Time to Take Stock.

I want to start by saying -- hi Giac!!! I see you've joined the little group here. It was so nice meeting you two in Montreal. I hope we get to meet face-to-face again!

So, I took a few days break after posting all the pictures from the Montreal show. And, on Tuesday evening, our little club got together to open the box of Daily Deals that Louise picked up from Liz while she was at the show. It's just like Christmas!! Unfortunately, I was so excited about looking through all the goodies I didn't get any pictures of all the stuff. Tomorrow I will show you pictures of some of the stuff that I bought but I missed the opportunity to get shots of everyone else's.

On Wednesday I started my "taking stock" process. By that, I don't mean I was literally doing a stock-taking effort to document all my mini stuff, although I really, really should! Instead, I was reflecting on the projects I have done, are underway, or are in the idea stage, just percolating through this little pea-brain of mine. I've been lying awake, wondering how I should proceed. What should I do next? So, I have tried to come up with a prioritized plan based on percentage of completion. Here's how far I got with that thought process:

First - I have one project actually completed - the Mardi Gras lamp/room box you've seen in my earlier posts. I have nothing left that I want to do to that project. Yeah, me!!

The next project I tackled was my second Camp Mini Ha Ha project. The 2015 theme was "literature" and the project was to build a room box inside a set of books. That project is about 85 to 90 percent complete, in my estimation.

Louise and I started work on an Irish cottage and the ball is in my court right now on this one. I would say it is just under 50% complete.


Then, of course, I have the greenhouse/potting shed project which is probably only about 25% done. After that, I have two quilt shops cut out, ready to start construction. Then we have the long list of projects I want to start and have been collecting things for but they are still just in my head - a very lonely place to be since there's not much else in there!

Trying to look at things objectively, it really makes the most sense to concentrate on the one that's closest to completion and JUST GET 'ER DONE!

So - my book project will be the main topic of this blog until it's done. I hope it won't take long! Of course I might have a few side-trips to other topics every now and then - what me -- digress?? What do you mean?!??? Here's a picture of the room box as it is right now - no, that is not an opening in the back of the room - I have a picture in the background behind a window, with lighting between the two to make it look like daylight. I actually quite like the effect.

So - here's the story of my 2015 Camp project. With a literature theme, it took me a long time to get my head around what I wanted to do with it. Then, one day, a few months before Camp, my DH and I were driving into town and I was throwing ideas at him - the usual stuff - library? den? reading nook? Then DH said - what about picking a piece of literature you like, a book or short story, and trying to interpret it within the room box. All at once, it hit me like a thunderbolt - I was going to do an attic scene from Oscar Wilde's story, The Picture of Dorian Gray. For those who may be unfamiliar with this story - it's main theme centres around an extremely handsome young man who worries about growing older and losing his beauty and youth. Through a process we won't go into here, Dorian becomes the owner of a full-sized painting of himself, done at the height of his beauty and vigor. It becomes apparent that, as long as this painting is kept intact, Dorian will stay young and beautiful while every one of his nasty behaviours, cruelties or selfish acts will show up on the painting as it ages and distorts and Dorian remains unchanged. Eventually, after years, Dorian can take no more, He makes his way to the attic and slices through the painting which immediately changes back to the picture of a beautiful young man while a wrinkled and ravaged old man lies dead on the floor beneath it.

So - more details to come - how the project came together, along with detailed pictures of where I am now and ongoing pictures until I feel it is 100% finished. Until then - TTFN!!