Studio Makeover on a Budget

I finally got my studio made over and it is functional!  Many of you may remember these pictures from This Post:

It was a mess of unholy proportions.  It was to the point that it was losing it's functionality because it was such a disorganized mess.  I looked at a lot of pictures of different studios online, got insanely jealous, and decided to do something.  Unlike a lot of the studios online, though, this space is not only a studio.  It's our "office" too with the computer and such.  And on top of that, if things go according to plan, will be a nursery in a year's time or so.  So I couldn't install a beautiful wall of shelves.  Or custom track lighting.  Or custom work bench/counter tops.  Plus, I had a budget.  So after a trip to Fred's, (if you don't have a Fred's in your area, it's like a small town Wal-Mart) about $30, and some serious cleaning and organizing, I present you with my new studio!

 Ok, I will admit that there is still a bit if a mess on the table top.  But I'm in the middle of a wholesale order, and it is organized chaos.  But I got rid of the pile of fabric and got a little magnetic dry erase board (about $4) so I'll know what projects I'm working on.  It's also helpful for math.  And Hubs did bring home some custom lighting for me!  A friend gave him a 100 watt halogen desk lamp with a swiveling head and extendable arm!  Things that people just don't want anymore are great.  In the meantime, college desk lamp is hanging out under the table until I can find a good use for him.   

So the Gorch Fock is still there.  That belongs to Hubs and there's nowhere else to put it, so it can stay.  But I got rid of that pile of scrapbook paper and shopping bags lurking under the ironing board.  The duffel bag (or what I've started) is still hanging out on the chair, but oh well.

I cleaned my junk off the desk, most of it shipping info and created a shipping center to the right.  I'll write more about that on the bottom picture.

This is my crowning glory of this project.  I spent about $5 each on the shorter hanging organizers (and Hubs had the middle one) and I put my fabric, notions and yarn in those.  Everything is organized by type.  Smaller stuff up top, all my interfacing together, odd certain projects put together...All my scrapbook stuff is in the middle hanger.  That was a project that had spilled into the guest bedroom.  And the beauty of this, is that when I get ready to move it, I just move it.  No rearranging and packing!

I also made a ribbon hanger.  It's not very stable, but it gets the job done.  It's made from a dowel rod cut in half (about $1 if not less, I can't remember because I bought it for something else a long time ago and never used it) and a piece of ribbon that says "Nuestra Boda."  Since no one in my family speaks Spanish, I don't think I'll ever be using that ribbon scrap. 

I got these little stacking shelves for about $5 each.  They give me some more tabletop space where I can put notions that I use all the time.  The neon buckets came three to a pack for just $1 at the Dollar General.  I got three packs in the color that I use on my business cards.  How convenient!  I also bought the little jewelry organizer at Michael's for about $2 for my elastic, snaps, keyrings and so on.  It has made all the difference.  And yes, I do use a lighter on my work.  A lot cheaper and easier than Fray Check on satin ribbon. 

Here's a better view of the buckets and what I have in them. 

 

And here's my shipping center.  I found my old Yaffa blocks in the basement from college (I think when I bought them about 7 years ago they were only $15-$20) and cleaned them off.  I've got a few boxes, my bubble mailers, cello bags, stickers, string and scales all in one place, right by the computer for printing out shipping.  I used more of those neon buckets to hold business cards.  You can't see it, but I got a poly folder for all the business cards that I recieve from different sellers too.  Some of those things have coupons on them! 

So it's not as shiny and girly as some of the studios on the internet.  The walls are still plain, they don't have inspirational quotes pasted on in vinyl.  And a lot of the stuff is repurposed in here.  But it's functional and organized and most importantly CHEAP!  So many of us don't have the luxury of being able to spend what we want on our hobby or even business.  But with a little ingenuity, and some old college storage stuff, I now have something that I would be proud to bring someone in.  It's a start.  I'll keep dreaming about that shiny studio that I'll have one day.

Do you have any tips that you would like to share about studio organization? 

Thursday To-Do July 28, 2011

It has been one wild ride of a week.  After my blog post last Tuesday, I was contacted by Four Green Fields Gallery in Summerville, SC through Etsy.  From looking at their website, I would just love to go in here, and probably will make Hubs stop there next time we're on our way to Charleston.  They try their best to use South Carolina artists.   

After email conversations back and forth with them, and a phone conversation on Saturday morning, I'm going to be doing a wholesale order of 12 wallets for them!  I'm super excited about doing the order, but as always, I've been spinning my wheels because of my work schedule.  I first had to wait on my snaps to come in, now I'm waiting on some zippers, but even if I had these things, I'd still be just sitting on them.  I've got the rest of today (til 10:30 PM), tomorrow and then two 12 hour shifts on Saturday and Sunday, then I'm free for Monday and Tuesday!  That's when I'll get the wallets made and hopefully mailed out by Wednesday.  If not, they'll get out by Friday. 

The lovely ladies at Four Green Fields also asked if I could make roll up market bags and jewlery cases.  They said they've seen these products around and would like to carry them, so I'll be working up an example of each too in the near future.  I had to buy some clasps and D-rings for these. 

Buying all these supplies finally got to me though.  I decided that I had reached the point where I would pay for all of my supplies with money that I've made from my shop.  Tuesday, I spent half of what was in my Paypal account on supplies.  Luckily when this wholesale order comes through, it will be more than replenished, but I keep thinking of things that I think I need.  Until then, I'm just gonna have to wait. 

I did start using Wave Accounting online to help manage my expenses, and I think this will be a good thing.  It makes graphs and charts for me (things I know Excel can do, but I don't want to make it do it).  I like graphs and charts.  I hope that the fun doesn't wear off too quickly. 

So my To-Do List looks like this:
~Finish Zinnia Head Band for Adrina--Due Tomorrow

~Finish Brown and Pink Grayson Leigh Hat for Kim--Due Tomorrow

~Do wholesale order of wallets--Due Tuesday

~Make examples of Roll Up Market Bag and Jewelry Case--Due Friday (this is tentative, just so I'll get it done)

~Take up the Girls' skirts--Due ASAP

~Get my hair highlighted by one of my best friends--Friday @ 5:30 PM :)

~Maybe take Hubs out on a date Friday after highlights

~Finish the duffel bag that has become a major hurdle in my life.  I just don't want to finish it for some reason.--Due September 15

~Make my jacket for the mountain trip in October--Due October 27--As an aside, I bought this pattern to make a canvas jacket with a flannel lining.  I'm using black canvas to make a jacket like the yellow one on the bottom.  I've never sewed with a pattern before.  This could be interesting.

~Make a matching hat for the jacket--Due October 27

~Make the plaid peasant dress using a fabric very similar to this that I've been dreaming of--Due October 27

And there is, of course, finishing the organization of my studio.  It's coming along rather well.  I'm still not entirely proud of the outcome, but Hubs seems to like it.  I guess it looks good for my usual state of craft-fairy-threw-up-in-here-ness.  I'll get pics and post some helpful tips on organizing stuff on a budget in small spaces that may need to move.

I guess the good news is that my To-Do list is cycling pretty well.  There are only a couple of things lingering there that I need to finish.  But it's just tough when you don't have a "real" deadline.  The duffel bag, for example, doesn't have to get done.  It's for my own personal use.  I'm gonna finish that thing or die.  Whichever comes firt.

My Studio

I'm gonna jump on the bandwagon with all of these lovely crafty ladies who are posting pictures and writing about their studios.  I could sit all day and tell you about my studio.  How it's well organized, my decorating choices, the little things about it that inspire me, how Hubs helped me install custom lighting and build a table to suit my needs...

http://www.home-designing.com/2009/05/craft-room-home-studio-setup

http://www.younge.com/sewing_room_pages/photo_gallery.htm

http://www.hgtv.com/topics/sewing/index.html

But the fact of the matter is, that my "studio" looks like this:

See, so well organized.  I've got my sewing machine in one spot, and everything else everywhere else.  About my decorating choices, that boat on top of the 80s model TV, that's the Gorch Fock.  Whatever that is.  How could you not be inspired by looking athte Gorch Fock?  I actually did the custom lighting by myself.  I crawled under the Lifetime foldable table that Hubs really did set up and plugged in my old desk lamp from college.  I don't think Hubs would be happy that I posted this picture. 

This is the room that doubles as a "studio" and and office and in a few years will be a nursery because Hubs doesn't want to take down the guest bedroom to be a nursery.  So I don't want to buy furniture or permanent shelving that I will have to move soon enough.  It will also be a place where our middle schoolers from church meet in the fall, so something's gotta give.  There is minimal space in here.  The closet is even full of junk that has nothing to do with crafting.  I've got to move some stuff around, reorganize a bit and hopefully make it work.  Well, make it work better.  It works right now, just in a mess.  This is a project for this weekend.  I had hoped that a trip to the DG (Dollar General) would fix it, but I'm starting to think more along the lines of Wally World.  Hopefully I can do something so my studio doesn't get disassembled come September.  

I hope I've provided a look into what the life of a small time handcrafted business woman really looks like sometimes.  Maybe I've made some of you feel a little better about your messes.  I know the pictures of the pretty shiny studios make me feel guilty about mine.  I'll try to post some "after" pictures later with some helpful tips on a studio makeover for people on a budget with limited space.

Do you have pictures of your not-so-shiny studio that you would like to share?  Remember, there's safety in numbers!