A Studio Redo- 15 Tips

A recent trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana 

gave me some time to help sort, 

organize and arrange a studio space

 for my sister- Teresa.

We cleared most things out and were blessed

 to find 2 matching Romweber armoires.

They matched the light wood of her table and chairs 

and a post on 1st Dibs listed them for sale at $3750 each.

Our second hand finds were an amazing steal deal!!

The mid-century burl wood and mirrored pair were a find.

1st Tip- Shop second-hand or thrift.

The pullout drawers and shelves were perfect

 for the vertical storage 

we were looking for in the studio.

2nd Tip-  Optimize vertical space. 

But, as in ANY project-

 it gets worse before it gets better.

3rd tip- put like things together.

4th tip- label everything.

So you can find things and also put things away. 

We found a trio set of vintage Needlecraft magazines

 that she had stashed.  The "frameless" plan 

was a great way to let the gold colors 

and soft pastels stand out in the grouping.

5th tip- use what you have.

A rolling cart from Michaels allows for a stash

 of often used supplies right there.

  If it needs to be wheeled to another part

 of the house- that is easily done.

Plastic storage was used in the closet space.

6th tip- Use coupons to shop for storage.

Small boxes with lids were used to separate like items.

All sorts of other containers were upcycled for sorting.

7th Tip-Recycle and reuse. Shop your house.

The vintage oak armoire had been

 in her house for many years-

 a gift from our parents.

Pull out drawers make optimum use of space.

We decided we liked the look of the vintage storage items

 when the cupboard doors were open.

8th Tip- Tool boxes, old shop drawers and 

photo slide cases are great for studio supply storage.

A ladder was brought in to fill in behind the lamp.

A small oak bookcase serves to hold

 daily materials for Bible Study and Visual Faith journaling.

9th tip- Put daily use Devotional supplies all together.

 The small stand on the left might 

have been a vintage magazine rack.

 It was retrofitted perfectly to store 

12 by 12 plastic "project" cases.

10th tip- Reimagine all items for a new purpose.

The 12 by 12 project cases work 

great to store supplies according to 

both project and liturgical season.

We decided a family gallery wall 

was a great way to use the corner space.

We added favorite mementos and Bible verses.

11th Tip- Plan for future growth. 

Vintage photo slide cases are great 

retrofitted as tag storage drawers.

A large wooden box holds 

Visual Faith projects all together.

Easy to find, share and add to the collection.

12th Tip- Fun displays add interest.

On the far side of the room is a large closet

 that had already been fitted with wire shelving.

The closet is for less used supplies 

and material storage for events and projects.

All things for gelli printing are placed together.

13th- Store all things for an art process together.

Make it grab and go.

Less used items are up high and may need a stool.

Items used more often are eye level.

14th Tip- Plan for "less motion" to retrieve an item.

15th Tip- Same size and stacked storage boxes

 are the best use of space.

Teresa is all set for studio time.

A fun gift to work together

 on this creative project.

I give thanks for this sister who also serves

 as a Visual Faith® Ministry coach. 

Vintage Grace Studio- Part Two

Part 2-

A closer view of the shoe pockets.

Always a great place to stash

 linens and bits and pieces.

The punches on the shelves 

are stored on a vintage wire display rack.

The cart is an old tea cart found

 in an antique shop in Nags Head, NC.

 This cub bie is a favorite of mine. 

 Lots of little spots for storing ribbons and such. 

  The shelf unit on the right was shared on the previous post.

The one on the left is 2 DC Government office file drawers

 that were stacked on top of each other with added shelves.

On top is added a small chicken roost.

The large oak "box" is 7' 2'' custom built coffin

 that was purchased in Auburn, Nebraska in 1984.

The person it was made for moved away

 and the funeral home was left with the "custom order."

It eventually found its way to an antique store.

There is a long story behind this-

 but the bottom line is that there

 was a "misunderstanding"

 with my husband. When I said-

"that's the most unusual thing

 I have ever seen in an antique store,"

 he purchased it without my knowledge,

 in order to surprise me.

I have moved it from home to home ever since.

 This is the top of a large piece

 that was from a paper company in Omaha, Nebraska.

All sorts of small boxes keep little items

 in places where the labels help to find things.

It sits on a matching base.

It all hides behind closed doors.

Wire baskets on top hold fabric remnants.

 Sometimes this little desk is where I like to work.

Small wooden boxes on end hold

 journaling supplies and of course-

 washi.

 The bin with drawers on the right is a machine shop

 storage unit. It was pretty grimy but cleaned up great. 

I love the little slots for labels.

Part of the fun for storing and organizing supplies

 is finding unusual things 

and reusing them in a different way.

This cart is an IKEA find 

and they also have them at Michael's.

If you are just starting out

 and want to keep your things together and mobile,

 I highly recommend this simple cart.

So, hope you have enjoyed

 a tour around the studio space.

When this COVID pandemic is behind us,

 I would love to have you stop by and create with me!

Vintage Grace Studio- Part One

I shared some photos on Instagram

 this summer of my Studio space.

 There were questions about what

 I use to organize materials. 

So, I thought I would share in a couple of blog posts

 just what this space looks like

 and how it has come together- really over 30 years.

 It is THE STORY of things that have made it fun.

The vintage shoe rack is on the smaller size

 and is great vertical space.

This was purchased in an antique store

 that used to be in Occoquan, Virginia

 and you won't find these anywhere anymore for $75.

Mildred is the dressmaker's mannequin

 and was named at a Women's Retreat.

The arched door was found in a scrap pile

 in rural New York by a friend 

who knew that "Connie would like that."

She put it back together 

and presented me with the gift.

A vintage ladder holds pieced

 quilt tops in the arch of the door.

 I grabbed this piece at a church rummage sale for $10.

I knew it would be perfect for holding rubber stamps.

Anyone have an idea what this was originally?

 Cubbies cubbies cubbies.

This piece was salvaged from a rural post office

 and my friend Gloria added shutter sides 

and a screen door back to make a functional storage piece.
The pink container is an old child's lunch box.

The arched bookcase was found along 

the side of the road by my friend 

who brought the pieces home and breathed new life.

This same friend, Gloria, 

found the discarded wine storage cases (on the left)

on a scrap pile.  

The store manager gave her the green light

 to grab them and she put them together jigsaw-like 

to create vertical storage. 

Vintage Ball jars from my mom store odd and ends.

 The white box in this photo is a vintage tin bread box. 

 I painted it white and decopauged it 30 years ago.

A close up of the storage jars.

The key to finding things is labels.

I usually use small manila tags-

 from your Office supply store.

 A hall tree holds vintage aprons.

Old pillowcases become hanger covers.

A tray gathers old hats on stands.

A bed tray from Rev. H.H. Wiechmann holds yellow roses.

The valence uses hankies from my mom and grandmother.

They are attached with simple curtain clips.
They always make me smile. 

The tall white piece is an oldie from IKEA 

and each shelf side opens up

 to more shelves that store photo boxes.

Tin picnic baskets hold project pieces.

The mixed media art on the wall

 is from my friend- LuAnn Lamie.

The fabric pocket holder on the door 

was my Grandma Riebeling's shoe holder.

I remember it with pink roses

 and they have now faded to aged tan.

Studio tour-part one.

In the Studio with Diane Marra

I recently was blessed 

to spend a couple of days with 

Visual Faith Coach- Diane Marra 

in her Florida home.

That meant time in her studio.

Pat Maier had fun learning 

about Distress inks and making some tags.

 Pat Maier joined me

 for our creative time.

It was time to learn about

 Gelli Printing.

We took roofing tar paper 

and the finished collage papers 

and made a journal with a sgraffitto cover.

It was a delightful,

 fun process to learn something new.

It was wonderful to spend time

 in  Diane's creative haven.

Enjoy a bit of the story here.

Vintage Storage- Bible Journaling

Found this old, sort of beat up shelf 

with lots of little drawers in

North Carolina.

Needed a really good cleaning up.

Decided to just soak the plastic drawers.

Ah-  maybe add in some baking soda.

Used the one from the refrigerator.

Ya- time to replace that one anyhow.

The cardboard labels were pretty well gone.

Time to redo those.

So- new labels and clean.

Ready for my Bible Journaling corner.

A place to organize some

 of the "smalls" for

 labeling and illustrating projects.

Time to find out about the

Old Hickory Shoelace Company-

"Hickory Brands is a leading manufacturer

and supplier of foot care 
and athletic-related products. 
The company is unique because

 it is the only manufacturer in North America

 that produces both shoe laces
 and shoe polish. 

It also makes insoles, shoe cleaners 

and deodorizers, spikes for cleats, lanyards

 and sport socks. 
Hickory markets its products

 to all 50 states, 
as well as certain markets in Asia, 
Australia, Europe, the Middle East

 and South America. 

Founded in 1923 as 

Old Hickory Shoelace Company,

 Hickory Brands and its 10-Seconds 
division are headquartered in Hickory, N.C.

Found this same one on eBay for $75-
(and one for $120)
so mine was a deal for $20.
I kinda like the faded lettering on mine-
it fits the more muted colors when it hangs out.
Don't be afraid to give a good cleaning
 to an old vintage piece.
It just might be the storage piece
 that brings organization to your craft center.
And yes- for those of you that know me-
it's vertical space.

(photo of one found on eBay)