Ive been very busy getting my studio just the way I want it, between getting my etsy shop fully stocked. I now have 175 items listed, woo hoo!
The studio just needs a little tweaking. I still have lots of art that I have collected that I need to get framed and on the walls. Some of which came from some wonderful etsy shops and some of my own. Of course a few that I have picked up from thrift shops. I have used all of the furniture that I can spare from the rest of the house, but still need a couple more drawer units or something similar. Im having trouble finding good storage for my rubber stamps. I dont like them to be hidden, as I use them for inspiration. But I do need them in one good spot that is not in the way. Any suggestions would be great!
So as soon as I have these little things done, I will post pictures of the finished product.
By the way, it is so much better creating in the studio then on the kitchen table or sitting on the couch. Its a space that is all mine and just brings me peace!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
studio, getting started
I have decided to call my space a studio, not a craft room. Why? because I think it demands more respect, from myself and others. Dont get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with crafting, I feel that every crafter is an artist in her own right! But how much respect does a crafter get? People think of it as a hobby, something to play with in our free time. This is not what it is to me. It is my full time work.
My family, at first didnt take me seriously, they even laughed at me and made jokes, but with time, they have learned that it is not a passing thing. Its not going to go away, they now give me my time to work, and they are even my biggest fans now. So anyway, I am an artist, maybe a starving artist, but still an artist!
While we are on the subject, I had the opportunity to start on my studio. First thing I did, was search the house for anything that could be useful. I took a large shelving unit from my laundry room, a small book case from one of the bedrooms, desk from another room and a couple of small tables. Next, I went to the local dollar store. I got tons of small shoe box containers, totes and baskets. (almost all pink, I might add). Im showing you a picture of the containers that I started with. Also a picture of the space, after I gathered all of my supplies from everywhere else around the house and dumped them all in the room. Now I am in the process of sorting, I have boxes of trash, boxes for donation and lots of containers quickly filling up.
In a day or two, I should be able to show you the progress.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
I am going to make a studio
I will have to explain a little of the history so that you can understand my NEED for a studio.
My husband and I have 6 kids. When we built this house, 3 of them had grown up and moved out, so we still had 3 living with us. We built a 4 bedroom, with the kids, smaller rooms downstairs and our bedroom upstairs. That and the office are the only things up stairs, well, a bathroom also. Ok, so 3 years later, the last one left. Ahh, it was just us, empty nesters, but loving every minute of it. This was about a year ago. For a while, we still had our room upstairs. One day I said, "honey, we have this whole house, why are we still climbing the stairs?" He didnt know either except for the fact that the upstairs room was much bigger. I got the bright idea of tearing down one of the walls downstairs to turn 2 bedrooms into one. This is what we did. Wonderful! We arent climbing the stairs all of the time and we have enough room. The upstairs room, is kind of a storage and multi guest room now. We have big family get togethers here at least once a year, with lots of out of state guests. Because of this, I moved 3 twin beds in that room. I also store all of my Etsy items up there and some craft supplies that I dont use too often. The other downstairs room, has a full size bed for guests and a baby bed for the grand babies when they stay. I decorated it, all in vintage child decor. Woody woodpecker, raggedy ann and andy, vintage story books, the whole works ( I had to share that, Im in love with it) I also store my craft supplies that I use often, (dont want to climb those stairs). Everything is great, right? Wrong!!
One of our kids came back.....with a baby! I told him that he could use either room, which ever one he wanted. The first night he said, we will go upstairs. After sleeping up there one night, he and I decided that we were just too scared that the baby would get out of her bed and fall down the stairs. Since that night, they have taken over the "baby room".
I used to do my crafting in the living room or dining room. It was just better that way, I could do laundry, dishes all the other things that I need to do, while crafting. Well, baby Summer has put a stop to that. She is 16 months old and gets into everything. So I have been going to my bedroom with the door shut, working. How much inspiration can a person get from sitting in the bedroom all day? Not much, I can promise you that.
Which brings me to the conclusion that I now need to make upstairs, my space. I will still need the beds in that room, but I will should have plenty of room I think, for my area. I will try to post pics of the before room, even though I hate to... I told you, I have been using it for storage. But I will, so that I can blog my progress, and you can get the full affect of the whole transformation. Please if you have any suggestions of what I need to get for storage or to make things work better, please dont be shy. I need all of the help I can get. This is my first studio, Im guessing it will be trial and error. Next article.... why I call it a studio and not a craft room!
My husband and I have 6 kids. When we built this house, 3 of them had grown up and moved out, so we still had 3 living with us. We built a 4 bedroom, with the kids, smaller rooms downstairs and our bedroom upstairs. That and the office are the only things up stairs, well, a bathroom also. Ok, so 3 years later, the last one left. Ahh, it was just us, empty nesters, but loving every minute of it. This was about a year ago. For a while, we still had our room upstairs. One day I said, "honey, we have this whole house, why are we still climbing the stairs?" He didnt know either except for the fact that the upstairs room was much bigger. I got the bright idea of tearing down one of the walls downstairs to turn 2 bedrooms into one. This is what we did. Wonderful! We arent climbing the stairs all of the time and we have enough room. The upstairs room, is kind of a storage and multi guest room now. We have big family get togethers here at least once a year, with lots of out of state guests. Because of this, I moved 3 twin beds in that room. I also store all of my Etsy items up there and some craft supplies that I dont use too often. The other downstairs room, has a full size bed for guests and a baby bed for the grand babies when they stay. I decorated it, all in vintage child decor. Woody woodpecker, raggedy ann and andy, vintage story books, the whole works ( I had to share that, Im in love with it) I also store my craft supplies that I use often, (dont want to climb those stairs). Everything is great, right? Wrong!!
One of our kids came back.....with a baby! I told him that he could use either room, which ever one he wanted. The first night he said, we will go upstairs. After sleeping up there one night, he and I decided that we were just too scared that the baby would get out of her bed and fall down the stairs. Since that night, they have taken over the "baby room".
I used to do my crafting in the living room or dining room. It was just better that way, I could do laundry, dishes all the other things that I need to do, while crafting. Well, baby Summer has put a stop to that. She is 16 months old and gets into everything. So I have been going to my bedroom with the door shut, working. How much inspiration can a person get from sitting in the bedroom all day? Not much, I can promise you that.
Which brings me to the conclusion that I now need to make upstairs, my space. I will still need the beds in that room, but I will should have plenty of room I think, for my area. I will try to post pics of the before room, even though I hate to... I told you, I have been using it for storage. But I will, so that I can blog my progress, and you can get the full affect of the whole transformation. Please if you have any suggestions of what I need to get for storage or to make things work better, please dont be shy. I need all of the help I can get. This is my first studio, Im guessing it will be trial and error. Next article.... why I call it a studio and not a craft room!
Friday, June 11, 2010
So i signed up my blog and then never did anything else, but now i am back with the help of a lovely lady named Bethany at PeculiarParchment.etsy.com. She has helped me set up my gadgets and buttons and minis and everything else that I need, so far. I have promised myself that I am going to get this thing up and running, pretty and user friendly. Of course I don't have any followers yet, but that will change too. I would love everyone's feedback and any suggestions and ideas that you have. All help is appreciated!
In the mean time, I am experimenting and playing with what I can find on the blog. here is my first picture uploaded. This is my new venture, making books, I'm loving it. Paper is a new medium for me, its so different from what I am used to, so its lots of fun for me.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
my first entry
ok, here it goes, i am now trying to set the blog up, and personalize it. need lots of luck
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