Op Shop Haul

I went to one of my favourite op shops today and ended up with a very satisfactory haul.

A detail from the cover of the book which was at the bottom of my pile - a journal from The Stanley School of Dress Cutting & Design.

Instructions carefully handwritten in the journal on how to make a "foundation bodice".

I will show you next week what I make with some of these treasures (and here is a tip - it won't be a foundation bodice)

What do your books say about you?

Stop for a moment and have a look around your living space. 

Even if you are very technology oriented there will be books and magazines there somewhere.

What do your books say about you?

Here are mine:

 Likes old books

Interested in design 

Likes to travel

and

Loves reading to 6 month old Jacob

Curious Symmetry

I was moving things around on my desk and noticed how nice these randomly assorted items looked together. A collection within a collection really, as I have lots of old books and lots of old sewing things.  The hat pin is a genuine stray - I just like the colour of it.

Office Space

If you work in an office (even part-time, like me) it is worth making the effort to customize your office space so that you enjoy being in it. That's not hard to do if you are a collector like me, with no end of things to fill the space. The trick is not to overcrowd it, as clutter is unproductive. Just pick a few interesting things and group them together.

You can also use your pin board as a decorating space, not just a place to pin telephone messages!

You should also change things around once in a while to keep the space interesting.