Ssssh! Don't You See Spock is DYING???

Before I start blathering on about crafts and nonsense, I have to tell you why I'm posting this afternoon. Captain Hubby and I got a new bed today. We've been sleeping on a full sized bed since we moved in June and with Em, two dogs, and two cats trying to get into it with us, it has gotten crowded. Not to mention that I'm pretty sure that someone really, really old and famous but not offensive to mention was conceived on these mattresses. So, it was time to upgrade. We bought the bed and box spring from a friend's estate sale and then we went out and bought a BRAND! NEW! MATTRESS! I have never owned a new mattress and Joe and I have never owned a new mattress and new mattresses are awesome. We got a really great deal on the floor sample of a discontinued style. It was discounted enough that we were able to upgrade and still spend less than what we were going to on the lower-end of the mid-line. So, we got that all set up and made the bed with the new electric blanket and quilt we also got at the estate sale. I might not get out of bed tomorrow.

Anyway, after all of the running around and chores and home improvement stuff we did, Captain Hubby came into the living room and sat down to watch "Wrath of Khan". I've never seen it. And so, in my ignorance, I came in from reading on my BRAND! NEW! MATTRESS! and tried to talk to him during the last 20  minutes - which I guess are pretty intense minutes? - and got the worst shush-ing of my life. Shushed like I answered my phone in the movie theater during Fantine's death scene. Shushed like I almost gave away a spoiler alert for "Downton Abbey". How the hell was I supposed to know how important the last 20 minutes of that movie are? My comment, "Why are these Klingon always quoting Shakespeare when they die?" was not received well, either.

I talk a good game, but underneath the Land's End sweater and skinny jeans, I'm a giant geek.

So when last you saw your Crafty Empress, she had just finished sorting, purging, and reorganizing her sewing area. Well, it didn't stop there. I have mentioned the ADHD, right? Well, this will be your introduction to my OCD. Or, as I like to call it, CDO. In alphabetical order, AS IT SHOULD BE. Ahem.

Notice that those are NOT my fabric scissors.

One of the things I discovered when I was cleaning out my fabric drawers were a few projects I started at one point but got bored with (read: saw prettier fabric) and put back in the drawer. This is one of those projects.

This is boring as hell.

I sewed three seams, and then nothing. I couldn't even remember WHAT is was at first. Finally it came to me - this was the fabric I bought about three years ago to recover an ottoman I don't even own anymore. Fortunately, it matches my new living room, so I finished up the edges, pressed it all out and when I get the bridging shelf over the TV, this will be my new runner for it. However, I wanted to put buttons on the corners. I am newly obsessed with buttons. My mom gave me a giant tin of my great-grandmother's old buttons about 6 days after I got a shipment of 1,600 buttons from Oriental Trading. It was amazing, but not organized. I couldn't find 4 matching brown buttons. So while Captain Hubby worked out, we put "Raising Hope" on Netflix, I sorted buttons. I sorted probably close to 4,000 buttons.

Hey buddy - can you spare a button?

The crazy thing? I didn't have a jar big enough for the white/ivory buttons. I had to use a vase for the black ones. I actually went to Costco and purposely bought stuff in huge jars so that when it's gone (I think Queen olives and maybe spaghetti sauce?), I'll have jars big enough to hold the black and white buttons. I've added a couple more jars since I took this picture and I am running out of button-jar storage space. See the shelf in the upper left corner? Where the jar of star buttons is? That's where I store the jars. Two rows and the shelf is packed. One day, Captain Hubby will find me in the basement, hunched over my sewing table, mumbling to myself about needing another 34 jars as I am separating the blue buttons by color, size, and material. See? Obsessed. Send all button donations to me directly, but send them in a shoe box so The Captain won't question the package.

Of course, after I finished sorting, I still couldn't find 4 matching brown buttons, so I went out and bought some. They are in the brown button jar, waiting to be sewn onto the runner.

Well, Star Trek is over and I get to have The Captain back. There's really nothing on to watch, but since he was snotty and shushed me, I'm going to watch "Hoarders" and make him sit here with me and see what he's in for if he doesn't help me purge every so often.

Love lorn and phosphor. Or whatever.

Love, The Empress