Patchwork Plans

 Up in the sewing nook earlier this week a very scary realization came upon me...

it's beginning to look

like the holidays

will be here

SOON!!!

 

 I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year and goodness knows there are a lot of rough patches all throughout the house that need to be put into an order of one sort or another.

 

 Now by no means do I expect complete perfection.

Realistically, if I can stitch up the rough edges I do believe I'll have a solid enough surface

upon which to stage not only that feast of thanks....

 

 ...but oodles of Christmas festivities as well!!!

 

 If someone had asked me last summer what I expected to be blogging about during the holidays I'd have optimistically said "Christmas in a Summer Cottage." Now such a thought has me laughing all the way to Savers every week as I continue dashing around in my declutter and donate phase. I've actually accepted the fact that the underling aesthetic of the house will be lacking when it comes time to deck the halls and trim the tree.

It won't be the end of the world.

 

 I'll simply bind things up as best as I can...

 

and make the best I can out of a very

Patchwork Christmas!

 



Racketty Revelry

 I can't imagine a better choice for my August book than Frances Hodgson Burnett's Racketty-Packetty House. It's a charming romp behind the scenes of a young child's nursery, complete with fairies, mice, and even a real life princess. Content, however, played second fiddle to the title for me as our house has begun to take on quite the "racketty-packetty" air this month. 

 

 Don't get me wrong, work on project "Cottage Quest"

is still very much under way what with the painting of...

 

 this...

 

to that...

 

 and the other.

 

 It's just that in addition we've had to add in quite a bit of back to school shopping...

 

 and college bound doings into the mix as well.

The end result, now as August draws to a close, is I'm afraid nothing to write home about. In fact, if anything, our day to day living environment is even farther away from "summer cottage living" than it was a month ago.

 

But, and I remind myself of this daily, when I took this on I knew it was not going to be a quick fix. I also knew there would be many steps involved and that they would more than likely follow the 3 forward one back pattern. What I forgot, however, was to take time to enjoy some of my favorite things along the way.

 

 So I grabbed a cuppa (thanks mom for the new mug with the oh so appropriate message!)

 

 I welcomed a new friend into my world (thanks to MOJO and it's wonderful supply of Budkins, an amazing kissing cousin line of dolls to the Woodettes!)

 

 And I refreshed myself in the joys of making French knots.

 

 All combined it made for a lovely tea time that restored

my energy,

my enthusiasm,

and

my faith in happy endings. 

 

So now perhaps on second thought, the content of Racketty-Packetty House is important...especially the part where the princess says,

"Your house shall be mended and papered and painted and made as lovely as ever."

And it was!!!

 

 

 



Time To Paint

 This has been my week.

 

 Project "Cottage Quest" is officially underway.

It was decided that the kids rooms would be the first to tackle. All three of our not-so-wee ones wanted to swap rooms. For several years now dear daughter had been envious of the boys' walk in closet while the boys often dreamed of creating some very cool Comic-Con inspired displays on the built in shelves dear daughter's room hosted. Considering, however, dear daughter had previously employed these same shelves as her personal doodle canvas it was definitely time to paint!

   

 The first step in the process seemed easy enough, I simply told the kiddos,
"Pack up your stuff!"

Dear daughter seemed to grasp the concept well enough but the boys.....

 

 ...NOT SO MUCH!!!

 

 We persevered however and eventually.....

 

 .....cleared enough wiggle room to proceed to the next steps.
Thank goodness our resident bichon was on hand to assist!

 

 We removed the carpets and all those pesky little staples they use to tack down the padding.

 

 We spackled.

We sanded.

We vacuumed.

And of course......

 

 WE PAINTED!!!

 

We painted the walls, the floors, the trim, and the bookshelves in colors dubbed things like "Flowering Herbs" and "Summer Festival."

 

And then, when all was said and done guess what I did?

I swept the floor.

It was the greatest feeling.

  Remember I had thought cottage housekeeping would involve no more than the sweep of a broom or the swipe of an apron's edge?  It seems I'm headed in the right direction!
 

Now I just need to bring that reality to the rest of the house...


 

A Sigh of Relief

For 20 years this thing has followed me around.

 

 How it did so is beyond me considering its tremendous weight and cumbersome build!

All in all it wasn't a bad looking piece.

 

 Although on most days its virtues were obscured by whatever superhero/transformer/alien Child #3 was currently obsessed with. On top of that the poor thing was squished in a corner and its keys rarely saw the light of day. 

 

Combine that with my new found desire to clear the clutter and dust from our home and it was time for that dear old piano to go on to greener pastures.

 

 

Enter Mario, a musician by trade but also an expert piano mover of sorts.

Yesterday as I stood on the porch and watched the two of them drive off together I had myself a huge sigh of relief. Not only were musician and instrument delighted to have found each other but I myself had found tremendous joy in the act of letting go.

 

Granted this is only a first step of many to come but it was a huge one and one that makes my new so-called "Cottage Quest" a reality. Yes I want to live in a cottage. More specifically, a summer cottage. You know the ones where possessions are bare bones, natural light is in abundance, and there is always time for a game of cards. In such a humble abode housekeeping would involve no more than the sweep of a broom or the swipe of an apron's edge and meals would revolve around the seasonal offerings at the local market.

 

Now, considering the basic architecture of our home is in that of the garrison style, it actually looks nothing like a summer cottage. But guess what? I don't care. I will do the best with what I've got and in the process hopefully experience some of the joys I imagine summer cottage living bestows on its inhabitants. 

 

So get ready....there's clearing and carting ahead along with a good deal of prying, parting, and painting. Who knows how long it will take? Who cares?

 In fact, do they even keep track of time in a cottage?

I know I won't.

When the sun rises it'll be time to get up. When the sun sets it'll be time to go to bed. And anything in between I shall consider time for fun! 

Care to join me....

 



Slippery Slope

It starts innocently enough...a book here and a cuppa there. No biggie right?

But soon enough a clothespin, a clipboard, and some paper scraps show up and join the party. 

Before you know it surfaces disappear, piles grow to record heights, and dust bunnies start to breed.

This has been my July

and

I seem to be stuck.

 

Case in point, my book of the month is once again by Elizabeth Orton Jones. I did everything I could to push myself forward in another direction but honestly this book so perfectly illustrated my current situation I felt it was important for me to include it here. Bear with me if you will while I explain....

   

Big Susan is the story of a family of dolls that live their day to day by the hands and imagination of their child owner, Susan. All is well when they receive their  daily dose of attention from her.    But...when Susan's world keeps her otherwise occupied things start to fall apart. Aside from a few magical hours on Christmas Eve when the Doll family comes to life they are totally dependent on Susan. Without her they cannot walk or talk, they cannot eat or sleep, and they cannot keep house.

They are stuck.

 

In the book six long weeks of neglect pass.

Susan is nowhere to be found and by the time Christmas Eve arrives the dollhouse is a jumble of clutter and dust. 

 

Their initial tears and distress over Susan's disappearance soon fade however and are replaced with inspiration. Rather than continue waiting for Susan to do for them they decide to use their few hours of life to do for her and tidy up the house as a Christmas surprise.

 

Clutter, dust, neglect, distress....

Just like the Doll family I've had enough of them.

No "Big Susan" is coming my way to set things right and Christmas Eve is a ways away but I see no reason why I can't find a few magical hours in my daily life to remedy the situation. And perhaps even a few more daily moments to track my progress along the way.

 

Housekeeping

 Still working on paring down my fabric stash.

My goal is to have no more than 1 yard of each print.

 

 That way I can still buy new goodies and not feel guilty about the fact that trying to squeeze them in somewhere back at home is near impossible!

 

 I'm also working on being a bit more prompt in putting my new goodies to use.

That little charm pack by Moda  for instance...

I just HAD TO HAVE it!

I thought it would make up the sweetest batch of pincushions someday.

 

Normal me would have stashed it for that someday but the me I'm trying to be ruled the day and actually put hand to task by prepping fabric pair ups and matching pom pom trim. True for almost every pack of charms I have purchased, I was then left with a pile of leftover prints not entirely to my liking.

 

Now once again normal me would have stashed these for maybe, someday, never. But the me I'm trying to be was quick on her toes this afternoon....

  

 Enter a pack of 2 inch Hexie paper pieces, a needle, thread, and Voilà...step #1 in a housekeeping matter of a different sort had been taken!

 

 You see, I'm obsessed with this book and the work of Nicki Trench. What a colorful world she creates and I imagine lives in. I think my home could stand to kick it up a notch in such a direction and am determined to take action....even if it's only one hexie piece at a time.

 

And look...today I made three!!!

 



FUNctional Space

 Having a little Etsy shop is great. You get to make things, you come in contact with interesting people, and when you earn a little money you get to spend it in other Esty shops!!! Having to keep records for your little Etsy shop however is another story. Sales must be tracked, expenses logged in, sales taxes paid up (good ole Massachusetts!) and the cost of goods sold must be calculated. Having a designated area in which to conduct such necessary business is a blessing, but one which I had begun to poo poo. Over the course of last year my desk had become one giant paperwork magnet and I dreaded hanging out there. More often than not I could be found dragging my laptop here, there, and everywhere just to escape the visible reminder of my own personal paperwork purgatory.

 

BUT NOT ANY MORE!

 

Nope, now is the time to put the "FUN" back into functional.

 

First things first..... I emptied everything out of the area.

 

Except for this.

It's the front of a Christmas card I received from dear hubby's grandmother many years ago and I've had it hanging around (quite literally) ever since. For me it has a certain quiet and clarity about it that I find very peaceful.

 

I let the space sit for several days with nothing more added.

Instead I spent a good amount of time thinking.

The little bit of action I did perform involved alot of pinterest peeking and just enough research to find myself a much easier bookkeeping system. 

 

Once I'd had my fill of empty space the first thing I added was my trusty old shelf, a length of yarn as a reminder of the garland I want to make, and a personal touch that was surprisingly fun to do.

 

I'd never would have had the nerve had it not been for the fact that the walls in this room are in desperate need of  being repainted.

 

We've been debating colors off and on but not yet found our "creative compromise!"

Our indecision was a blessing in disguise because had the walls been pristine and freshly painted I never in my wildest dreams would have......

 

.....taken a pen to them and scripted a quote.

Granted I wrote tiny in this instance but I don't think I'd be opposed to trying it again on a larger scale. And maybe even on freshly painted walls, OH MY!

 

Gradually items have begun to migrate through. Those that meet with my new standards of being either fun or functional get to stay. The basket for instance will function as handy storage for digital goodies such as camera, cords, and USB keys. The shelf is for fun as I intend to have it host rotating assemblies of inspiration. And the new Mollie Makes calendar? That one's a 2fer! Obviously functional but oh so fun when you decide to record a happy event from each day's passing.

 

The plan is to keep this space an equal balance of function and inspiration, not just for this week or this month but for the entire year ahead. I'll be popping back occassionally with updates, alterations, and of corse that garland I intend to make!