Busy unpacking boxes

Trying to get my new studio~office in order. It might take forever.

Photo: pixdaus.com

I do appreciate those of you who have written to say just put one foot in front of the other and do it. Or, pick up an object and put it where it belongs; pick up another object and put it where it belongs. It sounds so simple. And it is truly helpful advice. The only problem is, I didn't move two well- organized rooms to this new room. I moved two messy, disorganized, crazy rooms. So, most of the time I don't know where things belong. Back in piles on the floor, like they were in their former rooms? Sigh.

The good news is, I am forcing myself to throw things away - or give them away. If I haven't managed to use an item yet, after "x" years, then I'll probably never use it, right? Since I make things out of recycled and found objects, it is very difficult to get rid of anything! Another benefit of the move is finding all kinds of wonderful items I had forgotten about - scraps of interesting fabric, old textiles I've been saving for something special, half-done projects that were put aside when I lost steam. I'll try to post pictures of some of these "finds" soon.

At the moment, the best thing about this new room is that Doug installed an air conditioner in here a couple of days ago, so I am really not suffering through this hideous heat wave - and I hope you aren't either.

How will I ever get organized?

Adeline and I are trading rooms. I am moving out of two rooms - my office and my studio - into her one room, which is large, with good light, and has excellent 'OM' as we like to call it. At the moment, my new studio/office is a huge mishmash of boxes and STUFF. In fact, it is really difficult to get organized and put things where they belong because it is nearly impossible to walk around. Adeline has already turned my old studio into her bedroom, even though I've left a few things behind that still need to be moved. Like one of my bulletin boards and one of my vintage quilts. And, what about my wonderful wall of wool threads? It seems to have become Nola's climbing wall. Nola, as I'm sure you can figure out, is the cat. And I need my regular spools of thread, too. They are now sharing a wall with Adeline's dolls. You know, no matter how old you are, there are just certain dolls that stay with you. I still have my teddy bear from when I was about one-year-old. My old office is now Adeline's den/TV room. It is also in pretty good shape. In fact, it is being used right now by Adeline and some of her friends. They are listening to music and generally having a good time. Nice. My new office/studio, however, is a nightmare of boxes and piles of STUFF. How am I ever going to get everything where it belongs? Photos, top to bottom: Nola, climbing the wall of threads, the mess that is facing me now, the quilt I left behind.

Home, Sweet Seductive Creative Other-Worldly, Home

There is a fascinating story in today's New York Times, written by Alastair Gordon, about J. Morgan Puett and her incredible "home" (much too narrow a term), Mildred's Lane. Gordon calls this fashion designer and artist, a "kind of radical homesteader" who has built an ... environment, shall we say, on 96 lush Pennsylvanian acres; which is "an ongoing experiment in art, design and aestheticized living ..." Here's a clue to how interesting this woman is: she named her son Grey Rabbit. But the article is about more than just her - please, go read it for yourself: In her own world.

Photo: Phil Mansfield for the New York Times