Another studio project...

Ok, so I totally ripped this idea off Heather's blog, but who hasn't? I've already come across a few other blogs with similar postings. She is just such a cool and inspirational chick that you just want to absorb her coolness by association.

So, remember my Easter post where I mentioned that my father-in-law came down for the weekend and helped me with a studio project? This is IT! He did all of the carpentry work... like cutting & sanding & drilling holes and I did the painting and some minor distressing and then he installed it for me and I decorated it. :)

Interested to see how it all came together? If you're not, then don't read on, cuz I'm about to share it all!

We started out with some unfinished wood pieces we purchased at our local home improvement store. One 7" x 48" board that my FIL cut in half to make two 24" x 7" boards. Three wooden brackets. And a 3/8" round dowel.


After prepping all pieces (cutting, sanding, drilling a hole slightly bigger than the dowel onto all 3 brackets), I proceeded to paint. And yes, I had to do it on my kitchen counter because it was below FREEZING outside and the garage was way too cold to work in. I covered my kitchen island with some painters' dropcloth and painted away...


I applied two coats of paint. I used a Dutch Boy color called Mandarin Orange -- I wanted a Satin finish but after the kid at the store screwed up my paint mixing 3 times (ARGH!) and then embarrassingly announced to me that he was now out of Satin and I would have to use Semi-Gloss or switch to another brand, I opted for the former. I then let the pieces dry overnight. It looked OK, but it was a bit too shiny for my liking so I sanded the pieces slightly afterwards to tone down the glare.


My FIL installed it all on Monday morning before heading back to Chicago, and... VOILA! I now have a place to store all my ribbons and a pretty little shelf to hold my button jars and display pretty things. :)

A Peek Inside...

...my sewing studio! I've been asked before to share pictures, but it was always too messy to show... hee hee! So I took a couple of hours this weekend and cleaned it up for you guys (ain't I nice?).

What's that funky pattern covering up the window, you ask? Well, I was getting a ton of glare from the sun peeking in and I just couldn't get anything done, so in order to block out all light I took a large piece of cardboard, cut it to size and covered it with this funky vintage fabric from the 70's. Yes, I am in a dark dungeon now, but at least it's a pretty, colorful, psychedelic dungeon! ;)

And just so the fabric wouldn't get lonely, I paired it up with a lava lamp. The problem is... the only two outlets under my desk are taken up by my sewing machine & serger. Guess I gotta go invest in an extension cord.

Here's a fun game for ya: how many things can you spot from the store IKEA? Yes, I'm a big fan of affordable minimalist furniture! OK, I'll help ya out: the table and chair are from there, as well as these (they're spice jars but don't they look better as button jars?):
Oh, and this too:
Of course, no sewing room is complete without "the stash":


And the fruits of my labor:


Well, that's the end of the tour! Hope you enjoyed it! Come back anytime.

My Ten Most Favorite Things in the Whole World
(well, besides my children and my husband and peace and love and freedom... yada yada yada)

1. Lindemans Lambic
A delicious fruity beer from my favorite European country... Belgium! I've been infatuated with it for about 15 years now... and in my mid-20's I was actually quoted at a party saying "My doctor said My Lambic!" ... yah, dorky! My favorite flavors are Framboise (raspberry), Cassis (currant) and Kriek (cherry).

2. Philosophy 3-in-1 Shower Gels
Well, if I can't eat it I might as well bathe in it, right? I discovered them about 2 years ago while shopping at Sephora in Orlando and my bathing experience has never been the same... hee hee. These 4 pictured to the right are my favorite flavors, I mean, scents.

3. The KONE
Ohmygosh, what an invention! I got it for Christmas from my mom and haven't stopped using it (or staring at it) since! It's a mini-vac that looks like modern art! It's the epitome of "functional art"...LOVE IT!

4. My iPod
No, it's not one of those fancy-schmancy new ones. It's just that plain old mini that came out like 3 years ago, but I LOVE IT! It goes with me wherever I go and lets me tune out the rest of the world... with some sweet tunes! ;)

5. My Bernina
Of course, I could not leave my sewing machine out of this list. It has been my best buddy for so long now! Yes it is old and a bit worn out, but heck, so am I. But it is a workhorse, and heck, so am I. We are perfect together. What a sweet inheritance from my MIL... RIP.

6. My Pentax SLR
I take all my pictures with it... well, except for this one (it would have to be a pretty amazing camera if it could take pictures of itself!). It was a b-day gift from Jon last year... hmmm... I wonder how he'll top that this year?!

7. My Mac
Another one of my "best buddies". It's slim and slick and oh, so fast. And that 21-inch flat panel is not too shabby either! And YES! That's what it looks like, baby remote on the side and all!!!

8. Nana Thai
It's this little Thai restaurant in Bloomington that I have become totally addicted to. Since we don't go in there too often (cause it's a royal pain with the kids!) we do take-out and oh what a treat it is when Jon shows up with two Nana Thai brown bags!! They make the BEST Yum Nua ... YUM!

9. Iced Mocha
If not available, I'll take a Starbucks' Frapuccino, or a Barney's Coffee Cooler... just mix some chocolate & coffee together and throw them on ice and I'm good to go.

10. The Office
No, not my physical office, but the NBC show! I fell in love with the original BBC show and when we borrowed the complete DVD set from a friend, Jon & I watched them marathon-style one weekend. We just couldn't stop. And I hadn't laughed that hard in ages. When they decided to make an American version we were both very skeptical... but alas, here we are! BIG FANS!