allsorts

Quick, before I change my mind! ~ snaps of my new studio

Come on in and see my new studio! It's still in a state of disorganized chaos (I will not show you the closet) but you are welcome to take a look around. The first thing you might notice is the floor, which is reclaimed red-heart pine ship-lap siding from Old Texas Wood. It is really rustic and has tons of character. I absolutely love it!

Stepping in, you see my Liatorp bookcase, which found a home just inside the doorway. It holds my craft and children's books. I still have even more boxes of books to fit in there. Yikes.

Beyond the bookcase is the alcove that harbors my new Skruvsta chair and Norden table. Clearly this alcove need some serious foofing, it is way too boring. I'll be honest, I am afraid that I did not select the right paint color. Even after all that discussion, and all that work (by the painter) I will no doubt be taking a brush to it at some point. What I thought would be a lovely Swedish blue ended up being a rather blah blue. Oh well, it's only paint.

Onward! I can't wait until it is warm enough to open that window and let in the fresh air. The windows in my old studio were so hard to open they pretty much stayed shut. But all the windows up here open easily, and I'm sure they will be open a lot... weather permitting.

I hear you out there, saying less talk, more pictures! Next up, my 'fabric buffet' which snuggles nicely between the windows, and my massive work table. I can now access the table from both sides, which makes it so much more functional. I still have to sort out the lights and rehang the trellis over it, but we've already made good use of it wrapping Christmas gifts!

Moving on around, we see the sewing corner. Yet another Norden table, this one in a bit smaller size. There is even an additional leaf if I need more room to maneuver. And here's my cozy little chair, just right for hand-stitching, reading or just looking out the window. It's a welcome addition, as I had no place like that in the old studio.

On around a bit further, is my grandmother's china cabinet. It is destined to receive a coat of paint (someday), but for now it does a super job holding an enormous amount of miscellaneous supplies. And allow me to introduce another new character in the Allsorts drama ~ Bernadette the dress form. (say hello, Bernadette)

The odd little space around the corner is still under development. For now it's kind of a holding area for boxes and whatnot. Most of the dolls and softies seem to have ended up back there. Curious.

In general, lighting throughout the studio is still an issue, the walls are blank, and there's quite a bit of stuff remaining in the old studio to cart upstairs. However, the biggest challenge is going to be getting the room organized, since I put things away wherever I could find an empty spot, with little planning or logic. But, there is plenty of time for that... right now that cozy little chair and a cup of tea are calling my name!

Cheers, I'm so glad you stopped by!

Jenny

The new studio... a work in progress

As promised... some photos of my future studio! I managed a few quick snaps a recent sunny morning before the workers arrived. You see up there one of the "nooks" I referred to earlier. It needs a clever name. The two small windows were part of a looong storage closet that originally ran across the front of the house. If you look at a pic of the front of the house, my studio now includes the upper two left windows (the one on the right is in the new sitting room). I've been wanting to knock down that wall and incorporate the space into the rooms upstairs for ages. Now it's done! So I'll have those two kid-sized windows, and if you turn to the right, two grownup-sized ones:

You can tell which part of the room used to be the storage space by the difference in paint color. The cozy corner above is where my sewing table will go, and I'll put one end of my big work table between the windows so it will project into the room. I'll have lots of space to work! I love how goofy my little windows are. They look out over the street, and the big ones give me an amazing view of trees and the side courtyard. 

I plan on sewing some cute inserts for those kooky shutters... red gingham perhaps? Just to the right of this window is the alcove that's perfect for a long table to hold my computer, etc:

Continuing to the right, you'll see one of the best parts. Its definitely not the focal point of the room, but it's making me giddy-happy... I'll finally have a closet! And it's a big closet,too! Woohoo!

Turning to the right again is where I plan to put my fabric buffet. I love the promise of choosing fabric in this glorious morning sunshine.

What you see in these photos is the original sub-flooring, the new wood will go over it. It's going to be 8" reclaimed antique pine and I can't wait to see how it turns out! The small windows will have new casements so they can open wide to catch the breeze. Oh, and no decision on color yet... I want to see how the floors turn out before I settle on a final choice. But I'm leaning towards trying something new... stay tuned!

And that's it. I'm truly chagrined at my feeble blogging this month, there is just too much happening around here and my ability to focus is shot. And I've been working on more books for Interactive Touch Books, which is news for a subsequent post cuz this one's gone on long enough!

Cheers, and have a wonderful weekend!

Jenny

Home made equals happy

Will someone please tell me where August went? Due to a perfect storm of reasons, I've been in a semi-zombie state for weeks. The temperature has routinely pushed the 110 degree mark, I've been overloaded with work, and there's this teenytiny little remodeling project that has turned the homestead upside down. Which brings me to my theme for September... drumroll... Home Made! Prepare yourself for lots of before, during and after photos, it's going to mean a lot of changes. For one thing, I will have a whole new (and very fun) space for my studio with lots of nooks and crannies and wonky ceilings. It's the perfect creative challenge!

So let's see if I can top last month's posting frequency, okay? Talk about setting the bar low. Sheesh. I had loads of cherry-licious ideas, but they all required loads of work (or cooking), and I'm just too thin on the ground these days. So September's theme allows for lots of showing and telling exactly what is going on with the homestead. But don't be surprised if I pop out the occasional crafty project!

But there is one extremely important decision that will have to be made, and I want to hear everyone's opinion on the matter..... What color should I paint the walls in my new studio??? Aqua like my current space? or something new? Should I mix things up or go with tried and true? Any ideas? Suggestions? Help!

Cheers,

Jenny

A weather delay, a dotty-garlanded dresser, and a little hint

Yesterday was a gloriously sunshiny day, perfect for creating and photographing a new post-holiday arrangement in the white dresser. So I happily puttered, gathering stuff from around the house and getting it just so (those canisters have moved around a lot the last few days). Finally, when the arrangement was fluffed and the light was perfect, I went to get my camera. The battery was stone dead. Apparently I'd neglected to turn it off last time I used it. Hmph. By the time the battery was recharged, the sun was gone. Boo.

Fast forward to this morning. Clouds. Rain. Dull grey light. I thought it was hopeless, but late this afternoon, out came Mister Sun! Camera grabbed, photo snapped, and here it is. You might have noticed the garland of the infamous dots festooning the hutch. I used double-stick tape to adhere matching discs back to back, with red and white baker's twine sandwiched between. Couldn't be easier.

By the way, there was one good thing about having to wait. I spent the time creating a new pattern. Think fuzzy, think long ears, think very very cute. (hint... Pam probably knows the answer!) Pics, pattern and tutorial coming next week!

Cheers,

Jenny