Carole is having a giveaway...

Wanna know how nice I really am?

Carole from Maynard Greenhouse

is sharing the new issue of one of my favorite magazines in her latest giveaway,

and I'm here to TELL you about it!

I know right?

I am putting my chances at risk all because

I love you that much!

So get over there and pay Carole a visit 

and throw your name in the hat...

go ahead,

I'm putting bubble gum on the bottom of my name

to make it easier for Carole to pick me!

I said I was nice, not crazy...

love ya!

t.xoxoxoxox

studio shots....

I have been working for days, 

(o.k. it's safe to say, a couple of weeks)

on organizing and purging in my studio.

After the post about not focusing, I had an epiphany...

maybe I can't focus because I have too much stuff laying around

that I just don't use in my work anymore.

So I purged...

and yet, the room was still full of the treasures
 that I have collected for my creations,

so I purged some more...

and this is what I came up with.

ALERT!
lots of pictures ahead!

The basket is full of printed photos, and pictures to collage,

 the suitcase is full of ribbons and well,

let's just say, 

everything is full and leave it at that! 

;)

inspiration board, 

junk that I obviously could not part with :)

a tool tray full of thread and a tool box full of trinkets. 

In the summer I use the large glass jar at the farmers market to hold my soap.

I hung this old baseball bat bag to use as my trash can next to my chair.

burlap love, in a special gift of a wire laundry basket.

love.

"Mom, show them how cute I am!"

done:)

The galvanized trash can? 

Full of fabric of course!

I even made a new lamp for the space, 

love.

Where I'll be sitting for most of today...

The locker baskets are full of shipping supplies, more stamps, flowers, and banners, and

whatever else needed to be thrown in them!

The benches are from the dining room table, we now have chairs there but I can't wait for 

garage sales so that I can replace the benches.

Or find some decent shelves??????

 The red post box that used to hang on the front porch now holds

receipts, my tax man is gonna love me next year!

Book, books and more books for collage...

love the ladies bathroom sign I got last year for my bday!

The curtain in front of this work table hides plastic tubs, 

which are useful but UGLY.

The suitcase is full of glass in muffin tins for soldering and the

toolbox is full of scissors, pencils and such.

stamps and doodads hang from a shoe bag...

This doorway leads to our upstairs and the bedrooms.

oh look, there she is again :)

view from the other side of the bigger work table.

There is a huge pocket door where the curtain hangs,

but it is a pain to open and shut all of the time to get through

to the upstairs so I hung a makeshift curtain from a drop cloth.

It is only pinned in place right now because I wanted to make sure it would work.

Time to sew it up... 

it hides the mess that I USED to make!

second bag that I made, now holds sewing scraps and trash.

My biggest complaint about the space... too many dressers!

They do the job though of corralling the necessary but not 

necessarily pretty supplies, one day I hope for shelving.

one can hope...

more fabric and string.

I can't get that last handle off of the buffet so that I can put the glass one on...

any suggestions?

this fabulous lady was the photo that got the whole ball rolling 

when I started playing with collage...

I think she is screaming...

 adorn me with jewels and lots of rouge,

so I have quite a few times!

Danielle made this collage and left it behind..

lucky me!

I even sorted through the jewels by metals and purposes,

I think that some more organized person must have

entered my body because this is beyond my organizational skill level!

Look at this stuff
Isn't it neat?
Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?
Wouldn't you think I'm the girl
The girl who has ev'rything?
Look at this trove
Treasures untold
How many wonders can one cavern hold?
Lookin' around here you'd think
(Sure) she's got everything

I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty
I've got whozits and whatzits galore
(You want thingamabobs?
I got twenty)
But who cares?
No big deal
I want more

just a little number from The Little Mermaid,

 that was playing around in my head 

while I sorted through the goods!

So there you have it,

the studio is clean and ready for some new creations

to come from it!

 I know that it would never make it into WWC but for me,

it makes me happy to have this little space to do what I love.

I am hoping beyond hope

that I can turn over a new leaf and keep it organized.

Those who know me well

and especially those who live with me

probably have a betting pool going on how long it will stay like this.

Winter has finally returned to MI. and it is very cold but sunshiny 

and we actually have snow on the ground!

Winter can be tough, but for me

I would rather see snow 

than the mud that has been around here lately.

So today, a fire in the fireplace,

music from Pandora, probably a movie with the kids,

and a whole lot of creating going on here @ 612!

Thank you for stopping by for the tour and as always

for your wonderful comments...

they always make me smile!

love,

Theresa 

xoxoxoxoxoxo

vintage inspiration friday...

Let the weekend begin! 

I have many projects on the horizon and

like always, time has gotten away from me again.

I don't know how it happens but I could really use a few more numbers

on the dial!

Have a wonderful weekend!

love,

Theresa xooxoxoxox

linking to:

Vintage Inspiration Friday

hats with love...

Meet Preston...

A few weeks ago, Gina, from The Shabby Creek Cottage, 

wrote a post about a remarkable young boy named Preston.
His story touched my heart and I want to share him with you...

I wrote to Preston's mom, Tonya, and asked if she could share his story with us
as well as an update on how he is doing today.
This is from the email that she sent to me.

Preston was diagnosed with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis at 5 months old with involvement in his skin, lymph nodes, bones and central nervous system. He began chemotherapy immediately and remained on it for 5 years. 8 months after he was diagnosed, his daddy (my husband), Dana, was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and given 6 months to live. There were very close and called each other their "port buddy", referring to their port a cath's that were used to administer the chemotherapy. After almost 8 years, his daddy passed away (April 2010). 
In August 2011, Preston was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and began treatment once again. After the first week, his hair fell out and he asked me to teach him how to make hats to keep his bald head warm. I took him to the store and let him pick out a pattern and 3 or 4 fleece prints. Once he'd made himself a few hats, he told me that he wanted to make hats for the other kids at the cancer center. That's when Beanies for Baldies was born.
 As of December 2011, there is no sign of Lymphoma in his body. He sees the oncologist every 3 months and will have scans every 6 months for a couple of years at least. 
We have provided 180 hats in 3 months to 2 hospitals and are working on adding 3 more hospitals. It's important to us to not have it just be a box received in the mail at the hospital so we're making sure that we have a volunteer that we can mail the hats to and they can hand carry them to the pediatric clinic. If anyone lives in an area with a children's cancer clinic and is interested in taking that role, we would welcome it.
 While initially Preston made all of the hats himself, with the addition of hospitals we've had to accept offers to help sew. We now have 5 people (including Preston) sewing hats for us. They will always be made by someone whose heart is in the mission and not by a factory....one hat at a time, lovingly made.

So there you have it, Preston makes hats.

This young mans life has been forever changed by cancer.
and what does he do?
He selflessly reaches out to others

 He makes hats for the children at

the pediatric cancer wards near his home,

the same cancer ward that he goes to for his own treatments.

He also sells his fabulous fleece beanies on his etsy shop

called

Beanies for Baldies

for every $5.00 hat that is purchased

 he buys more fleece to make more hats to give away.

See, I told you...

REMARKABLE

I read Gina's post and wiped my eyes, and then reread it

 and then I called Max into the room to pick out hats.

One for him and one for his best buddy Elijah.

Elijah also fights cancer.

He has Leukemia and he is one tough cookie!

He is in remission and feeling great and we are so thankful for that.

When Elijah lost his hair, Max was in search of hats for him so that he didn't get a sunburn <3
They are as close as brothers and thought it was pretty cool to have matching hats!

Thanks Preston!

If you know of anyone who needs a super soft, warm, cute, hat...

go see Preston!

He's the man.

Small in stature but a Giant among men.

love,

Theresa xoxo