It doesn't get any better than this...................

Well, things could be totally organized and stay that way!  That would be best, but in the meantime, I can't complain. Both studios are in very good shape. Things are put away. I spent some time very early this morning going through some bags and boxes and taking out things and putting them in their home. You know - those little boxes that seemed like a good idea at the time. The little box of sewing supplies that you carry around in your Monday sewing bag but never use. The box is empty now and if I start to take my sewing machine to Monday sewing again, I'll restock it.

Spools of thread are back where they belong, pins are in the pincushion, needles in the needle box and so on. It feels amazing to have this stuff taken care of. I'm obsessive and what I'm afraid of is that the pendulum is swinging into that organized mode and you won't be able to leave a glass on the counter without me whisking it away. I'm not quite there, but I see that happening!

The laundry basket is currently sitting in Studio U and needs to be brought down to Studio B and stuff put away. This is mostly because the homes of some things have been unearthed and time to put stuff away.

Anyway - it'll all happen. I'm happy with the progress. I'm tackling a stack of boxes and trying to empty three to four boxes of books a day. Remember, these are NOT full boxes. I can see a dent in the pile so that's the good news.

OH NO --- I just went to upload today's photos and I ran out of room!!!!!! CRUD!!!!!!

I bit the bullet and bought more! It wasn't expensive, but I do need to get into that e-mail and delete, delete, delete!!!!

This is some of the stuff that I'm unearthing. I found this little bag. It came from a Dutch store. I do believe I bought it at the Dutch store in Chatham when I passed through there on my bike a couple of years ago. What's in the bag????

Something bought at the Dutch store

A cute little pair of orange wooden shoes!!!!  I know that I don't need more of this kind of stuff, but these are kind of cute. I just need to find a nice spot to display some of these small items. OH MY GOD - I'm turning into my mother. I swore I'd never have little knick-knack things that require dusting! A few are OK - my mom had hundreds.

Mini orange wooden shoes

What are your thoughts on making do? Instead of buying something new - why not make do with what you already have? Have you thought of buying second hand? God forbid that we wear hand me downs. Here's an article about making do that Judi posted on her Facebook page a couple of days ago. I really think that we need to start doing more of this. We've got to make do with what we have. Whether that's dishes, clothes, kitchen gadgets, fabric! We've got to STOP buying stuff.

There 's so much about decluttering and refolding your closets, but why are we buying so much in the first place??  Are we buying to impress others? Are we buying to impress ourselves? Are we buying because we're bored?? Think about that the next time you go out to buy something. For the last little while, I've started to shop with my eyes. I go out and I browse and I look. I might come home with one thing or many times now I walk out of a shop and have bought nothing.

OK - speaking of buying stuff, here's two items that I recently purchased. For years, I've been scouring the thrift stores for a denim jacket and Scrabble games. I've not found either in all the years I've been searching. Then earlier this month, I found a nice denim jacket.

On a whim, I stopped at my local thrift store and guess what? I found another denim jacket AND a Scrabble game. This is AWESOME. I have plans for the denim jacket next month and if I screw up, I have a backup and if things go well, I can do two different looks. Technically, I don't need that Scrabble board but after looking for one for years, I had to buy it!!!

Denim jacket found at the thrift store

Scrabble board found at the thrift store

Speaking of getting rid of things, I still have TWO of these label panels. They are $11 each. I believe there are 24 labels on each panel. E-mail me if you want one. They are super easy to run through the inkjet printer so you can gorgeous labels. Here's the link to the tutorial.

Label panels for sale

Here's a couple of giveaways today. These are two identical picture frames. They have World's Greatest Quilter's Grandchildren written on the top. I don't need them. They are up for grabs.

Picture frames up for grabs

I also have a brand new (still in the cellophane) deck of playing cards. Does anyone still use cards these days? Well - they are up for grabs for free as well. Let me know if you want them.

Playing cards - up for grabs

I did get a quilt done yesterday and it's trimmed and ready for binding. I also got some work done on my gingerbread block. I'll post those pictures tomorrow.

My studios are super neat and clean. Which one will I work in today? And what will I do? Well, there's loads to be done, but I'd better keep my butt at the computer as there's a bit of computer work to do this morning.

Don't forget that you can read QUILTsocial today. I'm playing with the Husqvarna Viking Opal 690Q.

Have a super day!!!!!


Ciao!!!!