Ready to Rennovate

 

A few years back I finally claimed our "spare" room, which was more of a gathering place for all things crafty, as my studio.  I thought it was the biggest space I had ever seen, since prior to that I worked in the corner of the family room, with things stacked all around.  Me I had to go to the basement to solder, the kitchen to patina, ect ect.......

 

 

Well, fastforward a few years, and I have outgrown it again.  However, there is no new space to comendeer.  So, I had to do a massive clean out to create a more workable space.

See?

 

 

Not much space to move around.  And after shows (when this picture was taken) is always the worst.  Things just pile and pile in the creating frenzy that occurs up until the last minute.  Then the piles get torn through to find the things I need to take with me, and this is what is left in its wake.

 

I also had no where to store my totes and things that I take to shows.  They pretty much sat in the middle of the studio, and blocked an entire entrance way.

 

So, I had to get rid of the sewing portion of my studio and move that to the corner of the family room, say good-bye to lots of hoarded fabric, and clean out everything I no longer need in there.

 

Here it is today.

 

 

My biggest inspiration for the clean up (no, it wasn't just because I couldn't move, I normally work like that) was because I plan to rip out the carpet.....YAY!  I told the hubs when I took over the room I wanted to take out the carpet, and he said no.  Well, now that its ruined, and hard to clean, he agreed.  So we need to empty the room (gasp!) and rip it out.  So the clean up helped to minimize that project by a little bit.

 

He is also going to build me a taller wood work bench along the far wall in the picture, where I have two folding tables.  This is will be my metal bench, so I stand and hammer, drill, polish and saw all on one bench.  I will also have much more under the bench storage room, and with no carpet, I can use storage with WHEELS!!!!!!!

 

And- that is not all.  Although I love this old cabinet, its going to have to go, and will be replaced by a folding table for my computer and paperwork.  Not sure if I can hook up a printer and even do my shipping from in here, but will see.  The hubs would be happy to have me out of his office for good !

 

 

These shelves will be replaced with bigger shelves and go next to the desk.  They will hold the contents of the cabinet and then some.  Right now I have a bunch of empty totes waiting to be temporarily filled for the move out for rennovations.  This is also the exit that normally has all my show stuff piled in it.

 

 

These shelves can stay full during the carpet tear out (thank goodness).  I did get tray storage for all those trays though.  It is wheeled cabinets that go under the desk, so I can have all those beads and such at my fingertips, and wheel them away when I don't need them.  So that shelf will be opened up a bit.

 

 

 Below the shelf of trays is where I can now fit my shows stuff.  I can actually walk up to these shelves, there used to be a pile of things in the way.  The bottom shelf to the right is all my sea glass.  That needs to be re-vamped somehow.  But that is a project for another day, week or year!

 

Yesterday I finally got in the "now cleaned" studio to make some things.  I had some Mothers Day Pins to make for some very special Grammy's. 

 

 

I cannot wait until I have my metal bench so I can do more metal, and not have such a mess at my bead table!  Plus, I am on the taller side, to have it custom built is pretty exciting to me.

 

I also made this piece.  I was inspired by an article by Joy Kruse in the new Belle Armoire Jewlery magazine. 

 

 

 

I really miss working in silver...it was my first love.  The first things I made were in silver- sea glass, and I soldered on little shell barnacles that I made in PMC. 

 

 

Joy's article made me want to re-visit adding textured items to my bezels in a fun and whimsical way.  Her work really speaks to me.

 

Even though I really loved my piece I created with the amazing dark grey druzy (how I love druzy's), there was something about that I didn't like, and I couldn't put my finger on it. 

 

Once I uploaded it to facebook, and saw it in the pictures, I figured it out.  It was too tidy.  Too symetrical.  My eye was telling me this piece was not finished.  So I took it back into the studio.

 

Now its done.  Now I love it.

 

 

 

Can't wait to make more, hopefully it will be happening on my new workbench next week!

 

I will post progress if by chance we get to do my studio on Monday, like I hope to!

 

Have a great holiday weekend!



The Studio Clean Up- Almost There

During show season, which runs from about March till October, I don't get much else done.  Three kids and shows, leaves me in constant emergency mode, just doing the basics.  So since the end of October I have been cleaning up and destashing my house. 

 

I cleaned my studio last year pretty good as well.  It's amazing how much stuff just gets thrown in corners after shows, ect.....  I am thankful I cleaned it last year as well, cause it was bad.........real bad.

These pics were actually taken after I'd started cleaning....so they are kinda mid clean, with an entire layer of stuff removed.  Like the bead bin with the glass top?  Thats my misc bead box....it used to be about 9 bowls stacked in all corners of my table, no lie.  So I put away the bigger beads and such and the rest went into the mix bin.  I love a good mix bin though, often it inspires me to see all the colors and textures together- silver lining to the mess.

 

I started trays to sort things, half finished stuff, metal to re-work, beads to be completed, ect.....(some are waiting to be riveted to a backing, some need bezels re-attempted, some need to be added to their polymer centers, ect.....)  I also began to hang up jewlery that can be put in the etsy shop at a markdown.  The rest of the jewelry went either in a pile on my shelves (the part of the studio thats not done yet) or in the bargain bin.  Because I plan to have an open house this year, just something informal, so you local friends can come and get some great bargains for gifts.

So I got some of my shelves cleaned up, sorted and destashed.  These are looking much better- I have my bags and business cards and boxes on the top shelf, my magazine publication on the next one, polymer clay creating stuff and alcohol inks, empty trays, so I can start filling them with beads for the Berks Bead Bazaar, and on the very bottom is my show stuff that I won't put in the basement.  Its my bead totes, checkout station, and my table cloths.

Then I cleaned out the cabinet where I keep my metal clay stuff, my stamps, and my things I don't want kids into- like denatured alcohol and liver of sulphur.  Somehow, it had accumulated stuff in there, that just didn't belong.  Its much better now.

I took some of the piles of papers from my table, many of them gifts from my kids, other pieces of art from fellow artists, and decorated a little bit.........................

 

 

That jewerly is the "mine" stash- and the "needs re-working" stash.

 

I also cleaned my patina / solder shelves

 

 

Those sit on my bead table between my bead area and solder area.

 

And here is the bead desk re-done............Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.

 

 

Cleaned out under it, on it, ect........still missing my favorite file though......hmmmmmm.

 

I still have to clean the big corner shelves from this picture.....but the floor over there is totally clear now, and some of it is looking better.  That will be next week, as I have custom orders to finish up, and jewelry to get out to the gallery.....AND Christmas gifts to make.  I love making Christmas gifts.

 

Ready for the new year!  Are you?