The Storm before the Calm on Off the Wall Friday

View from my window

 Yes winter is in full swing here on the Great Lakes.  I know this has become an annual rant but LORD I hate the snow and the havoc it brings.  Storms are so destructive to the routine of everyday life.  It makes me want to hibernate rather than my goal of resetting.  

Let's face it.  Saying you're going to reset and actually doing it are two different things.  This week, I set out to walk the walk to go along with all that talk last week.  To that extent I had to start digging out my studio. 

Right now, I can easily say my studio is going through an identity crisis. It's a small space to begin with and to bring another art form into it is going to take some ingenuity.  But first things, first it needs digging out....

Right now it looks like this....

I believe in showing it all

Not just the pretty pictures  'cause the struggle is real 
And if you know you know..

I took a little time each day getting things put back, cleaned up and thrown out.  I was doing good actually...until I came to the elephant in the room.  Well - rather - the sheep.  What was I going to do with the small stash of wool I had accumulated?  Storing it in bins was not ideal...its hard to see what you own and find what you're looking for.  Not to mention, it's best to store wool in a well-ventilated area.  That really meant I needed to get more shelves.  But where to put them?  

Luckily, I took the problem to my husband and he said why don't you buy them with wheels and they could slide back into an under utilize corner.  That way you can slide them out when you need them and tuck them back when you don't.  Oh he's smart...no wonder I married him!

The trick to buying good shelving is to figure out what you want to store, how you want to store it and how much space you have.  THEN take all that information and head to Amazon which has a ridiculously huge variety of sturdy, inexpensive metal shelving.  I decided that I wanted 6 tiers, about 30" long by 15" deep on wheels...for under $75.  It took a while I found buy what I was looking for. 

I sorted and folded the wool and it easily fit.  I took all the smaller pieces and put them in a bin that fit on the bottom tier.  

It went from this....

To this....a perfect solution for $61...I'm all happy.

You'll have to wait to see the final reveal of the whole room because I'm not quite done yet.  I've been working steadily but I don't want to get all crazy.  

Speaking of crazy...here's what's new on this week's Rug Watch! Little by little, he's shaping up.   I'm getting the hang of hooking yarn.  It gives a more nubbly texture that is appropriate for the trim of his vest.  But it's harder to control that's for sure....

That's it for me...What Have You've Been Up to Creatively?

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The Word of the Year...Reset on Off the Wall Friday

2023 Block of the Month Club
Where I left it

 Here I am!  WoW, its hard to get back to the normal routine after all the hoopla of the holidays.  I hope everyone found peace and happiness as 2025 ended.  Our family was blessed for sure.  Just getting a break in the winter weather to celebrate Christmas was amazing.  Spending some quiet time with my inner circle was a gift too.  It seems that lately, I'm getting less and less time to do that.  

Maybe with getting some well-deserved rest, has me wondering....what comes next?  I won't lie.  The last 10 years has been hard.  So much change...change of jobs, change of family dynamics, change of life! I never found my groove living in a state of flux.  Just in the last year, I am beginning to see the light at the end of a long tunnel....finally.

2026 has me looking at my studio again...if I could find it under all that stuff in there.  It has me feeling like sewing again....there are at least three projects I want to work on this year...my 2023 Block of the
month, my mosiac sunflower girl and finish quilting my Rain, Rain quilt.  It has me looking forward to a week at John C Campbell's to learn how to make a textile doll. And of course...continuing on my rug hooking journey.  

All these feelings help me choose my word of the year....Reset.  Honestly I think that's what I need...a total reset of my creative life.  2026 is about leaving the personal condemnation of the last decade behind, giving myself some grace and a big reset. 

I'm not quite sure where 2026 is going to lead...but with writing this all out...at least I have an idea.

Thank you for listening.  

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Off The Wall Friday

 

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Off the Wall Friday

 

Happy New Year to You and Yours

Blogging will resume next week!

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Off the Wall Friday

 

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Off the Wall Friday

 Due to a long list of "Things to Do"...I'm taking the next three weeks of blogging off.  I'll happily host though - so feel free to link up.  I want to wish everyone the joy of this season and if you are going through trials, I offer a hug.  Thank you for keeping me company on this creative journey!

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The Lack of Color in 2026 on Off the Wall Friday

'tis the Season right?  The season for decorating, shopping, lights, wrapping and all things color.  Normally, it's the time of year that is sensory overload with all the different colors everywhere. I look forward to it because it's my first line of defense against the cold and the dark days of December.  Lately though it seems to have gotten harder.

It all started when I realized my stash of wrapping paper had nearly diminished.  So, I went to Walmart looking for some pretty new paper.  I mean, I hoped to find some pretty new paper.  But no.  It seems that the craze of midcentury lack luster graphics that has taken over the retail scene the last few years was continuing. Plus, there was a new twist....minimalist geometric graphics...like strips.  When I say minimalist, I mean minimalist.  What says Christmas more than the palette white, black and a touch of rust red?  The best thing about this display are the boxes!

I mean seriously?!  Who thought this was a good idea?

Honestly, I don't have anything against black for wrapping paper...when done right it can be pretty great, right?

From my stash

But what did I expect?  This lackluster color trend has been going on for a long while. If you need any proof of that look at the stores parking lot.  Am I the only one that comes out of a store has trouble tracking down my car because its lost in a sea of neutral black, white and gray?  

And to top it all off, the Color Cabal...you remember me ranting about them before...those are the people who sit in New York City and decide what color we all need to love next year ...yeah them....they decide that next year's color is - wait for it - white.  Now calling it Cloud Dancer does not negate the fact that its white...the color that encompasses all the colors with no color.  I truly have no words.  

Well yes I do or I wouldn't be ranting right now.

It's bad enough that that we actually have a Color Cabal but for them to choose white in today's climate just shows you that someone is obviously not reading the room.  So now for the next year, we'll
see white show up all over the place.  To show what a bizarre chose that is take a look at the colors for the last twenty years ...here.  I mean it was ridiculous enough that last year's color was poop  mocha brown, but this year it's like they want to suck all the color out of the color of the year.  

It's enough to make a quilter cry and seek therapy.  Or revolt  ... 

revolt against

Color Cabals

against

Lack of Color

against 

Neutrals 

against 

Homogenizing our Society

Or at least maybe we can walk away from the rows and rows of ugly wrapping paper at Wal-Mart and take Tessa's advice and go to TJ Maxx where they did finally have some pretty colors.

its prettier in person and this is just a few rolls! 

Okay rant's over...

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