just call me the bow queen

We are less than 35 hours away from setting up the church's booth at the local Oktoberfest, which runs this weekend. We're auctioning themed gift baskets, like we did last year. And let me just tell you, they are so dang fun-looking! Pictures to come.

Last night I tolerated the western channel by keeping myself occupied creating bows for the baskets. The stash of ribbon we had left from last year's crop has gone missing (it's somewhere, I just don't remember where). Fortunately ribbon is on sale at Joann's, but one spool per bow is still pricey. Our florist ordered some stuff bulk, but it didn't work at all, so here we were, back at the drawing board. There are 15 bows here, and another 15 need to be fashioned. I have my work cut out for me! The challenge will be to find more ribbon--I felt like I was buying out the store, yesterday, and there's a limit to the use of Christmas colors at a fall event. Anyway...

There are still two baskets that need to be assembled, one needs to have a couple of items reinforced for packing, one more needs a couple of items added to give it more appeal (it's a "whodunit collection" of mysteries--what would you add to a basket of books to make it more sell-able?) and a couple of others need to be wrapped. Very doable, maybe even this morning.

I've also got some pretzel rods to dip in chocolate and roll in stuff to package for sale. I've never made these, but it's supposed to be easy, and I have fallen in love with chocolate-covered pretzel rods. These will be for sale.

And THEN, thanks to my blogging and crafting buddy Jayne, who saw my appeal on facebook a couple of weeks ago when I was looking for a source for these stinkin' cute pails and found them while she was out in Utah at a girlfest and then shipped them to me, we'll also have adorable, candy-filled pails decorated with ribbon to sell. I love doing this stuff!

And since there is obviously so much still to do, I guess I better get cracking. Stay tuned for further updates (or not). Have a great Thursday!

one day at a time

Disclaimer: the image to the right is not mine. I am posting it as motivation to myself to get back to the discipline of logging daily life through what scrappers have come to know as Project 365. I am almost always better responding to specific criteria when it comes to creating in the scrapping realm than to start with nothing more than photos and perhaps some thoughts for journaling. I get inspired by seeing what other people do, and I am not the least bit above what is called scrap-lifting. The point is to get the job done, as my friend Kathy would say. I also admire how some minds take one person's concept and make it their own, accomplishing the same end. This "January" layout does just that.

This year, at this time in my life I am not sufficiently organized in my mind, or in my work space, to do justice to the notion of P365. But I don't have to. It has already made a difference in capturing some pictures I wouldn't have thought to take otherwise, and inspired another idea that is more important for me at this time.

My mother and brothers have email. My father does not. In an effort to keep him up to date with the details that are worth sharing but seem too mundane to get into over the phone, I have decided to create a synopsis "newsletter" for him. I had thought to do this each week, more in keeping with P365's intent on daily life-logging, but the reality is that it's hard enough to get a monthly newsletter done for the church, never mind a weekly sample to my father. A less regular effort will have to suffice.

And one day, when I finally get my closet overhauled and my workspace begs to be put to creative use (right now it just begs to be cleared), I hope to scrap some of the daily slices of my life. If nothing else those words and images will reflect what has mattered to me, what has surprised and frustrated me, and may, in the end, reveal a journey I would not have recognized otherwise. We'll see.

In the meantime, each day is to be savored. Whether we make it to the end like a race well run, or stumble to its conclusion, it is ours. One sip of coffee, one newspaper-read, one task, one meeting at a time, it is uniquely ours.

Enjoy.

friday five: closet dreams

Over at revgals the friday five challenge is about appliances and dream kitchens. Much as I dream about the kitchen that would satisfy all elements of my cooking, entertaining, nurturing and containment needs, I am presently in the throes of designing the closet in my office.

Designing is a bit of a stretch, given the limitations the space presents, but in reality making the most of a space is what design is all about. Picture me rubbing my hands together with enthusiasm, because this is the kind of challenge that revs my engine. I am all about efficient utilization of space.

The closet pictured here is not unlike the space with which I am working. I have bifold doors that span a four-foot opening with about 15 inches of space to the left and right of the doorframe. The closet itself is about two feet deep. An air return vent occupies some of the floor and wall space tucked into the left side, but there are otherwise no real hindrances.

What impresses me about this picture is the lighting. I'm not sure that lighting is necessary in my closet, but it certainly wouldn't hurt. I will consult my resident handy man to determine if installing some lighting would require feats of extraordinary means.

And in the "for better, for worse" category, I have some existing storage containers that I would really like to use in the closet. One of them already occupies space in there now, but I think it could be relocated to better advantage all around.

My real problem is the quantity of "stuff" that I have to store.

There is scrapbooking, for starters. I have boatloads of paper that already have a dedicated storage system, thank goodness, but there are other accessories and tools that might need to have space allocated in the closet. The jury is still out on that one.

There are card-making supplies: envelopes and pre-cut cardstock, adhesive, embellishments and spools and spools of ribbon.

There are rubber stamps, stamp pads and colored pens, watercolor pencils, alcohol and other inks. And baby wipes. Let's not forget the baby wipes!

There are photography-related supplies: pre-cut mats for photos and camera accessories, and boxes and boxes of photographs (organized chronologically, at least!).

There are cross-stitch patterns, embroidery floss, hoops, canvas and other assorted items.

There are needlepoint canvases, yarn and unfinished projects.

And sewing. Let's not forget the fabric, thread, quilt, clothing and accessory patterns!

Knitting, too. I have actually parted with a lot of my yarn, which is space-consuming, but there is always more...

And then, of course, Pampered Chef materials: catalogs, folders for host packets, mailing envelopes, inserts and fliers for the host packets, two postage scales, and the record-keeping that goes along with that business.

I'm aware that my wee closet is insufficient to hold all of the above, but I've got to start somewhere to store and stash all my goodies. Once they are stored the space in my office then becomes free to utilize all those tools and products! That, after all, is the ultimate goal, and my eyes are on that prize.

Stay tuned, but I don't recommend that you hold your breath.