Spring Cleaning My Studio

One of the things I enjoy most about being a jewelry artist is the few times a year I have time to get my 'OCD on' and reorganize my studio.  It's been a year now since I started making hand-stamped jewelry, and in that year, my studio has been revamped about three times because I'm using different tools and materials and what works for beading does not work for hammering.  LOL.  So, this weekend, I took yet another crack and reorganizing because my studio is basically 40% of my one bedroom apartment.  So, a friend of mine came over on Saturday and we rearranged the furniture yet again (much like deck chairs on the Titanic when you're in a tiny space) and I think this will work.  I bought a new media tower, put it together and then put it to use!

Can you tell I'm having a hard-core love affair with my labeler?

I'm now at the point where I wouldn't be horribly embarrassed if someone came over because I've freed my nightmare sofa from my work space, hence, why you can't see it in these pictures.  And believe me, that's a feat when you see what a gargantuan sofa I have.  (Yes, I have sacrificed my fireplace.  I used it once last winter here in NC.)

Please excuse the crookedness, lol.  I went to sleep early last night after all this organizing and basically slept through the rest of my area getting pummeled by tornadoes.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

~Lori

My New Year's Nightmare

Today was one of the most insane days of my life. I awoke excited and determined because my brother-in-law was bringing new furniture I'd purchased--a new coffee table and sofa. My existing coffee table and sofa were Ethan Allen originals and 35 years old. The new sofa is a gorgeous deep dark mocha brown. Removing the old sofa wasn't easy because it's heavy as hell. We thought that would be the hard part. But no. Turns out the new sofa I got was too wide for my apartment door. We took the door off the hinges. Still too wide. There's also an artic wind blowing thru here today, so we had the door off, the sofa stuck in it, and no way to stop the wind. My friend, Brian, who'd come over to help, ended having to sit in his car to keep warm until some moving guys I called could come help us. Eventually, they decided hoist the freaking sofa up to my 2nd floor balcony and bring it in like that. Seriously.

The coffee table I purchased, my BIL didn't think it was kit, but it was. Turned out to be pretty complicated to put together. I took my friend, Brian, out to dinner for helping me and freezing his butt off, and he called me on his way home to tell me he'd gotten a flat, and he was stranded in the freezing cold dark. I changed back into my clothes from my pajamas and drove across town to pick him up and get him home.

We'll deal with the flat tomorrow. I'm exhausted!