Mmm, textures!

The juxtapositions idea is still really holding my interest - I took these photos a while ago after I'd sorted buttons and ribbons into boxes, and now this detail of two vintage, handmade pincushions and the little vintage needle case, placed on three different wooden boxes, is really satisfying me! If I turn round I can see the real thing - it's the stack of boxes on the shelf at the top of the stairs. The wooden boxes currently contain my button collection - it's not that easy to slip the odd button into the stacked boxes, but I think the look is currently worth the effort, and I'll change it again once I get fed up with it - playing with the collection of buttons and boxes is half the fun!

I took the buttons out of my fabric boxes, as they were rather heavy and endangering some of the cardboard-based box bases. Now the fabric boxes are holding ribbons, binding etc, colour-coded according to the box! I did this earlier in January and so far the system is working well - when I needed some black binding I found it quickly in the third box down on the left, for example. (It was for mending Son 1's trousers, which have all got beaten up by cycling - but not on the chain side, for some reason!)Of course Son 1 won't be cycling, or even wearing long trousers, for a while. He's currently trapped on the sofa, wearing a leg-brace, following his second knee operation. Thanks so much for your kind words both before and after the op. Everything went so well, and everyone - hospital staff, friends and above all Ben, were so helpful. But for me today has still been a day of feeling a bit low and fighting off the desire to cry at times - it's just an emotional business, supporting your child through an operation. Despite this, thinking of the alternatives - living in an under-developed country, or living in a wealthy country but not having good insurance - make me realise we are really blessed. And looking at pretty boxes helps too ;)