Wednesday, April 25, 2018

2018 Spring Clean your Studio...?

THANK YOU, CHERYL!!
This really was the kick in the pants I needed and I am sure there will be major moments of studio envy but I am pretty in love with my own now too:)
www.nestlingsbyrobin.com

Spring Cleaning NEVER sounds fun but I would be in my Happy Place, right? ! ?? !! 
It really hasn't been very happy lately though because we didn't move on our 3-4 year schedule (no military transfer since Jim retired in 2016) so stuff started piling up. This is what greets me immediately as I walk into my studio....Overwhelming!
If I make the photos smaller, will it make the mess appear smaller too??? 
Before Left
Then about 1-1/2 years ago, I started seriously training to become an appraiser and more stuff started piling up.
Talk about Books gone Wild due to appraisal training and the generosity of others plus guild bargains.  There are close to 50 books in this pile plus vintage/antique fabrics for categorizing.


Mermaid workshop sample
NOW I CAN SEE MY FLOOR!!!
To which my husband replied, "you should always be able to see your floor".  Go Away. I don't need that kind of negativity:)

It may not look tidier to some but it is SO MUCH better!

As we look around to the right of the room, you will see my 12" square cutting surface and maybe a 24" x 12" sewing area. The rest of my space is piles of fabric/items I never officially unpacked because I wasn't sure we were staying here...We are:)
Before right

Then there is the closet.  I was so excited to have a whole closet with shelves but I could never decide what to do with the empty, hard to get to, space behind the wall to the right or the best way to utilize the rod across the length of the closet.
Stuff has just been crammed in there for 6 years. 
Before closet
Three months (3 years-whatever!) before Cheryl even posted about this hop I had seen a cabinet that I wanted for my room because I knew it was a disaster and needed an overhaul.  It was the cutest 'Gentleman's Cabinet' in a cream over maple wood.  I asked the shop owner if they would take less, "yes".  I promised myself once there was a bit extra in my budget I would get there....life intervenes!
Finally I made it there and then there were 2 other pieces that were so cool and I had to choose.

I felt like Goldilocks.  One cabinet was too much wasted space. One cabinet was Perfect (a vintage metal Doctor's cabinet with glass shelves and a light came on when you opened the doors) but too expensive. Back to my little cream cabinet that was just right in space and price:)

New cabinet progress
Linen drawer -organized hankie samples
 A place for my vintage hankie/embroidered linens collection!
Progress
 More progress being made!
( I can start showing bigger pics now for more impact:)))
Grandmas Thimbles found
Amazing what you will find when cleaning....
My grandmother's thimble collection!

Biscuit Love
Look who else is happy about the clean space he now has.
This is Biscuit:)
No more trying to Cram in under because there is actual
room to stretch out and be comfortable:)

task lighting
I FINALLY have a bit of task lighting too!
Thank you IKEA!
Can you see the small light off the top of the bookshelf? 
I have multiples of that little light. 
It was $15 and works wonders because it has a gooseneck
style that can be positioned anywhere.
I can see my cutting mat, my smaller piles make sense
now and have an order to them, and a couple
of new items were added to make me smile!
Here is one of the new pieces that I
picked up on my way to Paducah. 
It said it was a planter but it hadn't been used and
I can 'plant' fabric inside there instead:)
The whole closet didn't get straightened the way
I may have liked so I won't bore you
with another pic of that.  Instead you can see the cute
little ship's captain desk that houses my bead
collection along with a few 'proud of me momentos'. 

Now for a bit of a brag before I leave you:)


http://www.americanquilter.com/aq_magazine/digital_issues.php
"ROBIN'S WREATHS" at Paducah
in the Authors Section!!!
This was created in the mess you witnessed
above and I am still on my high from
being in Paducah this past week. 
AQS members receive a magazine called
AQ magazine as part of their membership.
"Robin's Wreaths" will be the series quilt this year as a BOM.  
If you are not a member, consider becoming one. 
There are many other benefits like all the
access to their digital content as well (a treasure trove in itself).
I do hope you will follow me on FB: 
Instagram: @nestlings1 and sign up for my newsletter
by emailing me at robin@nestlingsbyrobin.com
THANK YOU!

STAY TUNED for more studio envy coming your way: 
April 23 - Lori Crawley Kennedy - http://theinboxjaunt.com
April 24 - Jennifer Thomas - http://curlicuecreations.blogspot.com
April 25 - Robin Koehler - http://nestlingsbyrobin.blogspot.com
April 26 - Andi Barney- https://www.andibarney.com/
April 27 - Misty Cole - http://www.mistycole.com/blog
April 28 - Carolina Moore- http://alwaysexpectmoore.com/
April 29 - Heather Pregger - https://heatherquilts.blogspot.com/
April 30 - Linda Bratten - https://lindabcreative.blogspot.com/
May 1 - Lisa Reber - https://dippydye.blogspot.com/
May 2 - Teresa Coates - http://www.crinkledreams.com
May 3 - Lisa Chin - http://www.lisachinartist.com/
May 4 - Jamie Fingal - http://www.jamiefingaldesigns.com/
May 5 - Sam Hunter - www.huntersdesignstudio.com
May 6 - Jessee Maloney - www.artschooldropout.net/blog
May 7 - Randa Parrish - http://www.sewartsyfartsy.com/
May 8 - Sarah Vedeler- https://meaningoflifedesigns.com/
May 9 - Jessica Darling - https://jessicakdarling.com/
May 10 - Melody Crust - http://www.melodycrust.com/
May 11 - Debby Brown - http://higheredhands.blogspot.com
May 12 - Cheryl Sleboda - http://blog.muppin.com