The Cork Floors are In!!!!

Renovating during the Christmas season....hmm!!! One probably needs to have their head examined but, MY CORK FLOORS FOR THE STUDIO ARE IN!!!!

We had trouble nailing down an installation date for the cork floors, for the studio and guest room downstairs but they are in and soooo worth it!!!

Below are a few quick before and after shots.  The lighting isn't great, but it will have to do for now

 So exciting seeing the carpet being removed!!!!

 There we are, we still need baseboards and a fresh coat of paint.....

 Check out my new sleek, modern computer desk.....and that chair, so comfortable and modern to boot (what more could one ask for???).

 My studio doubles as a family room....so it's the perfect spot for the tree.

One more shot of those fabulous floors!!!!

Why cork, some of you might ask. Well, cork is easy to care for and much easier on the back and feet, if you are standing for long periods of time. Also, no more ugly plastic mats under my rolling chairs (gotta love that).

I lost Control....somewhere along the way.

After years of sewing and other artistic pursuits, I have to face reality....I've sort of  totally lost control!! Moving and setting up in a new space has certainly brought my situation to light. Materials and supplies that are no longer relevant to what I'm doing are taking up precious space. One has to wonder how things can spin out of control so easily....but there you have it!! 

Time to take charge!! Now that's a scary thought. As you can see there are still plenty of "piles" to tackle. Honestly some days It just feels like I'm moving the piles from one place to another.....and dare I say it, then back again!!

 Lest you think we are totally snowed under...my husband hung more shelves and a peg board for tools and such!! One can never have enough shelves, right??

 I even made a new pressing board and recovered an old one along the way. I like to staple some of that rubber drawer stuff or anti-slip area rug stuff to keep the board from slipping.

 Works like a charm!!

 Here is something else I finally managed to get my hot little hands on. I have been looking since the fall, with no luck, but happened on them at Winners, quite by accident and at the low price of $9.99. So cheap, I had to buy two sets.....okay, okay, so old habits die hard. That's how I lost control in the first place, I can sniff out a good sale a mile away and I have a tendency to buy multiples....what can I say!!!!

 In my defense....I do love to re-purpose thing, here is my old kitchen table (which didn't work all that well in this house) at the correct cutting height thanks to those handy dandy Bed Risers!! The baskets which I already had now fit under the table, such a space saver!!

 In the spirit of full disclosure .....all those baskets contain works in progress!!!

 As I was doing all this sorting and lamenting my lack of self-control, I came up with the idea to put a pressing board,  on one of the shelves beside, at sitting level, beside one of my little sewing desks. This works so well when I'm working on Log Cabin type Quilt as You Go type projects. I even cleared a shelf or two for colour sorted baskets of strips, creating an on going work zone for this type of project. 

It's the clearing of those shelves that really pushed me into re-evaluating what I need to keep and just what is unnecessary excess.

 So....let the purging begin!!! Here is just the start of getting things ready to donate. It would have been wise to sort and purge before we moved, but the house sold so quickly...there was no time.

On a different note....I had a great time at my Modern Quilt Guild Sew Day last Saturday!

 Good times..... and Gwen's fabulous project (on the wall) just ignited several ideas for me.I love when that happens!!

The ladies let me practice teaching the Joining of QAYG Blocks......thanks ladies, the more practice the better!!!

Progress

A few hours ago I was a tad overwhelmed....now several hours later I'm seriously overwhelmed, but progress is being made!!!! 

Last week the unfinished part of my basement was finally dry walled and painted.....time to go shopping for shelving. 

 
Did I mention I'm a storage junkie??? After the shelves were up I was chaffing at the bit to start unpacking, but alas, the floor still needed painting.

Ah....the painting has begun!!!

 
 I love my golden coloured floor and even the quilting frame, for the
long arm is set up...so exciting!!!!

Now for the overwhelming part.....yikes, that's just some of the boxes!!!

 

 

Seriously....this could take a while. Unfortunately there won't be any quilting, until order is restored.....I'm really missing it. 

Creating Some Calm in the Storm

 

 Here's one last look, at the view, from my son's hospital window (rather a quilt worthy view, in my opinion). I'm happy to report he came home on Friday and is doing really well. We even managed a family outing to Ikea over the weekend....that alone should tell you how things are going, 

Thank you so much, for your kind word, thoughts and prayers....it means so much!! 

 Meanwhile we've been trying to create a little bit of calm in the midst of the chaos. After all one does need their computer!!

 And perhaps a sewing machine or two.....just perhaps.

Yup....there's the cutting table. Are you wondering what's up with all the plastic??

The basement has approximately 700 hundred square feet of unfinished space, besides the finished part. Unfortunately there are no windows in that area. So just what does a quilter do with a black hole of that magnitude??

Cut a door of course....and let the light from the patio doors shine in!!!!! We'll be putting in a french door.

Put up some drywall, add some lighting and electrical sockets, paint the floor.....and I will have more storage than I have ever had and a spot for the long arm.

 Of course this is rather a slow process and dusty to say the least.

Meanwhile, upstairs is becoming a little more orderly.

 

Slowly but surely things are coming together. 

I've even created a temporary closet until I can get around to ordering an Ikea system.

Lest you think things are under control.....remember this room, yup it is still piled high to the ceiling!!

Once again, thank you for all your wonderful comments and emails, I tried to answer as many as I could....a few might have slipped through the cracks.....your support as ever, means so much.

Marianne