My Creative Studio

Lately there has been a big trend in creating your ideal work space, notice it is NOT referred to as an office!!  Creativity in any form or medium is the hottest thing going!!  So of course we must have a place or, as they say, “space” to do it!!  Personally, I have become addicted to the STUDIOS publication, or the Creative Spaces magazine, where I can browse through the pages and see how others have organized  and decorated their “spaces”, many of them make me drool!

When I first started my creative business, I had one sewing machine,  a sewing cabinet and a storage box of fabric. Fast forward 10 years and I had  a sewing machine, serger, a whole bookcase of scrapbooking materials, tools, two closets worth of fabric and a cabinet of craft supplies. At this time we did not use our dining room as we had an eat-in-kitchen, and with the kids being so little- that worked best.  So the dining room was mine and I even built my own work table set up 3 1/2 feet to keep little fingers out of my projects. I had various economical shelf units bought at the local Target and my trusty sewing cabinet/desk, I worked where the kids played and watched TV, but began to dream of my own space- where I didn’t have to always clean everything up – who wants to do that?

Recently, we realized we now need our dining room, so while remodeling our house we enclosed the back porch into an additional room that was intended to be my studio/family room. By this time I have four various sewing machines, a pull out cutting table, several book shelf units and a need for more space as my business grows.  My family and I have decided that this is Mom’s Studio, if I promise to take all the materials, tools, and craft supplies stashed in everyone’s closets and the hall closets and put it all in MY Studio!!

This summer I decided to take the time off from my business in order to “create” my “space”!!  What a journey this has been! All my machines, tools and supplies had slowly migrated out to my Studio but in no type of order, just haphazardly placed  here and there  wherever I could find room, as I was too busy being creative to organize it all. Eventually, I found it hard to be productive in this environment  and had the worse time locating supplies I knew I had somewhere….  It is embarrassing to publicise my mess like this, but maybe it will inspire you to pull your space together.

I decided to start with finishing the walls as they were still bare dry wall, I spent days “mudding” the walls, priming, and then finally painting!! Did I mention I HATE prep work?! It’ s just no fun at all!!

Each day I got closer to my goal I became relentless, we ate a lot of pizza and Subway those weeks!
Once again every room in the house was holding some of my machines, tools, supplies and furniture, we were a construction zone, and the kids just wanted to go to Disney!!

And then….Progress, the Studio begins to emerge….( hear the angelic music???)

Now the whole family began to get excited, surely this meant that Mom was going to be a HUGE success, take her business to a whole new level!!  I began to think I needed to go out and buy a business suit, the only one I had was from the BC era – you know – Before Children?

Have you ever read the book -( to your children of course) “If You Give A Mouse A Cookie”?  Well once the walls were done , I couldn’t just leave the ugly concrete floors that horrible brown color, it didn’t go with the color scheme after all.  We are on a budget and couldn’t afford to go out and purchase 400 square feet of tiles, like I wanted, so after consulting my favorite decorating magazines, I decided to paint the floor too.  Easier said than done, I found out!  To paint unsealed concrete you have seal it, paint it, then seal the paint! UHGG!  Well I found a better  – quicker way: concrete paint with sealer in it- designed for outdoor use, so very durable, after all I didn’t want my hard work peeling off the floor.  First time I opened the can of concrete paint I almost keeled over!!   Each time I used it on the floor, we had to open all the windows and run multiple fans, the fumes were so strong, and I had to wear a mask, this was in the summer months of June and July- in Florida!!  Then there is the whole issue of being on your hands and knees for prolonged periods of time –  at my age! ( we won’t go there!).  Those days I felt a lot like Mr. Magoo, remember him?? Ha! you just showed your age!!

Finally, the finished room!! I cried!! (my knees were killing me!)

My family agrees, it was well worth the time and hardship – mine of course!

Stay tuned, because in my next post about  Where we Create, I will take you through the process of bringing everything back in and organizing a workable space – be warned!  It is not for the weak of heart!!

Kerry