Wednesday, August 31, 2011

I am one lucky dog--you can be too!

First of all, thanks for all the nice words--I'm convinced they made me feel better faster, which just proves that whining works.

Time for the fun stuff! The "surprise" I've been alluding to for weeks now? This empty nester now has her very own space to create and work and relax in. I still almost can't believe it. I've turned our guest room into the studio I've been dreaming of for years. Check out these before photos:




This is one way to make sure guests don't stay long, but I don't recommend it. And don't even get me started on the closet in this room. I'll spare you the photos, in case you've just eaten.



And now the after photos:




This is my new desk and chair. The clock hanging on the wall above the cabinet was made by my son many years ago, and it's very special to me.





I love the chair by the window. Unfortunately, I haven't had as much time to lounge in it as I planned, but it's lovely to sit by the window and knit or read, even if it's only for a short while. The footstool is the reason for my second and third trip to Ikea. They were out of it when I decided I really did want it after all.




I love the shelving, my favorite Ikea purchase. DH and I put it together and while I wouldn't call it a walk in the park, we did it without snarling at each other even once. Notice the picture above the rocking chair...




I love all the little cubbies that hold my stash and books. It's so nice to have everything where I can find it and get at it easily, and there's the perfect amount of space for the vertical swift I picked up at Sock Summit. I'm hoping I'll get back to inkle weaving now that I can find my loom without sending out a search team.


I honestly feel like I'm more productive already, even though the closet is not completely organized, and I still need to find window coverings and do some wall patching.

Yes, I know how lucky I am, and I know I had a lot of help and inspiration getting here. This brings me to the best part--the giveaway! There will be not one but THREE lucky winners. I always feel bad when I draw one name, knowing that everybody else is disappointed--not this time!

Here are the prizes:



Donna Druchunas has been such a huge inspiration for me. She has been so generous with her knowledge and expertise, and has given me yarn, books, and so much more. It is because of that generosity that I'm offering three of her books and some very yummy lace-weight yarn as two of the giveaways.






The third giveaway is inspired by Sock Summit. It's the necklace I showed in this post, and some delicious sock yarn called Twinkle Toes.




To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment here. The first name I draw will get to choose first, the second name goes second, and so on. Want to up your chances of winning? Leave another comment with your favorite organizational tip or a link to one, and you'll get an extra chance.

Remember, all comments must be on this blog post to be eligible for the drawing. I'll pick the winning names on September 7, around noon MST, by way of a random number generator.

Good luck everybody and thanks for stopping by!





40 comments:

  1. Oh, I LOVE your new room. Guess who has been shopping at IKEA? Me, too. Same chair. Mine is birch with brown leather. So comfy!
    Glad to hear you are better. Missed you at lunch.

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  2. My tip is to make magazine file boxes rather than buying them. The plastic or metal ones cost more than that college education you just sent DD off to get! Medium weight cardboard boxes of an appropriate size can be cut to shape. If necessary re-inforce the sides with another piece of cardboard.

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  3. My second comment is also a tip, if that's ok. I'm a world-record hoding procrastinator. One of my tricks is to have a 12"x12" box into which I throw anything I don't want to deal with right away. That box is sitting on stand which is 4"x6". When the box topples off the stand, everything gets dealt with immediately. No fair putting anything back into the box! Most of it just gets tossed, you stuff like the coupon expired, or the electricity has already been cut off.

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  4. How exciting!!! I wish I had my own studio space....oh wait, I live alone. my whole house is studio space

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  5. Favorite organizational tip:

    ZIPLOCS!! I keep each project in its own ziploc with a copy of the pattern and, if i need to remove the needles, the size needles I was using/where in the pattern i was. This way if I have to go back and pull it out i don't freak out!

    Unless you mean like....life in general, then i'd have to say get a planner, that keeps all my stuff straight.

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  6. What a great transformation! Enjoy your new room!

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  7. My tip to you is to use a wooden plant stand and attach the ball winder on one side and the swift on the other side. This way you always have them set up and ready to use, it doesn't take up a lot of space and it is portable.

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  8. love your new crafting studio! I love mine, too, but mine doesn't have that awesome Ikea chair/footstool thing going on.....I may have to change that!!

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  9. And my favorite organizational tip would be those locking Kraftmaid containers for stitch markers, etc. The small ones are great for throwing in your project bag. I keep my fave stitch markers, a paper clip or two, the tightening pin to my KP interchangeables and the cable end thingies (also KP) in mine. Very handy.

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  10. I love the new space! I wish there was an Ikea closer to me than 6 hours away!

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  11. My organizational tip: Don't be afraid to throw out things. We all have those little collections of scraps that we are saving for "some project" or "an emergency", but usually we just end up collecting them.

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  12. I love the new space, especially the rocking chairs. I love curling up in one.

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  13. I have to jot everything down. My organizational tip is to have post it notes EVERYWHERE. If it's not written down, I'll never remember.

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  14. Love your new room! but I must admit to some confusion when you said "all of your stash fit in the bins with your books" ??! You need more stash!
    Organizational tip: I have my stash sorted by color and size, my magazines in magazine holders sitting on a coffee table in my yarn room, and my projects each have their own basket to sit in placed around the room (can also be part of the decor).

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  15. Nice studio! Maybe someday I will get my own studio when the kid moves out....I have all my yarn wound into balls and stored in the plastic shoe boxes, which allows me to stack it neatly.

    Pam

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  16. Wonderful! A Virgina Wolfe necessity--a room of your own. I love having a room for all my crafts--Knitting is number one right now, but i also embroider, and paint--and do all sorts of crafts.

    We all need a room of our own to be our most creative!

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  17. Someday, I hope to turn my office into something similar to what you've done. It's not a very large room, though...but it does have some built-in glass door cabinets that would be perfect for book storage (and cabinets underneath to store other things that aren't yarn or books...like project bags and notions and notions cases and...

    *sigh* Someday.

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  18. Oh, and favorite organizational things...I have several.

    1. Baby food jars. They can hold so many things like stitch markers and needle tip covers and buttons and extra bits and bobbins of this and that. Or you could use them for DPN storage (like people use vases for their straight needles, these are just on a smaller scale). If you need some, I have some...okay, I have a lot.

    2. Ziplock bags. Particularly the freezer bags (they tend to be a bit thicker). I use them when projects either go on hibernation or time-out. If I have a non-book, printed copy of the pattern, I'll stick that in there, too...and any notes I've taken. I'm partial to the larger ones because of larger projects but sometimes the small (sandwich size) work just fine.

    3. Ravelry. Specifically the pages where you put your stash, your needles, your library books, and the queue. I like the stash page because it lets you photograph things and label where you've put them. I don't organize by fiber or weight or any of that. I just stick yarn in bins...so the stash page allows me to see my yarn and locate it by bin number. Also, the needle page is nice...but I don't use it as well as I should. Same with the library books...I use it for books but I forget about magazines. And the queue. Duh.

    4. Something I don't use but really should, especially as I make more and more things. I need a notebook where I place some of the yarn (swatch, whatever) with the care directions...and, if necessary, what I made with said yarn. I'm pretty good and knowing what I can and can't wash in the machine but not perfect...and I'd rather not felt something that wasn't meant to be felted. At least Husband is trained not to wash anything that was handknit.

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  19. Wow, you are so lucky to have such an amazing studio space! You've done a really nice job of it. I wish I had even room to set up my tapestry frame in my living room =)
    Also, I would love to enter your givaway, if you don't mind posting to the UK!

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  20. You are so lucky! I can't wait until I have a craft room. Right now I just wing it and have things everywhere.

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  21. Labels and clear storage containers are the best things for organizing; at least that I have found

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  22. The room looks really awesome. Yay for Ikea!

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  23. Your new room looks great. I really like the square cubbies (I think it's a thing amongst yarn lovers). We have a spare bedroom (having no children and three bedrooms will do that) that I would like to make the office/yarn room but right now it's just the crap room. Like the place where we put all of the crap we don't want to deal with at the moment. I keep the door to it perpetually closed.

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  24. Oh yes, Twinkle Toes would suit me perfectly!
    I am soooo happy that you have a place of your own. What a difference this shall make - I promise you! Send me your telly number at cloudwalk2@earthlink.net and I will send you a PINK progress pic!
    xox

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  25. Hooray for you! Your new craft space will be a creative sanctuary.

    I am a little nervous about what the closets look like elsewhere in the house now that you have organized this room ... Where did it all go???

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  26. My organizing strategy.. Ziploc bags. Lots and lots of ziploc bags.

    And if gallon ziplocs aren't big enough, I move up to plastic bins with secure lids. All bags and bins must be clear so I can tell what's inside without opening everything.

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  27. Hi... I'm not entering the contest, just popping in to say how wonderful your studio looks! I'm really happy for you...and isn't it nice to have IKEA in Denver now?

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  28. I've been trying to convince hubby we need a murphy bed so I can have my own room. Love your new studio. Congrats on your new space.

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  29. Congrats on having you "own" space! Thanks for the great giveaway!!!

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  30. My current fave organizational tip is to use the little 1/2 mason jars for organizing little things. They stack and are easy to clearly label. They make fabulous spice jars too!

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  31. Seeing others get organized is almost inspirational. I'll get to it once I stop being overwhelmed by the mess

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  32. My favorite organizational tip so far: Use wall hangers, like the ones for coats, to hold project bags with WIPs in them. Mount the brackets to the wall and load them up!

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  33. Love your new studio. i wish i could arrange my room into something usable!

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  34. Congratulations on the new studio! It is every knitter's dream, a place to stash yarn and knitting books and a chair by the window. The footstool was a good add on.

    This is my first time to comment here. I am always looking for a new knitting blog so I clicked on your name at Kathyb's blog and am so glad I found yours!

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  35. Oh, I want a rocking chair! I also want a craft room, instead of a small messy corner of my fat - but as I only have 4 rooms (including the kitchen and bathroom!), I don't really have that option!

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  36. Oh nice give-a-way! Well I like to make lists to stay organized ... here's my tip - READ your list, don't just make it, LOL!!

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  37. Your room looks great! I love the chair by the window. What a peaceful place to knit/ read!

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  38. The room looks wonderful. I have to agree that Ikea does wonders for emptying my bank account....but also helping with organizational items.

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  39. Your newly obtained and organized room looks fabulous! Perhaps it will inspire me to get my "crap" room (thanks for the nomenclature, Andrea!) cleaned out and actually put to good use.

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