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Eileen Baird'sBears
Toronto
Posts: 3,873

Oh yes! Perfect description bear_laugh Lateral thinking, lateral sprawl, it reminds me of the Mad Hatter's Teaparty.

Eileen

Dilu Posts: 8,574

yayyyyyyy Winney!

I shall use your 'scientific' findings as my reason for what is all around my spot in the living room.  The conscession I make is that every morning I vacuume and before bed I clean everything up in the living room.....:)

Of couse you know he will laugh at me and then demand to know who did this study...."a bear maker?  a quilter?"  he will say.:D

Ah well....domestic bliss.....he really is an incredably good sport about all this....and he does tighten my joints for me....so who am I to complain?:lol:

Kirsten, love your baby there, and it is so terribly cat-like to be on top of the fabric....

my 2 fur babies are usually on either side of me, or around my neck, which is ok in the winter.....but in the summer, when it sizzles?  UGH:/


Clare we want to see pics when you get set up....hope yu are more organized than the rest of us, but.....



And Laura-how is it possible your station looks so neat and tidy- and I bet you could find anything you want at any time?  Impressive.

I just go into the sewing room, close my eyes and wait for what I need to call to me....it is very dangerous in there.

Sue Ann; lets see your room......

Dily

Daphne Back Road Bears
Laconia, NH USA
Posts: 6,568

Laura Lynn - I think you need to post a 'NOW' picture!!!

Dilu - You'll need to post 'AFTER' honeyhubby gets those shelves in pictures!

Yes, Sue Ann, you are next.

I have to say that my sewing room, err "STUUUUDIO" is fairly organized. That's because I tend to bring what I'm working on to another part of the house and make a mess there..... Keeps my room, clean! Except last night at 10pm I went rummaging through my anally-organized-according-to-pile-then-color-then-size-on-shelves mohair closet (have a quilt fabric closet too but it's not QUITE as organized!) and managed to pull every single piece of mohair out into a heap on the floor. My dog came into my room this morning and started growling at it!!!!! Not sure if it was the pile he was growling at or me for making a mess! :lol:

Oh the trials and tribulations of being CREATIVE!!!:lol::lol:

Daphne

SueAnn Past Time Bears
Double Oak, Texas
Posts: 21,915

SueAnn Help Advisor, Banner Sponsor

Oh yes . . . I can relate to the mohair closet fiasco!!  My mohair closet must have a gazillion dollars worth of fur in it . . . I can't resist getting the newest colors, lengths, finishes, etc.  Once I get it folded and put neatly on the shelves, my cats sneak in and start burrowing around in it - what a great game - and it's not long until every piece of fur is on the closet floor!!  Grrr . . . then I'M the one who does the growling! bear_grin

Just Us Bears Just Us Bears
Australia
Posts: 940

On the thread of messy homes and workstations...if you think we are all bad...check out this link. It's written by a dumbfounded daughter, about her mother's 'problem'. I'll never feel messy again!
http://www.auctions-registration.com/ebay/

Laura Lynn Teddy Bear Academy
Nicholasville, KY
Posts: 3,653
Website

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LOL!  Loved all the posts!  Hayley... that link was very scarey!  My grandma's house used to look like that.. and she does NOT go to eBay LOL!

Finally her kids said "enough is enough" and rented a dumpster, sold her house and found her a retirement home.  She's very happy now... guess she just needed a "mom" herself to tell her what to do....

And yes.. I'll get a photo of my workstation "today" bear_original

doodlebears Doodlebears
UK
Posts: 7,414

doodlebears Celebration Ambassador

Yikes! That is frightening to think that someone can get so caught up with buying from ebay.
Hayley I will never get that addicted to buying although I do love a good bargan. I need all of my space for bears and gollys. :)

Jane.

SueAnn Past Time Bears
Double Oak, Texas
Posts: 21,915

SueAnn Help Advisor, Banner Sponsor

Okay, Girls, you asked for it and here it is - only after checking out Hayley's ebay link and discovering that there is someone on the planet messier than I am!!   Sewingmachine.jpg The "hamper" on the left of the sewing machine is the contraption I throw my fur scraps into . . . and overflowing! Computer.jpg Computer desk space is practically zero! Fur.jpg  The mohair closet after the cats have played!  Mistytable.jpg  My work table with kitty Misty resting on it.  How does one do any work on THIS table??!!  Boxes.jpg  I keep felt, ultrasuede, and other miscellaneous fabric pieces in these boxes.  Brindleboxes.jpg  Same boxes, but closer.  Kitty Brindle relaxing on top and my very first designed bear out of mohair sitting in the chair.  That little guy keeps me VERY humble!!!

Daphne Back Road Bears
Laconia, NH USA
Posts: 6,568

Hayley - That's just beyond words!! She needs help...

Sue Ann, your room looks wonderful. It evokes creativity and thoughts of all things cuddly! I can see why your cats find it so comfy.... I'd never leave! :o) Thank you for sharing pictures!

Dilu Posts: 8,574

Oh OH OH !! Hayley

Thank you thank you thank you....Sue Ann you and I are doing OK!

I loved taking the tour and the daughter has a wicked sense of humor-I wonder if she makes bears?

On a more serious note:

I had this idea to hang the mohair on skirt hangers- can usually get 3 pieces mohair per hanger.....then I thought I would get garment bags from Walmart to put the skirt hangers into-but maybe I don't need to?

are there any moths or bugs or whatever that like to munch on mohair along the same lines as wool?   I try to buy the sales-and usually do not have the slightest idea what I am going to do with it, but like Sue Ann I just know its something I have to have.....(storing up for a rainy day)  Do I need to be worried about long term storage of mohair and what about mink?  I have a wonderful mink coat that will make several even more wonderful teddies....but currently it is draped

Granted it is draped in a manner fitting for mink, but none the less, draped is draped.

Thank you everyone for wonderful laughs and great pictures....

I will most assuredly show you pics when the project gets done. 

But, I am worried, will the room be so organized I can not find anything?

I've heard that happens....

Worrisome


Dilu:P

Eileen Baird'sBears
Toronto
Posts: 3,873

A great tour, Hayley, and a wonderful workroom, Sue Ann--Looks well organized to me! And a gorgeous room to boot. :D

That poor woman, with all her 'glass crap' from eBay. Makes me feel better about my relatively limited buying, though!

Eileen

Just Us Bears Just Us Bears
Australia
Posts: 940

Yeah....but wouldn't you love to be able to take all that stuff and sell it! She has a real problem that woman...imagine not even opening the boxes once you receive them? Would love to know what's in some of them...many look like reams of paper!
Sue Ann...I can see why your cats love to play in your mohair.....I would like to play in your mohair!!! And I'd LOVE to rumage thru your 'scraps' basket! What treasure I would find! Maybe you could bundle some of the bigger pieces together and sell them to people who make 6-8 inch bears? It's hard to throw any scarpas away isn't it? There's always that nagging voice saying that you may just need a scrap of it some day...for ...something!
I fell in love with your desk too...I love antiques! And I would so love to have such a wonderful outlook with all that lovely natural light.
I am in the market for one of those wonderful floor Ott lamps...but they are hard to get in Australia. I have just discovered a supplier in Sydney and home to get a hold of some to sell on my website.

Eileen Baird'sBears
Toronto
Posts: 3,873

Let's all go and play in Sue Anne's mohair bear_grin Last one in is a rotten egg!!

Eileen

SueAnn Past Time Bears
Double Oak, Texas
Posts: 21,915

SueAnn Help Advisor, Banner Sponsor

HEE HEE!!  bear_grin bear_grin bear_grin

Daphne Back Road Bears
Laconia, NH USA
Posts: 6,568

OH yes, that scrap hamper..... how WONDERFUL... if I were a mouse I could live in there forever... as long as Sue Ann brought me cheese dipped in chocolate!:lol:

Shelli SHELLI MAKES
Chico, California
Posts: 9,939
Website

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner Sponsor

Welcome to the POTBELLY BEARS studio!

Please, come in...

CHANCE, our sole male kitty, will be your guide.

shelli_cutting_ribbon_laminating_station.jpg

Walk straight past CHANCE and look to your left; you'll see my photo studio (formerly a nicely sized closet.)

shelli_photo_closet.jpg

Just to the left of my photo closet, and behind the door which you came through to enter the studio, is my wall of ribbons and beads, wires and bows.  I also keep my laminating equipment, business cards, hangtags, and crochet string here.  There is a cutting board (for paper) and a cutting mat (for fabric), with a rotary cutter nearby.  My "to-go" bag (where I put any work I'm taking on the road) hangs on the chair.

shelli_ribbon_station_closer.jpg

Turn completely around and you will see the main work area of my studio.  It contains a gigantic IKEA desk (very reasonably priced, for those of you on the lookout for something new) which keeps almost everything I need within arm's reach.

CHANCE and GINGER are my "helpers" when I sew.

s_workstation.jpg

I hope you enjoyed your visit; please come again!  :D

PS  YES, those are Intercal mohair swatches, which I grouped by category and hung on rings, clipped to the right side of my storage cube by the door!

SueAnn Past Time Bears
Double Oak, Texas
Posts: 21,915

SueAnn Help Advisor, Banner Sponsor

NOOOOOOOO . . . . Shelli - it's waaaay too neat!!  But it's scrumptious anyway!  Very lovely, my friend!

Shelli SHELLI MAKES
Chico, California
Posts: 9,939
Website

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner Sponsor

Thanks for the compliments.  But do know that, in every location where you see a basket, bin, or drawer, there is stuff jammed to the gills inside, in no particular order whatsoever! bear_happy

Eileen Baird'sBears
Toronto
Posts: 3,873

Ooooh, beautiful, Shelli!! Did you make the cute kangaroo?? Bunny?

Eileen

Delartful Bears Delartful Bears
Australia
Posts: 3,518

Oh what lovely inspiration!!    Oh my Sue Ann, you have an amazing stash of Mohair!! How wonderful it must be for you to go rummaging in there!!

Gee Shelli, you would have to be the most organised woman!!!   Your house looks so pretty, and looks like it's organised beautifully!!  You put me to shame Shelli! Just beautiful!

Danni

Daphne Back Road Bears
Laconia, NH USA
Posts: 6,568

Shelli,
Can I come over? I'll bring my allergy meds (cats) and spend the day... I won't be in the way... just experiencing an organized working environment and checking out your photo studio. Oh, and peeking inside that hamper next to your work desk... my guess is stuffing. Or do you have one of those wonderful hampers full of mohair scraps like Sue Ann?

You all are giving me inspiration to CLEAN and reorganize. Nothing flows in my room and I'm tired of tripping over EVERYTHING! It's bad enough I have the puppy at my feet all the time. I have one of those office chairs on wheels and have to forever move an ear or paw or nose before I can move it! I made him his own special blanket to lay on NEXT TO my desk. He drags it UNDER, then lays down.:rolleyes: Today he dragged it upstairs and layed on it in front of the bathroom door while I showered. He's like a baby with it's blankie!

ANYWAY............
It's so much fun to visit eachother's sewing areas. Isn't technology amazing!!!???

Hugs, Daphne

Shelli SHELLI MAKES
Chico, California
Posts: 9,939
Website

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner Sponsor

Sure, come on over.  I am a terrible hostess and can offer you... anxiety, with a side of Earl Gray.  Plus, soaking up all the studio sights you are after, of course... :)

Actually, my studio is the only neat room in my house.  I can't work in a messy environment; it literally makes me want to tear my hair out.  I try to keep it as neat as possible because I have to go IN there and work!  Gotta keep things positive and pleasant.

Yes, the big basket next to my desk contains stuffing; lots of it, about two Walmart boxes full.  And there's more to be found elsewhere waiting its turn!  I do have a scrap basket; it's smaller but looks just like the stuffing basket (same color, same red striped liner.)  It's in the first picture, at the very back, next to the edge of the bed.

No, I did not make the bunny.  It's one of those cast resin pieces and, like much of my interior decor, comes from Ross or TJ Maxx.  I pride myself on being able to decorate on a shoestring and think those two shops have some of the greatest knick-knack stuff around.  The bunny holds my business cards.

The photo studio is pretty much as you see it.  The walls of the closet themselves create a light-bouncing environment and are my "light tent."  I do diffuse the available light with sheets of translucent fabric; you can probably just make it out, tacked to the wall.  I use six fluourescent bulbs per side and two overhead... plus the silver-domed shop light (with a regular bulb inside) and the clip-on halogen light at the side (occasionally) when I shoot my bears.  The backdrop just clips to one of the closet rods with giant work clips from Home Depot.

Most of my supplies are at my desk on the shelves (in baskets or canning jars), or in the drawers (that's where I keep all my hardware in a plastic storage bin; stuff like nuts, bolts, washers, cotter pins, etc., in bulk.)

The brushes, pencils, pens, and tools are upright.  Most of them are to the left of the sewing machine.  The tools are in a paintbrush caddy at the far left side of my desk.

The storage cube holds fabric, paint, and accessories that I collect at places like Salvation Army or vintage shops or even on eBay for use "someday."

I'm proud of my studio and worked hard to make it a "professional" place where I could stand to spend a lot of time (truly, a necessity when you're sequestered away all alone, all day long, every day.  Gee, that sounds awful.)

I'm glad you're enjoying the visit, and thanks for the very kind compliments on my "office!"

Eileen Baird'sBears
Toronto
Posts: 3,873

Shelli, your shop is really an inspiration! I love the way you've used your wall space. Very smart.

I'm a terrible hostess too. The only way I can cope is to ORDER people to make themselves completely at home--help themselves to anything they see and, if they don't see it, ask! :rolleyes:

Eileen

Laura Lynn Teddy Bear Academy
Nicholasville, KY
Posts: 3,653
Website

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Sue Ann I was absolutely drooling over your work room!  I could just dive into your hamper of "scraps"... and your mohair closet... ohh.... I have to agree with your cats.. I just want to crawl in there and roll around bear_grin  Thanks for sharing... I LOVE your work room!!!!  And your first bear... he's so cute!  Very different from what you do now... but one of these days I'll dig out the photo of MY first designed bear -- now HE's one to keep ya humble.. not your cutie! bear_original

Laura Lynn Teddy Bear Academy
Nicholasville, KY
Posts: 3,653
Website

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Shelli... absolutely LOVE your workroom too!  You've inspired me to get mine more organized.    And you are so right about working in a messy environment!  I feel the same way.  When my work room gets too messy I get depressed... and then take my work out into the living room to work instead.

I'll have to take some pics soon.... both before and after I organize LOL!

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