Genius...or Not??

 So I am on the horns of a dilemma. Once again, plans have changed around here. Granddaughter #4-who is on her way back to UF for her second year of law school-decided that since the family had already helped her move her stuff from her old apartment to her new house (that she and some friends are renting) she really didn't need any other help this week. She knows that Gainesville will be CRAZY this weekend with all of the students returning so she decided that she and her roommates could cover this and then maybe her mom and I could go up in a few weeks to help with some "zhushing" after they see how things are functioning. And so, that means that I won't have house guests this weekend and that I could actually start my summer to autumn swap today. BUT, I was looking forward to spending a bit more time with my sunflowers and, after all, it is Fri-YAY which, for me, usually means a bit of a more laid back day.

And so, I came up with this brilliant idea...or, did I? LOL A few swaps ago I found myself taking out things a day or so before I began and having them all in a centralized spot instead of all over the house. I honestly don't remember why that happened but I do think it made the actual swap go easier. And so, when I was going through the pictures of last year's autumn and thinking about changes, I realized how far and wide my autumn decor is hidden  stored and I thought maybe I could still get in a bit of the swap today by just hitting up the rooms where some of the inside stuff is kept and digging it out today. Sometimes things are stored where I can just very easily grab them when decorating. Other times, things are stored under or behind many other things and a lot of my decorating time-not to mention energy-goes into getting them out on the day of the swap.

I discovered that the majority of that stuff is in the front bedroom-flowers in bins under the bed, dish towels, pillow covers and pot holders in one of the cabinets and the pillows and inserts themselves in the closet mixed in with the myriad other pillows housed there. There are also some things in my closet that need a step stool to reach so more time saved if I don't have to do that later. I ended up putting most of the stuff in the front bedroom so I will only have that one place to grab from-well, if you don't count the other bedrooms and the garage-but, never-the-less, I think this is going to save me a lot of time-maybe tomorrow? We shall see when I start the swap.

I also pulled the candles in the family room. That closet behind this stuff is FULL of all things candle and, even though I try to keep them separated by season/holiday, they get all mixed up over time and I do have to get down there for a bit to figure it all out. And, that bag of leaves is another fun thing to struggle with from the very back of the family room closet so I am glad it is now out and ready for me too.

 Now that that is done, I have the rest of the day ahead. I am off for some lunch and then I think I am going to see about making a sample of this pillow to show the girls when they come for our crafting weekend.

I'm thinking the drop cloth will work perfectly and then maybe paint on the stripes. I picked up some fabric the other day and I have actually done this technique before. It is called reverse applique and I remember learning it way back in 1968. It's funny that I can remember that but we were living in Gastonia, NC and our first daughter had just been born. I would feed her and put her down for her nap and then eat my lunch while watching "The Betty Feezer Show". She was a local "celebrity" and had a show that was kind of the precursor to "Martha Stewart Living". I learned so many thins from her and, if I'm not mistaken, for this lesson we made a rooster. I remember sewing many colors and then cutting back a lot of small sections. I loved it but I guess it has gone the way of so many other decor themes in this house. I don't think I could find any place for a rooster to fit in these days. Lol

This looks to be pretty basic and the girls and I could probably just wing it that day but I want to try it out to make sure I have everything we need and to figure out the steps and how long each might take so we can fit things in between other things. I also think we might want to "grungy" this guy up so I need to make sure that the drop cloth fabric will change in a coffee solution. I have discovered the hard way that not all fabrics will take to that "dye".

And then I have a boatload more veggies to get roasted so that if I do decide to start the swap tomorrow I won't have to cook for a few days. I'll let you know. Until them, stay safe and stay tuned. And, if you live anywhere near me, try to stay cool!!!