Ready...

Step One.

Make some sense of  all THIS...

And this...

 

And even this...

A daunting task.  Can it be done?  How did it ever get this bad?

More importantly, WHERE DID ALL THIS STUFF COME FROM?!?

Okay. I admit it.

I have a lot of stuff.

But I really NEED a lot of stuff!

I really love my stuff.

I am one with my stuff.

Me and my stuff...we're tight.

I just wish I knew where all the stuff is when I need it.

{Sigh...}

So welcome to my first Word for 2009:

Okay. Deep Breath. Focus.

And...

Meet My Studio

This is the area behind the front counter.

It measures about 14'x16' (224 sq ft) and I've

filled it with items that I love.

You know, I heard once that you should surround yourself with things you love.

And I definitely have.

All these things inspire me.

(I'll share those pics with you at another time.)

This is the entry into my HUGE okay tiny 10'x12' studio.
It is located just behind the huge shelf in the above photo.

I have so much ribbon that I'm literally having to

get creative with displaying and storing it...

See what I mean?

For these racks I used old wooden video/CD holders and added

1"x6" planks up each side. Before I attached the planks I drilled holes

for the dowels to be supported on and voila!

Then all the glue, sewing supplies, scissors, stamps, punches, emblishments, lace, wood, buttons, jewelry, beads, and assorted ephemera needed to have homes.

These have worked the best for me...

It really helps to speed up projects when your letters are separated...

And I thought this printer tray was just

the perfect thing to keep them order.

And buttons!

Buttons are just more fun to look at and to use when they're color-coded

and stored in unusual containers.

My Hubby says "Imagine how big that button was

before it went into the grinder". {grin--he's such a comic!}

And isn't glitter just more fun to use when it's stored like THIS?...

I found vintage salt & pepper shakers and lined them up in spice racks

and vintage ladies hankie/glove boxes.

If you open the photos you'll also see that I used syrup and

oil/vinegar shakers to store the larger glitter.

So, there you have it!

I've begun to Organize.

And I'm ready to move to

Word #2.

Stay Tuned!

As I Press Onward!

Mission Accomplished

“The greatest gift

is a portion of thyself.”

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

A request was made.

And you rose to the occasion!

This is just a small sampling of the multitude of over 300 holiday cards

you took the time to send to my nephew Jon while he is stationed

in Baghdad this year.

In the beginning, he had no idea what was going on.

It was so funny to hear his comments.

At first he was really puzzled.

"Mom", he'd say, "I really got a lot of Christmas cards in the mail today."

Then, as the days went on, he'd receive more, and more, and more cards.

One day, as he went to pick up his mail, Jon asked the

mail clerk, "Do I have any mail?".

The clerk said,

"DO YOU HAVE ANY MAIL?!?! What do you have? A Fan Club!?!"

So Jon called his family and said, "What is going on?

Every day I keep getting more and more cards."

The family finally 'fessed up' and told him what was going on.

They sent him to read the posts on Tif and my blogs.

So, I just have to say a really big 'Thank You!'

to each of you  for your kind works and your thoughtfulness.

(And if you'd like to continue to drop a line to Jon,

even after the holidays, you can send letters to:)

SSGT Jon Bureman

JIDC Unit 42129

APO AE 09342-2129

Thank you for sharing a part of yourselves.

Blessings!

It Was My Lucky Day!

I was the lucky one!
I was a winner!
(And I apologize for not posting about it sooner!)

But I actually won a Blog Giveaway! 
{I know. I can't believe it either!}

Last month I was a lucky winner of one of the prizes in a blog giveaway hosted by one of my new blogger friends Sharon at PrimThyme.

And here are the sweetest prizes I received in the mail. 

Sharon worked so hard on these and I am truly honored to have them. She mentioned in her note that she doesn't even use patterns--she just lets the fabric scrap speak to her! Amazing!!

I'm so happy that my name was picked and that she took the time to host the giveaway.

Thank You Sharon!

Hugs!

No Resolutions!

Nope. You read it right.

Even though I'm a little late, I've decided that
This year. No resolutions.

I'm downsizing. 

(Now STOP laughing! Maybe downsizing IS in my vocabulary!)

I've been reading a lot of blogs lately about 'Your Word for 2009'.

And I really like the idea.

A Word for the year would be fun, and quirky,

and maybe more motivational than a never-ending list
of resolutions that I just can't seem to accomplish.

So I'm Gonna Do It!!

All I have to do is come up with my Word.

Seriously! How hard can it be?
This should be a piece of cake!

OH MY GOSH!! WHO KNEW THERE'D BE SO MUCH PRESSURE!!!

All the blogs I'd been reading spoke so eloquently about their Word.
(Now I'm really wishing I'd paid more attention
during my creative writing classes {sigh})

I felt as if My Word should be profound, regal, inciteful,

thought-provoking, inspiring, life-changing, yet achievable...

You know...A Word worthy of working toward.

Never mind. I can't do it.

I just can't come up with the one word
that should define my life this year.

But I really WANT to do it.

So, I did what always works for me when I need to calm down and think.

I sat down with a 12 pack of Dr. Pepper and

14 dozen cinnamon rolls from my favorite bakery and got to work.

Three days later I did it!!
I've come up with My Word

(oh, and 2 tiny little sub-words that I've sneaked in because,

Hey! I really need 3 words--and I did downsize from a long list of resolutions right?!)

Plus, I'm The Boss of My Words so I get to make up my own rules.

And so...here they are.
My Word(s) for 2009.

Organize.
Focus.
Create.

Sorry. Nothing really profound. But I think they're gonna work for me.
I'll keep you posted on my progress.

So, my friends.

Jump on the bandwagon with me.

It's not too late to think about Your Word for 2009.

What will it be?

Let me know.  We'll do this together!!

Many New Year Hugs!!