Forgotten decoration and Carlucci Land

How could I have missed it?  Every year I find at least one decoration left behind when I pack them up, this year would be different I decided, I would be methodical, go room to room.  The cartons sat neatly tied for a couple of days and then my son came round and offered to put them up in the roof space.

This entails moving the cabinet in the hallway - first removing the lamp and other ornaments, key container etc. and putting them into my nearby bedroom while the ladder is lowered.  Then everything is put back - including this which I had put on my dressing table in the first part of the exercise!  It is now on top of the wall cupboard in my little office - remind me  in December where I put it please!

I went to the cinema this week, to The Empire, in Island Bay.  It's been ages since I went over to that part of Wellington so new to me is Carlucci Land and these amazing  - er, installations?

 On the other side of the road was this monster -

The main part of the park is fascinating too, big rock climbing areas and this part that reminded me of Middle Earth -

The children we could see from the road looked to be having great fun.
We saw Tin Tin, in 2D as I get vertigo trying to cope with 3D - and I loved the film, a real romp.

Much of my time this week has been spent trying to get order into my sewing room with the result that I can hardly get in the door now.  There has been much internet talk on organising the scraps, but where do I start?  A few years ago it was easy, pop the scraps into baskets, they look so attractive lined up on top of the cupboards.....

I could have sworn I kept to a different colour in each basket - at least there is one of solids

at the time I thought it a good idea to buy some plastic stackable storage boxes - with wheels so they can be moved easily

At least I can see what is inside them, unlike the solid baby bath type of container - oh dear, there are more of those under the table

Not quite all scraps, the one on the right is actually full of fabrics put aside for backs of the tops already made - always supposing I can remember which goes with which - but also the bindings -

In the top corner of this last picture you can see a partially empty plastic container, it is large and shallow. one of a pair I bought to put under the bed to store clothes etc.  They have been emptied and I thought would be  good receptacles for the scraps from the baskets - the job was taking a long time - but I did have some company -

I shall have to rethink, I feel as though I am rearranging the deck chairs..........  I need a proper system.....

I recorded the film Julia and Julie and have started watching it, well Julie has challenged herself to do something each day.......... maybe I could stretch it out a bit, make it each week - a basket of scraps a week, sorted and reduced to set sizes?  Squares and/or strips all ready to go on the next quilt?

Like this block, which I think has potential!  Two oblongs of patterned fabric, each with two squares of, in this case, calico on top; pinned and diagonals marked on the calico -

Sew on the diagonal, flip the calico aside as needed, then sew another seam about half an inch or so away

Cut off the half square triangles and join the pieces into a zig zag.

Rows could be good, contrasting hot and cold colours maybe; or black and amish........ and the little half square triangles could make a border.........

We are back into the prison in the morning, I shall have to have two alarms - one on the chest of drawers well out of reach I think.

And our thought, how true, "A word of encouragement is a fine tonic".  Thank you for reading my blog and giving me words of encouragement.

June