Putting My New Studio to Use!

If you've read my recent blog post or are one of my Facebook friends, you know that we recently moved after more than a year of being in what can only be referred to as chaos!  I had at least three options for where to locate my studio in our new home.  After careful consideration of each one, I chose to put it in the closet in the office.  I began setting up my studio immediately after we moved in.

My work table was stored in a friend's garage and we had some challenges in coordinating our schedules to get it.  As soon as my table arrived, though, I got to work.  I had decided a few weeks ago that I would like to make a pansy.

The pansy on the left was my first attempt prior to the move.  As you can see, one of the petals broke off.  I finished the middle one just before we moved.  I made it smaller with slightly thicker petals.  As I was fiddling with it to prepare to make it into a pendant, I realized one of the petals on it was also broken although it didn't break completely off.  Third time's a charm, right?  Once my table was set up, I got busy and made a third one.  I did it a little differently and it seems to have worked!   I showed them to a friend who commented on how realistic they look!

Here's the finished pendant.  I wanted to use some gold mica powder in the middle, but I couldn't find it until after it was curing in the oven!  I decided to use some fine glitter instead and I rather like how it turned out.
















This pendant was a gift, so I boxed it up and delivered it a few days ago.  The recipient was delighted!  Time to move on to other things...

The Big Move

Goodness!  It's really been a year and a half since I wrote anything on this blog?  Well, let me catch you up on what has been happening.

I was really excited to be able to take over the room my mother vacated when she moved to my brother's house and begin setting up a real studio... someplace I could call my own and be able to go and work.  But, circumstances changed, and she moved back in with us.  That meant I was once again trying to work in space intended for other purposes, namely the dining room.  I just couldn't seem to get organized and, therefore, I wasn't very excited about working on anything.

We looked at the possibility of remodeling to create another bedroom that would become my studio, but not long after Mom moved back in with us, it dawned on me that my daughter would be going into high school next year and, even though we lived within the school district, we were in the wrong high school district (there are three) to support the goals we have for her.  We either had to get an intra-district  transfer or move.  After weighing our options, it seemed best to move.  I've questioned my sanity numerous times since making that decision!

We began to work on getting our house ready for sale.  Around the first of May last  year, we attended some open houses, not expecting to find anything, but one house, in particular, grabbed us.  We went home and began to work harder on the house.  Then, I fell while removing wallpaper!  As if that wasn't bad enough, the house sold before we could even think of making an offer.  By that time, though, the ball was rolling.

Our circumstances changed several times over the next few months.  Each time, it changed what we were looking for in a house.  Things finally settled down and we found a house in our preferred neighborhood that I was ready to make an offer on the day it came on the market!  But, our house still wasn't ready to list.  I had injured my already bad back in the fall and just couldn't do the work myself.  I hired a contractor.  A few weeks later, I fired him and hired someone different.  Meanwhile, the house we had been so sure was meant for us sold.  We finally listed our house and made an offer on another house, but they wouldn't take a contingency.  It sold.  

Another situation came up that seemed like it was meant to be.  It would be a private sale.  But things were a bit up in the air.  We got an offer on our house and things were still up in the air with the other one.  The further we went with it, the more we and the potential sellers felt something was off.  We needed to make a decision.  We had attended another open house that we liked very much.  It was still available, so we decided to go look again.  Long story, short... we finally moved in last Friday!

It's not perfect.  I am sharing the office with my husband, but it is quite large.  There is a built-in desk for my computer and a closet with shelves that makes a great studio!  The day we moved in, I brought my clay and put it in the closet.  Within a couple of days, I had some of my boxes unpacked.

The closet is quite large.

Yesterday, I got my folding table (it was stored in a friend's garage) that I could use as a temporary work surface.  Eventually, I plan to put in a drop down shelf/table.  That has already gone through at least one revision since I first planned it, but having the temporary work surface has really helped me in determining what I needed to tweak.

Stay tuned for more developments!  I've already put this studio to work!