New Shelves!

I know- you are thinking- how can someone get so excited about shelves? Well, I am because this is a major factor in making my craft space more flexible and my worktable more spacious. These shelves are positioned over where my worktable will be installed. They are probably the largest part of my expenditure so far also. (When everything is complete I will itemize my room makeover.)

Below the old:

My old shelves were great and a colorful way to display my many jars of beads and little pieces of art I have created. These jars hold mostly glass and wood beads of every style. However, we use mostly gemstones at UnStrungSisters. So, this design was not making the most of the wall space for me.

Somehow, I will build these back into my display because they really brighten the space and inspire me. Plus, I love jars full of craft supplies as you can see. These hold thread, silk ribbon, dyed silk cocoons and buttons.

Tomorrow- my work table- a great low budget solution.

This has got to go....

An update to my craft room would not be complete without ripping out this huge and ugly ceiling fan fixture. The room is about 9' x 9' and this fixture took up more than its fair share of space while contributing to a claustrophobic environment. Moreover, it really was not functional. When the fan was turned on, there was a wind tunnel effect and blew anything weighing less than half a pound off of my table. Don't even get me started on the small control panel that was in the place of a simple on/off switch! The only thing going for this fixture is that it matched the ugly wall color perfectly!

My new fixture is sleek and stylish and gives me a surprising amount of light. And, thanks to my husband, Logan, it was installed while I was shopping! What more can you ask for?!


You can see some of my new shelving in the background. More on that soon. Amy

Oh- I'm loving this!

Yesterday and today, I painted away the ugly wall color in my craft room. The old color can be summed up with the name "Always dingy looking taupe" or "Forever dirty looking tan". Really, the possibilities are endless. Comment below with your favorite name for this color.

Blah!

My new color is quite different. Anyone who has seen my current or former home knows that I LOVE color. In my old house, I sweated bullets on an extension ladder to paint our 22-foot high foyer pumpkin orange. In our current home rooms are being made over to suit my need for color. And, I mean the real deal- not a faded shade of a color.

For my craft space I chose...... purple! Not a color I would have for any other room save my daughter's bedroom nonetheless I am so happy with my choice. I have read that purple inspires creativity. The following is from About.com:

Purple has a special, almost sacred place in nature: lavender, orchid, lilac, and violet flowers are often delicate and considered precious. Because purple is derived from the mixing of a strong warm and strong cool color, it has both warm and cool properties. A purple room can boost a child's imagination or an artist's creativity (hey - I happen to fall into both of these categories most days). Too much purple, like blue, could result in moodiness (a good bottle of red wine or a margarita can solve this problem).

So, love it or hate it.... here is my new craft room in purple. That is Benjamin Moore Hydrangea #1390. More tomorrow on shelving and lighting! When the room is complete, I will share my budget too.

A Clean Slate of Sorts

Stripped bare.....

A new year is approaching and it is time to organize and renew. I have shared photos of my craft space in previous posts and here it is again. Or, more accurately, as it was.

This photo is a bit old and my jewelry supplies have grown considerably. So I have decided to start over and redesign the space. I'll keep you updated as I go. What led me to this point? Well, keep reading but please heed the warnings below.

The following picture is for Mature audiences only.

It is not for the faint of heart and contains graphic depictions of unspeakable destruction. If you are highly organized, type A or just plain anal the following photo will be quite disturbing to you. It can be described with any of the following: annihilation, decimation, demolition, desolation, devastation, extermination, extinction, havoc, loss, obliteration, ruin, ruination, wastage, wreckage.

You have been warned!

As you can see this set-up is just not working. I have grown into this space like a goldfish to a small bowl. When organized and with no projects underway it is quite workable. Once a project is underway there is little space to move items to use the space for anything else. The above picture was taken recently and is after a two month craft show season, the holiday season, 8 days of company, two straight weeks in December of at least one of my three children sick and home from school (when I need to be wrapping, shopping , cooking and, ahem, cleaning), a birthday for my now 6 YO daughter and the multitude of school parties and activities only known to parents of elementary age children. There are other photos of the room but I can not bring myself to share them.

Check back soon to see how I am progressing.

~Amy~

Priority Mail Upgrade

*******HOLIDAY SPECIAL *******
Now through December 31, 2008 - for our United States customers - purchase $50.00 or more of jewelry(being shipped to one address) at UnStrungSisters.com and we will automatically UPGRADE your shipping to United States Postal Service Priority Mail for FREE!!!! Not spending $50.00 – we can still send your purchase Priority Mail for an additional $ 3.00 fee (just convo us and we will make a special listing for you). All of items are shipped with-in one business day of your order, see USPS.com for their shipping date delivery guidelines - we are sorry but we cannot guarantee delivery by a specific date. Happy Holidays!

Free Shipping Special

Free Shipping Through December 13th

Shop UnStrungSisters today through December 13, 2008 and the shipping is on us for all US and Canadian customers. Live elsewhere in the world? We'll reduce your shipping by $1.85 for the first item and $0.25 for each additional item. All you need to do is mention "Blog Special" during checkout or the contact UnStrungSisters link and you will receive this great deal. If you pay during checkout we will refund your Paypal account or you can wait to pay and we will issue a new invoice.

Don't forget - we are happy to ship items directly to your recipient to save you some time!

Wishing you Happy Holidays!

Amy & Erin - the UnStrungSisters