Clean house?

I visited a friend the other day and marveled at the cleanliness of her house. Not that it was just clean, but that it was absolutely clutter-free. I seriously envy people who have clean, clear spaces in their homes. Dust-free, and doo-dad free, too. But then I had a revelation: she doesn't make anything! So she doesn't need boxes of fabric, boxes of broken jewelry, bins of yarn, of paint, of carving tools, of ink pads and pens. She doesn't have a closet full of bellydance costumes or silly hats. So while I can lament the fact that I have *too much stuff* I also have to remind myself that I like it this way. I like making things, and I can't imagine a life without projects cluttering up the house.

Despite the progress on some of those long-term ongoing projects, this weekend was one of distraction.  Here's the lowdown:

I got a wild hair to make another wine crate birdhouse. This is my second birdhouse created out of an old wine box -- I love how the winery name & label is stamped into the boxes. And I love using random old *things* to embellish each house. This one isn't so random or old -- the copper was new, leftover from the copper bra project. Even the box was fairly new, and not as rustic as I like, but at least the nail used as a perch was from grandpa's old mess of stuff. Hopefully I will find time to make more of these, as I think they could sell. However, my assistant insists that next time I *plan ahead* better, which is an idea I continue to resist.

We also went to a favorite garden center where I saw some other stuff that I want to make, including other birdhouse ideas and this chandelier that's been converted to hold succulents tops my taco. How cool is that!? Okay, the photo is a bit hard to figure out, but I promise you that it looked really neat, and that it would be an awesome addition to my garden. Especially if we ever build a shade structure over the back porch.

But speaking of home improvements: materials were purchased to fence in the back yard -- something we've talked of doing for ages, since we'd like to get a dog someday. So it's definitely more important than things like trellises and pathways, and now that the materials are purchased, I guess we ought to get moving on that. I've been tasked with designing and building a gate, while my partner in crime (the crime of projectitis!?) will do the un-fun post hole digging and fence construction.