Friday, June 18, 2010

Where Bloggers Create II Blog Party

Welcome to my precious friend Karen's SECOND Where Blogger Create Blog Party! This is my first year to participate & I am so excited. THANK YOU sweet Karen for being the Hostess with the Mostest! If you saw THIS post you know my studio was in BAD SHAPE! I tried to get out of participating but, Karen very FIRMLY told me to "GET IN THERE & CLEAN IT UP". It took a WEEK but, I am now so happy that I can again create at my workspace(I'd been cheating & working at my jewelry design space or on the island in the kitchen... SHAME on me).
Welcome to my studio workspace. This area has a wonderful window that over looks my front garden & provides amazing light (but, not good for a photo shoot) for when I work. The wall paper is garden themed for this reason. I can tell you that I had been tired of it for quite awhile but, after spending the week in there cleaning I HATE IT! That wall paper is so out of there when I get the time! So, next year there will be a BIG change. My work table measures a wonderful eight feet of space to SPREAD!
My studio is actually located in my laundry room which is HUGE! My precious Daddy built me this wonderful set of shelves & installed them for me to "Hide" my STUFF! Truly my hero! Oh how I miss him in soooooooo many ways.
OK, not everything got totally cleaned up. But, in the photo above you can see the inside of one of those shelf units from Daddy Dearest. TONS of space & fill it I DO!
This is one of the long cabinets. Originally it had my vacuum cleaner, mops & supplies stored here. YECK, I needed the space for my plastic containers for scrapbook papers & embellishment a whole lot more than that cleaning stuff! It's all banished to the garage & now I have stacked bins all labeled by subject so it's easy to pull the container I need. My craft aprons hang on the hooks inside.
I told you it was garden themed... Yikes! This is one of the storage units (you'll see more of it later) that houses more supplies. I bought that adorable Cupcake Fairy Decoration from Cathy Scallise at the recent Petticoats & Parasols Art Event in Atlanta. It nicely hides the electrical plug behind it. LOVE IT CATHY! Also, you see a stack of my much loved vintage seam binding & a couple of old bottles that are wanting to be re purposed.
Another shot of the same area with a vintage hat. I love these old hats & have the hardest time snipping them apart. My buddy Lisa of Tarnished & Tattered is a master at this but, we both hate spending so much for these jewels & are hoping to go visit Karla Nathan who promises we can find them CHEAP up where she lives. We're countin on it Karla & talking a ROAD TRIP!
Moving on the next area is storage for smalls. It is the typical case with tiny drawers & on top of it I have stacking containers of buttons, bells, glitter & such. Also a vintage creamer with some tiny flowers, a favorite stamp, a box of rhinestone crown items, a beautiful crystal formation & my little studio mascot. Oh look at those wonderful old tiny sterling salt spoons just waiting to be included in another project (I put one on my Secret Shaker Doll Necklace).
Here is a shot of the unit from a bit further back. The area in this part of the room is done in a large horseshoe shape. The storage unit below holds a bunch of photo boxes for photos waiting to be put into scrapbooks, ribbons, & other goodies. And you see that power strip just ready for glue gun, soldering guns & whatever else might need a power tool.
Following around the room we come to the workspace again. And you can see some of my supplies & those blinds are now open for a little light on the subject.
In this area the ceilings are 12 feet tall so Hubby installed a shelf up high for me to put other treasures on & you can see the supports for the shelf in this photo.
And some of the goodies on the high shelves are vintage bottles waiting there turn to become something FUN, some pretty silk flowers & a silly Dolly Mama with her PINK feathered hat.
A small vintage child's hutch that I want to use for display when I have a jewelry show or vendor sale. A metal wreath with the prettiest morning glories & another vintage hat.
Back to my workspace... I have a PASSION for old buttons. I especially LOVE Mother of Pearl & Glass Buttons. Here are few just waiting to be used in creating or for me to simply look at them & remember that I have loved playing with buttons since I was a child sitting at my precious Grandmothers knee. Also, look at those wonderful crystals next to the cup (they will be listed in my Etsy Shop when I get it finished) & another passion... vintage salt shakers. There is a tiny pair just waiting to be enjoyed.
A couple of the tiny Charlotte's peeking out of the glass buttons.
All of us crafters know the frustration of finding what you need... I bought a lazy susan at The Container store (wrapped some vintage lace around the outside to make it pretty) & now all my glues & bottles of Stickles are at my fingertips. LOVE IT!!!! Why didn't I do this sooner? No more digging in drawers or storage bags.
A footed crystal compote holds some amazing buttons that I just have to marvel at from time to time. Another footed bowl holds a pile of vintage seam binding colors that just speak HAPPY to my heart. Easy to just pull a color, snip & create... And then there are big containers of glass glitter ready for putting SPARKLE on any project. Can a girl ever have too much glitter?
Head over heels over HEADS! China Doll Heads that is. My Hubby, son & the GRANDSONS don't get it with the heads. But, again it is a Grandmother thing. My precious Grandmother made me a china doll when I was a child. Now I adopt all that I can find. The boys think it is weird that I have a jar of heads & parts.
I think they are pretty sitting among the flowers (& you can see a tiny pebble I picked up on the beach in California).
And then to the right of my workspace is this vintage shelf & below that you can see the black bag on wheels (love the pocket for all the markers to be held in place) that I use when I am going to have to pack up to go to a craft event somewhere else. Sure is better to have it on wheels so as to not have to carry it. There is a flowered scrapbook I am working on right now.
Here's a close up of the shelf with a few more heads, a baby photo of my Mother, a pin cushion made from my precious Grandmothers old sugar bowl & some of the Fairy's in a Jar (from the tutorial from sweet Dawn at The Feathered Nest) that I had made for a sale. I am glad I had some left because I LOVE them.

I found this vintage child's dress last week when shopping with Lisa & Pat Close. My friend Diane Cook uses things like this to display her jewelry & I think that is an AWESOME IDEA that I am going to borrow (Thanks sweetie). The dress is made of what they called "Lawn". So sheer & beautiful with amazing lace & hand work on it. Can't you just imagine the precious child that wore this & how dressed up she must have felt.
Now remember I said this is my laundry room & here you see the shelf Hubby put up for my cookbooks. It it a double set of shelves which spans the whole space above the washer & dryer. Do you think I have a few? And also a great place for other little favorites. A crazed plate with pansies, my garden sprite reading her book, a Princess of Quite A Lot statue and...
This little elf that used to sit on my Grandmothers shelf. Somehow his feet were broken off but, I have always LOVED him (I used to put him in a pot of ferns or flowers & let him peek out). See the look on his face? That's kind of the deer in the headlights look I had when I started that "GO CLEAN IT UP" project.
Across from the washer & dryer (& the shelves you just saw) is a 6 foot bookcase with pretty storage boxes(full of vintage lace & velvets for ruched roses) on top. And above that is my Grandmothers vase collection that always hung on that shelf in her kitchen. I LOVE being surrounded by memories!
And on the bookshelves... STUFF!
Vintage silverware, a jar of eggs, bird statue, baby shoes & gloves, & a little journal made by a friend.
A bowl of BLING waiting to be turned into jewelry.
A martini glass with a scent bottle that wants to be a necklace & some chandalier crystals some trim & a jar of glass beads waiting to become soldered word charms.
Well, that's it for today. I hope you enjoyed the visit to my studio. And Karen THANK YOU for MAKING me clean it up. I have sooooooooooooo enjoyed using my space again. And I promise I won't let it get out of control again (at least not anytime soon). I'm off to visit all of you & see the wonder of where you create. Please leave me a comment & let me know you were here & what you thought. What was your favorite part? Be sure to go HERE & see the others playing. They are listed on the right side of Karen's Blog & will be there all year so you have time to visit & revisit for inspiration anytime you want. HUGS!

59 comments:

stefanie said...

what a perfect space to create!!! it has everything you need!!! love all of it!

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

This is a wonderful space, Charlene! I love your big work space and all the goodies and memories surrounding you for inspiration! I love the little china heads and all the fun bling...thanks for sharing!

Sandy Navarro said...

Hey girlfriend!

Your space is FabUlous and you did Miss Karen proud! There are several things in there that are calling my name, especially that bowl of bling! LOL

Love ya!

Francie...The Scented Cottage Studio said...

I LOVE your space and I LOVE your stuff ! So happy you decided to show us.
(())

DeeDee said...

What a lovely place to create....I love allthe fun little finds in there...so glad you joined in so I could see...

Lisa said...

Oh What a great spot! Thanks for sharing!! I think I forgot to let Karen know i was joining! ooops!
Love your treasures!
Hugs, Lisa

Honey Lamb and I said...

You and all your doll heads!!! love them!!! I remember that awesome necklace with the doll head you made when we were in Savannah:) Your space looks great and I want to come and rummage through it all!!! I will have to do this next year with all of you. It was a fantastic idea! ~Shelley

Lisa said...

Hey girl, I love it all!!!!! One good thing about Karen's party is that it forced us all to do some over due cleaning & organizing. Your space looks totally different from the last time I saw it. I am so glad you bought the baby dress last week, it's perfect. Lawn, huh. Who knew. LOL Love the bowl of bling too, know you'll do something wonderful with it. And yes, the 'others' just don't get our doll heads. Great tour sweet friend, see you Thursday. Lisa
PS Please bring Joanns shutters.

"Create Beauty" said...

Hi Charelene, Thanks for the lovely visit into your creative space! I love all of the vignettes!!! ~ Violet

The French Bear said...

Charlene!!! OMG those doll heads are fabulous! I love your space and the way you have decorated it!!!!!
I love the memories of all of the great times you have had learning and being inspired, everything shows in the love and time and care you put into arranging this studio!!!
Hugs,
Margaret B

karlascottage.typepad.com said...

I think your wallpaper is cheerful, but I know what you mean. As much as I enjoy using vintage wallpaper in craft projects, I don't like using it on walls much, its easy to tire of.

Sandy said...

Charlene,

Your creative haven is just brimming with charming details. I adore the doll heads in the jar! I also love the coziness of the space where you have everything at your fingertips. Thank you for sharing.

Isabel said...

Hi I adore your studio!! very cheerful:O) have a great day:O)

Donna Reyne' said...

I totally love your blog! it's really lovely!
And wow! What a huge workspace you have!
I would love all the storage you have! It wold make cleaning up a bit easier for me.Speaking of cleaing up...it took me 2 days to find my floor...but I am so thankful that I did. I found some thigs I had misplaced.
Thank you for sharing your space!
Have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,
Donna

Marsha @ Tattered Chick said...

Hi Charlene!!!

Ohhhh I'm so glad I get to see where you create, what you LOVE!!!

I will keep my eye out for you for those china heads as I come across them all the time! And you know I LOVE LOVE that BLING!!!

I must apologize for not getting back to you about the corks for your friend! I have a bag of them and all she needs to pay for is postage as they'll be heavy! So let me know if she's interested!

xxoo

Pat @ My Tattered Elegance said...

Hey, girl friend, you clean up GOOD!!!!!!! That room looks amazing!!! And so many of the treasures look wonderful there. Love the hat and little girls dress. Looks like they have been there always. I didn't know you really had that much room. So glad you shared it with all of us.
Hugs, Pat

Unknown said...

Hi Charlene!

Love your work space! I found everything very pretty and I love your blog template.

Janet
Janet's Creative Pillows

zandra said...

What a fabulous garden you have created for your getaway. I know if I where a flower this is where I would want to be. Love, love, love your china doll heads. So, enjoyed my visit with you. Enjoy the rest of the party.
Hugz,
Zandra

Queen Bee said...

Your creative space is terrific! Love the jar fairy! So many delightful goodies!
Queen Bee Studio

Diane said...

Oh, gosh...it was ALL my favorite part Charlene =) I can't choose, except maybe the lazy susan you covered with vintage lace~great idea...and I love your little dress hanging on your window with your jewelry hanging on it~it is a great idea isn't it???
Luv ya~
diane
xoxox

Karen Valentine said...

Oh my! All that hard work really paid off!! It looks fabulous! And even though you are ready to replace that paper, it is yours and it is filled with the most wonderful goodies!!! I too really like that bowl of sparklies and I actually really like the porcelain doll heads!! Thank you so much for playing all with us dear friend! The party was much better with you in it!!
XO,
Karen

Riki Schumacher said...

Oh Sharlene, this is beautiful. What a fabulous space you have created to design and play. I love it. Good for you. The bling and doll heads are amazing! Hugs my friend, Riki

Decor To Adore said...

What a wonderfully creative space!

I adore your storage solutions. They have inspired me.

Natasha Burns said...

what a great creative space you have! love that big cupboard your dad did for you. everything is so beautifully organised!

Mosaic Magpie said...

Vintage hats, bowls of doll heads, fairys in jars this is one great workspace. I enjoyed my visit,
Debbie

VS said...

Oh Charlene...
What a WONDERFUL studio you have!!! I love that your Daddy made your cabinets for you to hide away some of your goodies. Thanks so much for sharing this lovely space with us. Who wouldn't want to create in an inspired haven like this!
Smiles Friend,
Susie

clustres said...

Charlene, I love getting a peak at your creative space! You have some great ideas for storage and I loved getting to see all the "kin" to my Fairy Wishes prize that I won for being your 100th follower!
Thanks,
Pam

Vicki Chrisman said...

Ohhhhh.... loved the peek in to your beautiful work space girl!

Cindy said...

Charlene, I so enjoyed the tour of your sweet creative space... it is full of beautiful bits and bobs and everything in between. Thanks for sharing this inspirational glimpse!
Cindy
www.sweetbeadstudio.com

Cami @ Creating Myself said...

Told you you would be happy if you spent the time cleaning it! You should have seen waht mine looked like before I tackled it this January...messy, messy, messy, messy.

I'm so jealous of your collection of Charlotte heads...you have a lot! We have a lot of the same stuff in our studios but you won't find any wallpaper in mine. :oP

Sorry I haven't been around in awhile but I haven't been able to come up for air since we went to Peter Pan. I'm looking forwrad to this weekend when I can get some rest. LOL

Karen said...

GOOD GIRL! You did a great job! See? That didn't hurt!
Leave it to Karen to give you a kick in the @*#@*@# !!
LOVE IT! You will be so much more organized and I can only IMAGINE the beautiful, beautiful things - especially the jewelery, that will be created in your space!
Love your doll heads - what is it with guys? They just don't get it! Oh well! Their loss!
Now you have to do another post when you get rid of that lovely wall paper! Cause I'll want to see.
Thanks for sharing!
Karen

Alisa Noble said...

Great space Charlene! Love your button collection!

Unknown said...

Awesome! I love the Garden theme! Your blog is beautiful! :)

~Liz

Isabel said...

Hi Charlene.. Thanx for visiting a fellow texan:O) I had heard about Paper Cowgirls on another blog but will not be able to make it. Hopefully in the new yr i can start to participate in art retreats:O) I hope you have a wonderful evening:O)

Susan said...

Oh I love your space...it's wonderful! Thanks for taking a peek at mine. susan

Cathy said...

Sweet Charlene,

Visiting your Creative Space was a joy. I had forgotten about your love for glass buttons. I have some I noticed the other day that I was going to give to you. Hopefully I'll remember where I put them.

I love the bowl of dolls heads and bling. I especially love the Lazy Susan idea. Can't believe I haven't used that idea myself! But you know I will be now!! lol

When I saw your garden wallpaper and how you described it I laughed my behind off. Yup, time to take down that paper and cleanse you space. Whatever you choose to do with it will be lovely.

I also loved the vintage baby outfit displaying the necklaces. I hope someday you and I can take a jewelry making class together. That would be fun.

Well, I really enjoyed chatting with you although you were very quiet! See you soon my friend.

xo Cathy

p.s. Thank you for the website Shoutout and displaying the Cupcake Fairy so proudly. xo

Holly Loves Art said...

Oh-so-very-pretty! I want to come over and play Charlene! I just love youre creative space!

Thanks for sharing all the lovely photos.

Cheers,
Holly

Claudia said...

You have a wonderful space. Love the china doll's heads and all your wonderful treasures. Thanks for sharing it with us.

time worn interiors said...

I love doll heads, even the crusty ones! Great place to create!
theresa

the old white house said...

What a huge space to create in! I really love the doll heads and parts, some of us really do get it! Your fairy jars are sweet, sometimes I feel the same way when something doesn't sell I only make things that I would want in my home. If something doesn't sell well then I don't have to make one just for me! Thanks for sharing, and for stopping by, Theresa

The Feathered Nest said...

Charlene!!!! I love your studio!!!!!! You've got the most wonderful storage and collections....I'm SO drooling over those doll heads under glass ~ and displaying your jewelry on the hung baby dress is so beautiful to me, what a great idea!! I'm so glad you were able to join in the party and share where you create all of your goodies ~ and I love all your fairies!!! hugs and love, Dawn

~ ~ Ahrisha ~ ~ said...

I did enjoy my visit thank you! Your space is lovely its so nice to have your own room to create in. . .someday. Oh yes must mention the fab belt!
~ ~Ahrisha~ ~

kluless said...

Love those buttons and hats! I go weak in the knees for vintage millinery and it is something I spot VERY rarely in my part of the country. Good luck on your road trip! Thank you for sharing.

Magpie's Mumblings said...

Love your faeries in a jar - so cute! Also like your wee heads in the bowl - definitely fun. Thank you for inviting us to visit.

cindy-stitches-n-stuff.blogspot.com said...

What a fun place to work. I got chocked up when you said you daddy made the cabnets for you. My dad has built allot of things for me too. Love all of you collections.

comevisit
cindy@stitches

Terri said...

Such a great space and so well organized with all those treasure...
no wonder I can't find any of those doll heads...you have them (wink)
Hey, thanks for sharing it all with us and there was alot to share!

Jillayne said...

You have a such a greta space - I am glad you did what you were told so we got to see it! I'll look forward to seeing next year's changes too, but don't change it too much - it's charming just teh way it is!

donna joy said...

great space and so organized-great displays~

Halle said...

My craft area is in my laundry room as well...it's just not pretty like yours! Great cabinet made by your dad!

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

What a great creative space, Charlene! I love your window and I'll bet you do get some great light from it. Love all your storage and how you've got so many pretty things out in view.

Michelle May-The Raspberry Rabbits said...

I love it all Charlene! Your stuff is so much fun! I love all your mother of pearl buttons!
Thanks for a wonderful tour my friend!
Hugs to you!

My Arts Desire said...

Charlene,
Now that's my idea of what a laundry room should look like and function as...! Wow! So touching that your father made the cabinets for you & I'm sure it makes you smile everytime you see them. Your eight foot table is wonderful. But of course, it does mean that you can pile more on an eight foot table that eventually has to be cleaned up! Ha! Love, love, love your jar of china doll heads. There are so many wonderful things in here to comment on. Really enjoyed my visit! Xo, Sue

Lynnae said...

Very nice space. Thanks for sharing, and don't be hard on yourself- studios are supposed to get messy. I think MOST of us stayed up extra late trying to get them presentable for the party!

Connie Eyberg Originals said...

Charlene, you have a wonderful studio full of great 'stuff'. Great to have a window overlooking the garden too! I have to go to work now, but wanted to let you know I enjoyed my visit. Connie

Renee said...

You have a wonderful room with so many wonderful things to work with. I like all your storage ideas.

I have the same album that is on your table.

Sherry said...

I am still working on the list of creative spaces from where bloggers create. I love your space, and you are so organized and surrounded by special things. My favorite part is the workspace under the window. I enjoyed my visit.

Artzy Heart said...

All that fits in your laundry room??!! Your space is amazing and just what all creative gals need (I think your dad must be too). I'm putting you on my favorites list and can hardly wait to visit again. Thanks for sharing.

Scrapping With Sherry said...

I just started to get into collecting, if you want to call it that, vintage buttons. Actually I have been a papercrafter for 10 years and am just now getting interested in vintage.

I have only been blogging for a month but I hope to take part in this next year. BTW~ I am having a giveaway to celebrate the 30 day anniversary of my blog... Yes, only 30 days! I would love it if you would come by and visit at http://scrappingwithsherry1.blogspot.com/ Hope to see you there~ Sherry

Anonymous said...

Wow - you do have a lot of storage (just a teensy bit jealous - lol). Loved seeing all the treasures from your grandmother and the supplies waiting to be made into something wonderful. That little elf looks like he's waiting for inspiration to strike! :D

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