Behind the Scenes: Shop Studio

I’ve wanted to do a post about my Etsy shop studio for a long time now.  After finally taking photos of the space, here it is!  My studio is always a work in progress because I am continually adding stock to my Etsy shop and need to move things around to get the best fit.

Here is a tour of my studio…


One of my favorite things about my studio is the space gets lots of natural light.  Working in natural light makes it enjoyable and easier to work.  My office in the old house was in the basement and I’m so thankful that in this house we had space available above ground for my studio area.




My studio functions as my home office, sewing room, paint studio, shop stock room, inspiration and creating area.


I use my grandmother’s old china cabinet to hold essential oils.


On top of the cabinet, I keep my lavender in sealed glass jars to preserve the freshness.  I use lavender in sachets and I sell it by the pound in my shop.


Hanging above the china cabinet, I have my paper pom pom vines.  Sarah from Paperwhite Designs created them for me, and I LOVE them!  I originally got the vines to help decorate my table for my next craft show, so until then I have hung them above the cabinet until they are needed.  I love the colors she suggested, thanks Sarah!


I used gift wrap to line the back of the cabinet to brighten it up a bit.  I used the same process I used in the kitchen.


My inspiration board is in between the storage/filing cabinet and the desk.  I recovered the tack board on the desk with drop cloth earlier this year.


Here is my light box and I use it photo shoots for my shop and blog.  To make your own light box, check out my tutorial here.




I use my DIY serving tray tower to hold my thread and other sewing items.


Don’t get me wrong.  My studio is not always this neat and tidy.  I admit I picked up and dusted to take these photos.  But I do find that I work better in a clean and organized environment and this photo shoot gave me a push to take a look at my space in a new light.

I find it easier to snap some pics and then take a look and see what is looking “off” in a space.  Photos don’t lie and if you are looking to restyle a room I always find that taking a few pics and then analyzing them helps to find out what is working for a room visually and what is not.  Don’t be afraid to move things around in a room.  If the item is not working in its new home, you can always move it back.

Here is what the studio looked like shortly after we moved in:




After a year of living with our new office furniture, I love how the space turned out.


Sandra

Pinterest....I'm Addicted!

For the last few days, I can't seem to leave Pinterest alone.  Every time I pass by my computer, which is located on the kitchen table, I find myself gravitating over to pin something!  Does anyone else have this same addiction?!

I love all the inspiration that is so easy to tag (pin) and find your way back to easily later.  So far, I have categorized my boards by each room of the house.  Right now, this system is working great, especially for finding a pin later.  How do you organize your boards on Pinterest??


Follow me on Pinterest!
 
As Always,
Sandra

My Birthday Present

My birthday seemed to come out of nowhere this year.  This year has been flying by!  I ended up having a wonderful birthday which started by my husband and 2 1/2 year old son cooking and serving me breakfast.  And the day just kept getting better (if that is even possible!)

I bought my own present this year.  I decided on three books all centered around... you guessed it...Organizing and making it Pretty!  Here are the books I picked up:

1. Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook - Martha Stewart (I'm excited to dive into this one. Everything from cleaning checklists to simple instructions for how to care for items in your home)

2. How To Organize Just About Everything - Peter Walsh (I enjoy step by step books and this one has instructions for organizing everything... and I do mean everything!)

3. Home Color Bible - David Willis (I love color, who doesn't?!  This book is filled with beautiful photos for inspiration.  I also picked this book because it has divided pages that flip back and forth to mix and match color combinations.  I'm hoping to introduce more color into my home, and I think this book will work perfectly.  It will get me to think of color combinations I normally would not have picked together.)

I'm very excited about reading and having these books for reference in the future.  What books do you reference for ideas on organization in your own home?

As Always,
Sandra

Organizing Idea Binder

I've made an organizing binder for ideas and projects I'd like to complete in my home... 

 

With this binder I can easily store a few pages from a magazine and recycle the rest.  I can now get rid of stacks of magazines I have been keeping because I wanted to try an idea from one page out of them.  In my binder, I have also included some internet printouts with a few ideas from some websites I would like to do at home.  

I used Microsoft Excel to make the labels.  IHeart Organizing has a great article on how to make labels.  (I love her site!)  I'm excited to use my new binder since it is easy to add and change the contents!

As Always,
Sandra