Category Archives: neat spaces

The kind of project I’m not so good at.

So when my hubby came home and pulled up the floor we were faced with a disaster, well to us it sort of was since we’re not equipped for this sort of thing.

That side of the kitchen used to be seperated by a wall so the one side was slightly lower. They had levelled it with some sort of cement like material and so some of it peeled up on the back of the linoleum. Helpfully. So we were facing this uneven mess along with a project we knew little about.

Nate brought me fairy wings, I think he thought they would help. Instead, we called on someone who knew what they were doing and got them to do it.

It was coming along well but since our handy friend has a real job he could only work on it in the evenings so it was slow going but perfect.

Finally on Thursday I was allowed to start moving things back in.

The kitchen was really nice and roomy without this buffet in it, but we really need it for storing items and it won’t fit anywhere else in our house so back it went.

I tried really hard to get the fridge back in myself but I just couldn’t get it up the little bit of a difference that’s there now because of the way they had to level the floor. I thought ‘I can do this, natural childbirth twice I’m strong’ but after having to put the fridge down quickly and close to the edge of the tile I chipped a small piece and decided to wait for help.

In the end 3 of us moving it later that evening still managed to put a small chip in it so I don’t feel so bad since I was all alone. It’s all hidden now with a nice piece of edging so all is well and more importantly I have my kitchen back!

Spot my cozies on the Martha Stewart Show!

Well thanks to some help from Outright.com to pay for my part of my Etsy Success Symposium trip, I was able to justify traveling back to NYC this past weekend to be part of The Etsy Show at the Martha Stewart Show. It was a special show with the audience made up of only Etsy sellers. We were invited to attend, many of the people had been at the symposium as well.

I know I still haven’t gotten to writing much about that day yet and here I am forging ahead but at the symposium I sort of stood out, being Canadian, having travelled so far, receiving the Outright scholarship thingie. I was known to Etsy admin and some of the people attending.

It was really neat to bump into many of them on Monday again. In fact, things ran a bit late and I realized it was after 4 and I had a 7:30 flight so I ran down to jump in line in front of Etsy admin Kimm so I could get out quick and run off to the subway. Luckily she remembered me, she had the job of telling all the people who were given corporate gifts at the symposium the good news so we spent some time talking.

The show is going to air tomorrow details here. I’m not even sure we get the channel up here in Canada so someone let me know if you get to see me waving my cup cozies around. I’m the one in the green shirt with a white cardigan. The girl behind me had a giant sparkly M so that might distract you but try to look out for me will ya!

Organization help

A while back Keyka Lou posted about her little red cart, which is ridiculously fabulous. It’s from ULine and is a bit pricey but looks totally durable and the colour is pretty rockin.

The other day I discovered you can get the IKEA catalogue for your iPad and so I was all over that. While flipping through it I saw this little gem and thought of the little red cart right away.

If I had my own room for crafting I think I’d be all over this, but as it is I’m sort of squished for space. But for only $30 it’s not a bad deal. If you planned on using it for heavy duty stuff I’d recommend ULine, IKEA is nice and all but often it can’t take a beating well.

More productive procrastination

I went to my little corner of the basement fully intending to sew up a storm. But then I didn’t really feel like it, so I puttered around, and I tidied up, and I organized . . . in the end it left me with a really nice tidy space and I did eventually get to work.

Some fun handmade cards and posters.

Craft swap goodies and my favourite picture of my Dad. I have an unusual family tree.

Us at Stonehenge and my creative inspiration embroidery hoop I made.

More favourite pics of me and my parents. That black eraser says ‘Stonehenge ROCKS!’, makes me giggle every time I look at it.

Whew!

Well this has been a great week.   Sadly we’ve been basically internetless, we got texts yesterday that we had hit the limit of our data plans, thanks to tethering to our phones while here in the bustling metropolis of Kearney, Ontario. It was sort of nice though, I was really conscious of what I *had* to do before I hopped on my lappy and set to work getting things done and then walking away. It was a bit liberating, even if I did miss tweeting late at night.

So here’s a peek at my week in instagrams, since those are small enough to sneak through on my phone.  
Hope you enjoyed my guest posters, thank you so much Amy, Molliehttp://wildolive.blogspot.com/ and Janee!

Organization eye candy

Thanks to Mollie mentioning Yozocraft I popped over and fell in love with most of the stuff there. Including this

My tapes are in a little tin bucket I got for $1.50. That holder is way prettier. Of course I’d need some more desk organization items to match it, like this

Oh and this too

Click the images to be whisked away to their shop.

Just in time.

So I signed up and said I’d do this.

So here I am getting my first bit of homework in with less than an hour left in August 1st. Self portrait, complete with messy hair, jammies, sunburnt face, sewing and Netflix in the background.

I sense things will go well.

My busy last few days.

Whew, prescription what a crazy time. I spent most of last week staying up waaaay too late making things and getting organized for my table on Friday and Saturday. Friday morning was all busy with getting ready, cialis taking the kids to the sitter (which we were out of practice on) picking up my friend and getting up before the show. It was a hot hot day and we were thankful for being in the air conditioned library for the day.

I went home Friday night and like a mad crafty woman stayed up until 1:30am making some more things. Most notably this cutie.

Saturday was absolutely perfect. There was a lot of scary talk on Friday about how hot and humid it was going to be but it turned out to be beautiful. I decided to be brave and move out of tent sharing with Joanna and set up beside her. While my table was in the sun at times, view I was under the shade of the tree branches all day.

Between talking to other vendors, who were such great people, and chatting away with people who came to my table I was sewing coin purses on frames for both days. My poor fingers! In the 10 hours I spend sitting at my table for 2 days I got 4 finished. I also sold 2!

The 2 days were filled with such awesomeness – great weather, sales, my friend, compliments, pictures for SNAP, media attention from the local TV station, live music from local bands, some great food and mostly just awesome people stopping by to support local artists. I had a great time. Thanks to the organizers Broken Arts for all the fun.

The Workroom, a new to me fabric store.

So Monday night I wandered around Toronto as part of enjoying my first night ever in the history of Mommyhood that the boys were out of the house with daddy for just over 24 hours! Strangely I choose to head into the city for the evening instead of enjoying an empty house. I wandered around and took street cars and subways, had a burrito and walked and walked and walked. But it was all worth it because eventually I arrived at The Workroom.

If you live in/near Toronto The Workroom is a craft and sew place that lets you make use of the studio by the hour. They’ve got sewing machines, sergers, cutting tables and other crafty people hanging around. The exciting part for me was all the pretty fabric they have for sale. Oh and sewing books, and Japanese craft books. They also have Amy Butler patterns, Colette patterns and some other goodies I can’t remember now.

They sell some lovely fabrics and have a whole pile of shelves full of fun fat quarters. Of course I left with some goodies.

There’s also a blog if you want to check out some of the things they’re up to.

Images stolen from here, here and here. I felt silly asking to take pics with my iphone.

My space

I’ve had these photos for a while but last week My Girl Thursday shared her beautiful space and it prompted me to post about mine. It’s not pretty. But that said, it also shows you that you can carve out a place to work if you really need one.  I’ve also helpfully taken the photos at different times so watch my phone magically move and various drinks appear and disappear!

So if you look down our basement stairs you can see my little nook.

Our basement was previously a Man Cave but I invaded it. My hubby’s hobby is fish, he has salt water tanks with coral and fish and all sorts of neat things. We have an anemone and clown fish who live in it. It’s all really cool.
So our basement is quite taken up with tanks and pumps and then a desk for my hubby . . . so I’ve got a little corner set up, 2 tables pushed up around the freezer. It works.

We had an extra monitor and my hubby said I should use it but it’s really silly and excessive. I usually watch shows in the one on the right and work between the 2 tables.

There’s the freezer that I usually end up piling with the things I’m working on. Until my hubby comes down and needs the fish food.

I’ve hung things up, Christmas lights are something I started in university and keep hanging up in whatever space is mine. I prefer lots of dim lights. I never turn on the overhead basement light. All my lights are plugged into a power bar so I just flick the switch and about 4 lights come on.

I’ve also filled every space I can with something fun on the walls. I really need to finish that incomplete drywall job the previous owner left us, but who’s got time for that when they’re busy crafting!?

I’ve debated putting the kids into a shared room, then I could have a nice sunny room to work in . . . *sigh*. But then I feel like I’d be a bad mom or something so I’ll make due for now.