I'm traveling this week, but found the time to do a little fabric shopping! I picked up this Tracy Reese pattern and fabric at Hancock today.


The dress is so cute, light, and summery.

Hmmm... I don't know why the model looks so disgusted...


**Squeal!**

I made major progress on the studio this week. In fact... I've. Been. Sewing!!

I'm working on window treatments for our family room. Nothing too fancy, but it feels so good to be working with my sewing machine again.

And, rediscovering all of my supplies.

I thought I'd share a few pics of the progress that I've made - all carefully shot to hide the mess that's really there.

**wink-wink**

  

Those are my grandmother's hats hanging on the side of the shelf. I used non-permanent 3M hooks. LOVE those!!


See my Tiffany box peeking through? Yeah, it was just a T & Co plate, but the box made it sooo special.




I bought this gorgeous wrought iron blanket stand several years ago and I've always used it for fabric storage - usually hanging the fabric that I'm working with. Right now, it's full of vintage goodness that is screaming to be used for summer fashion.


And... above my working table...






There is still much to be done, but I'm so inspired. I have a lot of momentum behind me and things are moving along.

I'll gladly take the small victories as they come along!

Hope your weekend is lovely, restful, and full of recuperative peace. Take care!


Now that things are finally calming down a bit, I've been looking back over past blog posts. They remind me of home and leave me feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

So, in March, two years ago, I shared a project inspired by this mixed media art, found at Ballard.


I shared how I created my own versions for my studio, but I realized I never posted photos of the set of three together.


 They are now hanging happily on the wall of my new space, exactly how they were designed to be.

Click through for the how to!


One of my most popular projects are these little bags.


I love seeing them pop up all over the internet, tagged with the ideas that people have for using them in their own lives.

One common theme that I have noticed is using them for wrangling hats and mittens.

Until my recent move, I didn't understand how out of control these necessary winter accessories can get.

I totally get it now. Good grief! They are like socks in the laundry room... how does a pair get separated?! Why can't you ever find what you need when you need it?!

So, I spent some time this weekend setting up "Command Central" in my home to gain control over the clutter building up on my countertops, benches, and any other surfaces that welcome collections of stuff.


Here's what I'm using.

Magnetic board. I covered an Ikea board in burlap using the tutorial that I shared for my Art Wall. The magnets are the same set that I created here.


Coat rack. Just your standard rack that you can purchase at Lowe's or Home Depot. I've had the one pictured above for years and it keeps reappearing in different capacities with each move we've made.

Wire Baskets. I found this set on Amazon and fell in love with them. They are the perfect muted finish. I'm using the smallest here as a catch-all for hats and gloves. The other two are being used upstairs.


Mail shelves. By far the biggest mess in my kitchen comes from the accumulation of mail that needs attention. I keep recycling these spice racks from Ikea. I have a set that I painted to use as bedside reading shelves. These were actually used for spices in my pantry in the last house. It just made sense to use them here for mail.


I used my Silhouette to make the wall decals. As always, I'm happy to share the Silhouette files that I create if you'd like to use them for yourself!


All in all, a great use of space! That is, as long as we use it...








HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SPRING!!!!

We greeted the season with several inches of snow... I haven't quite earned the right to complain yet. Soooooo... this is me... in my scarf and jacket, Uggs... not complaining.


Yay for spring!!

I was updating my Bloglovin' feed today to include the blogs that I follow through Blogger Reader.

You've heard about that, right?

As of July 1, Google's Blogger Reader is going away. If you're looking for a new way to track your blog roll, I definitely recommend Bloglovin'. I've used it for a few years now and I have no complaints.


Don't forget to add me to your reading list, pretty please!!

This relatively major change in the blogging world has reminded me of some of the blogging mistakes that I've made over the past two years. I'm defining "mistakes" as poor decisions or lack of planning that has impacted readers ability to reach my blog content.

I thought it might be helpful to share - in case you are considering blogging or have a new blog of your own.

First Mistake: Domain Name
I initially set up my blog four or five years ago. I had no intention of blogging for anyone other than myself, but had no idea where to begin or how to really organize my content. I decided on a name - Always A Project - because that has always been my state of living. However, I reserved my Blogspot address under my own name.

It was originally rhgarza.blogspot.com.

Not memorable. Not jazzy. Not fun.

Sometime last year, I got smart about it and set up my official domain - www.always-a-project.com - and immediately saw my site traffic TANK. I had no idea why. My site was still accessible through the old address.

After some investigative work, I discovered this:

 
This is what people were seeing when they tried to connect to my site through their pins on Pinterest. That would have scared me off, too. The change of domain name caused this error to show up. My site wasn't actually reported as objectionable.

Bad news. And still an issue.

{frowny face}

Second BIG Mistake: No Facebook Page
Facebook is fantastic for bloggers (especially casual bloggers like me) because it allows us to interact with readers quickly and easily throughout the week, without having to compose an entire blog post.

I should have set mine up on Day #1. In the past year, it has become a major vehicle for people to reach out to me. And, in turn, I'm able to connect with you in a much more personal, conversation-like exchange. I love it!

So, today I posted a DISGUSTING photo of the tar-stained walls in my son's bathroom. The previous owners used this room as a smoking room. We gutted it yesterday and discovered just how nasty the build up really is.

Did you see it? No? Let's connect on Facebook!!

Mistake Numéro Trois
My third mistake is painfully obvious. Lack of posting.

You have been so understanding and supportive of me over the past few months. So much more than I deserve.

My heart is here. I'm not burned out. I'm not uninspired. I'm just stuck in this weird space – finished grad school, made a major move, started a new job, in the middle of unpacking my life in a new house...

I haven't even found my glue gun yet.

I am working on a few things to share with you this weekend... I'm finishing up some window treatments for my family room. I completed the Gallery Wall of Extreme Cuteness. I've also set up a sort of a "Command Central" that I think is fun and practical.

On the home renovation front, we've nearly finished the painting. Dylan's bedroom is completely set up and little boy approved. We're starting on our flooring - tile and wood. My husband picked up 40 boxes of bamboo flooring this past weekend!

So, things are moving in the right direction!

I hope you're having a wonderful week! I'll see you again this weekend!!
Hello, friends!! I have missed our creative time together!

We have made a lot of progress on the house over the past couple of weeks.

Unpacking... about 75% complete.

Paint... about halfway there.

Lighting... 100% D.O.N.E.

I mentioned this in my last post, but the house that we recently purchased was missing lighting in all of the bedrooms and several of the common areas.

I'm so happy, happy, happy to report that we're not living by lamplight anymore!

Check out the progress on my dining room!

Paint and a new chandelier that we hung ourselves.


The ceiling medallion still needs some work, but I was too excited not to share our progress.


Once you start hanging things on the walls, it really begins to feel like home. 


I love decorating with my grandmother's china. I've hung it on the walls in every home I've owned. It is especially meaningful to me now that I am so far from home.


The house project list isn't getting any smaller, but I am so anxious to get back to sewing. I've been stockpiling new spring patterns and they tease me every time I walk past them.

What are you working on these days? Your creativity inspires me and keeps me moving forward on my own projects.