Inside Look At My Studio

Many of my students are curious about my studio. As you will see by the photographs, I have a lot of artwork that I have done as well as work by my friends and students throughout the studio. It is very creative environment with beautiful things everywhere to inspire me. I spend a lot of time in the studio when I am home, so I wanted to create a very nurturing atmosphere.

My studio is in a very small bedroom (about 10' x 12'), so I have to really organize everything carefully. My husband Joel calls me Jolita after a little pocket mouse that he had in his Science classroom when he taught public school. Jolita was always moving her sand around her enclosure. I really fit that description since I am always moving things around my studio to make it more efficient.

We hired Closet Factory to build drawers, counters, and cupboards for my studio. Over the years we have added additional thing to the room from Closet Factory. My girlfriend Tari went to Ikea and bought kitchen cupboards and counters to make her studio, so that could also be an option. It really turned out beautifully. I have one very large counter for laying out designs, cutting out fabric, painting larger pieces, etc. I had our electrician install a ceiling fan since we live in a warm area, and all of my lighting. Lighting is very important if you are doing close work. In addition to the ceiling lights, I have under counter lights to make things on the counter show up beautifully when I am working.

I have an unbelievable amount of supplies to store. To make the studio totally functional, I put everything that is the same together. I put my supplies either in drawers, in wire bins, plastic bins, or plastic boxes. I also organize my books by the subject matter.

When I see an article in a magazine that I would like to do soon, I tear it out, trim the raw edges, staple it together and put it into a folder labeled with the subject. I have folders for Jewelry, Creative Boxes, Handmade Books, Creative Clothing, and about 15 other subjects. Instead of having to look for the information, it is easy to access. I know that many people don't want to cut up their magazines, but I simply don't have the storage so I cut up almost every magazine that I receive.

In my studio I have a computer, photo printer, and an All in One that faxes, scans, prints, and copies. I also have a freestanding copier. Everything except the computer is from HP. My computer is a Dell.

For my sewing, I have a Viking Designer One sewing machine. I think that Viking is dedicated to creativity in sewing. They have unbelievable software and stitches for making rich textured surfaces. I have sewn on Viking for thirty five years.

In my studio I sew, make dolls, write my books and magazine articles, do all of my scheduling, business work, answer letters, paint, rubber stamp, cut out sewing patterns on the large counter, and do a variety of art work. I have an enormous number of supplies in a very small space. I also get a lot done because I am so organized. I know that it is daunting to start organizing, but once you start, you will be thrilled at how much easier it is to work.

I have two chair openings on two Closet Factory counters and one chair opening in a large wooden desk by my garden window, and a tall artists chair behind my tall long counter. I can work in four different areas without having to put my supplies away. The chair at the sewing machine is used at the computer as well. I just roll the chair back and forth. I am maximizing the space and creating a number of different work areas.

I hope that these photos help some of you organize a studio for yourself, especially if you have an extra space in your home that you can make your own. I find that walking into a clean studio helps me get right to work each day. I clean my studio before I go to bed, unless I am in the Jolita mode. Then there are supplies all over the room until I finish putting everything away. I get in a Jolita mood about every four months.

STUDIO PHOTOS

Photo One: This is the entrance to the studio from the hallway. You can see a long counter at the opposite end from the entrance with drawers and cupboards. I have file drawers and drawers with specific supplies in them. My sewing machine and copier are on this counter.

Photo Two: You pass this counter as you enter the room. You can see artwork in front of the books, and drawers beneath the counter. Above the books is a shelf with embroidery floss arranged by color in a plastic container.

Photo Three: This bookshelf is at the entrance to the room and is at the end of the counter shown in the second photo.

Photo Four: My Dell computer sits on the same long counter in photo Two and Three. To the right of the computer is my all in one and next to that are plastic containers with beautiful yarns and embellishments.

Photo Five: This counter is at a right angle to the entrance counter and has a bank of drawers under the counter, and shelves and cupboards above it.

Photo Six: This is my Viking Designer One with the HP copier behind it. There is a tray next to the sewing machine with a project that I am working on at the moment. The tray is from my book "Creative Stamping with Mixed Media Techniques". The drawers next to the chair have sewing supplies in them.

Photo Seven: This is my long counter. It is about 7' long by 30" wide and has a slight L shape that goes into a counter with my paper cutter and a bank of long thin drawers under the paper cutter. The drawers have paper supplies and videos.

Photo Eight: This little bookshelf is right as you enter my studio and is across from the bookshelf at the end of photo three. You can see the bins with supplies, photos of my loved ones and lots of books.

Photo Nine: This is the counter that has the paper cutter. The art objects are on the other side of the paper cutter and block the back view of it. You can see how high the paper cutter unit with the shelves is compared to my big counter. The big counter butts right into it.

Photo Ten: This is my main painting and rubber stamping area. It is a wooden desk that I had built years ago. I have a television with a DVD and VHS player on the counter of the desk. The desk has a heavy piece of glass on it so that I can wipe up spills. In addition, I have a Bose CD/radio on the counter, many supplies that I use frequently, and a rack from Target that has my paper in it. I often have my windows open and I view our beautiful backyard from the desk. We just got a new waterfall in our backyard and I can hear the wonderful sound as I sit her typing.

Photo Eleven: This is the top of my painting and stamping desk with the glass on top of it. You can see the supplies on the desk and also the papier mache box on the right side in the back that I have in my book, Creative Stamping with Mixed Media Techniques.

Photo Twelve: This is the corner of my desk with the glass. You can see my brushes in fancy ceramic and glass containers and my paper, the edge of a window sill that is a garden window.

Photo Thirteen: This is the top drawer of the desk with my Jacquard paints all in applicator tipped squeeze bottles. Since the bottles are refillable, I have larger bottles in other drawers to refill the applicator tipped bottles.

Photo Fourteen: This is my Viking Designer One sewing machine with a drawer filled with thread and sewing supplies right next to it. Having your supplies right next to the area where you are doing the technique is very helpful.

Photo Fifteen: This large bookshelf is right behind the chair at the sewing machine. The shelves house all of my beads, buttons, embellishments and some miscellaneous items. Having the items in plastic boxes helps me to access everything easily.

Photo Sixteen: This shows looking down the counter with the sewing machine. At the end of the counter, on the floor is an airbrush container so that I can airbrush on the wooden desk.

Photo Seventeen: This is my photo printer. It is right by the window at the end of the wooden desk. The business phone sits right beside it so that if I am in my studio I can take business calls on a portable phone.

Photo Eighteen: This is the closet door of the studio. I have a board with ribbon work that I learned from Candace Kling hung on the door along with one of my wall hangings.

I hope that you enjoyed the tour of the studio. In the next project I will do some close-ups of the artwork so that you can see the little goodies all over the studio. Many of my students send me artwork and I rotate them in and out of the studio so that I can enjoy them all.

~Sherrill