Last Quarter Cleaning

It's October today and that marks a steep turning point in my household. From here on, the year seems to simply snap shut. We have a whirlwind: it's our birthday season which overlaps with the holiday season and year ahead planning season. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but year after year it has a way of all coming together in a big swoop. Well this year, I have an extra thing to do and get done before this all starts - and that is to get my 'areas' under control. My family have put their foot down, I have to reign in all my creative hot spots to make the house presentable again. I must admit that looking at these images is rather confronting. I really have let things get out of control and look shabby. 

This here is my winter and night time nook. That crochet throw is not for posing (not that you could ever accuse it of being beautifully staged), I like to keep my shoulders warm and this colourful ripple never leaves my chair. That ugly lamp is a very useful daylight lamp. I really wish it wasn't so awful to look at, but it's so useful that I can't bear to part with it. Next to my chair I have two trolleys of essential 'stuff' I need when creating my masterpieces. If you think that front trolley looks bad (and I admit, it does) then you'll understand why I simply cannot show you the one behind. It's too embarrassing - even by my relaxed standards.

Crammed in tightly between the trolley and my chair on the floor is my knitting bundle. I have about 3 projects on the go and I like to have them handy in case the mood takes me. 

This here is not a footstool, it's a work station. To be precise, it's where I keep my night time applique activity. As you can see, I like to make good use of my time. I don't watch TV more than once every few weeks or so, but when we all sit together we do it in this room and whilst I'm sitting in my chair talking, I might as well be turning some applique edges, which I do. All the time. 

This is a new addition to my domestic take over. It's a square 8 seat dining table. I mean, seriously how fabulous is it?! It's where I've parked my Brother Scan N Cut machine and laptop computer. I prefer to work out in this open area around family rather than shut myself away in the room we've designated as our 'office' (which I do when I'm writing up a pattern.) But I think I'm going to have to move it to the garage and then restart my 'multiple workstations' practice in the New Year. This is because most people don't understand that I need 3 dining tables to work on. They think dining tables are for eating from. Amateurs. You either get it.. or you're not a quilter. 

This is here is my latest conquest from Gumtree which is a kind of Craig's List classifieds. It was truly a bargain. And who doesn't need an extra buffet and hutch combination to take up that spare wall in the living room? Fortunately this wall feature will be staying put - packing it away in the garage would make no sense as its too much work for my DH to keep bringing it in and out. It weighs an absolute ton. It's so handy for storing my random quilting odds and ends on. Although you can see from the mess on it right now that I need to sort out my supplies properly and make it look somehow organized. The only regretful thing about it is those handles. They are so ugly. I actually purchased replacement handles to match our existing wood furniture pieces.. but they got lost in the mail. Then I re-ordered them, and they arrived, but I have misplaced them in amongst my 'stuff'. I'm hoping they will show up as I tackle all my creative nest areas this week. 

Here's an update to my opinion on magazines. I love them again. I was completely bored and done with them last year but somehow I have found lots of new titles that are keeping me entertained during my daily coffee breaks and now I wouldn't be without them. But I have run out of space, so I will be donating my previous stacks and limiting myself to the current year only. This is another task to get done today. I need to sort them out and move on, otherwise I will end up with thousands of them. And I'm the kind of person who doesn't go back and re-read old titles, so it won't be too hard for me to let them go.

Sorting our living spaces is fine, but what I really need is to win the lottery and purchase another house to store all my creative pursuits in. Apparently it's been done before, by a quilter in the US, so I live in expectant hope. In the meantime, I'll be tidying, reorganizing and getting ready for the holidays ahead.