Workbench Wednesday...Something Extremely Rare....

This is actually a post from my on-going studio redo.

I have been busy trying to get it all cleaned up and organized as you know.

Here is a look at the workbench last week:

YIKES!

Wait, there is more...

And more....

and more

and more.

Sigh.

So it has been months of working and then just piling.

Time to get this done.

Even I can't create in this mess.

So on one of the hottest days of the summer so far, I worked and worked and worked.

Lucky for me my awesome husband put up a ceiling fan for me 2 years ago.  

It was not too bad standing right under the fan.

I am pleased to show you the workbench now...

Drum roll please........

Wow!  What a difference!

Of course, just moments after finishing it, I want to create.

Gets me excited to start again.

You can see I was dipping beads.

So enjoy a couple more photos and know a clean workbench is a rare sight indeed in this studio. 

If you are a neat artist, enjoy!

If not, don't worry!  

I am sure by next week there will be some level of chaos for you to enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by...

Baby Steps to A Clean Studio...

I am still chipping away at the studio.

It does get overwhelming.  

So I am trying to celebrate the little victories.

My workbench area is shaped like a U.  I have a long counter along the wall with old kitchen cabinets above and below.

At one end is our old kitchen table.

It kicks out from the counter at a right angle.

From the other end is a tall counter my husband created for me from an extra locker from work.

He suggested turning it on it's side and then we put casters on it so I can move it if I need to.

I wanted to put a lot of my tools and such on there so I can find them.

Over time it got really full.

Eventually I made curtains from an old shower curtain from the thrift store for the front to hide my mess.

Here are a couple before the cleaning shots:

That is a lot of stuff....

You can see part of the U shape work area here:

My target area is to the left in the picture.

When I went to Lucketts this spring, one of my finds was this amazing industrial style metal cabinet.

I love it and actually cleaned it and got it into the studio the day after I bought it...

A new record!

I love all those amazing little drawers.

I am filling them slowly with new flea market goodies and supplies I use frequently.

You can see this paint rack is actually accessible.

Remember, the one on the other side of the studio serves duel storage purposes.

Those cool copper canisters were a thrift store find this

spring. 

 There were 2 larger ones that said $4 for the set. 

 Cool, I thought.

  They will make great studio storage.

I paid for them, brought them home and got them out to clean them.

I opened them up and there were two more little ones inside!

A bonus!

Score!

Took them from a good buy to a great buy.

My daughter even likes them.

One is filled with lace.

One is filled with stained and dyed cheesecloth.

The other two are waiting...

Also on the counter now are three printers ' trays from a family junking trip this spring.

My husband spied these for me.

He knows my weakness for these trays.

These are actually the cleanest, nicest, least damaged trays I have ever seen.

So I paid a little more than usual.

I usually put them into my booth for jewelry display but I decided to enjoy these in my studio every day.

I am filling them with goodies from a recent junking score.

The vendor was liquidating. 

 He offered 7 jewelry boxes and contents for an unheard of price each.

I could not scoop them up fast enough.

I did not even really look at them until I got them home.

They were full of lots of cool pieces.

The rest we will put on Etsy.

There are some other junking goodies.

Pebbles and sewing notions.

So you can see I am making progress.

A little bit each day.

There is a reason behind the steady push.

I am working to get it done so I can work here again.

So I can find my supplies and tools.

And so I can participate in the Where Bloggers Create Tour 2014.

So watch for my studio tour on July 11th.

Until then I will keep updating you on my progress.

Thanks for stopping by....

Reorganizing the Studio

I am lucky enough to have several spaces devoted primarily to my art.

This is good....

and bad.

I have lots of stuff.

I like to do lots of things so I am always on the lookout for supplies or possible projects.

I reorganize each year. 

This year I am determined to get my spaces looking good. 

I want to sort out what I can really use and cull the rest.

This is my goal.  

We will see how it goes.

To stay on track, I am going to show you the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Here is my first challenge.

Above the cupboards in my garage, I keep my yarn and fibers.

When I started, they were in little plastic baskets and looked nice.

Then time went by.

I bought more yarn.

And more yarn.

And more yarn.

Now they look like this.

Sigh. 

 So I am rethinking how I am going to store things up there and show you the results as soon as it is done.

  Stay tuned.

Thanks for stopping by.