Showing posts with label The Studio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Studio. Show all posts

Monday, October 17, 2011

at long last...

i've finally
found my
sewing machine...
.
...again
after being buried
under boxes and junk
for so long
the last few weeks
my body was craving the
motion of the machine
i started with a
little project
that was almost finished
love me some
chocolate and blue
by our favorite kate spain
thought that would
give me a boost to
jump back in with both feet
ugh ugh triple ugh
the cutting counter
just never enough
hours in a day

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

no creations...

this blog
is supposed to
be about...
.
...creations
my creations
but lately it has been
more about family
and friends
and
chocolate
so i decided i best
confess
and show you why
it's a mess
a somewhat organized mess
but still a mess
my little ole creative corner
is always the go to room
for all the stuff
gathered in other rooms
where repair is needed
even my design board
 is down
so the work crew has access
 to
the electrical panels
sigh
maybe tomorrow
we can start the clean up
at least i won't need buckets
for the task
for which i am grateful

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

no words...

to describe
 the
current status...
.
of my creative corner
or my personal life
in general
i have customers ask
if my house looks like the store
not really
enough said

Sunday, October 17, 2010

minky and me...

in my last post
i declared
my love...
.
for minky
i know there were a few
of you
wondering
if i had lost
my mind
and i'll confess for a short time
i did
i was just so thrilled
with the feel
it's heavenly to work with
especially
when your manikin
is a three ring binder
that's right
the spine
the curves
the just right fit
perfection
what am i doing you wonder
well
just another part of our divine
connections i tell ya
last may
at the chamber of commerce
business to business exhibit
i met brea
and she developed this wonder product
called the story of me
a few months later
she asked me if my workers
at the store
might be able to help
stitch the fabric covers for her
absolutely
and so sarah and i have been
sewing up a storm
please go to brea's website
you may just want to order
a book or two
especially knowing
the hands now involved

Sunday, October 3, 2010

i lied...

...a little
yesterday
i mentioned...
.
i was heading
to my southern playland
that might have lead
you to believe
i was heading somewhere
warm
and sunny
like closer to the equator
when really
i was heading down
into my creative corner
aka...
the basement
it has been so neglected lately
the store has consumed
all my time
that great cutting counter
is now covered
by junk mail
and probably bills
but i wouldn't know it
as i have been throwing
everything
down there
and ignoring it
not anymore
stay tuned...

Saturday, May 29, 2010

looking for some trim...

in red, white or blue
it looks like sarah
has been here too
.
for the longest time
sarah liked to twirl ribbons
in the world of down syndrome and autism
professionals refer to it as stimming
i saw it as my daughter
playing with my stash
there is a drawer in the sewing room
full of elastic, trims and ribbon
it is a twisted mess
as you can see
i purposely leave it in disarray
as a reminder of each time
sarah would sneak down
thinking no one was looking
to take another ribbon
to satisfy this need within her
she eventually grew out of that habit
still each time i open
this drawer
i see her sweet little face
with a big cheezy grin
being caught
when i walked in

Sunday, April 18, 2010

button,button...

who's got the button...
i'm searching
for the perfect...
.
...buttons for
two adorable little
bluebird eyes
i think i see them
third row
box four
a quick find
now that i've organized
the button stash

Thursday, March 25, 2010

the stampin' half

i've had a request to show greater details of the other half of my workroom, ie. the non-sewing side.

The question specifically asked about the hanging stamp sets. Yes indeed, my stamp sets hang. When my studio was built in 1993, I lined the walls with 2" gridwall. It has proven a good choice, as this room has evolved a number of times during it's seventeen years of existance. When I became a Stampin' Up! demonstrator in 2001, I rearranged my largest cupboard to make room for my growing collection of stamps, inks and papers. Soon I realized it was just not working for me. I spent more time looking for supplies than I did making creations. So I pondered for a while.

Then one day the thought entered my mind of hanging them. But how? A few weeks later I was drilling holes in the wall to hang a valance, and it hit me...drill a hole in the plastic case and hang them on hooks. I tried one. It worked perfectly, so I drilled every case I had.
Then I found these neat little grid racks that seem to be designed to hold Stampin' Wheels.

I purchased five hanging folder racks. Each of the four Stampin' Up! color families have it's own and then the fifth is for neutrals. Each color has it's own folder which I keep 8 1/2 x 11 and cut scraps of that color. each color is identified with it's name followed by the color family code. SS stands for Soft Subtles, the green dot means it is a new color(from the time I started with SU) and the red dot tells me it is a retired color.

I use the same holders for ribbon.

I bought this fun little acrylic organizer at a craft show one year. It is perfect for bottles of ink and miscellanous embellishments.

I keep all the ink pads in this holder which I purchased before Stampin' Up! came out with theirs.

The white cases along the floor are simple storage units from Target. The one they advertise for shoes is perfect for envelopes, sample cards, reference binders etc.

One unit has a little drawer that is great for all things sticky. When organizing, I try to put like things together. That way it is easier to remember where you put them, especially at my age:)
True confession time...I am not 100% pure...Yes, that is a Creative Memories cutting system. I love it. In my opinion, it is the best way to cut perfect circles and ovals, so there it stays.

I have one smaller cupboard for the miscellaneous things that are not used as often. I still have a collection of project sheets. I wish they still produced those. I loved featuring them at demonstrations and the stamp sets featured are the ones I hang onto, even after they retire.

And I've saved maybe the best, for last...the Big Shot. It sits right among the ironing supplies. Why? Well, I've used it more with fabric than I have paper. That's why I'm thrilled to see others finding that function too. I keep the more popular die cuts sitting in a basket next to it. Others are in a box below.
I hope you've enjoyed the tour. Please remember, the most important part of organizing your work space is that it work for YOU.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

when addictions collide...

i've been hearing
about a new found craze...

rubber stampers are discovering
...fabric
and stitching
and buttons and rick rack
imagine the big shot
cutting more than paper
funny...
my addictions collided long ago:)

Sunday, March 7, 2010

the tailor of gloucester

in a corner of my creative studio
is a collection
of items given to me over the years...
as gifts from family and friends
a few from happy clients
a special one from my son...
it reads "moms make memories"
if you look closer you will see
little mouse ears peering over a paper
it's the tailor of gloucester
from the peter rabbit collection
today at cake wrecks...

...i was in total awe when I viewed this creation
yes, it is a cake!!!
made by the very talented
natasha collins
and leave her some creative encouragement
and thanks for sharing this masterpiece

Friday, January 22, 2010

my nifty fifty gift...

...from me...to me...

...it's been a long two years
without my creative studio...
i promised myself it would be ready
for the launch of the
...next half of my life