home improvements


captivating, inspiring, fun, if like me you are interested in the natural world you MUST read this incredible book


 the south facing wall has had a make-over: what I like to call a wood mosaic; now where did all the wood come from you might wonder? From the old shelving units in the kid's bedrooms, long overdue for a reorganise&improve-all-of-our-lives endeavour......It all came about as our eldest has gone off to university, fled the nest ((sigh)) and I decided it was time for the husband and self to move into his old bedroom. It being the largest of the three small bedrooms and our old one being the smallest. The eldest son will have our old bedroom when he comes to stay and I was determined (!) to make his new room as welcoming as possible, fresh, new, bright, light. I'm pleased to say he is truly happy with the result. Once I'd gotten started on his room, I got so carried away and refurbished K's room as well, much to his delight I hasten to add. It is now organised, cool, calm and slightly sophisticated, much more befitting his age and far easier to keep clean (I hope).
As for us parents: we can now walk around three sides of our bed! and perhaps more important: way more storage for clothes.

Back to the studio: lots of wooden planks lying about and older threads of thought in my mind led me to yet another refurbishing project: the inner studio walls. I have been thinking about a wooden wall mosaic for quite some time now, just didn't have the money at this particular time in our lives to invest even more (after having splashed out on double glazing and new cladding on one rotten outer wall already this summer, hopefully thus cutting back on heating costs this winter, so in fact actually saving money). I now had an excellent source of materials, and hey presto up the ladder I climbed armed with drill screws and pieces of wood. Better still, on my walk yesterday with a friend, she mentioned she might have some larger panels for me, so I could continue the wall cladding throughout the studio! Sometimes it is better to just wait for the good things in life to come to you.
the Project has had a face-lift, now we can welcome even more refugees

what I like to call the Cosy Corner - I like to imagine self sitting there this winter with a cup of tea/coffee, stitching and keeping the fire aglow



to counter balance all the hard labour, a soft, light fabric piece 'a Full Moon on Deck' 

the big blue came across the ocean together with the many critters who landed on our doorstep last year



still stitching the larger cloth; the attempt to lighten up the dark bits turned out rather well, I now love the contrasts



Comments

Marti said…
You have been busy Saskia and have created in your studio, a nest of warmth from the wood, wonder from the cubbyholes filled with treasures and beauty and comfort from all of your special cloths...a cup of tea, yes, and maybe a few of those beautiful cloths wrapped around you as you dream and think and ponder how it all goes...what an inviting place.
Mo Crow said…
love your subtle sense of colour in everything!
Saskia said…
Marti, I find myself actually looking forward to rainy days, to being in the studio once more, pondering and creating.....

ah yes Mo, the palette has changed over the years; perhaps my greying hair has a greater influence than I reckoned, ha!
Liz A said…
I figured you must be busy ... it's great to see the fruits of your labors! There's so much here that I will simply say that my eyes drank it all in and hoped for more. Happy creating in your re-feathered nest ...
Nancy said…
I am glad to see you here again and to catch up with all you've been up to! I could look forever at your studio space with all of the treasures tucked here and there! Enjoy your time in there creating.
Anonymous said…
changing the up look of the blog head picture is really good , the stitches speaks words of silent and telling a never ending story
your studio was a lovely place to be and now it's still cosy more complete .YES , wait for somme things untill they come to us when we / if we needed.
thank you fore sharing ,M.
i wander here... how wonder FULL it would be to look closely at every small and
large detail...This is SO GREAT!, oh that i had your gift and skill at
wood working....i wish.... makes me want to do at least Something, but then
i also know i wouldn't be able to keep it neat, that everything would
end up everywhere no matter...all the small neat places would be empty
with everything on the flat surfaces...but to dream of a space
such as this....feels so good






Julie S said…
Ok, you win the Busy Sweepstakes. Your prize is the beautiful space, which is just so enticing that the little critters around here are once again whining about why everyone ELSE gets to go to Europe and they have to say in Pennsylvania, which is SO boring (insert eye roll here).

I remember when my eldest told me that she wasn't really going to be back here to live (the first time I think she was 9, but the meaningful time was when she was about 22 or 23. I fumigated her room and got rid of everything and had as much fun as you did, it becomes a life of its own, that is for sure.

Today I painted my front door bright yellow. And since the brush was already wet, I did the mailbox. I started eyeing the shutters and then got a grip.

The shot cotton strip looks wonderful, you make us proud to carry the fabric!!
Dana said…
Rearranging at life's crossroads helps the transition flow, I think. Your beautiful studio makes me ashamed of the mess in mine.
jan said…
I can only dream of a studio as cosy, inviting, and creative as yours Saskia! Autumn-clean........you make it sound like a creativ act in itself. x
Saskia said…
hello there to all of you: wouldn't it be great, absolutely great, if you could actually just pop in for a visit!

a muddled reply from me:
-flat surfaces do tend to get covered with stuff - i dream of having everything organised and hope putting up shelves will make the dream come true - it does, for a while.......

-white high gloss is my current favorite! how totally odd after years of splashing many different colours on every available surface

-the space feels new and familiar at the same time

-i like the new header too

tungsten

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