Wednesday, January 21, 2015

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie . . . .


Seriously.  Clutter is stress-inducing  ~  & not just in a house ...  in life too.

Yep, William Morris got it right and I am taking his words much more seriously this year. A new year, a new creative spirit. As a quilter, I'm visually oriented, and I like to surround myself with pretty things. It's good for my spirit.

From organizing my pins into cute containers came another good idea: Let's go to Ikea!


Don't go there if you have silly notions rattling around in your head about buying a couple of containers to organize your sewing things. By the time I was through it took 2 trips and quite a few hours and ended in an overhaul of my sewing space. 


Honest, I just bought a few things  : )  And I'm working hard to get it all together. I felt I needed to carry over the "beautiful things" from the other rooms in my house into my sewing space a little more. Wish I could afford Pottery Barn. No reason inexpensive and functional can't also be inspirational and pleasing to your creative spirit (and budget) though. 



At first, I just wanted a new sewing table that was longer and deeper. My old one was too short and small and I always felt cramped on either side. And I wanted it near a window for the natural light. Last year I had a plan and we started clearing out my son's old room (He's got an apartment now so he'll never come back, right? Hah!). But the window needed new curtains . . . . Then I also had to buy a few more pretty organizers for my things. And some shelves. A new cutting table too, perhaps? You get the picture. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie kind of thing. (If you give a quilter a pretty table she'll create something to go with it.) 

                                 If you Give a Mouse a Cookie.jpg 

(The book both my kids loved when they were toddlers -  A boy gives a cookie to a mouse. The mouse asks for a glass of milk. He then requests a straw (to drink the milk), a mirror (to avoid a milk mustache), nail scissors (to trim his hair in the mirror), and a broom (to sweep up his hair trimmings). Next he wants to take a nap, to have a story read to him, to draw a picture, and to hang the drawing on the refrigerator. Looking at the refrigerator makes him thirsty, so the mouse asks for a glass of milk. The circle is complete when he wants a cookie to go with it.)


I'm not nearly finished yet but now everything is prettier (and lighter) than it used to be and I really am feeling more creative. That can't be bad. I'm taking my time - I'll get some quilts up on the walls and organize my fabric a little better. Find some pretty, cheap bins at Target. And because I just can't create in a messy space, I'll keep it nice and clean. (Please don't think that when my space gets too messy, I just create another new one, somewhere else, LOL.) 



No reason you can't have a pretty container for your snipped threads. This pink basket makes me smile  : )


When I'm finished with my needles, pins, scissors they'll go back into the organizer tray. So I can find things again.

*  *  *  *

You gotta love Ikea -  where else can you find a robin's egg blue dresser?


Wonder if I can talk my husband into painting the furniture in our bedroom robin's egg blue?? Better yet, maybe I'll do it myself someday and see if he even notices anything's changed . . . . .



16 comments:

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I too love to create in an organized attractive space. How some quilters can quilt in a room that looks like it has been tossed by a burglar is beyond me LOL -- your room is much more organized than mine is and people call my room neat. I wish I had a IKEA near me but I don't so I do what I can from the stores near me.

Ann in PA said...

What a great post! January is a time when I can't wait to dig in and reorganize. You did a great job with all those pretty items! Wish we had an IKEA near us. : (

Annika said...

I love IKEA and live in IKEA-country Sweden and only have 50 km to IKEA.
You realy made some nice buys.
Hugs

cityquilter grace said...

oh yes i love ikea too....we have none in maine but soon will be close to a store...

Sharon said...

Love Ikea .. My son asked me to take a road trip last fall w/him to help him buy some things for his house .... well I bought this really wonderful 9 drawer filing cabinet for my sewing room. I am also so lucky to have a son who can "build it too". LOL Planning on a spring road trip with my girlfriends. More things for my sewing room re-do. So much more fun to sew in a well organized, pretty area. Love the robin egg blue.

Scrappy quilter said...

Lovely new things. Some day I will get to an IKEA store.

Jennifer M said...

Your sewing/creating room is looking great Kathy. Can't wait to see your new inspired creations you come up with, love all you do:))

sue bennett said...

I love for my sewing room to be organized, but am having trouble getting it there since I moved. I just don't have the space now.. I work on small areas on my cutting table. It is just a caught all. Yours looks great.

quiltgrannie said...

Kathy, love your new sewing area and all your new pretty containers.
My sewing table is in front of a window too, I love the natural light and also being able to watch the Mr. being creative in the garage. LOL

Val said...

I love Ike a as well Kathy, did the pink and blue basket come from there as well as the organizer tray? If so, would you mind sharing what they are called? The organizer tray would be perfect for carrying block bits and pieces from place to place.

Anna said...

my dream...to be an organizational diva...my reality...where the h*ll are my pins....

NancyRose said...

I LOVE IKEA ;-)

Heartsdesire said...

Love the robin's egg blue dresser. Ikea is definitely the place for getting organized. Wonderful shelving units, great magazine storage bins, tables, etc. It's so much fun taking time to just browse through the store.

Liz said...

I like all your pretty things so decided to head to Target to see what I could find. Being as Target is leaving us very soon, I expected to find lots of sale items but had no luck. We don't have an Ikea here but I heard on the news they are thinking of opening a few small Urban stores and pick up outlets in communities that don't have a store. Not sure if this information applies to the U.S too. I'll keep searching for pretty things as right now I keep all my quilting equipment in mason jars and old plastic food containers

Margs Primitive Quilts said...

Hi .....I have Never been to IKEA, but I LoVe all I'm seeing on your post. Your room looks so organized , exactly how I'd LoVe mine to be! Love all the special things you have in there. My kids loved that story too! Now, I want it all too. Keep us posted ...it's looking great. Just think of all the great projects that will be created in your wonderful new space! Mohave a great week...hugs Marg.

Margs Primitive Quilts said...

Hi Kathy...me again! I am lucky I have three girls who LoVe IKEA a, and I know they would LoVe a shopping spree with Mom! I could do this! That and I have two wonderful nieces who live a stones through away from iKES and they have said more than once.." If there's ever anything you want " just let us know. Aren't I lucky? Oh, I can almost vision it all happening:) !
Have a great day Kathy!
Hugs Marg.

.

Related Posts with Thumbnails