Workshop Monday

Val and Myra came over today for a small quilt portrait workshop...it involved cutting, and fusing and sewing...and the results were great! I'm so proud of their results!!

I'm holding the one I made a few years ago (the one with the glasses - the impetus for the workshop) and the half-done one I started to show them a couple of different techniques...

It was a great day for me! All I had to do was explain the concept of the portrait, sit around and make suggestions and share tips I picked up in other workshops...after the last few days, it was a real vacation!

And back into the closet...

but not far...I had all of that lovely wall space and it seemed a shame to waste it, so went upstairs and made three more "pin" holders...

I had already made one for all of the Halloween jewelry

(skulls and spiders and witches, oh my...).

Now it's all nice and neat and I can enjoy looking at them...of course, it's all costume jewelry (purchased mostly on sale) - even the stuff Dave has bought over the years and some of the ones that used to belong to my Mom - but it's fun...and I really like seeing them!

and the necklaces and bracelets are in the cool jewelry chest Dave bought for me umpty years ago.

and all of the dog's stuff has been washed and put back in the closet (she sleeps in there a lot) and yet more stuff has been taken to the garage for the Salvation Army trip next week.

and all of the laundry has been done (thanks, Dave!)...

Whew! Better watch out...the house is going to be clean and neat if we aren't careful!

Out of the closet...

Literally - yes sir, yes sir, three bags full...

all headed for the Salvation Army.

Even Dave got into it today - here he is vacuuming..

he's a dreamboat...not many guys will do that for their sweathearts!

But it was all worth it, even if it took all day. Everything in here fits and there's room to walk all the way to the shelves!

Tomorrow: the rest of the bedroom...

'Tis the Season - part deux

Dave came home early, so I was able to get the kitchen cabinets done without having to stand on a chair! How can one couple have so many extra glasses and mugs?

Here's the top cabinets...so nice and neat! The bottom cabinets look good too (as in all the containers have lids and the few trays we have are nicely stacked), but I decided not to stand on my head just to get a picture - next time you come over, I'll be happy to show them off!

Now it's movie time - I wonder what I can clean out tomorrow?

'Tis the season...

for cleaning...I enjoy cleaning out the house between Christmas and New Years. It means that when the New Year starts, everything in the closet fits and everything on the shelves is stuff we want to look at. So this morning, the living room got the treatment. Everything has been dusted and the furniture has been cleaned and polished. Also did a little rearranging and thinning out. I think it looks nice... Next up...the kitchen.

Nothing serious today...

Today is not a serious day….I know this because I am wearing two different colored shoes:

one is blue, the other is black. And it's impossible to hide them since they are Crocs…

as a friend of mine says: "It sets the tone…" Another friend in accounting called to ask if I realized, on a certain check request, that I was arguing with the computer? (I was sent an automatic system email regarding the form and my reply began "If you will read the description more carefully…."). - oh well…Momma always said I'd argue with a post…

My Bucket List...

A movie came out recently called The Bucket List and, if I understand the premise, it's about a couple of guys who have a list of things they would like to do before they "kick the bucket"...

I have a bucket list, too, but it's not that kind of list...it involves real buckets...

Other than working on my family's genealogy, I've also been making pincusions - using bottle caps for the bases - the ones in the picture were made with a small water bottle cap, the cap from the 5-gal Ozarka bottle, a small tin usually used for wedding favors, and the cap from a bottle of something non-toxic from the lab (note - the largest one is only 3" tall). The "cupcake" was given to my friend Karen for her 40th birthday. Since this picture, I've made 7 more pincusions, with dozens in the project bucket. Yes - the project bucket. I really should say buckets (the orange ones usually used for mopping, etc.) - I "kit" up small projects in ziplock bags and toss them in a bucket and then grab a bag when I have time to work on something (watching tv, traveling, lunchtime at work, etc.) - this is very convenient because I don't lose part of the project and it becomes very portable and the buckets are a great way to store them - at the moment I have two buckets worth of the pincushion "kits" (a friend of mine was able to send me a lot of specimen tins in several sizes and the lids and the bottoms can both be used and everyone around here is bringing me bottle lids (poor Dave does ask before throwing practically anything away now...if I don't use stuff, my artsy friends do!). I also have dolls and other projects in the buckets. Small stuff, but fun to work on.

So my "bucket list" is a little more practical - if I had the other kind of list, I don't think there would be much on it - I've been very lucky to do most of the things I've wanted to do in my life...

Now...if I can only figure out how to get more hours in a day.....

How I've Been Spending My Time...