mine no more

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the time came for me to give up my beloved sewing nook. toys had begun taking over the big room, toddler chaos needed to be contained. i shall not bore you with how sad i was at losing my sunny little room, nor at how long i managed to procrastinate the move. let me just say: quite a lot, & quite a long while.

i have yet to find the perfect artwork & rug, but otherwise elfling's play-nook is open for business. would you like a brief tour?

we got lucky that we had furniture elsewhere in thebelfry that fit this tiny space so perfectly. this small bookcase used to house school books, which long ago outgrew its confines. its petite dimensions is perfect for toddler books, baskets, & cauldrons. what? your child does not keep his toys in cauldrons? how odd.

that smaller shelf-thingie on the right used to store thehobbit's craft supplies. its new job is that of rag doll & stuffed creature containment. occasionally i organize it, but the order does not last long. oh. the reason the bottom squares look odd is that they are the backside of drawers. elfling became obsessed with opening & shutting them; often with a teensy finger still inside; so i turned them around. we lose storage this way, but better than we lose teensy fingers. i think i found this little shelf-thingie on the side of a road.

i was about to start this sentence with: & on the other side of the room. ha! as small as this space is, it hardly can be called a room, let alone have another side to it. so:

right here we have the rest of his stuff. to give you an idea how small this nook is: that is not a full-sized baker's rack, it stands less than 5-ft tall. that red & brown box on the bottom shelf is one of my favorite things; a toy garage that belonged to my father-in-law. i love its homemade simplicity, & the knowledge of how many little ones in this family played with it before it was given to us. you do not want to know how many wooden cars, ducks, ladybugs, & helicopters are crammed within.

before i draw this to a close i want to say that we do not have a dead bear rug. that flat panda is one of those pillows that velcro into a stuffed animal shape. i find it creepy, but elfling looooves it. plus, until we do find the perfect rug, creepyflatpanda (his name. in my head.) keeps his tushy warm on the uglier than sin linoleum floor.

& that ends our brief tour. thanks for joining me. what about you? did you give up your space for your wee people?

~peace.

gardening with found objects - the sequel

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elfling needed a bit of fresh air & vitamin d, (he has a pestilence) so whilst he was staring zombie-like at a line of ants, i snapped a few more photos of treasures to share with you.

that ladder is another curbside treasure found by thehobbit. it is from an old bunk-bed! i cannot tell you how peeved he was that i wouldn't let him use this in his bedroom. for what? i asked. dunno. was his reply. i am all for using objects in creative ways, but dunno is a bit on the vague side even for me. the ladder is only a few feet tall, so i have it propped behind a potted tomato. this variety is patio. a compact plant that thrives in containers. the fruit is round, about the size of a roma, & delicious. i've grown it a few years, & highly recommend it.

this is the beginning of elfling's play area. the found object is the base. i think it is an old metal shower bench. my friend pom found it, & knew i'd like it. the top is a new galvanized bucket that manlyman's mom gave to me a few months ago. i had planned on using the bucket for parties, but elfling had other plans. i love how they fit perfectly together. i won't attach them. leaving them separate means that elfling can take the bucket down, & drag it around the yard.

i love this little picnic table. i found it many years ago, in the ivy next to a whole foods parking lot. the whole thing is freakywobbly, so thehobbit & his friends have never sat at it. in the past it was covered in pots of flowers & herbs. currently we use it in the bbq area - that's our teeny camping grill atop it.

the stool isn't used in a creative way; we sit on it. i have no idea what it's doing in the bbq area, & didn't even think to put it away before taking the photo. i'm wild like that. in which wild means lazy.

thanks for visiting my garden - see you soon!

~peace.