The Great Studio Remodel Video Tour

Stick a fork in my remodel - it is done! 

Last night I had my "please buy all the stuff that no longer fits in my room" sale, which was extremely fun. I offloaded about 400 individual items to happy crafters and socialized with a bunch of awesome artists & neighbors.

I did sales and studio tours as a bookend to this project. My first sale was on November 1st - and they toured my studio then too. One of them even bought my desk, which really kicked the project into high gear. Then it was time to do demolition.

Demolition was brutal, I'm not going to lie. Taking apart the giant built in desk in there came close to killing us twice, and created huge messes during, which you'll see in the intro to the video.

Emptying the room was overwhelming. Sorting through it was overwhelming.

But I learned so many things I have to share with you.

• For 12 years I existed in a totally dysfunctional space that just got more and more crowded. I grew to hate it, honestly. For about 8 of those years I whined about needing more space. Then one day last fall I woke up and said to myself "Self - you don't need more space - you need less STUFF." It truly was like a light switch, and then it began. 
• You MUST empty the room. If I had not emptied the room I would have worked AROUND things I didn't feel like sorting. Because believe me, there were many days I didn't feel like sorting. This is non-negotiable. 
• On the emptying, I did "loose" sorting. I carried things out to our breakfast area and GENERALLY put similar things together. But as I got deeper into the recesses of my closet that became more difficult because I hadn't had things organized at all in there. Once it was all in a big mountain in the breakfast area - my hand to God - I put tablecloths on it, put a star on top and that was our Christmas tree. The holidays were the best time for me to start this project, and so it just was what it was.
• I lived in the room for about a month with just a temporary table. I put masking tape on the floor marking out furniture I knew was coming back in the room, and then started investigating what I could and couldn't do in that space. This was VITAL. Had I not done this I would have bought furniture based on aesthetics alone, not on how functionally they fit into the space I was designing. As you will see in the video - I completely maximized the space. I shopped online for items that were precisely the size I needed (Ikea shows you dimensions on hover over, which I love). On my desktop we cut it down to go exactly from the wall to the dresser, as you will see. I'm not one for "perfect" rooms, so I happily collected a series of colorful, fun, functional pieces that came together beautifully. Picking my anchor pieces (the card catalog and the dresser) and then using ONLY size as a criteria for the two work surfaces was perfection.
• After the furniture was in, it was time for STRICT sorting. This is also non-negotiable. I got many, many boxes and I took everything from the "Christmas Tree" and sorted everything into boxes, throwing away a TON as I did. There was a lot of junk, including an AOL CD, if you can believe that. Our trashcan was full for three months. Nothing was allowed to cross-contaminate a pile - if it wasn't an object that matched other things in a box, it either started a new box or got tossed. This really helped me decide what to put in the dresser and what to put in the card catalog, based on the shape and the quantity of the items. The things in the card catalog tend to be longer, skinnier things: white gel pens, aquapainters, rulers, etc. The things in the dresser are bigger - things like post it notes, stamp cleaners etc.
• I sold as I went. I started selling small things that were too good to throw away on our neighborhood FB page. If I could sell a storage item for $2 to someone, that was better than tossing it. I sold many things each day as I went through strict sorting. If you have a neighborhood garage sale group on Facebook, I highly recommend joining and participating.
• After strict sorting I decided what boxes contained things I actually wanted. Many didn't make the cut and were sold or donated. Then I was ready to move in.
• Through the move-in process I realized that many small drawers are INFINITELY better for craft storage than fewer, larger drawers. This is because when you have a large drawer you feel the need to fill it, which means you stop adhering to strict sorting. You think - well I know this is my hammer drawer, but I am going to put the masking tape in here because there's room. Well what happens is you can't remember that because it doesn't make sense to have the masking tape with the hammers, and that, my friends, is how you end up with 57 rolls of masking tape in 57 locations around the house. Stray from strict sorting even once and that's where you'll end up.
• I also realized that my floor was the LEAST valuable real estate I had. What possessed me to use the "shove everything against the wall" layout before is beyond me. It's not like I was twirling around like a ballerina in there every day. So after seeing my friend Chriss' studio with a desk in the middle, I moved my desk to the middle. This did several things: It gave me much more storage space in the form of that dresser. It stopped me from facing a wall with my back to the door. I hadn't realized how much I'd hated that and never even consciously knew it until I changed it. I also realized this is the classic corporate America furniture design. And it needs to go away - it's dehumanizing. It allowed me to make good use of my storage bench, both for a cat lounging station and a human lounging station - I was delighted when someone sat down on it last night. - before, my room didn't allow for comfortable seating for a guest. Having my back to my computer while I'm arting is greatly increasing my focus. Similarly, having my back to my art while I'm working does the same. Small change - big difference. 
• It was not easy. It was four months of really hard work - refinishing furniture, carrying heavy stuff, sorting, painting, sanding, tossing. It's not for the faint of heart. There were times - even a month ago - when I didn't think I'd ever get down to that last box - but I did. And it's amazing. If you're going to do it - do it all the way. I'm so glad I did. I'd say I wish I'd done it earlier, but I don't. I think things come to you when you're ready to do them and I was ready. And I was SO grateful for my Facebook friends, who watched the process, photo by photo, from the very start, and cheered me on the whole way. Thanks for lightening that burden, you silly friends.

I still don't have one piece finished and haven't decided what will go on the wall above my dresser, but I really can call this project done. And I love this space. It is most definitely the happy place I've dreamed about. If you're coming to the retreat, I might even organize a group tour - who knows?  :)

So take a look and let me know what you think. If you can't see the video player below, click here.  Below the video is a link to where I got all the things in the room.




What do you think? :)

Here's a list of the major things you'll see in the video, and where possible, links where you can read more or purchase them.

1. Card Catalog - purchased from Remember When Estate Sales
2. CeCe Caldwell Santa Fe Turquoise Paint
3. CeCe Caldwell Endurance Wax Finish
4. Dresser - purchased from Tommy's Furniture, Rockdale, TX.
5. Desk - Micke White Modern
6. Desk accessories - Poppin Orange trays and pen holder
7. Refrigerator Cart - Elfa
8. File Cabinets - Bisley Orange
9. Art table tabletop - Ikea VikaFuruskog (no longer available), cut to size and refinished with Vermont Naturals Polywhey - natural, no odor polyurethane
10. Tiny multi-drawer aqua cabinet purchased from Uncommon Objects.
11. Label Maker
12. Black labels with white print for card catalog
13. Offi Punch Shelves (these appear to be discontinued)
14. Oven liners used as craft mat
15. Baby Wipe dispenser and homemade stamp wipes
16. Combo ink/refill/marker holders
17. Wallmounted ink/refill holders
18. Embossing powder containers
19. Embossing powder spoons and clips for spoons. 
20. Paper storage towers
21. Refrigerator cart
22. Tripod Update - I now use the Arkon Stand - use code UNDERSTANDBLUE for 20% off.
23. Iphone mount for tripod
24. Art desk anti-fatigue stool
25. Computer desk anti-fatigue stool
26. Japanese circle stickers
27. Card sending journal 
28. Card display rack from Displays2Go
29. Lights and light fixtures for filming videos 

So there you have it.

Worth every second. If you're ready - what are you waiting for?

Loveyameanitbye.

Into Each Life, A Little Bird Poop Must Fall

So the remodel is still going. The weather has been very un-Texasy, and it ground progress to a halt for nearly two weeks, as the things that I needed to do involved painting and polyurethaning, which required a little warmth and dry air. Maddening.

However, the sun finally returned and I was able to finish sealing the top of my stamping desk and get that moved into my room on top of my funky orange Bisley filing cabinets. You can see here how much brighter the room is with the lighter top and with no backing on the desk to block the window. I still have to figure out a little platform to extend the windowsill for Maddie & Splotch to lounge on - the back of the old desk created a snug little box against the window that they loved to sleep on, so I have to recreate that for them. Shouldn't be too hard - you can see there is space behind the filing cabinets. We are also going to do a little catification on the wall on the right - a little vertical playground to let them run up the wall towards the ceiling and hang out on top of my IKEA bookcases. There is no remodel that doesn't take the furries' happiness into account!

The filing cabinets will hold my neutral cardstock in hanging folders on top - look at my pretty folders - they match my card catalog:

The bottom drawers will hold (just loose) - current DSP on the left, and on the right, current kits & accessories. This will make it so that when I'm prepping for classes, I don't accidentally include something that is retired.

Weather isn't the only setback during this remodel.

Yesterday, while painting my colored cardstock organizers from Stamp-n-Storage, this happened:



I mean REALLY!!!!

Luckily - the tops were already dry, and I'm using a high gloss lacquer spray paint, so I was able to remove all evidence of bird terrorism.

The units are now painted, and today, I'm painting a plywood base that I'm going to add casters to today, so my tower of paper units (four of these) will be up off the floor - away from dustbunnines and the reach of a mop - and I can roll them out to vacuum under etc. They will be very heavy when they're full of paper, so this will be awesome.

I've spent the beginning of every Saturday and Sunday at Home Depot and Lowe's. They're starting to wave and say hi when I show up now.

Before my stamping desk was in, I had to prep for two classes - that was nearly impossible on my teeny computer desk, which is barely bigger than my monitor and keyboard. That was a challenge, but I did it!I even have proof!

Here's one of the projects we did at my Butterfly Basics class - it's a faux tole technique.

Instead of shaping each piece, I left them flat, but elevated them off the card with two layers. 

The rest of the card was easy - tone on tone stamping with Baked Brown Sugar, and a few accents with a white gel pen.

I've also been battling internet issues for weeks. Every day at about 6, my internet dies. They think that my line is spliced into someone else's.

It's maddening - especially since I use my internet for work, and I work for a company in California, so the last few hours of every work day are useless to me. GRR.

I'm on a texting basis with my AT&T tech now. Hopefully they will figure it out this coming week and life can get back to normal at some point.

So I'm a little late with my Season's Giving prizes, but here they are! If you are a winner, please click the email me button top right and send me an email with redemption instructions! Thanks for your patience and congratulations!!


The winner of Mystery Box #1 is....

The winner of Mystery Box #2 is....

The winner of the $75 shopping spree is...

And, because it took me so long, I'm throwing in an additional prize. You'll find out what it is when you get it!

The winner of the mystery prize is...

I loved reading all your comments - and thank you for sharing your pets, your recipes, your resolutions and some of your favorite projects - I've enjoyed them all and I read every one!

I hope you have a sunny & poop-free week. Actually I hope I do too!

Loveyameanitbye.

Ghetto Class Prep & A Little Progress

So this weekend was my first time to do class prep in my demolished studio, which has no stamping desk as of yet. (Insert growling and exasperated nose breathing here.)

It is finally coming into the home stretch, but not having a surface to stamp on or any of my stuff in my room (it's all in a big pile in the breakfast room) is seriously hampering my creative output!

However, the end is in sight. This weekend, we picked up a tabletop from my sister that will be my work surface, and Wednesday I will get the base of the table - these adorable filing cabinets - from The Container Store.

I will love the pop of color these bring to what, for too many years, has been a pretty dark and drab room. What took me so long?

When I get done I'll do a very detailed video with all the organization solutions and everything I've done to get finished, but in the meantime, you'll have to live with a sneak peek - this is about 25% of the room (the smallest room in the world, BTW), which I planned around this adorable card catalog I finished with this paint and this wax. I've learned so much about this process, which I will share in my video. Excuse the cords - my computer desk has cord management, but I don't have my cord management for my TV yet - but I couldn't wait to share this peek.

It's already so liberating I can't stand it.

BUT - I only have a very tiny computer desk (by design - I'll tell you why in my video) so preparing for a class with 21 people in it was challenging at best! I will say it forced me to only have out what I needed and put everything away (and by away I mean back on the pile in the kitchen) before I moved on to the next step. #itsthelittlethings

But I did pull it off! And I really liked the cards. This one was my favorite.

This is the new Spring Flowers Embossing Folder from the Occasions Catalog, which goes live today. We just embossed a piece of Naturals White with it, and then, holding a Q-Tip parallel to the paper surface, gently colored the flowers with Real Red and Old Olive reinkers. SO fun and easy! The greeting is from the Butterfly Basics Bundle, which is what we're using in this weekend's class! I sort of went crazy and scheduled a million classes for January - vacation does that to a person.

It's a super fun way to use your embossing folder, inspired by this GORGEOUS tutorial by Jeanne Jachna.

I'm back at work as of yesterday, trying to adjust from a week "off"- sanding, painting, etc. Are you experiencing re-entry pains? I feel ya. No really - I do. The only saving grace is being back in my routine - normal food, normal driving, normal sleep schedules, normal laundry. I do love my routine, even if it means I have to work. Tonight, I made this AWESOME holiday food recovery salad for dinner. I loved it - it was so light and fresh and completely the opposite of stuffing and fruitcake :). A sweet friend from high school posted it on Facebook. Here is my modified version:

Ingredients

• 2 broccoli crowns
• 1 head cauliflower (I used organic orange cauliflower)
• 1 small bunch kale (stems removed - make this a very small bunch - two pawfuls)
• ½ cup parsley
• ½ cup sunflower seeds
• ½ cup almonds, chopped
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup raisins
• Juice of one Meyer lemon
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions

1. Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into florets.
2. Roughly chop the kale.
3. In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process the broccoli, cauliflower, kale and parsley until fine and add them to a large mixing bowl. Work in small batches.
4. Stir to combine.
5. Add lemon juice, vinegar and syrup and dried fruit.
6. Toss to coat.
7. Add the sunflower seeds, almonds only when serving.

I added cooked quinoa to this and it's divine. I love a good cold quinoa salad.

Loveyameanitbye.