Friday, August 31, 2018

Digging Out the Studio Week 6: Finally in the studio

Sorry for the little month-long hiatus there. I had to stop blogging and cleaning and drive kid #1 all the way to the other side of the country for college and then get myself home. It's a big place, the United States. And Mt. Rushmore was totally worth the drive across Wyoming. You should stop in Laramie, WY, if you are ever in the neighborhood. I was pleasantly surprised. But that's not really what we are talking about today. Is it?


So where were we? Ah yes, week 6, when we head into the actual studio. Finally.


This was the week we tackled the paint shelves. Sorry, I don't think I took a "before" of the paint shelves. But it looked a lot like the above pic. Same level of disarray, same type of shelves, just different contents. 

To be fair, I should tell you that this week's focus was decided because I went to Hobby Lobby with a friend and found the cutest metal locker baskets for 50% off. I walked away empty handed that day, because I knew the sale was going on for another week or so. And also, because I have a few personal rules about buying storage containers. The most important one is:

Never buy a storage container, 
no matter how cute or cheap it is, 
until you know what you are storing in it 
and what size that pile is. 
Even if it's on sale at Hobby Lobby 
and you live 30 min away. 

Trust me on this. I have several very cute storage items that I am currently not using because I have nothing suitable to store in them. Which make them, sadly, wasted enthusiasm. Alas. Plus, if you don't buy it then, and go home and get your measurements, then you get to go back to Hobby Lobby later and shop some more. Win-win.

The paint shelves have been home to all kinds of things: chalk paint, wax, acrylic tubes, adhesives, photo albums, water bottles (I am one of those Mormons who hoards water in my basement for a "not so rainy day"), craft supplies, lamp bits, door knobs and hinges, and other crafty, hoarder treasures. We pulled it all off the shelves, dragged it into the playroom, and set to work. 


Sister Anderson is now an expert at deciding whether a can of paint can be saved, or if it is dry beyond renewing. That poor girl has checked so many cans of paint for me. Week 6 was just the beginning.  

Sister Kleven manned the adhesives, checking to see if they could still be used or if they were permanently sealed shut. I promise I did not make her sniff any glue.

Sister Merrit took care of the waxes and top coats, to see if they were still viable.


Here, Sister Merrit and Sister Anderson are exploring my gold wax. Professional art supplies are super fun. You can see the glop of wax on Sister Anderson's pointer finger. This wax turns metal or wood items gold, kind of like a paint.



 We also tackled all the craft kits that the kids had forgetten they had for years. They were all sorted and evaluated for age appropriateness and to see if enough of the bits were still there to still be fun to use. There were so many stinking craft kits. So. Many. Birthday Parties. 

I also had to move a book lamp I had never put up for sale, due to the harp getting loose as the humidity ebbed and waned. Sister Kleven was entranced. A lamp? Made of Books? It was love at first sight.



This one is actually the fraternal twin of the one I still have; it lives with my friend Margaret out at Asher Hill Farms. But it was such a good pic, I just went with it. Mine is only slightly different. After a lot of questions and a bit of wistful sighing, I realized I had all the pieces to make one for her. A "Classics" lamp. It is full of the Great Books in vintage covers, most of which feature gold lettering. I even had it already marked and stacked to drill into a lamp base. I just ran out of time like 5 years ago. (You can see the books stacked on the shelf in the first pic in this post.) So I am going to finish it and give it to her for Christmas. As much to give it a good home and get it out of the studio as to say thanks to this darling girl who has been helping me every week for 3 mos now.

And don't worry, I have given meaningful things to each of these girls along the way. Sister Merrit got my vintage REAL desert army camo pants. Sister Anderson became best buddies with my oldest daughter and is getting a lot of nerdy NASA swag I have lying around. And I bought them all my favorite tool. But that is another story. 

Ok, enough about presents for these girls. Do you guys wanna see the result of all this work? This is what things looked like when they all had to leave:


Nice and tidy, all organized by category, just waiting to be put in their new homes.

Here's what the shelves looked like when I was all done:


Cue the angel voices! Can't you totally hear the "Ahhhh..."?

And here's a close up of those super cute metal locker baskets I was talking about. You didn't think I was going to just leave you hanging about those? Come on, we are better friends than that! They were perfect for my chalk paints and adhesives. I love how heavy duty they are. These baskets are solid.


And here's a shot back across, so you can see what we got done. It's just a little bit farther back than the pic at the beginning:


I suppose that is kind of underwhelming. But to me it says "progress". And I promise we'll get to it all, eventually. 

In case you missed the previous post about digging out the studio, here are the links:

How are you guys doing with your projects? Are you chipping away at things? 
The sisters and I would love to hear about what you all are working on.

Talk to you soon,

CM Shaw