Ingenious Inkling

Crafty Storage

Moxie Fab World is asking crafters to share some of their favorite storage ideas in their studio.  

My studio in our new condo is still a work-in-progress, but I can share a few of my storage solutions.

One piece that I'll be hanging in my new studio is this stamp hanger that my Dad helped me make.

We bought a board at the lumber yard that we sanded and stained.  Next, we attached four curtain rods which are the perfect way to store lots of stamps.  We attached a sturdy cable to the back, so it can be hung on the wall (love storage that uses open wall space).

Another storage find I love is from my Dad's favorite store ... Harbour Freight.

I used it to store washi tape (until my collection outgrew it).  Right now it is storing stickles and paints.  I had previously put magnets on the bottom of my stickles bottles when I stored them like this ... and now the magnets are perfect to keep them in place in the metal trays.

Still Unpacking

No cardmaking today, but at least I started unpacking a tiny bit of my studio.

So glad to have my rainbow of paper visible again.

Studio Clean-Up and Tour

I usually try to change the table cloth on my studio work table at least once a year ... the places where I work a lot get inky and worn, and I want to keep the wood protected underneath ... yesterday was the day.

I took every thing off the tables, cleaned them, and rotated the one where I work the most (the edge was showing a little wear) and put on a new red table vinyl table cloth.  I usually try to pick-up bright summer patterns, but I haven't been able to find any, so I went with solid red this time.  My work tables are two 48" square standing height dining tables.

The first step was to put the lamp back in the center of the table.   My studio is one half of what was formerly an attached two car garage.  You can see one of the light fixtures on the ceiling above (there are four in the room).  They light the room well, but leave the center of my work table pretty dark.

We thought about hanging a fixture from the ceiling, but ultimately I found the tallest desk lamp I could, so it would spread light over the entire table (and not block my view of the TV at the other end of the room).

However, when we got it home, it still wasn't quite tall enough, so I went through my book stash & created my own lamp pedestal.

The next step was to put my main pieces of equipment back in their usual places.  After years of working in this space, I have figured out where most things work best, including my awesome Genesis paper cutter.  The light on the right makes it so easy to see exactly where I'm cutting ... especially when I'm trying to line-up and cut very close to sentiments or images.  I was buying a new paper cutter every year or so before, but I've had this one over two years and it still cuts perfectly.

I sorted my washi tape by color in my Revolving Bin from Harbour Freight.

I also finally took the time to sort my Spectrum Noir markers by color families.

I've had my spinning ink holder for years ... with my large table space, I work from both side, so things that spin work the best.

Cleaning off the table, also got me to file away all of my cardstock paper scraps ... I keep them in the crate on the left in hanging file folders by color (with metallics and specialty papers at the back).

The other end of the table is where I do a lot fo my stamping.  I have a ledger-sized foam pad that I cover with a piece of ledger-sized paper.  When the paper gets to inky, I turn it over, and then eventually replace with another sheet.

I also clean my stamps at that end of the table, as well as heat emboss ... and to the left is my CuttleBug and dry embossing station.

Another rotating bin I found on my travels that holds tools, scissors, paint brushes and my smaller hole punches ... and my beloved pink 3M tape gun is always close at hand.

Here are the tables once everything was back in its place.  I have two chairs that sit at the end.  One holds a bin with my newest purchases ... the other holds a trash can so I can scrape all of the scraps from my paper cutter.  I sit in one occasionally, but find I really work best standing and moving around.

I hope you enjoyed my little studio clean-up tour.

Christmas in July

We're celebrating Christmas in July at Unscripted Sketches, and today I'm taking you on a tour of my favorite room in my house ... my studio.  I spend time in it almost every day and nothing makes me happier than to be immersed in the creative process.

I recently installed new vinyl flooring in my studio and I absolutely love it.  This shot was taken right after we started moving everything back (all of heavy cardstock was moved and stored in the rolling suitcases ... my husband's idea and it worked like a charm).  

I do most of my designing standing-up, so I have two 48" square standing height tables that I use for my creative space (with plenty of room for storage underneath.  I have several bar height charis when I do want to sit and create.

I have lots of art on my wall ... here are a few of my favorite pieces.

I also got some cool foam mats to help ease the stress of standing (and pretty-up the place).

Some of my favorite things to create for the holidays are card gift sets designed specifically for the recipient.  I love to tuck them in with holiday gifts, so they have cards to send throughout the year.  

I found these awesome Beatles Album Cover stickers and knew immediately they'd be perfect for several music lovers on my gift list.

For this one, the Magical Mystery Tour is paired with gorgeous musical collage paper from 7gypsies Morceaux collection.  I added an Imaginesce Snag 'em Live Loud sentiment stamp.

Please Please Me was paired with Papers from Echo Park's Note to Self and the same sentiment stamp (layout is Sketch Saturday).

Thanks for stopping by to visit me in my studio today.

Hero Arts Social Club

Excited to see my Everything Good card featured on the Hero Arts Blog today.

I also won some fun stamps from the Sweet Stamp Stop in Julie's Blog Celebration.

And my stamps I won from Paper and Such Blog Hop arrived in the mail today (how fun are those goofy snails).

And here are a few pictures from my studio.

A vintage 1960's owl container from my mother-in-law ... my new studio friend.

I added some shelves to the walls for more art displays.  The gorgeous mosaic picture was made by my friend MIchele DeSutter ... and the cool dress-form vase is from my brother's friend Eric Botbyl.  The top piece is a portion of a wonderful mixed media quilt piece from a Iowa fiber artist Amy Skouson.

And colorful new foam mats for the areas where I stand and create ... I love the pop of color with my new floors.

Designer Tape Thanks

I love this week's Sketch at Skipping Stones Designs ... and the great design team samples really showcase a lot of fabulous design possibilities.

I decided to play with tape ... for my design I used one fabric tape and two washi tapes.

I finished with an EAD Designs Rub-on sentiment.

And speaking of tapes ... I love the new way I have to store them.  When I saw this 12" four-bin revolving storage unit from Harbor Freight on Pinterest, I knew it would be a great addition to my studio.  I'm a very visual crafter & like to have my supplies in my line of sight.  

Thankfully we have a Horbor Freight in town ... and I was able to get one of my own for only $19.99 (you can order on-line).  I actually have a fair amount of storage in my studio that was intended for tools ... I love that the designs are b

oth sturdy and practical.

I will warn you ... there are a lot of screws to put this baby together.  The top two trays were supposed to have six dividers, but I went with three at all levels, which works better for me.

Studio Update

Several people had asked to see photos of my new shelving unit once it was filled.  They are metal industrial shelves we got from Sam's Club.  They were a tad tricky to put together (three people to hold things rather than two would make it much easier), but we managed to get it done without too much angst.

Right now they are mostly filled wtih baskets and bins.  I don't think I've found my final configuration yet, but it's coming along.  The new shelves necessitated some re-arranging with my smaller table (where I primarily do heat embossing and cutting with my circle cutter) now in the corner by the shelves.

Also, while my Dad was here this weekend, we finally found a lighting solution for the center of my craft tables ... a tall lamp that is sitting on top of several large dictionaries in the center of the table.  It helps tremendously.

I'm still searching for another small book shelf to go under the table to store the extra books and things that are still in boxes after the rearranging.  I sure do love my space ... very functional and accessible.

You can see more studio photos here.

Celebrate Your Happiness

I decided to combine this week's Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger ...

With this week's CASE Study Challenge Card from Sarah Martina Parker ...

I love the round plate and colors from the Moxie Fab Photo ... not to mention cake ... which to me always means a celebration.  From Sarah's card I incorporated a simalar layout, the pearl flourishes, a doily & the flower.

I started by spraying my doily with Dragonfly Glimmer Mist ... well, to be honest, I sprayed my doily, my fingers, and even part of my ink pad holder ... I kept trying to get an even mist without any big drops and ended-up making quite a mess (good thing I don't mind one Dragonfly Glimmer fingernail).

I added a tag from Webster's Pages Fabric Fancies and found the coordinating paper in my stash (which given the state of my studio at the moment was a small miracle.  I added a wrap of two pieces of thin silk ribbon (love the feel of silk).  

I cut the flower (PaperTrey Ink Beautiful Blooms #1) using some handmade paper that I had sprayed, and squished, and inked.  My pearl flourish was a bit to white for my vintage design, so I used a tip from my friend Miss Iowa and added some Saddle Brown Staz-On to age them a bit (which the owner of the Goose Barn indicated she thinks might be discontinued now).

A little peak at why my studio is in a bit of chaos at the moment.  My china cabinet hutch is going to a new home, so I rearranged my studio & replaced the hutch with some industrial shelving from Sam's that I'm in the process of filling ... I'm feeling a serious studio purge coming on.

New Studio Tables

The studio table I have had for years was a wonderful oak dining room table. However, I spent about 80% of my time working from a standing position, which meant I worked hunched over the seated-height table.  After months of research, we finally found some affordable, yet sturdy, standing height tables that will work in my studio.  

The tables are two 48" square dining room tables.  Instead of getting the chairs that came with the tables, we opted for two swiveling bar chairs that allow me lots more reach from a seated position.  I also have a rechargeable Ott Light that I can use at this end of the table for more direct light when coloring (one of the few things I do sitting down).  I buy vinyl table clothes at end-of-season clearance to protect my tables from ink, paint & heat, but I'm thinking about getting a piece of glass cut to cover the top for a cleaner look.

Also, the squared-off ends of the tables give me much more actual work-top space than the former oval design (I am loving my new lighted Genesis Trimmer by the way).

I am so excited that they are completely open underneath, so I can eventually utilize that space for cabinets (the three drawer dresser I use for ribbon storage should fit neatly underneath one side) and storage.  This should give me much more flexibility in my studio space (and lots less back strain from working hunched over).  

The not-so-good news is that both tables arrived damged when they were delivered.  However, replacements have been ordered, so hopefully the new tables will arrive without incident.

Stickles Storage

I was so thrilled that my Dad was able to join us for Thanksgiving this year.  In addition to the requisite turkey, stuffing, and sweet potatoes, he also removed our old dishwasher (not an easy feat since sub-flooring and tile had been laid after the original dishwasher installation) and installed a new one.  The only Black Friday shopping we did was a trip to Menard's for pieces and parts.  We (I say we ... I mostly just retrieve tools, hold the light & clean up, although I did paint the trim boards to go around the dishwasher) also installed a new kitchen electrical outlet by our island, replaced some caulk in the bathroom, and installed a new smoke detector.  

And of course, I had to throw a studio project in there too (see link to prior projects here).  I had seen several possible ideas for storing Stickles.  At first I thought I wanted to go this route, but then realized that counter-space is at a serious premium in my studio, so I would have no where to set it.  So instead, I decided to adapt this idea (see the very bottom picture in the post) to work in my space.

In my studio, I have a gorgeous oak china cabinet that stores lots of stamps, paper, buttons, etc.  I asked Dad if we could modify it to allow me to store my Stickles underneath the top cabinet.

We bought two 24" pieces of thin metal at the building supply store.  Dad pre-drilled eight holes in each before using the sheets as a template to drill the starter holes into the bottom of the china cabinet (it is made of solid oak, so it took some power tools to get this done).  We did play a little game of twister with me trying to hold the metal while he drilled in that tight space.

Here's what it looks like after both pieces are attached ... completely concealed unless you look underneath.

I glued magnets to the bottom of the Stickles bottles using E6000 adhesive.

And voila, Stickles storage.

Here's what it looks like after I returned my baskets of paper & stamps to their space.  

I love being able to make use of new bits of space in my studio ... and I love working on projects with my Dad.  And as a reward for all of our labors this weekend, we went to Duffy's Collectible Cars to check out the vintage vehicles ... a great way to spend the afternoon.