried to attack it every now and then and failed. I dont know where else to put it? Or do I........

 The brushes are great in old silverware containers and they are easy to access when put on a tray.
So thats easy.
But all the small stuff needs to be put in his top drawer with all the rest. I re-used the box but it went in the drawer too, plus I threw out a few old containers and brushes that were beyond repair, and stored away any art products in the window seat. (Id like to say here that I found one of my best dinner plates and some good glasses and bowls that had become art containers so someone needs to keep a supply of old tins and jars from now on.) I mean me. 

The stool in place of the chair and if you look beyond you can see a wooden box that had been floating around on the floor that fits so perfectly. Maybe he can store his 'in use' paint tray in it? Too good to be true. There is some nice wall space there for art. Perhaps ill hang the 'working on' canvasses up?

In his defense he spent last week downsizing his fishing gear into this practical number. I had to live with hooks all over the place for a week but he nailed it.

A few products at the end of the table left for tonights art production as on monday evenings we have friends round.
Those cushions need to get revised. I dont want colour in here as it would be great to have a blank canvas (no pun intended). Ive always imagined this black and white out here. A masculine aesthetic for the Mr.

Here im really proud of my achievement. Ive fitted canvasses inside others (never thought to store them this way until today) and the pile is stacked to look half the size and off the floor. Big high five.

The cushions will get washed, put in another room once I decide where, and I dont seem to have any subdued colour covers already done for the window seat so ill be making something (but not too many), to go on the list for another day. 

Im loving the blank canvas for now. These are only foam rectangles covered with cream blankets so something's got to happen here too. On the list.

I havent been able to throw out much from his room as its all pretty damn useful, being art gear, but this pile is going to the shed. Not bad for an afternoons work. He'll never know I spent the morning at my girlfriend's!

Yep. He's going to be pleasantly surprised with his 'new' space. I anticipate something wonderful from tonights to-doings.
 I dont have any crafting to stare at tonight but I have an amazingly sorted space.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

11 rooms 11 days

I know this is a photo of a wheelie bin inside my house. I do this sometimes when im overwhelmed and need a quick fix.
Please read on if youre confused, horrified or just plain old intrigued.

I dont want this to come across as if im just purely all about 'how things look' or its all about what I have, on the contrary this post is about having less. Oh, I do love having beautiful things around me and have often read somewhere that its important to my personality type, but you can only have so much, right?
Enough already, people who write those articles.

After years of glorious days spent op-shopping (during which I used to think filling the entire car a good thing), bargain hunting, picking up furniture at wonderful country auctions and collecting stuff it has come to my attention that even though
I have nice ornaments I like to glimpse during the day,
 and furniture I love and that is practical (holds alot of the bargains),
I think the rooms in my house feel wrong. Full.

If I saw the rooms of my house in a magazine I wouldnt like them enough to tear the pages out either. Sorry for the 'magazine look' mention ladies but you know what I mean, dont you? Havent we all aspired to a certain type of home at some stage? Hang on, this is about more than that. Things arent in the right place at the moment cos theres too much. So IM not in the right place.
If ive analysed correctly, id like more simplicity, but id love there to be a softness, and perhaps something raw/natural about the rooms. The balance needs to be quirked, I need to finalise some lost projects, and more importantly I need to clean up my act.

The Mr and I are both hoarders (in stages I think?) but ive been fighting it for years and have felt like just buying a bigger shed and giving in. This I will never do even though I feel like it at the moment. 
That would be a bad idea. For instance, I went op-shopping the other week and I bought a suitcase to store things in which would be great if only I had somewhere to put the suitcase once its full....
I see potential in EVERYTHING and I would fill the non-existent shed very quickly.

Im really wishing at this point that I knew how to express myself in writing better. But I dont and I really want to put this out there as im truly hoping it will urge me onward to reinvent ... wait for it....

11 rooms in 11 days.

 Because... well....  there are 11 rooms here and I need to do this fast! My son and his wife are coming to live with us soon and bringing their new baby. Its going to be wonderful but the house is going to feel full to the brim if I dont start now!
I realise I will cross over a weekend but im thinking two hours a day will be enough to do most rooms, even if I have to start in the evening. Am I kidding myself? Can I do this?

My plan so far, is to write a list of 'must do's' for each room as I go through, if I need to spend time fixing things or painting something, ive still got curtains to make and put up in some rooms, for example. But most of all I want to go through cupboards and fill a box a room (at least) of unnecessary things to either sell, giveaway or throw out. Its been exactly a year this week since I did this when we moved house.
 Its time.

I dont need my house to be 'perfect' but it would be nice if it was 'perfect for me'.

Now, about that bin. Well, I happened to mention that I wanted to do this to the Mr over the weekend
and weve already started!

I feel AMAZING!!!!







Saturday, February 5, 2011

today im

Today im working on more shorts and ladies wrap dresses. Im liking the
simpler ones with stripey bias edging. I think they look so seventies.
Im definitely doing some in this style for me!

Friday, February 4, 2011

sampling

These are the samples for ladies wrap dresses that I have in the studio ready to go. I thought id post them in here as well as via etsy for you ladies who are following production.



Im still gathering supplies but they are few and far between as they have to hit me or I leave them behind. Im sorry for not having much choice yet. Im still loving the gingham...

today im

Ive been up early making sure my youngest (must give him a name for here) got off to his first day back on time. He's a sleeper innerer. I was able to fold the washing (take note Cherrie) while he got ready so my day was off to a flying start. I felt organised enough to finally sit down and bind this quilt.
I dont know yet if ill put it in the shop or give it to Zjahlii??
Ill see if she likes it first.
  
Ive started some mending too, just some unpicking of this favourite coat of mine. It never had hood lining which bothered me, why make a hood if you cant be bothered lining it people?  
The edges were a really ratty vinyl so ive taken them off and kept them for size reference for something new, perhaps a velvet.

Ive also got these new gingham lovelies finished and ready for me to stare at all day long.

Im in for a massive day of cleaning and now I can think about getting started on my challenge happening over at A Bowl Full of Lemons. Ive started writing my daily list but have yet to format it into
something more organised.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

my creative space - tonights episode

Even though I had one of those days full of phone calls, washing, visitors,  pancake making and a haircut for the youngest (who goes back to school tomorrow), I still managed to finish this task of putting these scraps into baskets. Im happy they fit nicely, in their baskets(just) and also on top of the armoire in the laundry where I store my fabrics.

I also have a new pair of shorts to stare at overnight. 
You know, ive been leaving my finished items hanging in the dining room to greet me when I awaken the following morning. It works a treat. I get straight back to production as soon as the dishes are done and the washing is on. I do have a market looming though.

Hope you all had a good crafting day!

my creative space

Today is all about making space in my creative space.
I couldnt sleep last night so after laying there for over an hour decided to sneak out to the studio.
I needed to sort through my stash and yesterdays post gave me the idea that if I sort my stash into colours and put those colours into baskets they will no longer be under the table all mashed together and annoyingly hidden, but easily accessible for patchworking. 

Id like to say thank you to the ladies who have shown an interest in my quilts enough to place orders. 
So... thank you! Youve helped me accomplish this. I never would have thought to do the pastel pile if it werent for your order Nadia!

I know you patchwork pros have lovely neat piles of ready to go fabrics in colourways. Well. I dont. Cos im all about the scraps. Ive had things going into this stash forever, way back before I got married.

I managed to get halfway through the bag this morning then went back to bed, albeit 
with a sore back from leaning over the bag.

 'Keepers' on the table and 'too small' on the floor.

For true crafting go visit Kirsty and see what the others are up to.


Wednesday, February 2, 2011

something old something new

This is the something new.
 Ive been cutting these out like a mad woman today and dont want to stop anytime soon.
They are so much fun to make as they are so quick. Ill have a few in the shop by the end of tonight if I dont get interrupted (and we get takeaway).


And this is the something old.
Ive begun whittling away at my mending piles!

I think thats where the source of my excitement is really coming from as, 
for me, theres nothing like refashioning your old clothes. These trackies were too long when I bought them and so I hemmed them up only to shrink them in the next wash, or maybe it was the dryer? ...anyhow
ive added some nice silky cotton to the bottoms in a slightly darker shade of grey and im pleased. What can I say, but, I like edgings.

So my mending is staying right here until I finish ALL OF IT.
On my cutting out table.
I have set up system. Whenever im using certain colour of cotton on the machine, before I change it ive told myself I have to do the mending that requires that thread. Simple.
They are sorted into colours and ive been doing them.

shop update

size 6

size 3

size 6

size 6

I realised something today.
That cross-stitched embroideries are stunning when put together with gingham.
Kind of fifties looking to me.

Ive been working on some little shorts for summer this morning and I might just make myself a pair!
Now that summer is finally here, I hope.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

the winner!

And the winner is.....



MONETPAISLEY!

Yesirree Honey! Thats your name right there Elisha!

Congratulations!


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