I don’t know if I should kick my butt or slap myself on the back. I only get two days off a month and completely wasted Sunday on my backside. All I did was sleep. Now I may have needed it, but that’s a day I’ll never get back! Surely I could have salvaged a bit of the day for something productive! I couldn’t seem to get out of my own way and drifted in and out of consciousness, only rousing for bathroom breaks and food for me and the pups. I felt so weary I just let it overtake me and I warmed the couch like a large lump of mashed potatoes.
Of course my laziness came with a price. At some point my glasses fell off and one of the pups, probably Henri, saw them as a chew toy and now one ear piece is short and stubby, just enough of a stump to lay on my ear. The plastic was pretty ragged so I had to file down the chew marks to be able to wear them without injury. Luckily he didn’t touch the lenses and no one would even know if I didn’t blab it all over here.
I’ve had eye glasses fatalities before, when my body crushed a pair or two in the middle of a nap, usually within the first week of purchasing them. Someone should make rubber frames that collapse and mold to your head as you thrash around in your sleep. Of course taking them off works but Sunday I was pretty dopey and the TV was on so as I drifted in and out, I watched whatever was on before fading to black again. It's very interesting that I struggle with sleep in bed, waiting, always waiting, but on the sofa it's as if the upholstery is soaked in anesthetic....absorbing into my pores, knocking me out as if I'm in the ring with Ali leaving no chance or time to think about removing my specs. Maybe I should move the sofa upstairs.....and the bed down in front of the TV!
I meant to go to work on Sunday to clean up my office so I could start Monday fresh and organized. The new classroom is all ready to roll but all the stuff I cleared from there is now piled in my office with a goat path to my computer. There's at least three hours of hard labour in there, shifting and filing and doing a final purge of all the stuff I've been hanging on too because of delayed decisions....I've got to learn to deal with things in the here and now, not put it aside for another time. Once the chaos in the office is under control the upstairs will be just as I always envisioned it. I'll have seating for 20 people in a brightly lit room, perfectly conducive to hook-ins and workshops. Plus the new pattern room downstairs has a table with seating for up to six or more, and two upholstered chairs for any overflow.
I want to start a hook-in during the day, which day of the week is still undecided, although I am leaning towards Wednesday. We hook the 1st and 3rd Wednesday evening of every month so why not declare hump day all about hooking. I hope it will slowly build so rug hookers feel comfortable and treat my studio as a home away from home, a place to chat, meet old friends, make new acquaintances and of course hook with abandon. It will be a free venue with coffee and tea and maybe a treat. I might even have a door prize now and then to make it interesting. I’m actually looking forward to sitting and doing a bit of hooking myself…ownership should have its perks right? I don’t get to play much so stealing an hour or two can’t hurt and maybe I'll finish up a few of the projects I have on the go.
I had the best compliment the week before last. A customer told me that the gals in their Halifax group were discussing my shop and they all described it was “lively”. They said things are always changing and new items are always out. They say the shop is very colourful and inviting. I also play great music and although I know it may not please everyone it certainly pleases some because I hear the odd comment of how great my selections are. I love music to work by, it pumps me up and pushes me forward. Without music I’d fall into a funk and drag my feet and derrière around the shop like a zombie. I lot of people who come by are my age so the oldies but goodies put a bit of pep in their step and I sometimes hear them singing along or bobbing ever so slightly. I love classic rock and pop, the upbeat stuff that acts like sugar in the veins without the health risk. I had Shane make a 'My Favourites' list and any song that ever moved me is on it. Great beats and soothing melodies, blasts from my past, monumental songs for the events in my life.
So I was beaming from ear to ear at the appreciation of my "lively" shop! I work hard at mixing things up and displaying our wares with a bit of finesse and I appreciate that it's noticed. The comment made my week!
So I started cleaning up the office tonight, finding places to put things and a few pictures I hadn't seen for awhile resurfaced. This delightful photo below was sent to me to show what the customer did with two of my patterns, one with cats and the other with dogs. They're bell pulls, long slender pieces perfect for that little nook or corner. The cats are funky as cats can be and the dogs were more realistic but hooking them in the same bright colours is far more exciting. Then they merged the two with their own design of fish. How bloody clever and great carpentry! Wish I’d thought of that! Click the link to view the patterns on my site and scroll down: http://www.encompassingdesigns.com/signature-designs.html
Of course my laziness came with a price. At some point my glasses fell off and one of the pups, probably Henri, saw them as a chew toy and now one ear piece is short and stubby, just enough of a stump to lay on my ear. The plastic was pretty ragged so I had to file down the chew marks to be able to wear them without injury. Luckily he didn’t touch the lenses and no one would even know if I didn’t blab it all over here.
I’ve had eye glasses fatalities before, when my body crushed a pair or two in the middle of a nap, usually within the first week of purchasing them. Someone should make rubber frames that collapse and mold to your head as you thrash around in your sleep. Of course taking them off works but Sunday I was pretty dopey and the TV was on so as I drifted in and out, I watched whatever was on before fading to black again. It's very interesting that I struggle with sleep in bed, waiting, always waiting, but on the sofa it's as if the upholstery is soaked in anesthetic....absorbing into my pores, knocking me out as if I'm in the ring with Ali leaving no chance or time to think about removing my specs. Maybe I should move the sofa upstairs.....and the bed down in front of the TV!
I meant to go to work on Sunday to clean up my office so I could start Monday fresh and organized. The new classroom is all ready to roll but all the stuff I cleared from there is now piled in my office with a goat path to my computer. There's at least three hours of hard labour in there, shifting and filing and doing a final purge of all the stuff I've been hanging on too because of delayed decisions....I've got to learn to deal with things in the here and now, not put it aside for another time. Once the chaos in the office is under control the upstairs will be just as I always envisioned it. I'll have seating for 20 people in a brightly lit room, perfectly conducive to hook-ins and workshops. Plus the new pattern room downstairs has a table with seating for up to six or more, and two upholstered chairs for any overflow.
I want to start a hook-in during the day, which day of the week is still undecided, although I am leaning towards Wednesday. We hook the 1st and 3rd Wednesday evening of every month so why not declare hump day all about hooking. I hope it will slowly build so rug hookers feel comfortable and treat my studio as a home away from home, a place to chat, meet old friends, make new acquaintances and of course hook with abandon. It will be a free venue with coffee and tea and maybe a treat. I might even have a door prize now and then to make it interesting. I’m actually looking forward to sitting and doing a bit of hooking myself…ownership should have its perks right? I don’t get to play much so stealing an hour or two can’t hurt and maybe I'll finish up a few of the projects I have on the go.
I had the best compliment the week before last. A customer told me that the gals in their Halifax group were discussing my shop and they all described it was “lively”. They said things are always changing and new items are always out. They say the shop is very colourful and inviting. I also play great music and although I know it may not please everyone it certainly pleases some because I hear the odd comment of how great my selections are. I love music to work by, it pumps me up and pushes me forward. Without music I’d fall into a funk and drag my feet and derrière around the shop like a zombie. I lot of people who come by are my age so the oldies but goodies put a bit of pep in their step and I sometimes hear them singing along or bobbing ever so slightly. I love classic rock and pop, the upbeat stuff that acts like sugar in the veins without the health risk. I had Shane make a 'My Favourites' list and any song that ever moved me is on it. Great beats and soothing melodies, blasts from my past, monumental songs for the events in my life.
So I was beaming from ear to ear at the appreciation of my "lively" shop! I work hard at mixing things up and displaying our wares with a bit of finesse and I appreciate that it's noticed. The comment made my week!
So I started cleaning up the office tonight, finding places to put things and a few pictures I hadn't seen for awhile resurfaced. This delightful photo below was sent to me to show what the customer did with two of my patterns, one with cats and the other with dogs. They're bell pulls, long slender pieces perfect for that little nook or corner. The cats are funky as cats can be and the dogs were more realistic but hooking them in the same bright colours is far more exciting. Then they merged the two with their own design of fish. How bloody clever and great carpentry! Wish I’d thought of that! Click the link to view the patterns on my site and scroll down: http://www.encompassingdesigns.com/signature-designs.html
Saw Cheese......How Much Is That Doggie...both patterns are 9 1/2" x 46"
A couple of years back Jerald Furgurson of Washington sent this picture to show me what my bell pulls looked like in a clever privacy screen. The dog and cat designs are mine and he came up with the fish to pull the two together.
You might not remember me but I was in your shop the fall before last and bought two of your designs, Say Cheese Bell Pull and How Much Is That Doggie....Bell Pull. I added another panel of my own design, the fish, and made them into a folding room screen. Everyone loves your dogs and cats!
Jerald Furguson
You might not remember me but I was in your shop the fall before last and bought two of your designs, Say Cheese Bell Pull and How Much Is That Doggie....Bell Pull. I added another panel of my own design, the fish, and made them into a folding room screen. Everyone loves your dogs and cats!
Jerald Furguson
RSS Feed
