Sunday, August 6, 2017

Organizing the studio space

They say that when you are stressed out or overwhelmed, organizing anything can restore calm.  Work has been a bit crazy, but it usually is, so not sure if that instigated the studio overhaul or the fact that Columbus now has an Ikea.  Ikea browsing inspires rooms that flow with organization, there is a solution for every problem or concern, you just have to go to the self serve area, find it and put it together.

Last Sunday, I dragged the hubby to our new Ikea and bought a small cabinet for fabric, this will prevent me from being buried alive in a fabric avalanche. /Hemnes Cabinet with two doors


Which I then added new pulls from Hobby Lobby, and promptly filled it up with fabric and projects. Amazing how that happened!    I do love the way it looks though, and placed my tapestry loom from Stephen Willette, on top as well as my small collection of handcrafted pottery yarn bowls.  I find those hard to resist, when I see one that I really like.  

I honestly don't use them when knitting that much, but love the display aspect as well as the organizational.  Each holds a small project with the needles that I'm currently working on.  I'm looking forward to getting that loomed warped shortly.



Next up, I have a magnetic bulletin board that I also bought from Ikea several years ago, basically a white metal box, with black and white round magnets.  Did not match the natural aesthetic of the room at all, but used quite often.  I bought some linen fabric at Ikea, covered the board, using spray adhesive and a hot glue gun.  So far so good, the magnets still stuck securely. I also then covered the magnets themselves with Krylon Hammered Copper Spray paint, which puddles a bit as you spray, giving a textural element to what ever you are painting.  I'm pleased.  The silver containers are also from Ikea and hold beads, wire etc. for beading and jewelry projects that I am working on.  The room will ever be ongoing, but as long as I can work in there and reasonable find things I'm looking for, I'm happy.


My daughter and I have been taking a four part series of classes offered at the Franklin Park Conservatory on herb gardening, and we are enjoying it immensely.  My garden has been producing wonderfully this year, vegetables as well as herbs, so i've been busy making various herbal concoctions and just drying herbs for winter use.   Shown are red wine vinegar, with thyme and white wine vinegar with chives and basil.  Both are tasty, I used the red wine one on a quinoa salad yesterday to take to the Ohio State Fair and it was great.  I and a good friend demonstrated spinning and knitting for the Central Ohio Weaving and Fiberarts Guild.  She is much better at demonstrating than I, but it was an enjoyable morning.  We both resisted buying any more fleece!  I think I have three bags full ( just like the nursery rhyme) to spin and we will be picking up a fourth from Zeilinger's Wool Company at the Michigan Fiber festival.