Organize Me!!!

I decided today to drop some coin on some studio organizational tools, I bought the Clip and Spin Organizer at Hobbly Lobby this evening.  I almost didn't make the purchase because I wasn't sure if I could fill it or not, now I see I should have purchased two of them!

Another thirty or so rubbing plates that I will clean up tomorrow, seems a mouse managed to make a nest in my storage tub, and will hang the remainder of these plates on the spinner.

I still have a dozen or so alphabet stencils that need to be hung on the spinner as well, yep it's really starting to look like I should have purchased two of these!  I have to admit it is really nice to have all of my stencils out where I can see them now, I have quite a few I forgot about that I could have used at Easter for cards and such.

My Black Birds in Tree Stencil looks so good  hanging on the organizer!  For damage control I backed most of the stencils with a sheet of paper to keep them from hooking onto the next stencil.

Yes, I definitely see another spinner in my near future!

Studio Purge and Color Wheels

On Purging and Creating: I decided to take the month of June off from creating, etc., with the exception of the Art Walk here in Ames on June 6th, to focus on paring down my studio.  I've already started lining up local artists that are interested in my excess fabric, wool and silk fibers, oh and the yarn!  I have to say it's exciting, very exciting.

I had hit the wall and that wall was I cannot create anymore until I get rid of the excess in my studio it is weighing me down.  So out it goes so that I can move forward with my new Canyonland Series, and my collections for licensing.

Watercolor on Bristol board with Sumi Brush

On Color Wheels:  I love certain colors, and I tend to work ONLY with those colors in my work.  After twenty years of producing work I've decided that this is ok and these are my signature colors.  So I've been busy making color wheels in watercolor, acrylic paint, and with natural dyes, and how I achieved those colors so that they are repeatable.

On Planning:  Something I got from Lisa Call a couple of weeks ago that has lit a fire under my can is this:  "Planning is Defining the Dream!"  I started working on my business plan again, laying out the road map to where I want to go and have began planning how I want/hope to get there, and doing so has lit a new fire within me.

Experimental Birds and Studio Clean Up

I have a bunch of altered papers so I decided to use my Three Crows Stencil to make some cut outs for some upcoming projects, so far it's a LOT of fun!

Shiva paintstik in iridescent copper and raspberry pink folk art paint on blue scrapbook paper.

Cleared off my drawing table, let the fun begin, well for me it's cleared off!

Am gearing down for my solo show next month, and another project that will be revealed about mid-month so decided it was time to do a little cleaning and organizing so I can focus!

I found this raised panel frame earlier, while organizing my paper storage rack, it's been hiding there since about 2009.

Studio Redux 092413 Contiues Onward!

The shelf has been moved over to it's new spot in the main studio, and soon there will be a newly rehabbed table in this spot for my new work station.

The shelf in it's new space behind the loom.  Now to get space cleared out of my office for the looms!

A mess, but also an obstacle for Oliver, this keeps him out of my sewing area and away from all of my threads.

The cheering committee, Oliver and Angel.  Notice the big yellow blob in the photos?  That's so you don't see the pile of laundry sitting on the floor that's slowly migrating it's way to the laundry room n the basement!

More Organization

The wall of wool has been moved, now to disassemble these wire racks and put the drying rack here, then it's time to set up the new computer work station in my drawing and painting area.  Some day that loom will be upstairs in my office with the wool, spinning wheel, etc!

On My Desk 081313

Before - See the media trays on both sides of the table?  Well Oliver noticed them as well, turns out he has expensive tastes loves those soft paint brushes and those spendy colored pencils.  Sooooo...

Hubs made me a shelf last night, out of mdf, for my media trays and other supplies.  One of the perks was a spot for my sketch books on each shelf, now they are close at hand.  The biggest perk is having a larger work area and a spot at the left hand of my table for my large sketch books!

Organizing Fabric Stash Leads to Found Samples!

Believe it or not the fabric in that suitcase really is organized!  While I was searching for piece of unfinished silk fabric I found my long lost stitched sample I had been looking for late last fall. 

Due to the sample of the rights disappearance, deep into a pile of folded fabrics, I made another sample to pratice some machine stitching on.  Both sample pieces consist of cochineal dyed cotton fabrics and are machine stitched.  The left sample, however, has been surfaced further using fabric paints, oil bar, and ink.  I'm thinking the sample on the right could use a good dose of color as well.

Studio Redux 013013

The last of the piles that need sorting and organizing!

My fabric stash and finished pieces need to be sorted and put in their proper places.

Angel keeping me company while I work, she doesn't like having her picture taken for some reason.

More Studio Organization

John moved my thread boxes into my studio this evening and I spent the better part of the evening organizing the contents.  Tomorrow I will be moving the rest of my studio supplies in while the temps are still bearable in the house, and right now it's downright pleasant!!!

Boxes of beads.

Organizing

Still working on getting my desktop organized, but with the help of my neighbor, I was able to get some of the computer issues resolved, one of them was replacing the network card and adding more RAM to the machine, the best part was  the addition of the second workstation moniter.  The new addition is already making video editing much nicer, ditto on writing in InDesign.

Office Update 021512

Well the computer is still on the fritz!  There are a couple of things that are not working in my favor and one of those is that my power supply, a whopping 650 watts and top of the line back is 2006, is now out of date and too small, I need a minimum of 850 watts to do what I'm doing. 

My fear was what am I going to do now???

 Hubs tells me tonight that the east bedroom, our guest bedroom, is on it's OWN circuit breaker and it's a whopping 20 AMPS!!! How lucky am I, well this does present a challenge because this means I'll be moving my office AND the guest bedroom.  The flip side is more cleaning and down sizing.

Today I spent the day power cleaning my studio, organizing, etc., and spent a whopping 60 minutes stitching.  Tomorrow it'll be more like three hours of stitching.

Photos tomorrow of what I'm not sure but you can be assured there will be photos.

Studio Update 021412

Drying rack now organized, the rest of the studio space through the arch.

Hutch put back together and my work area finally organized.

The second tray finally has paint!

The first tray with it's rather "organic" paint job.

Pen Organizer

In August John asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I told him a desk organizer for my pens, copic markers, gel pens, etc.  Well being married to a woodworker is a lot like being married to a cobbler, family always comes last, customers come first!  Any bets on how soon I'll get my christmas present???

My plan is to clear coat the inside with some polyurethane and paint the outside, I just haven't decided on which colors yet.

If you are interested in purchasing an organizer please send me and email and I'll shoot you an PayPal invoice, please allow three weeks for delivery.

Studio Update 010512

Emptied and ready for the shelves to be removed so that I can paint the bead board back a very lovely shade of fern green.  John has some repair work to do to the shelves, I'm hoping  to be able to load it up come Monday or Tuesday.  Until then...

I have a ton of stuff on both my work table and my drafting/drawing tables!  Working on some storage solutions, for all of the ink I seem to own, for the hutch.

Studio Redux 073011

If all goes well I may actually get to watch Paula stream live tonight from my new mixed media area in my new studio!  John hasn't found the ends for the dsl wire yet, he has to make a new longer cable for me. 

The knee is feeling slightly better, after last nights horrific fall on the back landing.  John didn't look to pleased when I told him that I was going to be putting non-slip rubber duckie decals down on the floor.  It's the one place in the house that I have consistantly hurt myself on in the last 10 years and it's because that floor becomes ultra slick with even the slightest hint of moisture.  This time the moisture was left by a 12 pound tri-color sheltie who decided she couldn't wait any longer.

Angel the puddle maker.

Studio Update 071211

Tonight I spent the better part of the evening in the wood shop helping John construct another shelf system for my studio.  The end result of our time out there was not one but two different shelves being concieved for my new studio space... which he is more than willing to do so long as it means that I'm NOT bolting anything into the walls.   Tomorrow night we will finish the first shelf and Thursday we will finish the second shelf. 

I'm loving my new studio space, I was stressed that I wouldn't be able to create in the new space but much to my amazement the creativity has been overflowing.  The lack of central air during these very hot and very humid days has been the biggest deterent so far.

WIP - I am going to create a special page for the new pieces I've created this past week, all proceeds will be going towards my new central air unit and furnace.  Seems when the new smart meter went in most of my appliances went "uh no I don't think so and died" this would include the central air and furnace. 

Studio Redux - 063011

Table is coming along nicely.  John fixed the buckling veneer, filled in the divits and then sanded the top, tomorrow he will paint the top a very nice warm white color, will have to see what it is called made by Valspar.

New studio space is becoming congested, BUT I'm getting rid of some tolerances I've been hanging onto for the past five years and there will soon be room for my fabric on the shelves!  I learned about tolerances as obstacles in a class I took with Alyson Stansfield last year... now that I'm a member of the Artist Conspiracy Project I'm learning how to eliminate those tolerances as they are obstcales to my peace of mind and success as a professional artist.

Every time I either come up from my wet studio or down from the new office space I bring a load with me into my new studio space.  For the first time in about oh ten years I can finally see all of my studio supplies.

Studio Update 061311

Moved my silk cocoon collect from the shelf in the library to the chicken coop in my n ew studio space, they won't stay here long as I have plans to flip the chicken coop over 180 degrees so that the cubbies on the coop are in the correct orientation. 

Once I'm finished unloading the shelf in the library John will break it down, it's nailed together, and then cut the shelves themselves down so that the unit isn't as wide, then reassemble the unit once again.

In the mean time I have lighting issues that need to be dealt with in my new studio space.  The painting will be moving into the library/family room once everything is set up, for right now this is the safest place for it :-(

Wet Studio Clean Up

Moved some of the paints to the corner shelves, these are fabric paints, so that I could have better access to my mixed media supplies.

I moved my mixed media bins to the shelves, who knew that having them more accessible would mean I'd actually use them!  The crates hold various types of papers and constructed cloth for using in mixed media projects.

Another view, that's Deer Slayer on the table. I need to have John create a rack so that I can put the computer up next to the ceiling, won't go under the table too much stuff there already.  Luckily the Gateway was is a rack server style unit and is meant to be flat not verticle!

Brushes, tons of them everywhere!  This weeks adventure includes a trip to the dollar store in hopes of procurring a couple of those cutlery baskets, I will use them for my paint brushes.

State of Affairs

What my wet studio looks like at the moment! The pile on my screenprinting table is some what reduced now, see previous post. My plan is to work late into the night tonight and get this mess cleaned up for tomorrow's big reveal. It'll happen I'll probably be sore but it'll happen! ;-)

Everything that is stacked on the table WAS stacked against the far wall, BON, or I should say stacked up against the old cabinet and chest of drawers. I'll post improvement photos tomorrow.