Welcome To My Studio --- Two Dancing Crows

Today's featured studio belongs to Kelle Arvay of  http://www.etsy.com/shop/twodancingcrows.

I just love having a studio to work in. Mine is a large room that was build off our 3 car garage (to hubby's dismay it's now a 2 car garage) and it is appx 9.5 x 28 feet. I love how bright and airy it is! In the summer I have A/C and heat in the winter. I'd like to invite you to take a tour of my studio! So come on in...

The view above is while standing just inside the entrance.

This view is looking the opposite way. That carpet we actually just changed  and it's now a wonderful berber. Notice that on half the floor I have carpet and the other half is tile. Works well to have one table for painting sitting on the tiled floor instead of the carpet (:

As you walk in on the left is my "office center". That's a fancy name I gave it though it just means it's just my desk, computer and office "stuff".

I love this desk though! I bought it from a antique place that was going out of business. So grabbed it for a steal. That desktop cubby you see, I cut the top so my flat screen monitor would be able to sit back into it. It worked out quite well.

Off to the right of the room you'll find my sewing table. Isn't that little Singer Featherweight just too cute! It's actually the only working sewing machine I have and I just love it! An old multiple cubby tote that has been painted a shabby white serves as a catch all for all my "smalls". It makes a nice little storage tote.

Next we have my painting table. Here I utilize a rotating painting rack for some of my paints as well as a old drawer turned sideways that I filled with paints, Modge Podge and other painting tools. The robin egg blue tote in the center also serves as storage.

Here is a close up of the old drawer. I really enjoy using old or vintage items as storage. Not only are they functional but they have a lot of visual appeal. Note the little oil cans sitting on top. I have a little collection of oil cans and funnels. Not sure why I'm drawn to them but I just find them delightful!

Also you'll notice I use old metal pots like the robin egg blue one on the bottom shelf. These make great little catch alls.

If you are a painter, it's a must to have a way to store all those little paint bottles. Right now I use this little spinning rack. Eventually I'd like to have hubby build me a wall unit where I can store all my paints as well as a built in rack for all my paint brushes. Just have to convince him that I really NEED one.

I love this chair. This sits next to my painting desk in case any guest come to visit or a small child needs a place to sit and help Mommy paint. It's a very comfortable chair too. I picked it up at an auction for $10 I believe. I think that was a great buy. It's amazing what you can snag at auctions for a song.

Most of the things you see in my studio either came from auctions, antique malls or even garage sales. Those places it seems the most interesting things can be found. So next time you see an ad in the paper about a upcoming auction or pass that garage sale sign you may consider going to it! You never know what treasure or bargain you'll find.

This mustard shelf unit I found at a garage sale. It was the ugliest thing until I gave it a make over. Originally it was just this ugly dark wood so I decided to paint it and simply love the results. As you can see it serves as a book shelf, fabric storage and of course display area for some of my goodies.

One can never have enough fabric you know. My stash looks puney compared to others I've seen. But it's growing! I don't know about you, but I have a hard time passing up fabric. Especially if it's beautiful, colorful and feels good to the touch. There's just something about yardage of colorful fabric. Shoot, fabric is a decoration all in itself!

Of course every studio needs a TV. Every now and then I watch HGTV, but that isn't too often as I find it on Sponge Bob more often than not. When my daughter is in the studio with me she manages to get first dibs on the TV. I swear I know every single episode of Sponge Bob by heart now. It's a good thing I like that funny yellow fellow (: We opted to mount the TV up on the wall. This works perfectly and is a great space saver. I also have a radio so at times I'll listen to music while I'm working

This fantastic shelf I bought at a antique mall just as it is for $40. I love the color. As you can see it holds more fabric as well as some knick Knacks. In the drawers there is more supplies and the cupboards below hold more fabric. I should of taken a picture of the fabric in there too but you get the idea I'm sure.

I love that gumball machine. Of course there are no gumballs in it because if there were I'd end up with a tummy ache from eating them all! I have a terrible sweet tooth and love candy. If anyone wants to send me candy...Pez is my favorite (:

This old spindle baby bed was given new life with a coat of soft green. It used to have rockers on it but I took those off so it's more stable.

Believe it or not every now and then I have a litter of Pug puppies that sleep in there. I bring them in the studio if I know I'll be out there awhile and need to watch them. It's adorable as their dam will lay in there as well nursing them to sleep.

A big thank you to Kelle for letting us walk through her studio with her.   You can visit Kelle's blog here,
http://twodancingcrows.blogspot.com/

 If you would like to share where you do your creating,  send us an email through our contact form.   We would love to talk to you about it.

Welcome To My Studio --- Cave Creek Studio

 We have a new feature here on By Your Hands.   We will be showcasing the places where you create your handmades.

 Today's guest poster is Laura Obiso of Cave Creek Studio.   You can visit Laura's shop here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CaveCreekStudio

I LOVE my studio, and I give thanks every day that I'm able to have my own space in which to create.  For years and years I've worked on my computer desk or kitchen table, so having my own space is a real treat.  Remember to click on the photos for a larger view.

This is my studio building.  It's a 16 x 20 pre-built shed that was delivered here last March (much to the moans and groans of the driver who had to get it off the truck and up this little hill!)  I still have to work on the flower beds next spring - I'm thinking herbs and flowers for drying to use in the dolls, but it's a shady spot so I'll have to do some research on what will grow.

This is the view coming in the front door and looking at the main part of the work area.

This is actually neat, most of the time it looks more like this:

There are windows at each end and windows on either side of the front door, so it's well-lit.  I also have overhead lights and a ceiling fan, and lights on the back wall over the formica work space.  So, as you come in the front door, we'll go first to the right:

My sewing center is to the right of the front door.  I love my cabinet and my new Janome Threadbanger.

One of my best purchases when we outfitted the building were simple thread holders from Walmart.  I also bought a LOT of thread from one company, and I thought it was a pretty neat coincidence that the spools were red, matching the accents on my machine!

Continuing around the room to the left of the sewing center I have an old easy chair in the corner covered with an old quilt - this is where I sit and do handwork, and to the left of that and directly opposite the front door, is this baker's rack:

The baker's rack holds some finished pieces on the top shelf - my Cricut Expression  and other assorted stuff.  I use a lot of tins and baskets to hold small items. One of my better purchases was a set of studio lights and a light box for taking photos - but there's no place to really store them so I just sort of keep moving them around out of my way...so that's the big black light.  There's another on the other end..

OK, to the left of the baker's rack we're back to the main work space.  It's a formica counter attached to the wall and open underneath - great for storage but it does tend to get a little messy.

Try as I might, I have difficulty keeping this space clear.  My vintage buttons are in the antique bowls (and I have boxes and boxes of them under the work bench).  At the moment I have plastic containers, baskets and old tins holding assorted items under the bench, but I'm hoping to find some wooden apple crates for that space. Otherwise, I'll have to make me some fabric boxes.

Continuing around to the left, we come to the other end window where there's a small AC unit, and to the left of that in the corner, is my "office" where I keep a computer, printer, and postage scale.

The little white cabinet I bought for $15.  It had two cute glass doors covering that open shelf and one was broken, so I got a deal.  We took the doors off - someday we'll fix them and put them back on maybe. The cabinet holds my shipping stuff and the computer paper.  The wooden desk is a piece I brought home from my Mother's after she passed last year.  I was with her when she bought it and it's a little bit of Mom - who taught me to sew and be creative - that I keep near.


To the left of the office area, and in front of the other half of the front door (that I really don't use) is this sort of eyesore cabinet that holds all my fabric stash - lots of storage so I'm really not complaining. I keep my shipping boxes on the top of it.

It doesn't look bad when the doors are closed and it keeps the dust off the fabrics and covers up an ungodly mess.

A big thank you to Laura for letting us walk through her studio with her.   You can visit Laura's blog here,
http://cavecreekstudio.blogspot.com/

 If you would like to share where you do your creating,  send us an email through our contact form.   We would love to talk to you about it.