Organize Me Monday: Studio Tour

Organizing.  It's my thing!  Well, it's one of my things.  One of my favorite things!  It may sound weird, but taking an unorganized space and making it organized energizes me like few other things do!  Taking an organized space and making it more organized is pretty great too!

Recently we had our kitchen remodeled.  Prior to that happening, I had kitchen appliances stored all over the place.  One cupboard in particular, near the front door, was full of appliances.  Well, now that all of the appliances fit in the kitchen (!!),  I had an empty cupboard which I have been working to make into storage for my art and craft goodies! Today I finished that little endeavor and I thought I'd show you!

I have made two videos to share with you today.  You'll have to excuse the segments where everything goes blurry ... that's my lack-of-videography-know-how making itself known! Clearly, I need some practice! 

The first video is a tour of my "studio".  We don't have room in this house for me to set up a whole room as a studio unless I want that room to be the garage ... and I don't.  Initially, I  set up a section of the family room where I could work and that has sort of oozed around the corner ... which works perfectly now that the bread-maker and mix master are in the kitchen where they belong! 

The second video is showing you the inside of my art and craft cupboard ... how it is organized and looking inside a couple of the boxes. 

I mentioned in the first video that I was doing The Documented Life Project in 2016.  I did the second half of 2014, and a self-modified version in 2015 ... I'm hoping to complete an entire year of actual DLP this year!  Do any of you participate in this fun project?  I'd love to follow along with you!  Let me know where I can! I'll probably post some photos on my TrèsBonn Instagram and Facebook pages but mostly I think I'll share my weekly pages here on the blog ...

st {U} ff

Phew.
It's been a big day today.
We're having an art exhibition tomorrow night at the studio !
The kids and I spent a few hours there this morning
framing and hanging paintings.
Fun.

I can't wait ...

If you're a local and you're friends with me on facebook,
the details are there if you want to come.
If you are not local,
don't worry,
I'll post photos
to the studio blog !

Well ... the kids want to go to the park and it is late enough
in the day to take them over ... so I'd better sign off !

ps ... you're right.
the photo has nothing to do with the post
but i realized i've been posting mostly photos of Alia
lately and wanted to post one of my boy !
my footy crazed boy !

Happy {Mon} Day

Happy Monday morning everyone !!
We had a lovely weekend ... especially last night visiting with Grandma and Grandad
who are on in our neck of the woods for a few days !

Rory has left for work, my kiddo's are still sleeping, I'm gearing up for a busy day.
I love Monday's though ... now that I have a lady coming to help me clean.
I'm sure I told you she was going to start but I'm not sure I've told you anything since.
She came last Monday and I'll tell you what ... she is a champion !
I was so impressed !
And I am so excited about her coming back today !

She does the two bathrooms, thoroughly vacuums and mops the whole house.
That takes two hours.
She does an amazing job.

While she is doing that,
I am washing the sheets, towels and bath mats,
so everything is fresh.
I got about six loads of laundry done ...
washed, dried (on the line !) folded and put away ... last week !
I only have one load in there today.
But once I add the sheets and towels, there will probably be three loads ...

I also did some organizing, a bit of cleaning in the kitchen, a bunch of stuff in the garden.
It's so great to have all that stuff done in one day ... I could never do it all by myself.
And having her here somehow motivates me ...

I need to plan the menu today and do the shopping too.
That won't be hard though ... some great new recipes have gone up on
the beans blog and I mean to try them !!!

I've been busy working on the Studio Blog as well. It's such fun !
Have you been over to see what's happening lately ?

Go check it out ... LIGHTHOUSE STUDIOS ONLINE

Well, I'm outta here.
My morning computer time is finished
and I'm trying to be very diligent in sticking to my new schedule.
It's trickier than I thought it would be but the benefits of it are great so I will persevere !

I hope to pop round and visit a few of you blogger friends a bit later
while I eat my lunch !! See you soon !!!

this is my box {i never travel without my box}

I don't really travel without this box, I just couldn't write this is my box without writing the next line of the song. It's a song from my childhood. From a play we saw "Amahl and the Night Visitors" ... You can listen to a minute of it here (including the line I'm talking about !!) Seriosuly, how cool is the internet ???

Anyway ... we're talking about MY BOX today ... I'm not sure where it came from but I have had it for a long time. It has a lock but the key is long gone. My box has been home to many things but for a good number of years now it has housed my favorite memorabilia. I spent a few hours the other day going through it all. Oh it was so much fun. It's like this flood of memories. Childhood. Teenage years. Wedding. Spain. Canada. Japan. Russia. Ohio. Maryland. Italy. Bulgaria. Hawaii. Colorado. Family. Friends. Sports. Postcards. Poetry. Lots of fun stuff ...

And so many stories.

In my box, there are also many little boxes. Those who know me well, or who have known me for a long time, will remember my motto from my teenage years ... "Every box is another step towards organization !" I LOVE BOXES !! My Aunt Lissa made me this box years and years ago. It is a treasure to me ...

Inside this little box is a variety of other little treasures. Shells from various beaches all over the world. A cork. A little whistle. A couple of small silver balls. A pic. Truth be told, I have no memory of any of the items besides the shell that looks like a flower ... Can you see it ? Just next to the cork.

The photo was taken in Italy. It is my and my brother and my sister and our friend. We have recently been reunited with this friend and her family on facebook. Oh how I love facebook ! We've had a few days of photos from this time period and comments and discussions and it is so great to be in touch again !! Have I mentioned recently how cool the internet is ?!

Thanks for all the great comments on my slowing down post from yesterday ... ya'll have some great ways that you slow down too ! And who knew there were so many of us who loved getting letters in our mailbox ??

I'm heading over to the Studio blog. I've been posting regularly there if you'd like to check it out ! There is even some of my work up there now ...

Home Tour {the garage}

Why on earth would you start your home home tour with the garage, you might be thinking ! Well, a few reasons.

1.) I love the garage
2.) I spend a lot of time in the garage
3.) To show my cousin Jill who was confused
when said I was laying in the garage
talking to her on the phone the other morning.
4.) It's the first room you come into when you come to our house.
Unless you come over at night,
you probably won't be greeted at the front door ...
We rarely use it.

So, here we go.
Now, you all know that we bought new living room furniture when we moved into this house.
Rory was pretty keen to get rid of the old stuff but I had other ideas.
I convinced him that we should try the old stuff in the garage.

We spend a lot of time in the garage so we can keep an eye on the kids while they play.
Plus, it's my studio as well ... where I paint.
The kids often want to watch and will sit on the couch to chat or color or read
just so they can be in there with me ...

I also do a fair bit of reading in there too. Those books on the table are cookbooks from the library. I have difficulty leaving a library empty handed ... actually, it's worse than that, I usually leave a library loaded up like a donkey ! I just can't help myself. It's not a bad problem to have though ...

Anyway ... here's how it looks from the outside ...

That two door cabinet in my 'second pantry' and the bookshelf beside it is home to the children's shoes. On top of it there is a basket with sun screen, bug spray, lotion, chap stick, small packets of tissues, paw paw ointment, bug bite itch relief lotion, you know ... all the stuff the kids need to be able to reach from the medicine cabinet ... and usually as we are running out the door for school. Having it right there when they put their shoes on reminds them to take care of that stuff then ... especially the sun screen which is essential in our neck of the woods !

Here's where I was laying to talk to you Jill ...



Another angle ... from inside the house ...

I looooooooove these shelves. They came with the house. They were going to remove them (and the work bench) for us ... thought we wouldn't want them. Good thing it came up in conversation during one of the inspections because they are fantastic !! So much storage !

I've got to point out the shelf with all the empty containers/baskets. Does anyone else have a shelf like that in their house ? I don't throw out good organizing equipment. I am constantly rotating what I have and what I use changes from time to time. It's good to have a supply that I have collected over the years ...

This is what the other wall looks like ... Garbage can (that's the kitchen one ... I don't like tiny garbage cans and this one is too big to go in the kitchen so it lives in the garage ... ) Recycle box. Vacuum cleaner. Etc ....

The bookshelves have some of Rory's old engineering book from Uni. They are also home to the board games and my jigsaw puzzles.

And yeah, that's the ironing board all the way at the end there. I only keep it because I occasionally need to use it for a craft I'm doing. I iron once in a blue moon. Weddings. Yeah, I'd iron for a wedding. That's about it.

Here's the studio section of the garage.
I love having all my gear in one place and being able to leave it all ready to go.
The kids love it too.
I often find them at the desk doing something crafty.
Lately too, they've been working on the doll house a lot, I'll have to take another photo
and do another post about it because it looks nothing like when we
first started it !!



It may seem strange ... hanging out in the garage.
Perhaps you should come visit so you can experience it for yourself !
It's like our little outdoor area ... with a roof !
And it's beautiful.
Not dingy like you'd expect a garage to be.
Just look at that sky !!



So ... there you go.
The home tour has finally begun.
I shall endeavor to show you a bit more of the house
every couple of days.

And in case you are wondering how we fit the cars into the garage ...

We don't.