Random

So, I forgot to take pictures of DS's father's day gift for my ex.
I have to say it came out pretty well though. We took an old hardcover that was in very poor shape (moldy pages, ripped, etc) & glued it all together nice & tight, then after it dried, I carved out the inside. More glueing & drying, then we lined the inside with black felt. We also recovered the outside in black Dollarama scrapbooking paper that had silver print. The front & back were stripes placed horizontally. The spine we "bound" with a scrollwork pattern. Since the only thing I didn't have on hand was the paper, the entire project cost us less than $2 after tax!!
I encouraged him to fill it up for daddy. He put in some coins, rocks & his plasticine "turtle" (multi-coloured lump). I put in copies of pictures of DS that he had either lost or given away. I also added a pack of cognac & honey rolling papers (link semi-NSFW) for his smoking needs. More from me than from DS, obviously.

Anyways, DS & I have been in our new place for almost 2 months, and besides all of the problems we have had (dead stove, fridge died, no hot water in shower, ant infestation, more plumbing, microwave died....etc), I have tried to make a livable space. First step was his bedroom. It was previously used as a storage room & it really showed.
His room was unclean as well as unsafe. I put all my energy into making it child-safe, then child-friendly. I slept on the couch for almost a week, because everything got dumped in my room & I didn't have a bed.
I will update with pictures of his room later...
The living room is long & narrow, so is set up very wide so as to be closer to the small TV. One end is an "office space" that I don't really use much. There is also an unsightly gaping hole in one part of the wall that the landlord doesn't think needs to be fixed.
My bedroom is part craft space, part storage & part sleeping space.
This has worked in the meantime, but it doesn't flow very well. Also, the lighting in my room is absolutely terrible, so I am always dragging my projects out to the living room where there is a large fluorescent overhead.
I have worked through several ideas & floor plans in my head as well as on paper, and I have finally settled on a set that I like & I feel flows much better.
Hopefully this weekend, DS will allow me to move things around and get our space a little nicer.

Since I don't have the $$ to buy paint right now, let alone some of the other projects I want to take on (like a huge couch overhaul!), I will have to be satisfied with rearranging the furniture & further organizing...

Oh, and the other day (Wednesday night) I found a perfectly good, solid wood, 6-drawer dresser on the curb! The lady told me I could take it if I wanted it. It's got scratches, but the drawers are still solid & the original pulls are all on (with no damage, as well as not being loose).The wheels (!) are a little wonky, but I might just remove them. Eventually sand & paint. But it's the perfect home for my fabric! It houses almost 3/4 of it in it's current state, but I want to re-fold things, catalogue some new finds, and see if I can't get it all in there. And find a new organizing system for my craft notions, since I will be losing that glass shelf....