Thursday, December 9, 2010

on workspaces and white elephants


a martha stewart, I am not
and my desk 
(which is NOT a lovely shade of bottle glass green)
is in a constant state of array

ar-ray
[uh-rey]
- verb (used with object)
to place in proper or desired order
to marshal: Napoleon arrayed his troops for battle


but my mind, of late, is in a constant state of disarray
it hits me hardest when I walk into ANY store
even the grocery store
it's the the christmas music and the displays 
they propel me into an instant state of wandering aimlessly and losing any focus
it's intentional I'm sure
a conspiracy to help boost the economy, right?

which brings me to the white elephant:

this is the white elephant gift I won last night
it was the last gift on the table
I had already lost the John Deere tractor clock
 (which makes real tractor noises)
this last gift was the messiest wrapping job in the bunch
so it was the last one picked
when I opened it I could hear a collective groan
and the guy who brought it apologized.
he said,
"it's really good for falling asleep."
I said,
"I love it."
but I don't think anyone heard me say that.
and I do love it.





13 comments:

my cup of tea said...

As the saying goes 'One mans trash is another mans treasure' This has proved to be true many times in my life! I like your book too!
~Blessings~
Donna

jinxxxygirl said...

I love, Love, LOVE white elephant! My husbands work xmas party always played that in the early years but has since quit having it. I realized it was the whole reason i went to the party so we quit going. LOL!

Teri said...

Kimmie---I don't know why but I have a fascination with people's desks and work spaces! I clicked on the photo and even enlarged it and looked around at everything you have on the desk. I love all the stuff that people have scattered on the tables and I, too, do the same thing. Somehow it makes me feel more creative to have all the things that I love around me like that. What do you plan on doing with the cut-up soda can? Will we see a photo of that soon?? Hope so!

Gayle Price said...

Your desk looks EXACTLY like mine !! I feel better about it now, not that I felt bad, but I just hate that I have do some sort of a tidy before I can start on something new, and I thought REAL artists would never work like this ,they would be much more organised. And the Christmas thing !! I thought there was something mentally wrong with me, why am I so vague in the shops, I don't know what I want, or I want every thing. Finally I too love Oliver Twist, lucky pick for you. Ah, I now feel I am not alone in my life of " vague dissarray" and I can go forth, or sideway, or backwards with confidence, knowing others are in the same state as me and it's ok.

Terri Kahrs said...

Whenever I clean up the space on my work desk, it never stays clean for long. Before I know it, I have only about a foot square to work in (if I'm lucky). As for your gift, I KNOW you love it!!! From trash to treasure!!! Hugs, Terri xoxo

Anonymous said...

I've never been lucky enough to get a book (any book) as a white elephant gift! Loved your desk shot, but you now have me wishing for a new art desk of a "lovely shade of bottle glass green" :)

Lynn Cohen said...

;-)

~*~Patty S said...

your work table looks quite tidy to me...no heaps of things ready to fall...just wonderful art fodder

it is sometimes hard to "hear" with the Christmas din...so much I Love about the holidays...and yet

Happy almost weekend dear Kimmie
oxo

*Susan* said...

I don't remember where I began my journey today, but after clicking from blog to blog to blog, I found myself staying here through two cups of coffee!

I can so relate to the Christmas fog of shopping, and my husband is always saying that I'm easily distracted by shiny things. {LOL} It makes me happy to see work spaces in their natural states rather than all neat & tidy. Oh, and I, too, would have been happy with that White Elephant gift!

I really enjoyed seeing and reading about the beautiful things you've created; I think I'll follow along. :-) I'm looking forward to the results of your weathering quilt!

Anonymous said...

I would take the book over the clock ANY day!
Peace~
Dawn

Gayle Pritchard said...

What a great gift to receive : )
I had to laugh reading about your desk area. I just finished a similar blog post about the state of my studio. Must be that time of year!

PAK ART said...

I must confess I got a little cranky this evening as I was cleaning up my art room so I could do a bit of painting! I hate that I let it get messy - it's so much easier to start a project when it's already neat. But then I painted a picture and now I'm in a blissful mood. I can't wait to see how your weathering quilt turns out. I bet it will be beautiful!

*jean* said...

i have been re-reading some of my favorite classics and there really is nothing like dickens...i love that the white elephant is a tresured thing...alas, at my house, the john deere tractor clock would have been coveted...on our way home from Indy, we saw a deer stand along the side of the road and it was painted in the john deere colors..."look at the john deere stand"...ggg my boys love stuff like that...