Work and play

I’m done, I’m done-my unpacking is done! I finished after 16 straight days of hard labor and it was worth it. I am shocked to report that everything I needed fit to into my Studio, with room left over. Which means that I probably over-purged. But dang, it feels good to have everything clean, organized and unpacked-from the garage to the bedrooms!

What a feeling of accomplishment to see this hall cleared of boxes and shelves! And waaaaay down at the end of that hall, underneath the new skylight will be my SAQA gallery:

I’ve collected these over the years from SAQA’s annual Benefit Auction. I have figured out a very simple framing that will unify the collection. Then I will have my very own SAQA gallery! This year’s auction begins Sept 6 and I will probably add a piece or two. You can too!

My label maker was in high gear-I labeled everything. I still can’t find anything, but at least I have labels to help me, giggle. I’ll get used to the new layout, but for now, I have to poke around to find just about anything.

As I unpacked I ran into box after box of fabric. Just when I thought I had unearthed every fabric box, I would find another! This shelf holds my fat quarters and my 3+ yards of cotton (silk has its own area, snort!).

I purged 19 of those boxes at the bottom-it was ridiculous. I would look at a box, say “Medium Blues”. I would scan the fat quarters and see that 10 of them “read” pretty similarly. So I would purge, somewhat capriciously, 8 of them. It was so taxing, but it was obvious that it would not all fit if I didn’t do some serious purging.

I should be embarrassed to admit how satisfying it was to figure out the right combination of containers to totally fill and area. Ahhhhhh. I know it sounds crazy, but I sometimes fill the spaces with empty containers. I learned this over the years. If you leave that space blank, when you have something to put there, you have to go digging around for the right container. This way, it’s there-just grab it and fill it.

The unpack was not without its mishaps. When I began to fill this shelf, I noticed it was sagging. It had been installed with molly bolts, not secured to studs, so it sagged. I thought I’d fix that. I just flipped the board up against the wall to get it out of the way, then began to drill into the studs. WHACK-the board slammed down hitting my nose at full force!! I calculated the weight of that board to be 20 lbs…plus the inertia.

It hit my nose straight on and I bled like a stuck pig. I could not even get up. I couldn’t find my cell phone to call hubby. So I laid there (literally in a pool of blood) until it slacked off a bit and then called him. Man did that hurt. It hurt to just touch my make-up brush to it. Fortunately it was a straight hit, so no deviated septum and no nose job, giggle. It could have been a lot worse…

It took 6 days just to organize my studio. And I am over-the-moon thrilled with the result. I now have a “creative nook” area in my office. I love this chair-who knew recliners could come in “Petite”?! It doesn’t feel (or look) like Daddy’s chair, it fits me! So I get to hang out in my little nook, all comfy. Margaret Blank‘s piece is there in the window and I have this glorious view:

The tree to the left is a River Birch with its fabulous peeling bark. The view on the right is on to the street, but at 5’3 1/2″, I see over the street and onto the park area across the street. It’s a lovely view, ever changing with the seasons, the breezes and the light.

Okay, it doesn’t look like much now. This will be another cozy place to hang out. I plan to populate it with lots of pillows and I’ll encase that mattress with something plush and textural. That butt ugly, broken-down office chair will be replaced with a lime green Back Store chair, divinely comfortable.

Unpacking was followed by an interminable period of returning things I didn’t need or use. Then, I had the briefest of moments to sew, so I pulled out one of the cuddle quilts from my local guild, the Folsom Quilt and Fiber Guild, and quilted it up.

I was rusty. I actually quilted tucks in the back. I wondered, how the heck did I do that-haven’t done that in years? Then I realized, I pin-basted it, something I never do as it is such an unreliable method of basting. It’s not terribly noticeable, I’m just annoyed that I did that!

The photo doesn’t really do the scene justice, but this is my view from my sewing area. That Feather Reed Grass bobs and waves and chats with me as I sew. A bed of succulents and cacti hugs the curves of the sidewalk and then the olive tree shields me from the street. It is a lovely, calming scene.

Just for fun I added “Dino”, my youngest son’s stuffed animal of choice. He floated to the top of the heap during the move somehow and I knew he needed a special spot. Altogether now….awwww!

I am thrilled that I now have space, next to the bar, to display my pottery collection. We lived in Charlotte, North Carolina for some time and while there, I came to collect pottery from both the Seagrove (NC) and Edgefield (SC) areas. I love the teapots! We’re still working out the placement-there will be festering over their placement in the future.

I did take a few breaks from all the work. When I was nearing the end of the unpacking and knew it would all fit, I took a few hours and went to the Ca State Fair. I love State Fairs! I love the fabulously unhealthy food, the heat, the livestock, the crafts and art, the weird people, the County displays, the smells, the hawking carny people-love it all! It was blistering hot, 102, so I passed the typical fried pickles/Oreos/alligator/butter, etc to savored a tub of ice cold ceviche-yummmmm!

I met my friend Dolores at the Marin Headlands, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, right across the Bay from San Francisco. It is a spectacular place to spend the day. Normally it would be foggy on a July day, but because Jenny was visiting, it was a gorgeous, sunny day. The park itself is 80,000 acres, 2 1/2 times the size of San Francisco and one of the most visited of urban parks. The scenery is spectacular:

Sweeping ocean views like this are common. There are a variety of trails throughout the park, all with their own variety of stunning views. I still pinch myself that I live where I can access places like this in a few hours. We ended our day with some great seafood in Sausalito. I needed all of that-friend, food and bucolic scenery. Sigh.

I’ll be hooking up with Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday. I cruise the links every week-there is always something good to see and read.