Tour the Studio

WELCOME! My newly redesigned studio makes my heart sing! Pieces are coming together like you wouldn't believe in my new space.  I can find everything so easily and when I want some fun bit or bauble I'm not tripping over everything to find it. (And if you know me personally, you know I spent the fall with a broken rib because of a klutzy moment in the hoarder-state the studio used to be in!)  Open a drawer or door or cabinet and there is what you desire! Amazing concept. I know. You have no idea how bad it was! I decided not to even take before pictures. Let me explain that in one corner was an explosion of Christmas pieces that never came together, in another was a leaning tower of totes and boxes up to the ceiling...again with ideas that never came together, and in yet another corner was paper perched on top of bushel baskets on top of wrapping paper on top of frames. It was an avalanche waiting to happen. Since putting the studio in order, I've found six pieces that just needed a touch or two more to be finished. 

The cabinet, which has an incredible work surface, has drawers that now hold what used to be in totes and boxes stacked to the ceiling. Paper, music pages and newspapers along with bits and baubles hide in plain site now for me. This cabinet was more than I ever pay for anything! However, it was so worth it and when you consider that we've remodeled the basement and been able to reuse our couches and coffee tables, it was okay to spend the entire furniture budget of the remodel on this piece.  The table in the middle of the room was a side-table in a dining room and I bought it the last day of an estate sale for 70% off the ticket price making it $10.

 Among these bookshelves are obviously books but also more paper storage and my stamps and inks. Ribbon and fabric are in the black drawers and I have lots of space on top to stash some treasures. The bookshelves were a present (gift certificates from our Civil Union and Christmas last year).  The storage for the paper was bought YEARS ago when I was scrapbooking a lot. Don't even ask to see our family scrapbooks...you'd be disappointed! The organizational unit on wheels beside the table was a Christmas present to me from Emily this year.  It has an open top that is deep set and has three cloth drawers. My fancy scissors, punches, paints and collage supplies are in here and thanks to the wheels can move to any area of the room easily.
Please ignore that there is bit still to sort through under the main table!
Life is a work in progress, isn't it?! 
The table to the left is created from the top of a table I found on the side of the road (our old neighbors were throwing it out) and the base is the other part of the white shelves that are sitting on top of the awesome cabinet. My printer, extra computer and sewing machine hangout on the shelves below the table.

LOTS of work surface on top! Love this reclaimed wood piece. It was made from a barn that had been taken down.  It's so rustic that I don't feel badly that it already has paint, hot glue and
glitter in spots. Even though we found it at Furniture Row in Oak Express, it fits perfectly with our style. I knew as soon as I saw it that it was the piece we had been searching for!

This big white cabinet came from the salvage warehouse in town.  We had it in the office on our second floor and it was tough to move to the basement!  We had to cut off part of the top to get it to fit. We got a great price on this because we are members of the Old House Society. I don't remember how much we paid as we got it several years ago! We had to paint it and add the hardware. The smaller set of drawers to the left of the big cabinet was $1 at an auction.  I bid $5 and the auctioneer gave it to me for a buck because it was in such horrible condition. However, the hardware was there and I had vision...even though it was leaning and had birds living in it!  The cabinet  with the glass doors came from a thrift store in downtown Bloomington. It was already white! Love the glass doors on it! It was missing a top piece and didn't have a base cabinet with it so they weren't sure what to do with it.  It was priced to move and they were having a 50% off sale. Even better! I added a piece of shelving that was in my classroom and I was no longer using.  The ribbon shelf above came from mom for Christmas last year...along with the little vacuum- she knows that I craft without care of where the pieces of paper go as I work (much like her)!

Thanks for coming for the tour of the new studio! I'm off to create now. Have a creative day yourself!