Finally...New Post, New Curtains, New Lights

Well, it's about time, huh?  It's been way too long since I last posted.  The days are flying by and what seemed like a month and a half has really been 3 months.  Yikes!

I've been in a "nesting" mood since the beginning of the year.  We've lived in this house for over 3 1/2 years and I decided it was time to finally get to some projects that had been put off and put off.  So, we rearranged the living room and I decided to make some new curtains to replace the ones I made from sheets when we first moved here.  It was sometimes fun, sometimes very frustrating, and sometimes just funny (as in I can't believe how brainless hormones have made me) but they got finished and hung and I like them.

Kitchen curtains made from Crate and Barrel dish towels.

Living room curtains made from white Ikea curtains with an added border of fun fabrics.

The dining room slider has a curtain just like these.

Hubs decided to do some projects too and made me my mason jar lights I've been wanting to put in the kitchen.  He had a brainstorm about what hardware to use to mount them--industrial surface mount conduit and electrical boxes--and I think they turned out spectacularly!!

 LIght over sink.

 Lights over the peninsula.

 All lit up.  Sorry it's not a better picture--it was hard to get it to turn out at all.

There's still a lot of accessorizing I 'd like to get finished so that the living room looks put together.  A rug, pillows, pictures for the walls, pretty things on the shelves...I'm kind of in a lull right now but I've set a deadline so hopefully that will spur me on to fffffinish.

Almost Done...

I am sooooooo close to having everything organized and put away in the studio.  I know, I know, I keep saying that but it's true.  The washer and dryer went in today and tomorrow I go into town to get a utility sink.  My vintage cameras are out of their cases and on the shelf and the only thing left to do is clean up the last dregs of stuff off the cutting table.  Yippie Skippie is all I've got to say.  :)

I took some fun photos to give you a little glimpse of what it looks like.  Hope you like.  :)

Studio Peek

I've been hard at work this last week trying to get all my crap studio stuff out of boxes and onto shelves.  The knitting and spinning stuff went pretty fast but the fabric has taken forever!  Of course, I decided to iron it all and put it on mini bolts on the shelves instead of just folding it so that's part of why it took so long.  I got the idea from various sewing blogs when I was trying to figure out how best to arrange stuff in the new studio space.  I love how creative people are!  The smaller mini bolts are comic book boards that I got at my local comic book store.  You can see the blog where I got the idea here.  

My fabric for sewing clothes is on pieces of foam core board that I cut into pieces 15" tall by 6 5/8" wide (a 20 x 30 sheet of foam core cut this way gives you 6 mini bolts).  I got the idea from this blog but had to change the size of the pieces because a lot of my apparel fabric is 60" wide.   

The sewing area is 99% done though.  Tomorrow I'll go through the last of the trims and odds and ends that are left and find homes for them.  Then it's on to the art and jewelry areas...sigh.  I think I might have to take a break to clean house; it's looking pretty messy right now.  :)

Here are the shelves in all their loveliness!

Here they are with the pretty doors closed.  I love that I can still see all the colors of my fabric!

Here's a close-up of the many, many small pieces of quilting fabric I have...I really didn't realize just how many until I started putting them on the mini-bolts.



Awaiting the Final Signature...

New boxes of IKEA shelves, old boxes of precious stuff I packed away almost 8 months ago...

All waiting for the final inspection signature that will mean that this project is finally finished--at least the construction part.  :)  There are still shelves to put together and shelves to attach to walls, and desks to paint, and loads and loads of stuff to find homes for.

Friday, projectman and I spent all day at IKEA loading up 3 carts full of shelves and other stuff.  Here's what the back of the truck looked like when we had it all loaded.  It was pretty full--we even had one long shelf in-between the two front seats becasue it was too long to fit anywhere else.  

 

Saturday, I had to get most of my boxed up stuff out of the garage so projectman could drywall the ceiling. So with some help from my dd and some of the neighbor boys, we moved all the boxes and stuff either back into the studio or onto the front porch. 

Sigh...I wonder if I'll ever have a front porch that doesn't scream "white trash"...

Whoo Hoo! It's Finished...Sort Of

Yes, at long last, the studio is finished.  I can't move in until the smoke detectors are installed and drywall hung and taped on the garage ceiling (which, God willing, will happen next weekend), but the room itself is finished.  We spent last weekend finishing the floor and painting trim and filling nail holes and I've been working on getting the doors all painted.  I am so very excited!   I have an awesome husband!  He's worked his butt off to make this room for me and I can't even find words to say how much I appreciate it.  :) 

So without further ado, here's my new empty studio--just waiting to be filled...

Isn't it pretty? 

So Close I Can Almost Taste It

There is paint on my studio walls (thanks to my dh, since I have been sick and had no energy) and outlets in the boxes and lights on the ceiling.   Today I'll get the outlet covers on and hopefully, the window and door trim painted .  I'm starting to get really excited.  :)

The plan for this week is to get the flooring cut to size and sanded so we can put a coat or two of Varathane on it and then get it put down.  Then we can do another coat of Varathane in place and the floor will be done.  Then we have to move all the boxes and furniture in from the garage and pile it in the middle of the floor so we can drywall the garage ceiling.  Once that's done and we've added the two necessary smoke detectors to the house, we can call for our final inspection and then I can start buying shelves and painting furniture and unpacking.  Can't wait!!!!!!!!!!

Studio Dreaming

 It's getting closer!  All the drywall is up in the new studio and once the drywall inspection is done next Wed., we can start the final slog through taping and mudding and painting and all the other myriad of stuff that needs to be done to finish this project. 

 I've had a basic floor plan for all the furnishings and storage stuff for a long time but this weekend I pulled it out again and spent way too much some time rethinking everything.  I moved a few things around in the sewing area so I can make room for a bigger ironing area and more shelves for fabric and drew some elevation drawings so I could see where I could find room for small storage on the walls.   There are still a few areas that need some rethinking but I'm getting close.  Now I can think about the making it pretty part.  :)

 Ive been having a lot of fun this weekend checking out blogs showing all kinds of sewing and craft studios.  Tons of great inspiration out there!  I thought I'd share a few of my favorites.

Anna Lena's studio

Love the colors and all the neat organization here!  She must have read my mind because these are the colors I'm wanting to use for my new studio.  Are you cringing at the orange, Y?                             

I really love this cutting table!  Look at all the storage!  Drool, drool, drool...  For more pics, click here.

Crafty Intentions studio               

Absolutely love the colors in this studio.  In fact, it inspired me to make the curtains and chair cover that I did for the studio before we tore it down.  And I love the wall with all the glass bottles for storing cool stuff.  Also, you can't see it well in this picture, but click here to see a closer picture of the cool tin can corsets and to see lots more pics of this great studio.

Allsorts studio

   

Another really wonderful studio.  for more, click here.

Modkidboutique studio                  

Isn't it fab?  So colorful and neat!  And I love the cutting table.  It's made from two Ikea shelves tipped on their sides.  Very tempting to make one for my studio!  For more, click here.

I can't decide if these studios inspire me or discourage me.  I think it's a bit of both.  :)  I know that my studio will never be as pretty as the ones above because...well, I'm too messy and some of the stuff I have to store would be impossible to make pretty.  But, I still plan to try and make my space as pretty as I can...Ikea here I come.    

Studio Update

Wow, once again, it's been awhile since I've blogged.  I've been busy trying to get some clothes sewn for myself so that's been occupying all the brain cells I have left.   I've resisted blogging about that whole process because...well, for a lot of reasons, one of which would be that it just might be the most boring thing anyone has ever read.  :)

The progress in the studio has been slow and steady.  Al has been out there as much as he can, working on the electrical.  It's been a bit more of a challenge than we thought because in order to finish up the wiring at the panel, he had to test every outlet and light in the house and re-label everything because very few of the original labels in the electrical panel were right.  I think he's really close though and hopefully can call for the electrical inspection and the framing inspection this week or next.  Then we can start insulating!!! 

The outside is all done and beautiful.  Here are the pics I took of it on one of the last sunny days we had.

I have to admit I'm getting pretty antsy to get my studio back.  It's been almost 6 months now and I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to look something up in one of my sewing books (I keep having to check out books I own from the library because I can't get to mine) or fix a piece of jewelry or buy a something like zippers or velcro from Joann's because the ones I have are packed.  And then there's the whole "sewing at the dining room table and cutting stuff out on the kitchen counter" which works in theory but not so well in practice--especially when 3 other people need the table space for their work and the counter is the only counter in the kitchen that is useable space for cooking.  :)  I really sound whiney, don't I?  :) 

That's not my intent, really!  It's been pretty funny most of the time watching how this "hormone-driven mid-life person I don't recognize anymore" called me trys to deal with two of her biggest stressors--lack of organization and lack of space.  Maybe my son could make a movie out of it.  :)

Studio Progress

Thought I'd better try to get a few pics up since it's been so long since I've posted anything.  :)  I now have a roof for my studio.  Yay!  It came with a bit of suffering for my sweetie though.  He smashed his finger really badly (I had to take him to urgent care where they stitched him up and put a splint on it) and then he had to keep working because the weatherman was predicting rain.  And man did it rain!  Not just the typical Northwest misty rain, but a freakin' deluge.  Made me really glad I hate heights so much.  Other that going out to encourage everyone and check on progress, I got to stay inside because there was no way I was getting on that roof.

Anyway, everything is weathered in and my floor has dried out and I'm so very thankful for all the help we had getting it done.

Yuck!  What a miserable day this was.  The floor got swept about 5 times and each time there was a good 1/2 inch of water on it.

Roofing day was better...only intermittent rain and lots of helpers so it went really fast.  Thank you God!

I'm hoping that maybe I can be all moved in (or everything can be ready for me to move in) by Christmas.  I don't think it's gonna happen sooner than that.  I'm missing my books and my cutting and sewin table a LOT, so I will be a happy camper when it's finally finished.

What a Difference a Day Makes

Wow, it's been a while since I posted anything.  It's been an insanely busy summer and I have to admit I've been too tired to do anything creative lately.  Hopefully I'll get inspired soon and can blog about what newest thing I'm making.  I did make a skirt for my daughter to wear to a wedding next weekend and boy did it make me miss my studio.  I haven't had to cut out a pattern on the dining room table for many, many years and I'd forgotten how hard it is on the back.  I'm getting antsy to have my studio back!

 Thankfully, DH has been making very steady progress.  Yesterday morning, it looked like this...

by late afternoon, I had a real subfloor that I could walk on...

Today I got walls...

All I can say is whoo hoo!!!!!!!

I was busy today too.  Since we're having a big party here in a week, I figured it was about time I tackled painting the "soon to be" guest bedroom.  When we first moved in 2 years ago, we painted it bright, bright lime green for one of my sons and, although I really love the color, it is a little too intense for a guest room so I'm having to repaint.  I've painted one coat in the closet so far and am headed up to start priming the walls now that the kids have taken everything out of the room.  

 I just hope I can find my painting mojo again--I usually like painting but I'm pretty much hating the whole process today. The best I can say is I'll be glad when it's done.  :)

For Rent: Plein Air Studio

Beautiful light filled space in the middle of the woods.  Hear the sound of the birds and watch the squirrels frolic as you work.   Comes complete with partial basement and plumbing.  Don't miss out on a great opportunity to create in this unique space.

Sounds great doesn't it?  Too bad the reality doesn't match the fantasy.  :)  My studio is officially gone now.  There's nothing left.  I'm way past due for some photos showing the destruction progress so far.  Enjoy!

All the walls and roof disappeared by about the 4th of July--it makes a nice patio doesn't it?

When I came home from Mom's on the 9th, I had a new hole in the ground.

By the end of the weekend, DH should have the forms for the footings all finished and we can call for our first inspection.  Since I'm starting to suffer withdrawls already (if only for a place to put all my "stuff"), every little bit of progress is a good thing.   

Bye Bye Studio...

...otherwise known as what I've spent the last two days doing. 

This summer my studio is getting a makeover.  The roof leaked all last winter and there's no quick and easy fix, so we really have to redo the whole roof, including half of the garage roof.  And since redoing the roof means we have to rebuild the walls anyway, my sweetie asked me if I'd like to have a bigger studio.  Well, I could hardly say no, could I? 

I picked up the building permit on Tuesday and since I have to leave to go to my mom's on Friday, that left just a few days to get everything packed up.  I started Tuesday evening and packed 8 boxes of books before I went to bed.   I took some pics of it in its almost normal state when I got up on Wednesday morning.

art table area

                           

sewing area

 jewelry area

Wednesday morning I hit it hard and worked all day packing stuff.  I had to go into Lowes once to get more boxes (yikes, I packed a whole lot of boxes) and I stopped to eat dinner, but all told, I spent about 14 hours packing.  It seemed like every time I turned around, there was something else to pack.  :)  Here's what it looked like this morning before I started in again.  

nothing but bare shelves

35 boxes of stuff stacked to the rafters in the garage

                                             

This morning I took the time to finish the the buttonholes on the shirt I made on Monday so I could pack up the sewing machine and the last of the sewing stuff.  Once that was done, it was a quick half hour for my husband and son and a few neighbor boys to haul all the furniture out to the garage, and presto chango, it was all done. 

 

looks pretty much like it did when we moved in two years ago

all my stuff, anxiously awaiting its new home in a few months--a few months, right sweetie?

Nestled In My Backyard...

Last weekend, Al finished the siding on my new garden shed (thank you so much sweetie!) so now I can show it off.    I still need to paint the trim and bring the door up from my mom's and get in installed but even with that still undone, isn't it awesome?  If I were a little girl, I'd be finding furniture and a tea set to take out there and make it my playhouse. 

I can't wait for a sunny day when I can get out in the yard with a sketchbook and my paints and try my hand at capturing it on paper.

Sneak Peaks

I've been spending a lot of time on the road the last few weeks, alternately going to my mom's and bringing her up here to stay, so I haven't had much time to blog lately.  But I couldn't let any more time go without showing some sneak peaks of my almost finished garden shed.  I have to find time to search out an old door and then the rest of the siding and shingles can be put on and the trim painted.  I'm very, very excited about how it looks so far--exactly what I wanted!

I can't wait until it's all finished!  How can it not be cool?  It has two of my absolute favorite things--old windows with peeling paint and old metal roofing.  The windows were found on Craigslist for cheap and the roofing scrounged from my folks house.