Monday 28 October 2013

All Done Now -- sort of

Well, I've finally settled into my new craft studio. I absolutely love it! I'm happy to just sit and look down the garden, doing nothing really. I still have a few odds and ends to stow away, of course, but I have pronounced it basically d-o-n-e!

Here are a few final photos I've promised. First, in the left corner of the room, the oak shelves and the little plastic drawers (you can just see in the edge of the photo) is my sewing area. I don't have much fabric yet so the shelves look a bit bare. I'll probably add a few things here and there, but I'm determined to not go wild with stacking up a bunch of fabric I won't use. I also have my sewing, quilting, patchwork books and magazines here.




















The other three photos show the three Ikea Expedit shelves (two 4x4 and one 2x4), which hold my papercraft supplies, and another oak bookshelf, which is mostly for books and magazines. I hate throwing out magazines, especially my Stampington ones like Take Ten, Art Journaling, Stampers' Sampler, etc. They really never go out of date.

There are a couple of things to show close up. First is this wooden sign I found in Whitstable at a little shop:


How cute is that! I just love a good miracle and sometimes when I craft, that's what I pray for.........

  
And above the other Expedit shelves are all my handmade albums: travel, art journals, and circle journals. Because they're so colourful, I wanted to show them off. Actually, I love making these even more than scrapbooks and cards, so I'll be adding to them from time to time.

Fortunately, the storm we had last night didn't do any damage to the studio. I was worried, as it was the first real test for weather-proofing, but the little cabin held up very well and remained watertight! Lots of trees felled, though none around here, and some power outages down closer to the south coast. We had our candles and flashlights (they call them "torches" here in the UK) ready, but hey-ho!!!

Saturday 19 October 2013

Still plugging along

I honestly wonder where all this stuff came from! I’m just amazed at how I had it all (and a bit more…. I’ve done a lot of clearing out) jammed into a smaller room and only a part of that room. I suppose it’s no surprise that I’d really lost a lot of enthusiasm for crafting because I could never find anything! Now I’ve discovered all kinds of fun things that I’d forgot about. It’s almost like Christmas…. the only downside is that my poor long-suffering husband keeps insisting — and I agree, for now — that I shouldn’t buy any new supplies or magazines or books for a long, long time.

Well, it’s all beginning to shape up, as day by day I make a bit more progress. Here are some photos taken a couple of days ago. I’ve made good progress today but didn’t take any photos. I will… and I really do appreciate all the encouraging and kind comments.

These are the Ikea Expedit shelves, which since this photo are now totally filled. I bought two of the 4 by 4 shelves, one of the 4 by 2 shelves (this one on casters so can be easily moved around.

In this photo it’s easier to see the red box inserts. I got  five of them. At first I thought it might have been a mistake as they’re really deep and things are going to be jumbled inside, but they are really brilliant for odd-shaped and odd-sized items. I seem to have a lot of these kinds of items for some reason. I bought four of the straw baskets at a shop in Herne Bay. They’re lined with the nicest red and white fabric. Are you beginning to see a plan here (i.e. red and white)?

As I mentioned, I’ve since moved a lot of things around and added more so will take more photos tomorrow. I’ve brought two tall bookcases from the old craft room to hold books and magazines. Yes, I’m a hoarder, but honestly I’ve thrown out so many old magazines. It made me sad but I just can’t keep everything. I spent quite a bit of time going through them  one by one today and having a real struggle with nostalgia. Some of those magazines were from 2003! My goodness how scrapbook styles have changed, and some of the magazines aren’t even in existence anymore. I’ve even culled my books!

At least now things are better organized/organised: art journaling and mixed media, scrapbooking, cardmaking, and (at the other side of the room) sewing, including patchwork. Now I’ll be able to find things when I’m looking. And the bonus is that I know what I’ve got!!!

The only thing I’m not sure about is the trolley. I thought I ordered this one (Ikea Raskog):

IKEA Raskog trolley

but instead I got this one (Ikea Bygel – half the price of the Raskog):

It’s not bad… just different. It holds a lot and has a little drawer at the top but only two wheels. Ah well…. for the price (£25), I can live with it. One thing I thought I’d be able to get rid of are all the plastic drawers I’ve been using, but it looks like I’ll be keeping those for awhile yet. I’m just so ready to get it all sorted to the point I can do some craftwork in here.

One thing I’ve come to realize/realise (US/UK spelling) is that I don’t really NEED all those magazines. Since I got a Pinterest account, if I want inspiration I only need to look through the boards I follow or my own. Pinterest is just amazing and I can’t stop “collecting” the pictures. All I can say is that there are some incredibly talented people out there, from literally all over the world. Isn’t it amazing how it seems to be a universal human instinct to want to better our little corner of the world? Our homes, our families, ourselves? Whether it’s recipes, home decor, crafts, even pets. I just love it.

Wednesday 9 October 2013

Parkinson’s Law revised

Parkinson’s law says “work expands to fit the time available” but I’d like to revise that to say “stash expands to fit the space available”! Honestly, I don’t know where all my craft supplies have been hiding, but I’ve never seen so much “stuff” in all my life. No wonder I lost my mojo… everything was crammed so tight that I didn’t even know what I had, much less where it was! Moving to the new studio has been an eye-opening (and eye-watering) experience. I feel really excited again, BUT friends, please listen: DO NOT let me buy another sheet of paper, another stamp, another pot of paint, or anything else from a craft shop for at least five years. Seriously, I have more supplies that I can probably use in my lifetime.

Well, here we go with some photos of the new studio (I’m calling it “studio” instead of “cabin” now). First is my sweet husband assembling the new Ikea Expedit shelves, with the help of his faithful companion.

So I now have two Expedit 4x4 shelves, one Expedit 4x2 shelf, an Ikea trolley, and two (old) worktables, not to mention all the plastic drawers I already had. For the Ikea Expedit shelves I bought five drawers and five slide in boxes. This is the way the studio looked as I just dumped things in.

 

And there’s still LOTS more in the house left to bring out. Never mind…. I did at least have enough to play with, since I was really chomping at the bit to get started. I had a chipboard chest that I knew I could use, so I covered it with some patterned  paper. I used Simple Stories “Summertime” and a sheet from “Portobello” (can’t remember who makes that). I think it turned out pretty cute.

So poor hubby is now building steps up to the decking for the cabin. It’s supposed to rain this afternoon, so he’ll build some shelves maybe, when he has to go inside. Really, he’s been wonderful about doing all the hard labour. I just can’t wait to get things DONE! I’ve found some red gingham curtains and red lampshades for my little studio, too.

IMG_0204

Woo hoo…. I’m having fun now!