Books, Music, Podcasts, Library Adventures, My Minimalism Journey

The Toe Saga, Library Stack Catch Up, and Your Sacred Nest

tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

That’s a lot of topics for one post, well let’s get started!

The Toe Saga

I’ve been delinquent in blogging lately due to a very silly injury: a broken toe.

My sofa and I had an argument and I lost. I was rushing around, not paying attention and jammed my right foot/toes into the metal leg of my sofa at what felt like 80 miles an hour. It hurt, like really hurt but I thought it was just a sprain or an irritation to my toes and tried to care for itself (after all I am a RN).

A couple days later one of the toes was looking more purple and bruised so it was time to head over the Urgent Care, and yes, per the x-ray, the toe was fractured…in two places. They are hairline fractures and will take up to 6 weeks to heal; but my toe did not require surgery or fracture reduction/setting (so that is a good thing!).

(I know, I know, you all are so disappointed that I did not include a photo of my purplish bruised toe in this post, ha!)

I am mainly irritated with myself for such careless stupidity and that my daily walks are on hold for a week. The Physician Assistant I saw in Urgent Care said in a week my toe will be better to walk on, but I suspect I will have to take a hiatus from my hiking adventures.

I am trying to use this experience as a lesson that I need to slow down and be more mindful of my environment. I also rearranged my end tables to guard me against a future “sofa attack”.

Library Stack Catch Up

Before I decided to  share “The Toe Saga”, the original purpose of this post was to continue my ongoing series, The Library Stack, sharing my latest stack of borrowed books from my beloved local public library.

Well I am two stacks behind! So let’s catch you up.

The Prior Stack

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A couple of the books were books I’ve borrowed before such as Quilt Inspirations from Africa and Red & White Quilting. I like to think of my public library as “my other bookcase” and many of the older quilting/crafting books are always on the shelves whenever I want to read them again.

Two books that I’ve never borrowed before and really enjoyed in this stack were Fairy Tale Sewing: Whimsical Toys, Dolls and Softies by Heidi Boyd and Stitch Draw by Rosie James.

Of course I’ve been heavily influenced by the work of Helen @Crawcraftbeasties and Shirley @Handmade Habit – there are doing awesome things with “Softies” and I want to be part of this scene somedays too (along with the 10,000 other crafts I want to make).

I have commissioned Helen to make the tierneycreates Beastie and Shirley is doing some amazing new things with new stuffed animal creations! Be sure to check out their wonderful blogs if you have not already (I’ve linked their blogs in the text above and you should also check out their awesome Instagram pages).

I’ve also been influenced by Chela @Chela’s Colchas y Mas who retired from teaching and it now trying to become the “Renaissance Women of All Things Crafting”.

She started posting her stitching doodles and drawings on her blog and now I want to try that out someday also (yeah, yeah, future craft projects/techniques, get in line behind all the others). I thought the book Stitch Draw by Rosie James had many great ideas to get started.

A Single Stack

In between the library stack above, and my current stack, I had one solitary book: Living the Airstream Life by Karen Flett.

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Lots of daydreaming went on while reading this book (but where would I put my sewing studio in the Airstream…and where would I store all my fabric scraps?!?!).

The physical book itself is pretty cool – the outside is framed in silver paper with simulated rivets like on an Airstream trailer!

Of course Terry the Quilting Husband (TTQH) had to tease me while I was reading the book. He kept asking: “So do we get a trailer to attach behind the Airstream for your fabric?”.

I’ve posted in the past about embracing Minimalism in my series of posts on My Minimalism Journey but my craft hobbies are interfering with a full “embracement”!

My Current Stack: Your Sacred Nest

My current stack of library books is, in my opinion, quite yummy! This stack is about quality over quantity.

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I am currently reading Your Creative Work Space: The Sweet Spot Style Guide to Home Office + Studio Decor by Desha Peacock, and so far this book is fantastic!

I’d like to share snippets from a passage from the book on “Your Sacred Nest: Everyone Needs a Creative Sweet Spot Space“:

A mother bird doesn’t complain that she doesn’t have time or space to create her nest, she just makes do with the resources available to her at the time…Her job is not finished when the nest is built. She still needs to protect it until her babies are strong enough to go out on their own…think of what would happen if the momma bird neglected to actually build the nest because she couldn’t find the perfect materials. Don’t let your creativity suffer or, worse, die because you can’t find the perfect lamp…don’t worry if it’s not perfect. Use the resources you have around you and allow them to blossom with age and use. 

Once you create your space, do not abandon it. Protect it fiercely with that momma bird love…  – Desha Peacock, Your Creative Work Space  (2017)

I love thinking of my creative endeavors as my “baby birds”!

(But wait a minute, I could continue with this analogy and realize that the reason I get into trouble sometimes is I am trying to feed too many “baby birds” at one time!)

Postscript

I love my neighborhood and I have some awesome neighbors who I just really like as people (they are good humans!). Here is a recent sweet public library story from one of my neighbors.

My neighbor and friend Jenny just returned from a three week trip to Australia to visit her in-laws. Her in-laws live suburb of Melbourne and after a week or so of just reading downloaded e-books, she and her young son were missing their regular trips to their our local public library (she is a Deschutes Public Library Cult-Member like I am, ha!). Jenny heard that the Melbourne area library system allows visitor passes and for visitors with ID to borrow up to two books.

So she and her son walked 10 minutes from where they were staying to the St. Kilda library. The librarian was so welcoming and after a chat she not only let them borrow more than 2 books (which is awesome as Jenny and her son did not have to go with one book each), she helped identify some great books (and loaded them up) in the children’s section and gave them a nice tote bag to get their huge stack of book back to where they were staying 10 minutes away!

So libraries are good places all over the world and librarians are some of the best people on earth (smile).

Published by tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Quilter, crafter, obsessive tea drinker and lover of all furry creatures (especially dogs and cats) - join me on my tierneycreates blog as I share stories from "A Crafter's Life".

41 thoughts on “The Toe Saga, Library Stack Catch Up, and Your Sacred Nest”

  2. I hope your toe feels a lot better soon!
    Thanks for sharing your recent stacks of books. I like the idea of the library being your other bookcase, with books you can pick up and look through whenever you want! We have a great selection of craft books at my local library here in the UK, but I don’t think I always take full advantage of it- so this is definitely prompting me to actually go and check out the new stock and order the stitch dictionary I’ve been meaning to order for over a month now!

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Oh, the toe!!! I broke a toe many years ago. Called my doctor. He said, “what do you want, a splint?” He was, to say the least, a bit sarcastic. Ultimate advice, tape it to the next one. But man , that hurts!! Sorry you’ll be laid up for a while.

    I have a pile of books out to peruse over the next few days. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks and yes my broken toe now has a best friend taped to it (did put gauze between them so they would not try to fuse (ick). I will put this on my list of things not to do again. I am going to think positive and like you mentioned I have plenty of books to read 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Bad news about your toe, but good news that now you have to use all that time to sit and sew and read. Also good to hear that you have tamed the sofa!
    I love my local library too. It’s only small, but connected to the main branch a few kilometres away. We are so blessed to live in worlds that value books and reading so much.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Sorry about your toe! I hear Sofa Attacks are on the rise, so watch out.
    To think that I have made you think of trying thread sketching is quite an honor.
    Every time I read your blog, I add something else I want to try to make to my list.
    You are the all time Creative Queen!
    Thanks for sharing the book titles and the blogs.
    Something else to put on my reading list!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. After reading the comments I realize I am not alone in my broken toe experiences that I may be one of the few whose sofa took them out 😉
      Thanks for your comments and we can just be fellow Creative Queens 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Major sympathy on the toe! How can such a little toe hurt that bad??!! I know restricting your hiking is a bummer. But it sounds as if you are spared having to wear the boot. I’m still doing penance for my careless stepping out the the tub March 2. So your incident is another reminder to all of us to be even more diligent! Thank goodness for libraries and librarians (my daughter) and books!

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    1. Oh sorry you were a tub victim! I can see myself doing that too. But I am definitely more mindful of my environment these days and not walking around the house so fast. I so agree on libraries, their books and those that work there 🙂

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  9. Oh, noes! Sorry to hear about the fractured toe. That must have been a shock, and missing out on your usual hikes and walks must be tough! I wish your toe a very, very speedy recovery (it sounds like, with the rest you’re taking, it’ll be back in no time!).

    And, thank you kindly for the mention, here! I’ve just followed Chela’s blog, and I’m excited that toy-making has recently made it into the queue of crafts!! With your incredible fabric stash and sewing genius, the toy-possibilities are limitless. I remember the awesome mini-purses you did last year (still use mine!). They had such beautiful and unique combinations of colour and pattern; I can totes see those kinds of coordinations happening on toys! Ooooh! Also, I must put Fairy Tale sewing on hold, now, too. Thanks for sharing your library heap. ❤

    P.s.: I've always adored the minimalist ethic and aesthetic, too (so clean!). A look at my apartment makes me wonder if I'm minimistically-challenged, though! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks so much and my sofa and I are going to go into counseling to work out our issues, ha! I so want to make softies too! Of course I am not at the level you and Helen are as knitters so I could only make scarves and maybe tiny hats for my softies, ha!
      I love minimalist aesthetic too – but if you walked into my home you would not know it so you are not alone 🙂
      Let me know what you think of Fairy Tale Sewing – glad your library had it!

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Sorry to hear about your toe ! Looks like you found some great reading material for your healing and recovery. I never think to look for quilting books at our library — you have me thinking….

    Get better soon 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you and today I went on a short walk with it so I am feeling more hopeful! The library can be wonderful “alternate bookcase” and much cheaper than buying all those books – ha! Not sure if all libraries do this but if there is a new book that comes out and they do not have it in stock, you can complete a Request for Purchase form and they will consider buying the book to add to the collection!

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  11. Sorry to hear about your toe – but keep the humour up with words such as ‘toe saga’ – that made me smile. In the last few years I have had silly arguments with kerbs and pavements and had both feet (at different times) in fracture boots and propped on the sofa for days/weeks! I empathise! What a great opportunity to check out your book stack. I spied an interesting one to me – Rosie James Stitch Draw – I went on a one day course she ran a couple of years ago. That was a great experience, a sunny day out in Margate, Kent. I didn’t quite know what I was signing up for, I was way less experienced than anyone else on the course but I enjoyed it and think it would be fun to do more. Look after yourself, let your toe mend properly x

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That is so fabulous! You got to take a class with Rosie James! I greatly enjoyed her book and I imagine she is a wonderful teacher.
      Thanks for your kind thoughts on my toe and I guess we just need to slow down and not get into “arguments” with our surroundings 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Very sorry to hear about your toe trouble. Hope it’s healing quickly. Imagine if it had been your sewing finger that did battle with your couch. That would have been terrible!
    I enjoy looking at the photographs of your stacks of books from your library and then reading the bits from them that you post. There is nothing to beat a book. (Alas our public libraries are not what they used to be — budget cuts.)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That is awesome – yes at least it was not my sewing finger (though years ago I did sew through one of my fingers and it was a fairly nasty injury (I get got thread stuck inside my finger – ick!(
      Thanks for your comments and sorry your public libraries had cuts 😦

      Liked by 1 person

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  16. Yeowch! Sorry to hear that your sofa got feisty and hurt your toe… Hope you’re back on your feet (ha!) by now! I’ve also been a bit erratic with my blogging lately, so I’m sorry I missed your shout-out until today… But yes, join the softie revolution! It’s fun here!

    I should also say that Tierney Beastie is coming along nicely, even with a slight disruption caused by pesky blog updates. I’m looking forward to a crafty weekend ahead after I finish my class schedule today! Oh, and I enjoyed looking through your book stacks as well… Thanks to you and some other library-loving bloggers, I joined my local “book cult” a couple of months back, and it has brought me such joy! Nothing fires my imagination like walking home with a stack of books in my bag! 😀

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    1. I am back on my feet 🙂
      I am now able to wear a regular shoe on my right foot and go on slow walks! Funny how much you miss what you did not appreciate (like daily long walks) until you lose it for a while!
      Tierney Beastie – cannot wait . I am glad you joined a book cult (watch out for any peculiar indoctrination rituals and do not get any tattoos like “Bibliophile for Life” that you might regret later). Thanks for reading and your comments 🙂

      Like

      1. Yay! Good to hear that your tootsies are on the mend, and we can expect more nice photos from your weekly wanderings again soon! As for the book cult… Well, I WAS going to get “Book Life” tattooed on my knuckles (I didn’t have enough fingers for “bibliophile”) but luckily you caught me just in time! 😂 Have a fun weekend!

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  17. Tierney, I am so sorry to hear about your appendage! I tell you, our homes can be a dangerous place. There was a time when I was busily looking at reading material while going down our steps. Not paying attention I stepped out, assuming I was at the bottom. I wasn’t and missed the last two steps OUCH! I had the WORST sprained ankle I could ever imagine. Ended up on crutches and off my feet for days. We were selling our house at the time so, if you can picture this, I was often found on my knees cleaning floors, etc. to prepare for showings. LOL! Enough about that. I would assume you are doing much better by now. I hope your outdoor escapades resume rather quickly. I’m missing our walking tours.

    I simply enjoy hearing about your library/book adventures. I learn so much from these stories. The book about the airstream adventures interests me. The cabin that I talk about visiting in the summer is actually a 5th wheel. We very much enjoy our time spend there. When my Mr. retires we plan on spending a month in the warmer climate during our cold winter months. I can attest that the storage space for fabric and all its accompaniments is very limited. Although, a toy-hauler trailer might just remedy that situation. You could install storage and customize it to suit your sewing studio needs. How’s that for priorities! 🙂

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    1. Oh my goodness Cindy – your staircase took you out! That sounds like a serious ouch!
      Yes I have learned to slow down, not multitask, be aware of my surroundings.
      Your plan for when the Mr. retires sound awesome!
      I have seen toy haulers when we went to the RV show – great idea and yes it does seem like you could make a studio out of the “garage” area of that RV! That is a good daydream 🙂

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