Phase 5: Just Hangin' Around

Phase 5 is where it really started to get FUN for me! Well, not the trip to HD to *buy* the shelving, or the mathematics involved in figuring out exactly where to hang the verticals, or the part about trying to hit the nails into the studs...apparently our house is not "standard" in where the studs are placed. We encounter this issue from time to time in each room, but we always forget until the next time, and then Brett gets annoyed...yeah, those parts were just the prelude to what you see here. :)

Once the shelves were finally hung, then I had to figure out how to organize all my crap -- I mean supplies - on them. The center table holds tools and assorted "necessary" stuff for design work. To the left is a storage cabinet with my tumbler on top. Above that (under the shelving) is my cord roll. To the right are two filing cabinets, and above them are my printer, paper punch, and paper cutter. Under the table on the left is a rolling cart which houses my wire and sheet; resting on top of that is my lap pad. To the right under the table is another storage cabinet. On the very left you can just see my stump and the end of the soldering area.

One of my favorite things in the room is my cord roll. I use a fair amount of leather and suede in my designs, and I was really squeezed for storage space in this room. Since I had space under the bottom row of shelving, I decided to store the cord rolls there and not have them taking up valuable drawer / shelf space. This was so simple: a wooden dowel, two cup hooks, some chain, and a couple of thumbtacks in the ends to keep it from falling out of the chain loops.


One of the wonderful things about doing what you love for a living is that you can become so engrossed in it that you totally lose track of time. My clock keeps me on the straight and narrow, though it is not beloved by my husband or my friends. I get it - it's kind of cheesy and dated - but tulips happen to be one of my favorite flowers. And more importantly, it was my grandmother's clock. I don't have much from any of my grandparents, but I like the idea of Grandma's clock keeping time in my studio.