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The week that was

By Stacey on 10/05/2013

this week’s work-in-progress

Sigh.

That’s how this week’s felt. I had great plans – as per usual – to get loads of things done, make some progress on a few projects that I’ve let slide…

And then I spent two days doing nothing but going to work at my new job. And even then, it was only for a few hours, so I essentially wasted two days where I could have done so much.

But I’m trying really hard not to beat myself up for failing to accomplish what I had planned. I did start my new job and I’m enjoying it a lot, so there’s that. And I did clean up a bit more of the yard to get the gardens growing and show off the huge yard to potential buyers.

always a surprise when these pop up in the spring

There were some down points, too. We’re still trying to sell the house and I have no idea why we haven’t yet. Keith and Maddy are back a day early from Winnipeg, but I still miss them so much during the week. And it’s been a struggle to keep my anxiety and depression in check, being by myself, starting a new job and trying to keep this business afloat.

so happy to see these beauties in bloom this year

I’m not big into meditating or anything like that, but I do have a copy of Desiderata hanging over my desk that I read when I need to calm my mind and get back into a good (or, at least, better) place. My grandmother gave it to me when I was confirmed 25 years ago and it’s one of my most treasured items. The glass in the frame broke long ago and it’s got a couple of water stains, but it’s a wonderful reminder that yes, the world can be pretty shitty, but it does get better.

last year, I had a few – maybe 10 – tulips. This year, dozens & dozens :)

So as terrible as this week may have been in some aspects and this whole year has been a massive struggle to stay sane and focused, there are parts of it that have been pretty awesome. Just because I didn’t get everything done I wanted to this week, it’s not the end of the world – I did what had to be done and took a break. Sometimes you don’t realize you need a mental break from constantly dealing with problems and struggles and obstacles until after you take the break. And looking back, I’m happy I did. Yeah, I’ll have more to do later, but it’s better to do with a fresh mind than one that’s cluttered.

Or, at least, that’s what I’m telling myself today :) Have a great weekend!

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The week that was

By Stacey on 03/05/2013

lovely little hoops

When I was setting up my to-do lists for the week – my Saturday evening job – I certainly didn’t expect the week to be nearly as chaotic as it ended up being. Job interviews and visits with my parents and just a lot of non-nisseworks-related stuff kind of took over a lot of this week. But I’m not complaining – being by myself most of the week, waiting for the house to sell, it’s nice to have a chance (or a few) to get out of the house. And if that means I get to wander around a local garden centre (twice!), then so be it :)

I finished the hoops above to use as samples for a listing I plan on getting into my Etsy shop next week. They’re going to be a nice addition to the small line of custom/personalized hoops that I’ve been working on – these ones are geared more towards being wedding or anniversary gifts. There’s a bit of a vintage look to them, with the daisies and script letters. Check out my shop early next week for the listing.

this. this is spring :)

And spring! Spring is here! The snow is almost all gone – there is just a bit under the lilac bushes and along the fence line, but the gardens are starting to sprout and I’m beyond thrilled to see flowers popping up, after the six months of winter we’ve just gone through.

first flowers – striped squill

And yes, the house is still up for sale, but that doesn’t mean I’m going quit taking care of my gardens. Oh, no… there’s compost to set out and last year’s plants to clean up. I don’t think I’ll be doing any transplants or putting in a new rose bush like I have in other years, but I’ll be working hard to make sure the gardens are ready to be showcased for potential buyers.

drip

I love spending time tending to my gardens for a variety of reasons – it’s an awesome feeling knowing that you play a really significant role in growing things. Worrying over flowers that aren’t blooming on schedule and making sure nasty pests don’t invade and eat up all your hard work. Tending a garden – flower or vegetable – is hard work, but so much fun. If I could, and who knows, maybe I will once we move, I would gladly spend all my time working with plants and flowers and growing things, in hopes of bringing a bit of happiness to someone’s life. But for now, I’ll just stitch flowers and gardens and share them with the world :)

bright sunshiny day

And working outside gives me lots of time to think and brainstorm, all while getting a healthy dose of vitamin D and fresh air. I’m looking forward to spending a couple of hours in my backyard this afternoon, fixing things up and relaxing, letting the world pass me by. If you can and it’s nice in your area, get outside this weekend – it’ll do you a world of good :)

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My dream workspace – flooring

By Stacey on 30/04/2013

I had mentioned a while back (February?) that with the prospect of moving, I’d been letting my imagination run a bit wild with ideas of a dream workspace for myself. And then in the two (almost three) months since I first mentioned the plans to do posts about how I’d like the room to look, there hasn’t been a single follow-up post.

Well, that’s changing now :)

The dimensions of the room I’m thinking off (hence the ‘dream’ aspect of all of this) is roughly 10′ by 12′, so a standard bedroom size. Two windows along the long wall without the door, a medium-sized closet along one of the shorter walls. In a perfect world, it’d be a room that was gigantic and massive and had tonnes of light, but I’m trying to keep this whole thing as grounded in reality as possible.

First up is the flooring. I love good, sturdy hardwood, but the cost of it is a bit out of reach, so I’ve decided to look at hardwoods as well as laminates. I briefly thought about going with lovely fluffy carpeting, but I’m an embroiderer – I’d be spending more time vacuuming bits of thread off the floor than actually stitching, so a wooden floor is the way to go (and it gives me a chance to find some really nice rugs, too).

I’ve been lucky to live in a lot of older homes with their original hardwood floors still intact – narrow boards, inconsistent grains, squeaks and groans and creaks… the hardwood floors in our wartime house were one of the biggest selling points for me when we bought this house in 2008. As I was looking for samples of flooring I wanted to find floors that had a lot of those same characteristics. I’d rather have something that looked a little ‘odd’ than a floor that was so consistent that it was boring.

A few of the flooring samples that caught my attention (and my eye) are below. You can click on any of the photos and follow the links below to the manufacturers or shops they’re in stock at.

[Show as slideshow]

I’ve got two absolute favourites – the Tigerwood by Preverco and the Urmi by Design Distinctions. I love – LOVE – the unique patterns and grains in both of them and that there’s lots of variations in the tones and colours. I’m not one for things matching perfectly, so choosing flooring that isn’t expected or traditional fits right into my plans.

Head over to the Pinterest board I’ve set up for this little project – it’s got links to the other flooring choices I came up with, as well as some other pieces and ideas I’ve come across. For next week’s post, I’ll have a post on the wall colours I came up with. Compared to my flooring choices, the wall colour choices may be a bit less exciting.

There’s only a couple of days left to place your orders for Mother’s Day – check out my shop for some great gift ideas that any mother (or yourself!) would love to get this year :)

Posted in et cetera, my dream workspace

The weeks that were

By Stacey on 26/04/2013

Give the gift of a bouquet that doesn’t need to be watered & will always be in bloom :) In my shop now.

I missed doing up a post for last week, thanks to a blown hot water tank and a trip to my parent’s for the weekend, but I don’t want to give up doing a weekly post just as they’re starting, so here’s some highlights from the last two weeks.

Like so many others last week, I was caught up in all the chaos and mayhem happening around the world. And I’m a sponge when it comes to things like this – I’ve been a news junkie for most of my life and having Twitter and constantly updated news sites is perfect for someone like me. I didn’t get much work done until Saturday when I was at my parent’s and away from the constant news flow.

a nice little burst of flowers :)

I wanted to make something that was just happy and colourful and the opposite of a lot of the emotions we saw – and experienced – last week. So I came up with the piece above, bright flowers scattered in a hoop that is just so spring-like… it’s kind of like the piece I made for my mother-in-law last year. I’ve been trying to incorporate more colour into my pieces rather than just creams and greys and neutrals, because colour makes us happy. And if we need anything more these days, it’s happiness.

This week has been full of getting ready to send out packages to shops to see if they’re interested in carrying my work (and if you are, and I haven’t contacted you, drop me a line!). It’s a lot of work to make sure all the i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed before reaching out to shops – I still need to work on my packaging and some branding, but I should be able to send out emails within the next week. I hope.

And in other news, spring has finally arrived… sort of. There’s still lots of snow on the ground, but it’s melting. And while that’s a good thing for lawns and gardens, it’s not the greatest news for towns and farms in the valleys around here. There’s a fairly decent chance of a sizable flood again this year – the last was in 2011, the 1-in-300 year flood that we still haven’t recovered from – so there’s lots of prep work going into trying to keep the water at bay and protect property along the rivers. Thankfully, our house is far away from the valley so we’re not under the threat of flooding, but friends are and you can feel the stress levels rising daily as there are more and more sandbags being put up along the river, which also happens to run under two of the main streets in town.

Oh, and our house still hasn’t sold. Hurray. Five months and counting… so to take my mind off things, I’m spending my day stitching and relaxing. It’s been a while since I’ve had a day to myself with no errands or meetings and who knows when the next one will be, so I’ll put my favourite DVD boxed set on and enjoy the day :)

Just a reminder – Mother’s Day is coming up quickly,
so place your order before May 2 to receive it by May 12.
I’ve got a shop full of great gift ideas that any mother (or yourself!) would love to get this year :)

Posted in etsy, the week that was | 2 Responses

The week that was

The week that was

My dream workspace – flooring

The weeks that were

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