Custom drawers

This is what's in the studio right now. I'm trying to streamline my workspace. I wanted little drawers as storage for the small parts I use to create the dolls and critters.

The ready made plastic ones I could find were not going to work for me. They had snap lids, or the drawers were too small, or the drawers were to big. None of them fit nicely in the corner under the riser like I wanted.

So, what's a creative person to do? Make it themselves, of course. LOL I had some .03 inch thick book board and no particular project for it. I've used 90% of what I had making these. It's not done by a long shot. I have to finish gluing the drawer sleeves into a box. Then, in order to stabilize the structure, I'll be creating a box with thicker book board around the sleeves. I still have to figure out what to use for drawer pulls. But, this, when done, will give me more space than I currently need for storing small things and fit under the riser over in the corner. Accessible, but out of the way.

I am taking pictures of each step along the way. When complete, I will post a tutorial on how to do this yourself, if you'd like. In the meantime, I will be taking next Friday off from posting. I will be involved in a wedding next weekend and will not be able to post. But, I will be back the following Friday with something new.

Until next time...

Little boxes

I've been working on boxes this week. I've also been attempting to learn about using FaceBook, Twitter and Pinterest. Feel free to "like" my stuff. :)

The first box I made was to hold the long pipe cleaners I use when making the bendy dolls. I'm working on eliminating the big (as in taking up space on the desktop) 3 drawer box that my doll making supplies are in. It's still a work in progress.

And, of course, the photo came out blue. (Sorry about that.) I guess I need to add that to my list. Learn to take better pictures.

I was able to get my new business card designed and printed out. That made me happy. Especially since I've been listing stuff in my Etsy store. What if someone actually buys one of them? :D Anyway, with spiffy new business cards, they needed a new home. I applied my cool new box making skills to make a container.

It's a miniature clam-shell box. I was quite pleased how it turned out. It holds 20 business cards. The only problem is, will it stay closed when I toss it in a purse or bag? I'll keep you posted. And, I will gratefully accept any cool ideas.

Until next time...

Unexpected work

Last Sunday, during a phone call with my son, I was sharing the progress on getting the critters and dolls out online. He was very supportive but mentioned that I should watermark my photos due to some unscrupulous people out in the internet world. Not what I wanted to hear. It took me a bit to figure out how to do that exactly. Once I figured it out, it is now a matter of getting this on each and every photo I have that I want to put online. Not an insurmountable problem, just unexpected. I'm still working on it.




The main focus this work week was going to be to improve my online presence and to get started on making candy. I have a craft show on the 4th of July and was going to get some lollipops made this week. Instead, I will be working on photos.

I don't remember if I've shown this Nessie before. Her name is Firtha which means "arm of the sea". I'll be listing her soon in my Etsy shop.

Until next time...

Studio expansion and more

It's been a busy week. I kicked myself in the behind to get my critters online. I've started a website. Not much, just a splash page so far. I've started an Etsy store, a FaceBook page, and a Pinterest account. I'm just learning the ins and outs of social media, so this may take me a bit to get the hang of things. I've also got more critters and bendy dolls to put up on Etsy.

I've added a shelving unit to my studio space so I can have more supplies at hand. I really am loving working in the new space. It feels so roomy! I know it's just a corner of the living room, but it's mine. :) The picture is a bit blue because I had a filter chosen on the camera. Oops.

In the lower left hand shelf, you can see 2 books. Those are blank books I made this last week. I was out of blank journals and as long as I was making one, I made 2. The darker blue is an experiment using the dragon pattern as an applique. It turned out ok. The problem is I was sewing on a heavy paper rather than a fabric. This evidently required a blood sacrifice. I poked my fingers at least half a dozen times. Drew blood most of the time. (Ouch!) The other is covered with some hand made paper I purchased last year. It has a really interesting texture to it.

Until next time...

Micro Studio

Oh, this has been a great week! The desk got finished. *happy dance* I've started moving in and working. The downer is not everything I want to have at hand will fit in the desk in an organized manner. I do have the wall above the desk and am giving that serious consideration. The riser under the lamps is because the lamp neck is so short the light is in my eyes if the lamp is sitting on the desk surface.

Aren't the geode book ends gorgeous? I forgot I had them until I cleaned the bookshelf that used to live in the spot where the desk is now.

I've got several ideas for storage to maximize the space and allow for all the supplies I want to have at hand for making toys, books, and art. I also want to replace the riser with something a bit wider. The bases of the lamps hang over the edges which could prove to be a problem. Besides, the riser is actually part of my booth set up for craft fairs. It would be better to return it to the booth furniture rather than trying to unearth it when I have a show.

The best part, I've found, is that I'm not as distracted when I'm working there. I've deliberately left my computer on the small secretary across the room. It means moving my chair from one to the other, but the chair is on wheels.

A while ago, I posted about organizing the felt and floss into zip bags. Putting them into hanging file folders in the file drawer (lower right drawer) is so much easier to access. It's also easier to put back the balance of the felt in a folder in the drawer after cutting something out. I'm very pleased about that change.

Until next time...