dominos

i carry my brain in my purse.  it has a section for my daily to do list, one for me to jot those big projects or ideas i want to sketch out so i don't forget, and one for things that i need to pick up at the store.  this system works great for me, keeps me focused, prevents me from experiencing what i call dominoes (you know, make one change, leads to another, and another). as long as i keep it handy.

this past week, my brain was misplaced.  i spent my days bouncing from project to project and not necessarily accomplishing what needed to be finished.  i wanted to get the cutting table for the sewing room made (i'll work on that tutorial as soon as i post this). i started that project, and got distracted by the weekly chores that must be done.  bathrooms: i have 4....so decided to start in the largest.  seems simple enough, BUT, my organized brain was not present, and my ADD brain took over.  the conversation went something like this:

"as long as i am going to be sweeping and mopping the floor, i might as well install (finally) those drawer pulls that are sitting in a bag on the floor.  sawdust is going to get all over the stuff in the drawers, so i might as well take everything out.....""

you see where this is going....however, 6 hours later i had the most organized, cleanest bathroom (we're talking using q-tips in the shower door corners!) with spiffy new hardware.  trouble is, now i want to re-cover a chair to move into the rearranged space.  note to self: add that to the project list when you find your brain.  oh, that reminds me,  i still have that table to finish. 

so yesterday, determined to finish at least ONE thing i have started, i picked up where i left off on the table.   i needed the nail gun (seriously one of my favorite power tools!) so got out the air compressor, and discovered that the pressure adjustment knob had been stripped.  to some this may seem like a horrible derailment, but without my "brain" my day had no structure and off i went to find someone to fix this.  i must say here, that i have some dear friends who own a construction supply company, so i luckily started there.  40 minutes later with a bill for a part that was only 10% of what it would have cost me to replace my compressor (YAY!) the gentleman who graciously carried it out to my car notices a nail in my tire.  i know what you are thinking:  doesn't she know better than to leave nails around?  yes i do! this one was from the house being constructed next door. :)

i called the dealership and they said they could get me in.  (YAY! again!) but once there, the nail was too close to the side wall, i'd need a new tire.  of course....and it would take a few hours, well, of course...so let's skip ahead several hours (and a few soccer practice drop offs) to finishing that table.

here is my public service announcement for the day:  under no circumstances build barefoot.  yes, i know better.  and it didn't require stitches, but i won't be getting a pedi anytime soon.  the funny part to my injury is it occurred when i moved my saw more to the middle of the garage floor.  note to self: always look to see what is between the item you are dragging toward your foot and said foot. scrap wood can literally bite you!

so after a stripped screw head, a design addition to stabilize the legs (requiring a trip to the hardware store), i proudly share with you, my custom cutting table.  it's 38" tall so i don't have to lean waaaay over to use the rotary cutter.

sounds like the end, doesn't it??  not quite, while i measured and planned where i was going to put the cutting table, once it was together, it just didn't work in the intended space (it just doesn't look good next to the windows, does it?).  guess i'll be moving the wall unit this afternoon to make room for the table.  which means i have to move the thread caddies on the wall, and as long as i have to take them down, i might as well paint that cute mural i saw before i put them back up......

stay fabulous!

cassie

hands down

i have always been fascinated by hands.  i fell into my first high school crush after seeing a pencil sketch said crush had drawn of his own left hand.  i marveled as my great-grandmother's knotted hands left perfect stitches in yet another quilt.  i drew comfort from the way my small hand was encompassed by the large, rough hands of the farmers at my grandfather's funeral.  they are most often the first thing i notice on someone.  i see the lines formed in the way the hand is held, take in the  visible signs of use, measure the confidence  displayed in a handshake. 

my hands are often the first clue to what i've been up to. rough and dry? building.  cracked?  definitely sewing!  colorful? painting.  missing a few nails?  frazzled.  without a doubt they are my most photogenic feature, and last night i did some editing on the pics from the photo shoot my mom (she is great with that camera) took for my blog.  i cropped several down to just my hands; they were the only part worth saving in my opinion (my issues with photos is a whole different blog topic). 

so today, when i stumbled across the blog "i am..." (check out the button on the side bar) and saw that the theme for april asked "what is your favorite thing about you?"  i had to laugh..  hmmmmm, now which pic to choose? 

the last gunfighter

in the past, creating this post would have meant the outer edge of my left hand would be blue from dragging across the ink as i wrote, but today they are moving over the keyboard without my having to think too hard.  they can still produce fairly accurate notes if i drag out my violin.   they can thread a sewing machine, turn a seam, pin a pattern, bring an idea to reality.  soon i'm going to ask them to work "independently together" as i embark on piano lessons. 

what is my favorite part of me?  the part i take most for granted.  the part that tattles my age more than the rest of me.  the part that holds the faces of my loved ones.  yep, my favorite part, hands down.

stay fabulous!

cassie

where the wind comes.....

sweeping across everything!!  blowing the remnants of last year's lawns, and the dirt/construction debris from the house they are building next door.  and in the midst of all this, i have a new toy i've been dying to try....a paint sprayer that attaches to my air compressor.  soooo, the cutting table for the sewing studio that i will finish tomorrow (after a trip for yet more 1 x 4's) must be painted inside the garage.  while i AM a girly girl, i don't really want hot pink accents on my compound mitre saw.

this, of course, means while i'm out getting the 1 bys i'll pick up some pvc pipes, a few L joiners, some strong twine and about 6 cheap, clear shower liners.  ta da!  paint shield.  i have been warned that the paint will rise, so i'm gonna put a "roof" on my reusable, collapsible, easy to store, and fabulous creation.  if all goes well, i'll post pics and directions, if not.....there will at least be some great photo ops.  i think this may have been what my mom meant when she said, "cassie, doesn't know she can't."

stay fabulous! 

cassie

baby steps.....

the first post is always the toughest......i'm so excited that the studio is almost finished.  if the wind would quit blowing i could paint the furniture!  i hope you stick around to see what's new with two cute, i think you'll like the changes!!  not only a revamped look for the site (and the bags too!) but i'm adding a few new categories that i'm soooo excited about.

the bookshelves are built and painted that yummy turquoise, now for the storage drawers

can't wait to get my hands on this (half) of the "stash"!

stay fabulous! 
cassie