Friday, September 19, 2014

The Kid Giddy Studio

I'm finally posting these Kid Giddy Studio pictures. They've been around on the internet already since March I think...but not here on my blog. I have recently had people ask about the cutting table I designed and had custom made, so I wanted to get that up here too (the plans - not just the pics). I was posting some pics of the process - and then never shared the finished product. If you want to see those pics, you can visit the first, second and third posts.

When you come through the doors of the studio, there is a closet on the right, and then this table. I haven't seen the top of my cutting table this clean, probably since I took these pictures. I guess that just means creativity rules the roost and nothing else gets done. My photo box is set up in the corner with lamps on each side. One of the things I love most about this space - is all the natural light.
The doors to the studio are mini french doors with a side panel (static third door) and a glass panel up above, so you can still see the amazing wood and metal ceiling over the entryway (and the cool pendant glass tube lights).
Here's another shot of the table and the front windows. The closet is in the corner, so there are actually two entries. The side next to the table has double doors so they could swing open and not hit the table. The other wall near the studio entry has a regular door.  
Until my husband picks a desk of his own, he has taken over my porter desk (which used to be my sewing desk). Although we have an entire book wall, we still have more books in the studio. As the guys were building it, they were curious to know if we in fact had enough books to fill the wall. The answer is definitely yes. My Grandma Pratt's chair off to the right is no longer up in the studio - visitors kept sitting on it and I was worried the springs would give out any day and they'd fall through. Someday we will get a cooler printer stand...it's on the list.
Across from his desk, is my desk and my fabric stash. I decided to keep my fabric in the cabinet to prevent it from sun damage. So you can't see it - but it's in there. I promise. I also had some in the bookcases that run along the front of my desks, but had to take those off the cardboard bolts recently, as the bolts were ruining the fabric as well.



What you can't see in all these pretty pics - is the mess I made moving everything around that wasn't quite put away yet. So - just to keep things real...this is the area around my sewing desk during the photoshoot.
About the table: I drew up the plans based on what I needed. The long sides have two small drawers on the ends, and a long wide open space in the center. The door pulls down, not out, so I can slide large cutting mats and rulers inside, to lay flat. The short ends look like they have 3 drawers, but only the center ones works. The two other panels are fakes. We searched a local store for drawer pulls and ended up picking out some local artisan river stone knobs so no two are alike. The space underneath the table top is open and filled (as you can see) with 20 bins of craft and sewing supplies. I was planning on using larger bins or prettier baskets, but sometimes my wants are no so practical. I had all the bins in my closet and found I was getting them out constantly so I switched things around.  To download a copy of my plans for your personal use only - you can get them by clicking the image below. I called a couple of kitchen cabinet showrooms and hunted for the best deal - but I'm sure you can call a contractor too and see if they have someone that can make it on staff, or make it yourself. 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6St72bEbLYhSXA3NEo1dUI2bWs/edit?usp=sharing
We still have much to do to "finish" the studio space, and I'm sure it will always be a work in progress. Even a year later, the only thing I have hanging on my wall, is the light bulb bunting I made for quilt market. We are still trying to determine the best use of the wall space, while keeping it aesthetically appealing. We may even have to move the desks around a bit, but the pain of that could be worth it in the end. Eventually we will also have a little sitting space for meditating on life and it's meaning...(that's code for taking a nap because I like naps, it makes me more creative).

I'd like to thank Barn Light Electric for working with us to put these awesome lights in our studio space and in the entryway. They are made in America, and that means so much to me. You can read more about the lights we chose on the Barn Light Electric blog.  





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Disclosure: Barn Light Electric provided these lights at a discounted rate in exchange for pretty pics for their blog and mine, as well as social media mentions. We had already chosen the lights, but I contacted them prior to purchasing to see about saving some money. Isn't that sweet?! They are such awesome people, and they have awesome lights. Check them out.