We have achieved. Mightily.

Spring having sprung and all that, I thought it was time for a sort out.  First I sorted through all my WIPs and UFOs and even chucked some stuff. 

Very liberating.  

Then I tackled the problem of the exploding sheers

(Don't tell anyone, but I just put them in a different drawer.  They still explode, but slightly less so).

And I created order here

And I tidied the bottom bit, where things tended to get stuffed in with the embellisher, and even managed to find a place for my paint brushes and jam jars so they don't have to live in the kitchen next to the bread bin.  Here it all is, pre-tidying:

And after many hours which became days, we now have this:

My “studio” is very clever - it's actually a cupboard, made to fit exactly between the living room door, the dining room table and the dog crate cage prison - but I have to be very tidy for it to work.  Ah.  Therein lies the problem.  I'm not sure it's humanly possible to be creative AND tidy.  And despite my perpetual doubts and worries, I think I must be creative as I'm definitely not tidy.  What's more, it's hereditary. 

Here is a glimpse of the Girl's desk, as at first thing this morning:

and THIS is my absolute favourite and best bit

You just have to love all the strings and paperclips and party hooters and tinsel and beads and pebbles and small plastic creatures, all held together in a delicate entangled web of delight.  You have to love it, because questioning its existence and listening to the answer creates a sort of crushing fizzing pain behind the temples only soothed by large G&Ts and lie-downs on sofas.

But feeling brave, and spurred on by my own desk drawer emptying triumphs, I thought it would be a good idea to have a go at sorting through this

and

and

And Lo.  After many gruelling hours of negotiation and three black bin bags, we found this

We love the Girl and all her creativity, and wouldn't have her any other way. 
We love her even more now because as well as being very stoical about the desk tidying, she has learnt to make this:

While the cat's away...

The cat in question being a 9 year old Brownie away at camp.  The mice being her parents.

(I did make 12 chocolate cup cakes for said Brownie to take with her, so I'm not that mean...)

It's ages since I posted anything, mostly because I haven't taken any decent photos of things I have done or made...I took a photo of my soup the other day (chorizo and cavelo nero) but it didn't look that exciting.  I thought a sticky chocolate cake was marginally more interesting...