Spring Cleaning: Studio ProgressBeads

I am a pile person.  I like to have things where I can see them.  Beads laid out in trays, books stacked up high, papers piled so I don't forget to look through them.  All this quickly leads to a VERY messy studio.  

I am embarking on a new venture.  I am shooting video to do a Craftcast webinar.  This will be my first one, and I am both excited and nervous.  So, I really needed to clean up in order to have space to do this.  (one more thing keeping me from creating- I am chomping at the bit to make more beads and jewelry!)

So, what started as clearing a spot, turned into a almost a full gutting of the studio (minus one set of shelves that I will do "later"- aka, next spring...lol)

So grab a cup of coffee and come with me through my studio.  It is so small, its actually hard to film it, with not enough room to back up, but I love it, its my space.....so join me......
(and I never get tired of look at my zen floor)

Here are the video tours.  The first is when I had done the workbench and bead trays.  I still hadn't done the shelves by the solder area on top of the benches, or the big shelves in the corner....which were a MESS.

This second video is the studio all cleaned up.  I have music blasting, so you may want to turn down the volume.  I tried to drown out the sound of kids in the background.

  So, now I am ready to tackle my endless list and spend some time creating in here!

It feels really good to have a clear space to work.  My mind is so much more relaxed now.  My clutter, though I find some comfort in it, also creates stress........I need to purge and organize like this now and again.  

Happy Spring Cleaning to you all!  Perhaps this will inspire a few of you to clean up the studio too. I am sure I am not the only artist whose work area gets piled high!  It sure feels good!!!

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?

Recycle, Recycle, Recycle

I bet you were wondering what I have been doing for the last two days. 

Well, if you haven't, I am going to tell you anyway.

recycle the jewelry, recycle the jewelry, recycle the jewelry

Ok, let me explain.  Over the years, I have accumulated a few "stash" areas....

Here are a couple of bins and drawers AFTER they had been sorted

.....they don't hold beads.........they hold jewelry.  Jewelry I didn't like after it was made, jewelry I made a lot of and didn't sell, half finished jewelry, ect....  I started packing stuff away about 8 years ago, so I have quite a bit stored up.  The idea was that one day I would dismantle all those buggers and re-use the materials.  Well, I never HAD to do that, so of course, I didn't.

Now- have you seen the cost of silver lately?????  Today the spot price is $34.95!  I cannnot afford to design in silver!  I need chain, bali beads, clasps, wire.....and I can't afford to buy any of it. 

SO, recyle the jewelry, recycle the jewelry, ect.... you get the picture.

So for two days I sorted, and marked down some stuff for "sale" bin.  Other stuff went into piles, recycle the wire, recycle the beads or to be finished.  (please note that only one made it into the "to be finished" category..LOL!)
At the end of day one, I had this..............

Some silver, some chain, some great focal beads.

(I was also saving every single scrap of silver wire possible.  I save it all year and then send it in to Thunderbird Supply, who gives 80% spot price in credit for it.  That is how I plan to buy more wire.  I am proud to say that I am sending in 7oz of silver scraps!!!  If you don't already do it, it is sooo worth it to save them and send them in.)

By mid-morning today, I had this...........

I saved my accu-flex wire, clasps, focals, pearls, sterling silver chain and sterling silver wire.   I feel like I just went bead shopping, its kinda exciting.

But this is what got me REALLY excited.  Look at that stash of silver.

I remember when I bought some of those beads, I thought they were expensive at $2.50 each, now they are $12 each!!!!  OUCH!
I feel pretty good.  I cleaned out some really old dusty corners of my studio.  I recycled, saved money and found some lost treasures. 

How do you recycle in your business, whether to save money or help the planet?