The Sweet Spot

Or as my husband calls it, My Other Love. I'm talking about that teenie, tiny space that I call a studio. Since Christmas, it's been getting a facelift which is really wild because the space is not quite 2 years old. We had our basement finished two Christmas seasons ago which taught me 1)Never have major housework done over the holiday season and 2)Never host a humongous family gathering in the midst of that housework over the holiday season. Nevertheless, we survived and gained a lot of living space.

Finishing a basement in a home that's almost 100 years old was a challenge (another story for the basement at another time?). We have a furnace smack dab in the middle to work around as well as several concrete posts that couldn't be moved. Our contractor was great about coming up with solutions and his brother was a master at putting them into action. It was those days that neither one of them was on the job that caused the major stress. Like the day when they were supposed to be framing out the bathroom and my work space. I always tried never to bother them and go see the progress at the end of the day. That day I went downstairs and discovered that someone had moved the bathroom wall several feet over into what would've been my space, but now was approximately as wide as a broom closet. As in wide enough for one broom. I sort of collapsed on the floor and cried. Then I called hubbie and cried. The next day, they had to tear everything out and put it right while I nursed a stress hangover.

Still it's a very small space and I'm still learning how to best maximize the use of it. Through it all, I've learned that it can be organized very well, but not to my decorating taste which meant I wasn't inclined to spend a lot of time there. Slowly, I've been working on making my tastes and my need for organization meld into a cozy, little studio that I could spend the entire day in if I had Harry Connick Jr. to bring me fruity little drinks with umbrellas in them. As it is, I'm very happy when he's blasting over the stereo and hubby is bringing me a cold diet Dr. Pepper.

It's still a work in progress, but here is a little look at my sweet spot~


~I put different knobs or drawer pulls on all the cabinetry. Hubby still thinks I lost my mind on that one.



~Two of the walls are now blue. I simplified the possibilities by only choosing colors that were available from leftover projects. This paint is from the back porch and it makes such a huge difference. Plus, it makes all my favorite colors pop without clashing.

~Tiny little rag rug to warm up that chilly floor.






~That white wall with the cubes? I want to cover it in sheet music I picked up with Kim from Too Much Stuff a few weeks ago. We fought over all these old books. She won a few. I won a few. We both came out alright, I think. (pay no attention to the bags on the floor, i thought i had those put away)

~Still working on stuff, but it's coming together. That ESCAPE banner was made at Creative Escape. Going back again this year, woot!


~Some McCoy pots that hold tools. I have a weakness for pottery in pretty Easter Egg colors.











~Little milk glass dishes hold a some of my buttons. Other button live in a cabinet because I have a button addiction (and a ribbon addiction, ephemera addiction, rub-on addiction, etc, etc).


~Old stamp carousel that appeals to my love of office supplies.


~I pulled out some old shelf lining to dress up the shelves. More is on the way from Ebay to finish the rest.








~Yep, more McCoy. Wanna make sumthin' of it? ;) And a little glass dish that holds things I should get put away that didn't get used in more current projects.
~A tiny jar filled with vintage Christmas ornaments. No particular reason. It's just cute!




~They're a little bright for the space, so I don't know if they'll be staying, but the little suitcases are still cute & very useful. They may get a little distress ink to tone them down? The wire baskets hold newer product before it finds a home. If that basket gets too full, I'm supposed to put myself on a spending freeze. Bwahahaha, like that ever works for me! I can put of lot of goodies into those baskets! (yep, that's another McCoy planter holding rolls of die-cut felt)

Still working on it. Big on my shopping list is effective stamp storage and rub-on storage that will fit into the personality of the room. Or otherwise known as anything, but plastic! Well, unless you know of a place to find a dirt cheap, Bakelite drawer unit? I'll keep scouring auctions, thrift stores and tag sales in hopes of finding those pieces that exclaim "Pick me, choose me, love me!"