Oh Studio, My Studio!

Done!  Clean and usable!  (For now.)  Yes, I did tuck a few things away here and there so they would be out of the usable space until I can get to them (papasan cushion, my friend, we’ll be together again someday), but it’s so very nice to see some table-top and floor space open.  And to feel in control of the supplies for once.  = )

Before and After:

to the left....

After!

to the right....

 

After!!

The walls full of chaos will always be there – they’re my layers of creative inspiration and probably the best look into my brain you could ever get – but once again: clean table tops and floor!  Bliss!

My favorite project on this cleanup was organizing the beads into some letterpress type trays I picked up through craigslist.  Aren’t they pretty?  The beads used to be stashed in about a dozen different containers, which made finding something a pain in the caboose.  This is much better.  And if I need extra space on that table top, it’s very easy to move them.  I should have done this months ago.

They’re like candy – yum!

lemon drops...

licorice...

gummies...

Tomorrow I’ll show you how my bits of nature fit in the Cabinet of Curiosities.  It needs some work but it’s so exciting to have one of my own.  = )

 

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Studio almost done!

Let me tell you, I’ve never had such a relaxing and enjoyable time cleaning my studio.  Usually it’s a struggle, a chore, something I put off to the very last minute ’cause I don’t want to deal with all that crap….!  But this time I not only told myself it’s not a pile of crap, I made a list of the major chores to be done – put paper back in bins, put tools away, etc. – and it worked beautifully!  I chose a few chores each night, tried not to get tooo very distracted while doing them, and let go of the pressure.  Aaahhhhhhh.

Consequently, I’ll finish up tonight – hooray!  Last night I put away all the fabric I had pulled out recently (or bought recently, who am I kidding?) and washed in preparation for sewing because, really, I’m not going to sew all of it in the next week so why leave it in the way?  It’s all neatly stacked on a shelf where I can see it and pull one off when I’m ready for the next sewing project. Check!  Amazing how much space, mentally and physically, opened up with just that one task.

I also sorted through the mend/alter pile and decided to keep it all with the promise to myself I’ll actually do it.  It’s basic stuff, most of which will take less than 30 minutes to complete: mend rips in pants and shorts for Matt, put darts in the back of two pairs of pants for me, fix one of his hunting vests, patch a hole in a shopping bag, slightly alter several dance tops and skits… all such doable stuff to be sitting there forever.  You better believe I’ll put one of these on my list each evening going forward!

Tonight’s tasks will include putting away the last little nitpicky piles of odds and ends, putting a few items back into storage, pulling some items from storage for Saturday’s project, and gathering the rest of the supplies I think we’ll need for Saturday.  Now that I have open surfaces to work on again I’m itching to get back to it – I’m several months behind on my book-a-month project, the SIBCs (last ones completed were these ), I have all that sewing I want to do, and a few other projects have been tapping on my shoulder lately.  I’m feeling creative again, and I love that. (Speaking of creativity, I LOVE these.  Lisa is awesome.  And this is where I stomp my foot like a little girl and cry “why can’t I find any porcupine quills??” = )

Lately I’ve looked in my studio and grimaced in disgust but not now!  Now I peek in with a smile.

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Studio update

I’m without camera right now, and haven’t dug out my old pictures to scan in for a “blast from the past” type post, so here’s a studio clean-up update instead:

~ Sorted beads into vintage letterpress type trays – CHECK!  Okay, this one wasn’t essential but it was fun and it made me feel like I accomplished something big.  Cause I did.  And now I can send the little trays I hated to goodwill for someone else to use.  The beads are so pretty now, too.

~ Displayed bones and eggs – CHECK!  These have been stashed/piled on my work spaces for too long, so I gathered up my vertebrae and other bones, all my egg shards and nests, and put them in the antique display cabinet we picked up at auction.  I’ll continue to shift the items in the cabinet as I add more, until everything finds its proper home, but it’s nice to see my goodies in there.  Now to stash the feathers…

~ Emptied the recycle bins – CHECK!  Seriously, I leave this one for too long every time.  It’s amazing how much space opened up just by removing the huge bag of recycling.  Of course now I need to take the recycling in before my pantry is out of space, but it’s out of the studio!

Around making myself dinner, entertaining the dog for a bit, and doing some chores inside and out, that was my evening.  Cindy, so far I haven’t unearthed any distracting treasures, but each task still takes longer than I think it will!

On tonight’s list:  put all fabrics in bins (not piled up because I’m going to get to it tomorrow, yeah right), put all art papers in their bins, sort through the mend and alter pile and make some decisions, put tools and tapes back in their homes, play with the dog, do some baking, and cover the pile of fire wood before it rains again.  Oh, and I desperately, DESPERATELY, need to repaint my toes.  The extra touch up layers are looking tired these days; good thing I can work while a coat of polish dries.

I don’t even miss curling up in front of the TV for an hour (or three – it’s too easy to snuggle in with the Man when he’s around – imagine that!).   It feels so good just to be in my studio, physically, for an extended period of time.  Haven’t done that in WAY TOO LONG!   = )

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Fix it, Love it, or Let it Go

I desperately need to clean my studio – it’s currently in a state of chaos, mayhem, and disorganization, and NOT in a good way.  I also need to spruce it up because my beloved Circle of girlfriends is coming over to play next weekend and I need to find all the goodies in there.  (Hello girls!)

Here’s the before and after from when I did this last February, just after starting the blog.

Here’s what it looks like now:

to the right....

to the left....

Can we say “Too much stuff” boys and girls?

I’m going to try applying one of my Life Philosophies to this cleanup: Fix it, Love it, or Let it Go.  So for each pile I get to (you know who I’m talking about, over there on that chair), I’ll be asking myself –

Can you Fix it?  Does it need to be mended, glued, or patched?  If the answer is NO, I can’t fix it, it needs to move on to the appropriate recycle, trash or burn pile – Let it Go.  If I can fix it, move on to question 2:

Do you Love it? Sure it needs a little mending or altering, but do you love that skirt/pants/sweater/thing enough to do it?  Does that fabric make your heart flutter?  Do you really, truly love that pile of paper or box of beads??  What about the tub of ephemera?  If the answer is No, Let it Go.

Fix it, Love it, or Let it Go.

I’ll show you how it all went when I’m done.  = )

Have a fabulous weekend!  If you don’t hear from me next week I’m probably stranded under a pile of stuff.  Send in the cute firemen….

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