Sewing Room Shuffle

I've been in need of reshuffling my sewing area for a while. Since my sewing area is also our dining area, keeping things organized is extremely important.

Before

Above is one angle of the arrangement I started with. You can really see the clutter building up near that window. I was finding this arrangement not quite what I needed to work as many things did not have proper homes. The key to combating clutter is to have homes for everything and to get rid of those things that don't have homes.

After

To me, this placement of my hutch made a bit better sense. I also brought another shelf from my old house and decided to utilize the storage area I have upstairs to minimize clutter on the lower level.

The extra shelf really gives me a bit more flexible storage options. I've also started an Etsy store under my blog name and will be making the header and taking pictures of the first items I want to get listed. Hopefully this will allow me to declutter by selling some of my craft bits to someone to give them a home.

While I enjoy making things, how many "things" can I keep in one home? So it's time to start sending things to new homes. And, I really like having a clean and organized house besides.

And, speaking of new homes, I finally have all my plants put into their pots for my garden and, I took pictures of them this morning, along with some of the yard decor I've been putting into place.

Peppers & Marigolds

I decided that building garden beds just wasn't in my cards. And, while I enjoy my plants, spending hours upon hours gardening was not what I want to do when it's hot, either. So I selected a section of our yard that really looks sad and started landscaping.

Steve Mowing

And, here's the other reason I decided to forgo a big garden ... it just wouldn't have worked with the lawn mower. Nothing like a mower the size of a small car. Does an awesome job on the lawn, though.

Making these so much more practical at present. This is a good location for a pot garden with plenty of sun and good drainage. Steve also bought a second hose for this side of the house making watering a breeze. Hopefully my tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and basil will do well here.

And, speaking of garden ornaments, here is my blue gazing ball complete. I've already started a coppery colored one. I have two or three more to work on. It's so pretty in the morning light and makes me feel lighthearted when I see it out there. Here's a picture of my 50 cent garden chandelier ...

I repainted it with Carolina Green just a couple days ago. I really think it gives excellent contrast to the house without being as hard as pure black would be. I did the front step railings with this color earlier in April. Against the creamy color of the house, this is a perfect contrast.

And, this is a look just across from my driveway at 6:30 a.m. Just a beautiful dusky look as the sun begins walking it's way across the sky. Between me and that water tower is a major highway. During the week it can be fairly busy, but on weekend, the traffic dies down and that small town country feeling drifts over town.

Now, I'd better get my laundry in and then make a quick run to Galesburg for burgers and buns!!!
Laura