Sunday, June 20, 2010

Where Bloggers Create Party...Welcome to my Studio

I'm always a day late and at least a dollar short...and here I am again late for the party I've been looking forward to. Not my birthday party which was last night and lots of fun by the way...but the Where Bloggers Create Party sponsored by My Desert Cottage. To visit all the participants follow the link and look on the sidebar for the "Party Guests"


There are never good excuses for being late but always lots of reasons. On Friday which was my 50th birthday I had planned to finish up work in the studio around noon and take the afternoon to do some fun stuff for myself and write this post. Well, I ended up spending the day in a Benadryl funk and in and out of consciousness. I got stung by a wasp on Thursday and by Friday morning was absolutely miserable...swollen, red, blistery and itchy like you can't imagine. I didn't even celebrate my birthday until yesterday....anyway...I am now much better and ready to party!

My studio, as some of you that follow, may have guessed, is in complete chaos as I write. I've mentioned it in many posts recently that it looks like a hurricane blew through. When I signed up to participate in the party, I thought I could show you old photos and you'd never know the difference...but, that just isn't right! I will show a few old and a few current.

This post will serve two purposes....1. the blogger party. 2. the before pictures for our renovations that are soon to start.

My husband built the studio in late 1991 and I began working in there full time in January 1992. I had the upstairs portion and he had the downstairs. This is what it looked like last summer. This summer it will get railing and a board ramp like I showed in a previous post. And be updated with white trim and red screen doors. The garden in front will also be replanted with delicious smelling herbs like scented geranium and lavender.


The studio has served me well as my floorcloth studio and as space for art classes over the last 18 years. You can imagine the beating it has taken with all the hauling of materials up and down stairs and kids regularly running in and out.

I have had the same white walls and stenciled wild horse border since day one...ugh! My tastes have matured quite a bit but I just haven't had the time to make any changes until now. I'm going back with white walls but the border will bite the dust by the end of this week I hope.

 So here's where I am today....working simultaneously on floorcloth commissions, making items for the shop that will open in September, and renovating the studio upstairs and down.

WARNING: THIS IS NOT GOING TO WIN AN AWARD FOR PRETTY! Maybe next year...

You will be greeted by one of our sweet dogs upon arrival. This is Ada. She usually comes in for the day unless she's shedding...like now. By July we will be good to go again. Bless her heart, she just doesn't understand I can't have black dog hair in the finish coats of my floorcloths.

Welcome

As you walk in the stairs are immediately to the right...this is one of the first floorcloths I designed 20 years ago. The one on the floor is maybe 10 or so years old and yes that's dirt! I know I should be ashamed!


You see my office in the corner when you arrive at the top of the stairs. I've taken out the giant old Gateway computer and rarely ever take my laptop up there. We've also taken out our land line and it's actually been quite liberating to go unconnected while I'm working. I'm in the process of finishing a small floorcloth and once it's delivered I will stack as much as I can on the work table and begin painting the walls and ceiling this week. I've already unloaded some shelves.


This is my inspiration board where I have been accumulating ideas for my shop for the last couple of years...it has spilled over into a folder now but I leave the original things up to remind me that dreams come true and start with an idea or two. The custom boots have always been inspiring to my floorcloth designs...and too I am giving myself a pair sometime this year to celebrate being 50.


The corner where I keep my paint...outgrew it quickly so I also have a cabinet just for acrylics and specialty products. Another one of my first designs..."1840"


Multiple projects going on here...finished projects and loads of supplies underneath...You just don't know how much I am looking forward to opening the shop and having order back in my studio.



More finished projects and more stuff literally stuffed under the table, in boxes, drawers and cabinets.


I look forward to the day when I have floorspace again to paint large floorcloths...My worktable is 8' x 8' and my available floor space used to accommodate room size rugs. It will be so wonderful to have that much space when most of this stuff goes downstairs into Ranch Dressing.

So, this is my studio where I create. I hope you will come back in September to see the finished shop and renovated studio. I apologize for the length...when I haven't written for a while I tend to ramble. Now, I'm off to visit the other bloggers that create and look forward to seeing the beautiful places they work and live.

16 comments:

  1. Hey, you're getting there and its going to be great! Thanks for showing some of the process!
    Best wishes,
    Chris

    www.curbyscloset.com/blog/

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  2. What a wonderful creative space!

    I adore your storage solutions. You have inspired me to work on my own crafting paradise.

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  3. What a great space! Better late than never.
    :o) Good luck on your new adventure.
    Hugz,
    Zandra

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  4. Hey glad you made it! I posted on time, but haven't had time to LOOK! 1)Happy Birthday! 2)Hope you're feeling better! 3)Great building and a REAL workspace! 4)I find that a lot of creative types are in over their eyeballs and bounce on one toe to take a breath at the surface in order to dive down and do it all over again! Keep on keeping on! Thanks for sharing--Jacqueline

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  5. i love the variety of projects you work on. the horses....yah. I love the rest. what a wonderful spot to dissapear and take time for yourself--- or even with others.

    http://patchworkposse.com/blog

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  6. Happy Birthday - late - but Happy Birthday!!! I think you had the perfect excuse to keep me on the edge of my seat while waiting to see your FANTASTIC space! You're so real - and I'm crazy envious of your ability to spread out!!! I can not WAIT to see what your studio is going to turn in to!!!

    :-D robelyn

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  7. What a great space - and I love that it is a separate building - what fun!

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  8. A wonderful place and yes being in a building by itself would be so great! Glad you made it to the party. So nice to meet you!

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  9. A studio redo is such fun - I'm collecting ideas for mine and this tour is so much of an inspiration. I've gotten a ton of great ideas already. Thanks so much for inviting us to visit.

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  10. This studio makes sense to me...a real working studio...Love it! Thanks so much for sharing it all with us!

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  11. wow-wonderfully large space to create in-thanks for sharing!enjoy lake murray-we stayed there when i was in HS-

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  12. Angie I'm so excited for you! A newly renovated studio? How great is that??? Your floor cloths are really cool. I am amazed that they last as long as they do! Even though the one on the floor was dirty it still looked great! Thank you so much for showing us your studio. I really hope you will participate again next year so we can see the new one!
    xo,
    Karen
    My Desert Cottage

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  13. First off what an adorable name for your design business - Ranch dressing - love it! The floor cloths are fantastic. Years ago I painted one for my kitchen and I loved how pretty and practical it was. Best wishes and much success on your new business venture. Thank you for sharing your studio.

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  14. Lots of space...that's all we need right... Doesn't have to be fou-fou pretty...just meet our needs. Yours looks like it fits the bill.

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  15. You have such a nice space for creating. It was a pleasure exploring. Connie

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So glad you stopped by. I love reading your comments!