I am woman! watch me rebuild my studio!...

Monday I replaced the bedroom nightstands with wall-mounted shelves, as I'd planned for a long time. And, thanks to the kind assistance of my friend Chance, and his trusty chop-saw, the wood for the studio shelf-towers was cut to size. The old nightstands are now in their intended place in the workroom, and connected (with more Ikea shelving) to make the under-the window shelving. They still need to be shimmed level and anchored to the wall. I need to figure out some kind of waterproof shims, since there is a spot on the edge of where the wall meets the floor (along what was once-upon-a-time the garage door) where damp seeps in when the rain outside is very intense. Not a puddle, just a dampness in the concrete floor, but damp and wood are not friends…

I've also started constructing the tower shelving. Just brackets and cleats and wooden shelves, up each corner of the room on the window wall. Each shelf requires at least ten holes drilled, and all the concomitant screwing. I've done three shelves so far, and I'm tired. Of course the fact that it is almost 1 AM might have something to do with that… time to stop playing with power tools.

It's not fancy, but looks to end up holding a mortal large amount of supplies and such. Conveniently, the new tidy storage boxes fit neatly: two to a shelf. The plan is to sort and cull the massive number of boxes of creativity clutter; I mean art and craft supplies. Metalworking and enameling will have their own special prime storage zones, and everything else should be able to find a home as well. It is exciting to actually make progress on this long delayed project. Only nine more shelves to attach! (I think I can, I think I can…) Arnica and Ibuprofen will be my friends Oh for a power screwdriver, with a clutch and a quick change chuck…

In April, the Craft-Tea-Party activity will be a trade blanket of art and craft supplies and materials. I know that a number of you are also doing the primate sorting behavior thing, and while we all will end up with homes less cluttered and more organised, it is possible that someone out there may really want some material that I've decided I don't. Like that lovely bronzy-green yarn, for example… So while de-cluttering, you might want to put aside any particularly wonderful goodies in a separate bag or box just until April 20 (tentative date)