If only it really worked that way.

So yesterday, we pretty much left the kids to their own devices and worked on the basement. Nate moved furniture around and painted in his office, I cleaned, purged, and organized my craft kitchen. I’m not done yet, but I’ve made significant progress.

From this

to this

and from this

to this.

It makes me so happy! I painted the cabinets and installed new locks to keep the little monkeys out of my dye solutions when I eventually have some. The small bookshelf in the bottom left of the last picture is going, I need to affix the cabinet panel in front of the sink, there are a few remaining things to box up or redistribute to other parts of the house, and I’m going to get more of the white shelving…. but it’s very close, and it looks great.

Depending on how you look at it, an unfortunate thing happened a day or so ago (I can’t remember exactly). Nate got an email from the art gallery we buy from saying that Greenwich Workshop is releasing a new set of Cassandra Barneys. (I was hoping for one or two for Christmas, which didn’t end up happening, but I got a lovely camera. [The black one]).

I’d seen these pieces as originals on her website and loved them, Minerva (blue) in particular, and had no idea they’d become available as limited editions.

I could die. What are they thinking, releasing something like this right after Christmas, when all the money’s been spent?

Grrrr.

And now I have this big, open wall in my own, private room I’ve just cleaned which can be seen from the family room… and I want them.

Cassandra’s art fills me to overflowing with the desire to dwell on the beautiful, and the inspiration to create it. They could totally be perfect down there, if they don’t settle in my bedroom first.