Studio Redo - Tidy Up!

I've been sharing a couple of pieces from Ikea we have been using in our studio and while googling a few things I came across some "banned" Ikea commercials.  Some of them I can understand why but there were a few good funny ones...



I sometimes feel like the girl in the commercial -- Dave says it is maybe a good thing I didn't have any kids of my own!  ha!  I recently purchased a new bulb for one of my Ott Lights.  I put the light away for safe keeping until I reorganized the studio.  The place must be really safe as I cannot even find it now!  I'm sure it will show up some day when I'm not even looking for it and searching for something totally different.

Anyhow, I thought I would share a couple more Ikea pieces we have that work great in our studio.  We had this cabinet in our other home but I quickly laid claim to it for our studio when we moved.  Because it is so tall and narrow it takes up such little space yet if fits a ton!  What I like about it is that it comes with all these shelves that are adjustable and of course I happened to have more baskets that fit perfectly!   A plastic drawer storage unit fits perfectly into it as well and I can keep all sorts of junk in there!

I also love the two drawer units on wheels that fit under the countertops.

We use one for storing our handcrafted jewelry so it is nicely organized when we need to find something or someone comes to visit.

The other drawer unit is for storing our bead stash.  We have these bead trays we purchased from a bead store which are great and didn't cost too much.

I found though I like the stacking plastic containers that screw together from the dollar store much better.  Instead of stacking them, they work really nice in drawers (or baskets) as little dividers for your beads and findings.

I will leave you with a link for another fun Ikea commercial!  Another favorite of mine!

Spaghetti --- Tidy Up!

Studio Redo -- Improvising

Our clay table is a little unusual but works for us.  We placed a formica countertop (from Ikea) onto two metal wire shelf units.  We inserted pieces of nonslip shelf liner between the poles and countertop to prevent it from moving and adjusted the shelves to fit some baskets we purchased from the dollar store that work like drawers.  We had several rubbermaid type drawer units that fit perfectly as well.  Voila!  Instant desk.  Because the counter is formica I can use it for claying on and don't need a special mat or glass board.

Here is how I store my mixed clay colors.  Each one is wrapped and then kept in snack size ziplock bags and tagged with the color number that coordinates with my color recipe book.  Dave teases that there is a little of Mr. Monk in me and I think he is right! lol!

We were in need of a proper table to hold the photo light box we purchased a little while ago.  I then came up with using the same idea as our clay table.  Fortunately the same shelves were on sale at half price so was good timing.   We just placed some particle board on top this time which I will probably cover with some cloth later on when I have more time.

I then added more baskets and drawers below for more storage.  We can keep our camera accessories and photo props close at hand.

Studio Redo -- Storing Canes

When we moved to our new home we bought a new table from Ikea for the studio which is my favorite piece of furniture.   I use to store all my claying accessories under the glass but decided they work much better in the new drawer units on our clay table and we are now using the space for storing some of our clay canes.  They are arranged on trays that slide out like drawers (I glued little felt dots underneath them).  The canes are a little messy right now and need to be reorganized but they do look so colorful under the glass and show off well.

Studio Redo -- More storage Ideas

I found these storage drawer units in the hardware department in Walmart and they were just what I wanted for the clay table.   I can have all the little pieces I use for claying handy and organized.  I use them for holding all my rhinestones, shaped cutters, small moulds, templates and such.  They can be stacked on top of each other or placed side by side which makes them so versatile.

The drawers even have removable dividers so you can fit more than one item inside.  This storage unit would also work great for storing your canes since the plastic doesn't react (I tested it) but I found a different home for those -- will share that with you tomorrow...

Studio Redo -- Storage Bins

We have been busy with rearranging and practically redoing our studio this past week.  When we moved into our new home almost two years ago the studio seemed just perfect for us.  You can see a posting of it here.

We are getting more visitors now and need the extra space so we can fit more than two people without bumping into things.  Before we unveil our new room, I thought I would share with you some of the new storage and work area ideas we came up with.

I found these cool bins the other day at Home Depot.  They are so versatile as they can be stacked or  hung on some of the wall brackets provided.  There are eight in a package and I liked them so much and found more uses for them we went back and bought another set.

  

We hung some of them on the brackets under some shelves along the beading and finishing table.  They are perfect for organizing pieces that need sanding, buffing, glazing, etc.  These replaced the yogurt containers we use to use that would sometimes pile up everywhere.

The other set of eight are in use at my clay table.  They fit perfectly on some adjustable stacking shelves and I have some of the necessary items close at hand like my stamps, inks and textures, etc.

Tomorrow I will show you some more new ideas we came up with ...

New Storage Ideas

We are finally back from our mini-vacation.  We made a trip south of the Canadian border to Spokane, Washington and Coeur D'Alene, Idaho -- two of our favorite cities in the U.S.

We had a chance to visit with family, do some shopping and just kick up our heels for a few days.  The Swedish massage Dave treated me to was an extra bonus and very much enjoyed and appreciated!  We came back with lots of goodies for claying and organizing the studio.  The only thing I brought back with me that I wish I could've left behind was the lovely head cold I came down with.

I'm still unpacking and catching up on things but can't wait to get back to my clay table.  I've been working out a plan for re-designing our studio.  After a year and a half I finally decided it needed some revamping to make it a little more organized and functional.  It will be a major moving job with the furnishings but should be much better after it is complete.

After the last huge show we did, I got to thinking about looking for a type of "case" to organize some of my beads and jewelry findings.  I want it to sit on my beading table but quickly pack up and go with me to a show if needed.

All the craft supply cases seemed so small and didn't seem to suit my needs.  Our niece suggested to us that we maybe should be looking at tackle boxes used for fishing.  I never would have thought of that so we started looking in some of the sporting goods stores in the area.  We were so overwhelmed when we walked into some of these stores.  Some of them were bigger than a Walmart and they contained nothing but supplies for fishing, hunting and camping.  They had several aisles of different tackle boxes to look at and we finally found just the right one.  It has four large cases with the little dividers in them as well as storage up top which is perfect for tools and other bulkier supplies.

The cases fit into the tackle box like drawers and also lock up so the little pieces won't fall out and go all over the place.  One thing to look for in these type of cases is the bottom to make sure the edges are curved.  This makes it much easier for picking out tiny beads from the compartments.

I just started to organize my findings in it and will share more on that with you as soon as it is done.

My New Toy

We bought a lightbox today.  It happened to be on sale and I can't wait to try it out tomorrow.

It is suppose to help with taking better photos.  I feel our photos aren't too terrible but there is always room for improvement.  When we set up our new studio last year we had windows placed in the corner where there is no direct sun but plenty of natural light.

This was working out fine, however there are only certain times in the day when the lighting is the most optimal for picture taking and the photos weren't as consistent as I would like.  I'm hoping this lightbox will not only improve my photos but also help save me some time in editing afterwards as well.

So we will put it to the test and see....

Welcome to our Studio!

It is nice to finally be set up and up and running in our new home.  Here is the studio we put together that I thought I would share what it is like.  Finally Dave and I have our own tables to work at (although I kind of hog them all!) in the same room - lol!  

This is where most of the mixing and conditioning of the claying is done.  Everything is right within reach -- just how I like it!

This is the baking and finishing area.

More of the finishing area and where all the beadwork is done.

These windows were specially designed for this room for a particular reason.  They provide the defused lighting needed for our photographs of our finished projects.  The corner quickly sets up as our own mini photograph studio.

Here is where we store and display our finished pieces.

This is my favorite furniture piece we bought from Ikea just for this room. It has a space under
the glass for storage and display.  I like to keep some of my clay tools, and pieces I'm working on so they are quick to see and easy to reach.  Because it is glass, I cannot operate the pasta machine on this so I use the first area shown (just a quick turn of my chair) but this gives me a lot of working space on large projects as I love to spread out!  Also, because it is glass, I can use my blades for cutting and it cleans up really well again afterwards.

We also use half of the area under the glass top to demonstrate the various stages in our cane making and other bead making techniques.  We have found that people appreciate the finished product much more when they actually see the process involved in the making of their jewelry piece.