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Archive for the ‘organization’ Category

I Can Be Whatever I Want To Be….

13 Oct

“I’m a young Norwegian princess or a milkmaid
I’m the greatest prima donna in Milan
I’m an heiress who has always had her silk made
By her own flock of silkworms in Japan..”

Continuing with yesterdays adventures of reorganizing my sewing corner, here’s where we are now: trying to make everything I own sewing wise fit onto the new shelves we put in my bedroom last time. Let’s start by giving me some working space. The shelves came with an additional desk we added. :)

Next, we added a few doors and drawers as well. These shelves are from IKEA’s Expedit series, and have all sorts of handy pieces you can add to them to make them multifunctional.

It was really starting to come together, I still had several holes to fill…

I needed to finish cleaning off the desk too….

Finally I had everything from the old shelves now dispersed through the new shelves, AND I had plenty of room left over to put several of my sewing books on one of the corner shelves. There was room left over, so I used it to add even more of my stuff. Also joining me in my corner are Mad Hatter and Capn Jack Sparrow, a couple more of my favorite things. It is so nice to have room for all of it, and I still have 2 empty drawers. Nice!

We also were able to hang my ‘Hippie Lights’ (as my granddaughters call them) above the desk area and that helped add supplemental light I needed for my projects. Not only that, I really love those lights, so having them in my corner is very special. It really is my own little corner.

Thank you for joining my on my adventure. Who knows where we will head next?
“…Just as long as I stay in my own little corner
All alone in my own little chair.
I can be whatever I want to be.
I’m a slave from Calcutta I’m a queen in Peru.
I’m a mermaid dancing upon the sea
I’m a huntress on an African safari.. it’s a dangerous type of sport and yet it’s fun
In the night I sally forth to seek my quarry
And I find I forgot to bring my gun.
I am lost in the jungle all alone and unarmed when I meet a lioness in her lair
Then I’m glad to be back in my own little corner,
All alone in my own little chair.”

Lyrics from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (1965)  :) Angela

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Posted in Adventures, organization

 

In My Own Little Corner In My Own Little Chair….

12 Oct

…..I can be whatever I want to be.
On the wings of my fancy I can fly anywhere
and the world will open its arms to me…..

I have a fondness for corners. When I was younger I would watch Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella in reruns and sing and dance along to the whole movie, especially the little song I have shared above. As it turns out, my sewing space is currently in a corner in my bedroom. I am blessed to have a nice big room. Back in July I got industrious and decided it was time to clean up my sewing area and put my new shelves from IKEA together and start using them. After all, we (Boyfriend and I) had bought them in May. So yeah. It was time. And yes, this is October and I am just getting around to sharing my adventure. I will procrastinate no further. First, we had to move a little furniture around and put the new shelves and desk together. That went something like this:

Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner - Step 1

 The instructions that came with the shelves from IKEA were easy to follow, and very simply written. Boyfriend discovered that they use pictures instead of words for all the instructions. We both got a real kick out of them! They also supply all your little odd tools like awls and the screws, nuts, bolts, pegs, etc.

Next Few Steps....

How many pieces came with this thing? Oh my goodness….

Almost there……

A Couple of Hours Later ~ Finished!

Now, how were we going to get these 250 pound shelves into my room? :) Boyfriend and I could not even get them off the floor, but just in the nick of time Son-In-Law came home. He and Boyfriend got the shelves up off the floor and slid them right in to the corner that was going to be their new home in my bedroom. Yay!

They made it!

This is a picture of just part of the stuff I needed to go on the shelves….yikes! I didn’t take a picture of the shelves when I first started unpacking them, they were packed to the gills, not a bit of room anywhere. I was looking forward to organizing all this stuff out in the open on the new shelves so I could see what I had and use it more. Tomorrow I will share the photos of completing the process. Talk to you then! Angela

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Posted in Adventures, organization

 

Be Creative and Beat The Heat!

17 Aug

I love hot weather. Usually I am soaking up the heat and forgetting all about winter. But this summer there have been some days so hot that even I felt it was too hot to breathe, much less sit down at my sewing table and create anything. Thankfully I have air conditioning, but sitting in it I usually find myself looking at things to create versus creating the things I am looking at. So, instead of beating myself up, I decided I would use this time to beat the heat and enjoy feeding my creative side by feasting on things around me. Here are a few ideas to help feed your creative juices while staying cool and at this point, looking fondly towards winter.

1. Visit a museum. Get inspiration from the Masters, the avant-garde, or the ancients. I especially love newer styles of museums because thinking outside of the box is their whole purpose for their being. That helps me in turn think outside of my box when I get ideas for things. Why not use that old door for a headboard? Maybe I could turn that book into a purse……hmmmm…..

2. Rearrange your ???? If you are a seamstress, rearrange your thread. If you are a scrapbooker, rearrange your paper or stickers. Look for bold colors that help feed you. I like to reorganize my buttons too. I really just like the way they feel in my hands. It has a soothing effect on me, and I enjoy it immensely. What do you have that you could rearrange? Do you have some colorful things that could use a little shuffling around? Go for it! Let me know what you come up with.

3. Make a new to-do list. We all have creative things we enjoy doing, looking at, reading etc. Use one of the available online systems to have a storage spot for your brainchildren. Lawd, don’t get me started about my Pinterest page! I can spend hours working on it. But, I do have some lovely things saved to make another day. What resources similar to this do you use or know about?

4. Meet a friend for show and tell. Take an idea or a project that you have been working on and turn it into a lunch date. You can brainstorm ways together that you could overcome a problem, and maybe come up with a few new and fresh ideas as well. Besides, when is it not a good idea to have lunch with a friend? Yum!

5. YouTube it!  Is there some new technique you want to learn, some new project you need a little instruction on? Go to YouTube and do a search. Bet ya a nickle that there are plenty of videos waiting for your learning leisure. And you get to stay in the house where it’s cool instead of getting in the hot car and driving to a class somewhere. Let me know what you find!

6.  But if you really want to drive… then find a park with lots of shade trees or maybe a river, stream or lake and go sit a while outside with a good book or a sketch book. I like to take a journal with me and just write whatever my heart desires. Sometimes it just my grocery list, but at least I’m outside enjoying shade and usually a river.

7. If you’re still in the car… drive to a favorite store and just stroll through the aisles. No need to spend any money (yeah, right), just walk through and find things you have never seen before. If you go to Target for scrapbooking stuff, walk through their housewares section instead. If you shop for clothes usually, try the craft or books section. Don’t just go where you’ve always been, push off, drift, explore! Kinda quoting Mark Twain there ;) .

8. Speaking of books, if you love to go to bookshops, why not go to your local library and check them out? I am a faithful supporter of mine, why I’m sure the fines I paid last year alone were enough for that whole new section on finances they built ;) . Seriously though, our libraries are a great resource…and if you put a reminder in your phone the day before the books are due, maybe you won’t have to finance the next wing.

9. Flashback! Spirograph! Anyone remember those? One of the most clever doodling devices ever created! Since most of us won’t have one of those lying around, just grab some paper or that journal and doodle! Draw silly circles, squares or wiggly lines. Use different colors to play with. Write out words in different colors and look up definitions to write out. If you create the next Picasso, let me know that too!

10. My last suggestion to beat the heat, GO FIND A POOL! :) At this point, I’m ready to go buy a giant kiddie one. Or maybe I need a new ice machine? Dunno….

Have fun with these ideas, and let me know what your favorite creative ideas for summer are! Try your best to stay cool, Angela

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Posted in lists, organization, sewing

 

Wonderful Monday….

06 Jun

Well, I may be a little facetious in my title, but this is the day I want to share those things I have been grateful for. It’s been a busy life lately, so I will pick up on my gratitude list where I left off a few weeks ago. Alrighty then, let’s get started!

1. I am grateful for movies. :) I love going to the movies, buying popcorn and a drink and sitting back and enjoying the big show in front of me. I have updated my Movie page so pop over and have a peek at what I’ve found entertaining lately.

2. Greek Festival in Greenville. We went on Saturday May 21 and had a wonderful lambburger, some fantastic lemonade and wonderful fried cheese and calamari. The booths of stuff were fun to check out too. So I’m grateful for fun things to do in the area I live in.

3. Ikea! I am really grateful for a store that I enjoy shopping in. From the size of the haul it looks like we liked it a little too much :) .

Mostly the boxes are the shelves Boyfriend and I will have for storage. The backseat is full of organizing stuff for the shelves and a few goodies we found for fun. I do not normally like to shop at all….I know…I’ve said this many times in this blog. :) But I did enjoy Ikea. If you have one in your area you need to just drop in and check it out. The one in Charlotte we go to is ginormous! There is also a lovely dining area on the top floor and the food is reasonable and tastes great! If you like to shop, you may never leave….

An Ikea truckload!

4. I am grateful we got to go on vacation, and I will share a post or two on that soon. We went again to Folly Beach, SC and the Charleston area. Something about being at the ocean helps me feel even more connected to God. I love going, period. I am thankful for the chance to go there.

5. I am grateful for three thing in this example: creativity, recycling and upcycling. We met some very creative people at Artisphere, here is another picture of some of the fun things we saw:

Fobots by Amy Flynn

I love anything to do with recycling or upcycling. Amy Flynn does both with her creations. Visit her website for more information.

6. I am grateful for little 2 year old girls pretending to read to me and putting everyone in the family in her story. Precious to listen to. Just precious. :)

7. I’m grateful for all the new friends I am making through this blog. I love our comments and shared visits. I really look forward to seeing which of you has dropped by each day. And I am loving all the creative things so many of you do and share. I should move this to my Number one spot :) .

8. I am grateful for the many friends I have on Facebook now as well. I haven’t been able to meet many of them in person yet, but some plans have already been made for the next time they or I are in the same area. Fun stuff to look forward to!

9. For good yard sale finds! We were able to replace my small cooler and a roasting pan for $5! Love me some yardsales!

10. Lastly today I am grateful for weekends. I’m usually sorry to see them go, but I will try to remember what Dr. Seuss said: “Don’t be sad it’s over, just be glad it happened!” I’m very glad my weekends happen. :)

Would love to hear what you are grateful for. There is a pretty mixed bag of stuff here, but as I read over it I know something about it now that I didn’t know at the beginning. As I said in my opening you could take my “Wonderful Monday” a little facetiously, but after writing this all out it has become very true. Have a wonderful Monday and a lovely week everyone! Angela

 

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Posted in Adventures, gratitude, organization, Yard Sales

 

Our Lists…..

20 Jul

Today’s challenge for the 31 days to build a better blog is a list post. That got me thinking about lists themselves. What kind of list would I write a post on? A list of movies I have seen, a list of movies I LOVE! Maybe a list of books I have read, or of favorite family memories. I could write a list about funny things my children use to do, or funny things my grand-kids are doing now….dont’ forget my comment from one of my granddaughters recently: Nanny! Potatoes come from french fries! Thanks to her, I have several funnies I could list.

So, back to lists. Yes, I am a list maker. I like to make them so I can check things off, to have that little extra oomph of completion at the end of a day. I have decided to write a list post of lists I use regularly, and some I might like to use sometime.

1. Grocery list – we all gotta eat, right?

2. Chore list – my ugh! list. Can’t forget to scrub the toilet, right honey?

3. To-do list for work, prioritize! Reading that blog on chocolate should probably NOT be on this list

4. Packing list: I have one I keep to jog my memory for trip packing. I am notorious for forgetting things, especially right now. Seems like menopause is kicking my arse quite regularly with that one.

5. Birthday list: again, a memory issue. All 3 of my children will tell you I am bad with dates. I know the month I had them, and usually the year (thank you son for being born in 1980), but can be fuzzy on the exact dates. But really, there is a reason. My first daughter, second child, was born on Memorial Day. That’s in May. I also have a sister born on Memorial Day, again, in May. BUT….It’s NOT THE SAME DATE! Talk about confusing someone…..I guess I can’t blame it all on menopause….oh well….I’ll blame it on my Dad. :) He would actually agree…..Either way, I am bad with dates…..

6. Amazon Wish List: I mean, come on! This is one of the greatest lists ever invented! I get to put all this stuff on a list that other people can see, other people who are going to BUY me things….ooohhhh……aaaahhhh……I rub my averice little hands together, just thinking about all the goodies I could get! I love prezzies…..Really, who doesn’t?

7. Blog idea list. This is the blog. ‘Nough said.

8. Goals list: Last year, Alan Melton challenged my networking group to come up with 101 things we wanted to do in our life. Business, personal, experiential. I think this was one of the things on that list…will have to pull it out later and see. Then I can check it off. Yay! Instant gratification.

9. List of Bills: this should probably be higher in this list, but I just remembered it. Yes, I have each bill wriiten out by due date and amount. It’s called a budget people. And God help me if I don’t stay focused on it, I get into all KINDS of trouble! But sometime those books are calling to me, just calling my name, really, just mine. I have to buy them when they do that. I just have to.

10. List of Books I’ve Read: I don’t do this one, but I should. My daughter does, she will stay up late trying to remember the one she forgot to write down, will keep tracking her memory until she finds it too. As I said, I don’t do this, but should. It would help me stop checking the same books out from the library over and over, usually just because I like the way the cover looks. But not my daughter. She knows, and can tell you. I like that list.

did I say yum?

Johnny Depp, yum!

11. Favorite movies, or movies I’ve recently seen. These were listed in my opening paragraph, but I felt like it was a good idea to include them here as well. I think I will start new pages about books and movies. :) Maybe I will have a whole section just on Johnny Depp. I think he’s dandy!

12. A Johnny Depp list: Yep, this will be a definite one, then I can just write down all the deep Depp stuff I wanna….

13. What do I want to be when I grow up list: You need to read the book, Crush It! Another reason I am writing this blog, and still trying to find out what my passion is. It is very inspiring, and will make you think long and hard on some things too.

14. Bucket List: If you haven’t seen the movie, this is a list of things you want to do before you kick the bucket. Do you want to skydive? Me too! Do you want to trek across the great wall of China? Well, probably not me. But you can, then I will let you write a guest blog or two all about it :) ….

So, why do we write the lists we write? To keep us organized, to help us remember important and mundane things, to keep from overlooking something needful or someone important to us. What are some of the lists you use? I would love to hear about them. I may need to add your lists to my lists, so let my lists get back with your lists, and we’ll see if we can set something up, OK?

Have a great list-making, item-checking-off day!

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Posted in Deep Deppness, humor, lists, organization