Sometimes

Not always.

Most of the time I am perfectly happy with the decision to send the original table top across the hallway to Himself’s office. Not when there’s a big bit of sewing to do though

or I have to lay out projects on the bed because they are too big for the slimmed down sewing table.

Then there’s the whole (first world crafting) problem of having too many ready-made prairie points

which means you can easily do a double row

while having some spares. I have rather a lot of black and white fabrics so these won’t be going into the latest Girl Guide donation bag.

The points and backing are all pinned together ready to be hand sewn later this week in the sunroom when rain is due. The top edge does not have prairie points, which I was taught as being the traditional way (easier to tuck the top of the quilt around pillows at the head of the bed if that’s a straight edge), so all that’s left is to make binding for that edge from the backing trimmed away once the quilting was done.

Finished pictures soon!

My blog. My rules

Really. At another 80% off I wasn’t going to turn down these much needed curtain hooks. 

  
Just waiting around for the Handyman to get back from the golf.  

Yes, I am perfectly capable of putting these up myself.

Don’t wanna. 

He knows I can. 

I know he knows he knows I can. 

Doesn’t matter. 

That’s how we roll. 

This looks like a job for you-know-who

Why is it when I get a good idea for the office revamp project, it falls on a day Himself needs the space to work from home?

Really. I’m askin’.

Thankfully he’s at HQ today. A quick Google indicated that an MDF surface that was to be covered in wallpaper or fabric needed a sizing of PVA and water before going any further and that was easily accomplished.

(You’ll recall the latest work on the Expedit hack bookcase?).

I had no fabric quite right for this, but I had a bit of money left on a gift card for a big box DIY store chain here in the UK. The one closest to me — and quite a few others round the country — is closing and I’ve been weekly to watch the tool prices drop. When this nice wallpaper went to 90% off the other day, I was sold.

Yeah, yeah — I’m not supposed to spend any money this year. In my defence, I have another bog box DIY store than the one closing I go to now which has better prices, service, and advice so the gift card would have been used to prop a wonky table leg if I hadn’t used it.

It ties in with the nature theme of the room and I can use it to cover shoe boxes for storage. Cutting the paper perfectly is no hard task. Getting it on straight first time out looks to require a round of my favourite activity: The Housewife and The Handyman.

Finding a window to do this is the task at hand. Stay tuned.

Tru dat

I think I like this philosophy of just getting to it vs debating if it is a craft/worthy of putting on this year’s blog. Better to light a candle and all that….

Basic brackets and MDF from the base of the drawer of the Liatorp coffee table hacked long ago for my husband’s N-gauge model railway (that he hasn’t worked on for ages die to his two overly demanding of his time jobs) did for lightweight, above the bookcases storage in the studio for a few years. After the third clear-out for the Girl Guides they became surplus to requirements. I’d been meaning to separate the brackets from the boards, but got inspired when doing a trash/recycle sweep in the garage when rain kept me from doing what I wanted out in the back garden.

They are perfect for my unneeded at this point in the season seed trays, compartments and lids. Best of all I found beams so did not need to dip into the dwindling supply of wall plugs. I’ll never be rid of the odd assortment of screws around here.

Not overly crafty, but quite satisfying.

If you can’t be creative, be

practical.

Got paint, got masking tape, got some growlers in need of a cleaning

and a far end of the kitchen to declutter. No before pictures: I’m too embarrassed.

There wasn’t enough paint to do the whole kitchen, but the whole kitchen doesn’t need doing at this point. I think this deserves an afternoon and evening of working on the tenth anniversary quilt!

Yes we have been married twenty three years, one month, three days today. Want to make something of it? We can step outside.

Double duty

I love it when one project could go on two of my blogs!

(Namely, this one and this one).

This and a jar of bath salts was a thank you for some small sewing job a good while back. The salts were great, this lotion only so-so but it was good enough for garden hands.

Boiling water took care of the table outside and excess inside, after which I let it dry overnight.

My favourite nail polish quote on a long downloaded doodle border document and

I have easy-access nail polish remover!

(I’ve seen this project on too many nail blogs to credit a specific person, which is one of the promises of International Nails of Mystery).

Naughty girl

I forget that I can post from my iPod. Usually I take pictures with it, load ’em on the iMac and post away. Am I showing my age or my Luddite-ness?

This has come in handy today given I’ve got the office all in a muddle and can’t easily reach the big computer. On business trip weeks Himself does not work from home so when a rain shower drove me inside, I resigned myself to an hour in the office. 

  

Since the shelf I got at the Blue and Yellow Store is not needed for the standing desk option after all, I’d been looking for a spot for it. Up over the Expedit hack bookcase seemed best. (I WILL be sliding the bookcase over a bit to line them up). Some sort of plant will go up there too — or that one needs a haircut. 

As usual, I need a think. 

It is nice to have those framed prints up on the wall and not underfoot anymore. The black cubes aren’t sure if they want to be there so I’m letting them hang out a bit before we decide.