studio reorganization…

studio
well we’re back in the studio from a great trip to ranger to finalize our cha plans, booth, workshop kits, etc.  then we were off to florida to demo at stampfest.   i had a great time sharing lots of techniques on distress, sizzix, idea-ology and of course stampers anonymous!  thanks to everyone who attended the demos at the show – it was a true pleasure to meet so many happy and creative people…

i have so many deadlines to get finished before the cha show which is just a couple of weeks away, but yesterday i decided to jump in and take on the task of reorganizing my studio anyways.  don’t get me wrong, i love to sort through my creative space every now and then as it usually inspires me when i uncover things i forgot i had.  i’m sure many of you can relate to that.  well the main reason for this reorganization is because of my latest online find, in fact my most favorite find ever (and that’s saying something).  so here’s a little background as to how it all got started…

last month i took a trip to california to go junkin’ with paula to the remnants of the past show.  there i spotted this vintage countertop hardware spinner used for selling screws, bolts, nails, and other bulk hardware.  to my disappointment it already had a sold sign, and to be totally honest i wanted to hang out and wait for the buyer to return to make an offer on it and try to take it home.  needless to say i didn’t and just walked on, but i had that thing on my mind the rest of the day – well actually every since.  i thought this type of industrial display was perfect for so many things considering they are made of steel, each layer has adjustable dividers, and each one individually rotates around a center pole – perfection i tell you…

my search was underway but i wasn’t having much luck…bummer.  that was of course until i searched on etsy (yeah i know that’s usually the place for hand made things right?), but sometimes there is wonderful vintage treasures and it was certainly my lucky day.  i found the “find” of my junkin’ lifetime – a full size vintage hardware spinner!  this was even better than the one i had originally saw since it was a free standing floor version – i’ve never seen one for sale like it and knew i HAD to have it!  so i added it to my cart, contacted the sellers about shipping, etc., took a deep breath, and with a few clicks of the keyboard it was MINE!!!

etsy

the sellers sara and stacy from “sugar scout” were so awesome to deal with.  i even found out they are fellow crafty junkers and better yet, repurposers, changing old back into new and useful.  when i contacted them they had told me they knew “who” i was…lol…and that they’ve used some of my products on their repurposing projects, how cool is that?  so i want to mention them here on my blog in case you want to check out some of their other cool vintage goods – thanks again sugar scout…

sugarscout

now it was the task of unpacking the beast and getting it put back together so luckily i had the help of mj3 (mario’s son).  we laid out all of the grungy pieces, adjusted the dividers on a few of the layers and had to move it piece by piece into the studio to reassemble it.  before we could do that we had to make room for it which is where the major reorganizing task came from.  some of you may remember that cool “display spinner” rack i had from my old job at ben franklin crafts that held all of my inks, paints, etc.  well it was time for that thing to go to make room for this new one.  so i moved out the old display from the corner it lived in since i moved into the studio.  i couldn’t believe how much room it made!  then i was on to plan b and decided to place the new spinner in front of the window on the other side of the studio.  with a little shuffling and reorganizing of things it was the perfect fit…

spinner1 spinner2

just check out how perfectly it holds everything and each layer spins independently so i can find things so much easier!  better yet, there is still room on the bottom layers to be filled with vintage trinkets, embellishments, you name it.  seriously every single ink pad, stain, paint, spray, embossing powder, and miscellaneous stuff fit into it perfectly – so lucky…

spinnerspinner3 spinner4

since i moved the old spinner out i had a huge open space in the corner so it was off to sams club to buy another metal table to create more (and much needed) counter space in the studio.  now i have a place for my sewing machine, vagabond, eclips, and room to layout projects i’m working on.  then i hung this cool display board i found at homegoods to display inspiration, ideas, and finished things – i am one happy guy…

table

well after 12 full hours of building, moving, cleaning, and reorganizing, i have a new creative space to work in – now that’s what i call a productive day.  so now i guess i better get busy on those deadlines, but  i’ll be back monday with a progress update.  enjoy your weekend…t!m

Tim Holtz Creative Chemistry 101