Creating space, creating a habit

I've been decluttering my craftroom.  I still have a little more to go, including a box of stuff on the floor that I can't seem to find places for, and some things to take to school. I'm giving away some fabric and I've sorted through my scrapbooking things. But I still have a room packed full of things.

During last year I found this little 2-seater sofa at an op shop, and it changed everything about the room. But until now I had no time to really make it all work. 

Originally, I had these cute vintage velvet wingchairs in my craftroom. I loved the look of these chairs, they were a bargain, were in good condition and had just the vintage vibe I wanted. 

This is how I had the sitting area of my craft room set up originally

(on the other side of the room is my desk and most of my craft supplies) 

... and then I rearranged when we inherited this lovely leadlight cabinet.

But the trouble was that the chairs only looked cute. They didn't feel so great. When I sat on them I felt both constricted by the arms and wobbly on the seat cushion. My great plans of sitting daily to read the bible and pray on these chairs came to nothing. We sat on them on Friday nights for date night, and the rest of them time they just held piles of stuff, and I wondered why I didn't sit on them more. 

Then came the sofa.

Not vintage. Not the best colour. But comfortable.

A real game-changer.

And now I get to my new habit:

Each night I light this little candle

I open my little pencil case (a gift from a Korean student) and take out a pen.

(I keep the matches in there, also)

I open my bible

And my day-to-a-page diary (Aldi)

and I get reading and writing and praying.

You see, when I was younger I read my bible everyday, but as I got older, I found it hard to make the time.  This year I've discovered a few other things about me:

A lighted candle helps to remind me to stay and read and think, not to jump up and do something else. It makes the time a bit special (and smells amazing, the nicest vanilla candle I ever met ;)

A diary with pretty pages, smooth paper and the perfect sized page and just one page seems doable, compared to my old burnout style of writing pages and pages in a journal one day and not touching it again for months.

It helps to have a colourful bible and pencil case that coordinate, because I'm just that kind of girl.

A reading plan from my minister for our church to read Matthew 14-28 in the month of January has really helped. Especially when I recoloured it and made it pretty to match my diary ;)

I have a couple, but just a couple, of other reading and resource books in the pile for when I have extra time.  I plan to re-read the Jesus Storybook Bible again soon, I just love it, and it's not only for kids.

The other thing I've done is moved some suitcases which were piled up in the centre of the room. They were handy for storage and putting things on when I'm sitting at my desk, but not worth it in the end because of the cramped feeling they gave me. I also had a nest of tables in here, which felt rickety and not quite right. Now I manage with the little table attached to the standard lamp. And in case you're worried, I still have the olive velvet wingchairs, one in the craftroom next to the sofa, and one in the living room. And I still have some furniture from this room and elsewhere that I need to find space for, hmmm.

I'm so pleased that I was able to use this holiday time to manage the space and feel of this room, and to finally use it to accomplish one of my original aims of this room - to have a quiet space to sit and read and pray each day.

The last of the Christmas rush

Yesterday we put up our outside lights.

On Friday I put up my little Christmas tree in my craft room.

I love seeing it from outside.

Last week I finished my Christmas cards.

Which is quite a process. 

I've been making them for months.

In the last fortnight, I've addressed the envelopes,

stamped a greeting inside each card.

photographed them, and stamped the envelopes.

And of course, written in each one.

All 80 or so of them.

 

And yesterday I got the last of them in the mail.

Phew!

At last I'm feeling like I'm on the home stretch, we're over the hump.

Time to enjoy the tree, the carols, the sights and sounds of Christmas.

Perhaps some paleo Christmas treats,

a little Christmas shopping and wrapping.

Time to read the Christmas story in the bible and ponder on it.

School is finishing this week.

Relaxation is almost here!

I'm snatching more moments of it each day.

So many things ticked off for the year, with just a couple to go.

Now I just want to soak up the rest of December, 

before it too disappears.

Bunnies for a Baby - Memory Box dies

I've been completely hooked on dies lately. The Memory Box dies are way too much fun and I've found myself back at the craft shop quite a few times lately, buying a few each time. Then I rush home and roll them through my Big Shot, trying them with my other dies and stamps, and dreaming up possibilities.

This is a little scene I made for a baby gift. The frame was just a few dollars, from the Reject Shop, so it's an inexpensive but unique gift (I tell myself, justifying my growing collection of dies ...)

Here it is before I put the glass in. 

I think could make bunny and bird scenes all day ..

A short walk away

After spending so many hours on the sofa in the living room

I love taking a short walk to my craft room

to see my pretty things

and dream of doing some craft in there again soon

when I've got a bit more strength.

It's a bit chilly in there at this time of year,

time to get out the heater.

So I don't stay long.

After a few minutes I'm back on the sofa,

a bit worn out, and glad to be sitting down again.

Sunshower

While I was tidying my craft room this afternoon,

expecting rain, the sun came out, and we had a sunshower.

Brilliant sunshine with quite heavy rain.

And a surprising number of people walking by in raincoats and with umbrellas.

It was lovely.

Also today, this last day of term, and my first truly free day
in goodness-knows-how-long,

I washed, baked, walked, and rested, watching A Room with a View.

I had some other plans, but not enough energy to carry them out.

I guess my body just needed to slow down a little and spend most of the day resting.

 Now in the late afternoon, the sunshowers continue.

The girls are home, and holidays have begun.

Sitting quietly

My Jane Austen doll

sits patiently,

but happily,

on a vintage picnic basket,

now filled with ribbons.

Satisfaction

A few hours together

at last to call my own ...

and the satisfaction of getting

my craft room tidy again.

Lovely with the winter sun

shining in ...

Christmas is Coming!

Christmas is coming!

And with the busyness of

November and December

I've not had time to blog much at all.

We put up our Christmas tree 

on the 25th November,

knowing that we had some busy weekends 

coming up in December.

Thanks to our renovations,

this year we could fit in the tree without

major furniture rearrangement.

What a relief.

The tree fits nicely between the 

dining and sitting areas.

(and looks stunning at night

when seen from the stairs)

As I hoped last year,

this year I had my own little tree

in my own little craft room.

I love that from the front of the house this tree

looks like the top of a full-size tree,

it's just at the right height!

The craft room is cozy and Christmassy,

lovely. 

Such beautiful Christmas music

has been playing almost constantly 

in our home for the last month.

I will miss it so much after tomorrow.

I made over 80 cards,

and finally got them written and posted

in the middle of December.

At last I have stairs

with Christmas greenery!

(something I always wanted!)

Crafts have been made,

although not all I had planned

(what's new?)

I made sand art cookie jars for some friends and neighbours.

I love the way they turned out.

I'm very excited that my very own DF and GF

Christmas cookies were a success!

Thanks to Meadow Lea Dairy Free Margarine,

and Orgran GFG Gluten substitute

all sort of things are possible!

Pastry has abounded around here ever since.

We made a gingerbread house,

using the Woolworths Select Gingerbread House Kit

but were very disappointed with the 

icing and the taste of it all.

Wishing now that I'd bought the Aldi house.

But at least it looked cute.

We had my parents and aunt 

over for dinner and a little concert

(recorders, flute, guitar, whistle, harp, piano, violin)

and finishing with singing carols together,

a lovely night.

*  *  * 

Advent readings have been read,

although all squeezed into this last week.

I'm finding these traditions much harder as the girls get older.

(Homeland on Sunday nights didn't help though,

our one must-see show of the week)

And now it is Christmas Eve.

And, in contrast to former years,

where the girls stood on little chairs

wearing cute aprons

and helping mix the Christmas Cookie dough,

this year the girls are on the front step,

putting on each other's nail polish.

(I don't like the smell in the house)

But now the polish has dried, 

the dough is ready to roll

and I will go and help them.

Some things never change, at least!

They love to cut the cookies and 

sprinkle on the coloured sugar.

Tonight Santa will come by on the fire truck

and we will have a roast chicken dinner,

our own little Christmas dinner 

with church and a 

big family celebration tomorrow.

* * *

Wishing you and your family 

a 

very 

 M*E*R*R*Y 

C*H*R*I*S*T*M*A*S*

Photos taken by Fiona & Emily.

An old lady on the kerb

This morning Steve and I each spotted this lovely old dame on the kerb!

Fortunately it was still there a bit later.

It's the same style as a standard lamp we have in the living room,

although that one doesn't have the table.

And what a shade!

Spectacular inside and out.

The lamp needs to be re-wired so I can't tell yet

how RED this will make my craft room

or whether I might want to 

... ahem ...

find another shade!

But it's just right in the craft room, 

don't you think?

(please excuse the lovely but dazzling sunshine)

(Once I did find a real "old lady" lying on the kerb, 

turns out she was fine and it was just her way of hitch-hiking 

from to the next suburb!)

This morning I also found some pretty new things for my craft room

at Daiso, in Chatswood.

The wonderful shop where everything costs just $2.80 ...

Some Cath Kidston-style accessories

And some paper lanterns

(this turquoise one actually given to me earlier by Emily)

For now I have hung them from an existing hook on the ceiling

With a bird flying below
(made with the Stampin' Up! Elegant Bird die)

Eventually I would like to have them 

hanging on different hooks at staggered heights.

So it's been quite a day for my craft room!

. . .

What's that, you say?

You're still waiting to see ALL of my craft room??

and

Emily's room?

and 

the new upstairs bathroom

and hall?

 ... hmmm ....

sorry about that!!

One day soon ....!

I promise!!