Ingenious Inkling

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.

My Studio

This weekend I added a new storage tower from Sam's to my studio.  It required a bit of rearranging to fit it in, which as often happens, led to a lot of rearranging, sorting, and cleaning.  A reader recently asked to see a picture of my studio, and I realized it had been several years since I had taken any new pictures.  So since things were (for the moment) relatively clean and organized, I thought I'd share a few shots (click through the photos for larger views).

My studio is one-half of a room that was once an attached two-car garage.  the other half is our family room, so I can see the TV, watch movies, and listen to music all from the comfort of my studio table.  I work on a dining room table that I cover with plastic table clothes for protection.  I buy lots on sale at end-of-season, and when one gets too gunked with ink and glue, I change it out for a new one.  

My inks, scissors, glues, etc all sit down the center of the table & I usually work standing from both sides, although I sometimes sit down if I'm coloring or doing detail work.  I have a standing height table in the back left corner where I use my embossing gun and any cutting that requires a healing mat.  I have two stackable paper racks (8 1/2" x 11" on top & 12" on the bottom) that are sitting on top of a piano bench to make it a more usable height.  In front of it is another small TV table that holds my light table, a hanging file folder crate full of ephemera and specialty items, and my sewing machine.  I also have a two-layer Clip-It (on the right) on top of one of the drawer cabinets that holds stickers and gems.

On the far left corner of the wall is my Nestability holder that my Dad helped me make.  The tie dye butterfly fabric hides a non-working fireplace that sits behind the dresser.  The notebooks and cabinets are sitting on top of the mantle.  On the left end of the mantle is another parts storage container that holds small punches.  I punched out the shape of each punch inside and glued it on the front of the clear drawers for easily locating what I need.

 

The cabinet on the right (next to my computer desk) was the latest addition.  I thought I was buying a stacker similar to the ones I already had, only with clear drawers.  When we put it together, we realized it actually has 12 inch drawers, which is even better.  Next to that is parts storage shelving unit with 18 bins that are large enough to store 8 1/2: x 11" papers, tall enough to stand up my spray inks, and sturdy enough to hold lots of heavy punches.  The bins are easily movable to the table if I want to work out of one.  

In the china cabinet that goes with the dining room table I store background stamps, buttons, books, etc.  The baskets on top store my Hero arts stamps and 6" paper pads.  To the left of that is the fabulous hanging punch holder that my Dad also helped me make (I love when Dad comes to visit).

This is the chair where I usually sit and work.  On the left is a foam pad that I cover with a ledger size piece of cardstock (I got a damaged ream cheap from a local print shop).  When it gets all inky, I turn the paper over and use the other side, and then eventually discard and replace.  The "give" of the foam layer underneath is perfect for good stamping.  The colored drawer cabinets primarily hold wood-mounted stamps, although they also have drawers for rub-ons, stickers, embellishments, etc.

The dresser was a great find at an estate sale.  The drawers are perfect for holding my rolls of ribbon and stacks of felt.  On top is a 12" square basket that hold paper scraps and next to that is a hanging file folder crate that holds all of my cardstock scraps in folders by color.  The folders are easily removable and brought over to my table to compare to my project if I'm looking for a very certain shade of a color.  I have positionable ceiling lights and a rechargeable Ott light on my table to for additional lighting.  

I often work on top of my 12" tonic paper cutter.  A small trash can sits in the end chair, so I can scrape all of the paper scraps from the cutter right into the can.  My Scor-It is always out on the other side of the table for scoring.  I also have plenty of room when friends want to come over and create with me. 

I am truly blessed to have such a great place to create ... it is my favorite place to be.  

Nestability Storage Solution

Last time my Dad came to visit, he helped me build a storage rack for my punches (which still works marvelously).  Today we tackled Nestability Storage.  I'm a very visual person who likes to have as many of my creative tools as possible in my direct line of site.  I decided to see if we could utilize a small corner in the back of my studio for storage.

The opening was perfect for a 10" x 4' pre-finished shelf board.  We placed two rows of magnetic tape strips (5/8" apart so they could make contact with the smallest center die cuts).  A yard stick was used to sketch out the lines and then a bead of gel super-glue to help the magnet adhere strongly to the board.  We attached two hangers to the back (and a small nail at the bottom to keep it from trying to pop away from the wall when I remove the die cuts).

Now they are in my line of site, so I have a constant reminder of what is available, as well as easily removable from the wall.  The next task is to make some magnetic labels to put beneath each set to identify the name of the set.  Here's another close-up shot.

It's always great to get to spend time with my Dad in my studio.