Knock it Off!

I love knocking stuff off.  I'm sure there's something wrong with that.  But I love it.  I always have.  I have boxes of beads and shells from making hemp jewelry when I was in middle school and early high school.  I didn't want to pay $10 (which was a lot to a 12 year old back then) for a necklace I could make for about $3.  Plus I got the satisfaction of knowing that I made it.  I think I've always been very analytical.  I can look at stuff and figure out what went into making it.  I've always been good at spatial things, like geometry.  I think that was one of my favorite classes in high school and I did really well in physics in college.  I just like figuring stuff out.  And it's awesome when all of that combines into something more useful than what time two trains will collide. 

All that being said.  I found this dress at Belk a few weeks ago.

Source: belk.com via Evan on Pinterest



(Yes, I succumbed to Pinterest, I feel like a sell out)

But I did find this dress in real life at Belk.  There were just a few problems.  1) It was in the junior's department.  Some things I can get away with in the junior's dept. like T-shirts.  Not dresses.  2) Coming from the junior's dept. it was very short and see through.  People complain about what hoochie mama's today's teenagers are becoming.  Part of the problem is that mamas are buying the hoochie mama clothes for their teenagers.  OK, getting off the soap box now.  3) The print is all wrong for me.  Petite girls should wear petite prints.  Not giant butterflies gracing their naughty bits. 

So I studied the dress in the store while the Clinique lady wondered what I was doing to the poor hanging half mannequin thing and remembered it for the day I found the perfect fabric.  Little did I know it wouldn't be long before I found it. 

I found this wonderful cotton knit at Hancock for $3 a yard!  $3!  And I used less than 2 yards.  So that's a new dress for less than $6.  It kind of has an Indian feel to the print.  But it's in dominantly berry color.  I love berry color.  And I got some practice matching stripes.  I'm wearing a long sleeve T-shirt under it because it was cold that day and I couldn't wait to wear my  new dress, but the little white panel in front is sewn in so I won't have to wear a cami underneath in the summer.  And the fabric is such better quality than what's in the stores. 

I'm in love.

So my next knock off project is in the works.  Because I think it's senseless to pay $200 on sale for a bag just because it says Michael Kors.  Did he sign it?  Sew it together himself?  Guaratee it free of defects in workmanship?  Write you a personal thank you note for shopping his brand?  Even if he did, there's no sense in spending that kind of money for a bag that will go out of style next season.  Just sayin'. 

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?