Studio BLISS

Paw-Paw installed a customized exhaust system over my soldering station

Just a glimpse into my spaceOffice Space Thanks Tiff for this awesome mirror
I caught Dustin and Dad trying out their jewelry skills on my new polishing motor Mom, Dad, and I finally crossing over the threshold into my NEW AMAZING STUDIO!!Photo Shoot - Celebration TimeThe boys packing up... ALWAYS so sad to see my parents leave

Mom and Dad,

Words cannot describe my gratitude. Thank you for believing in me enough to take so much time away from your own home to build a DREAM for me. Love you soooo much!

OrGaNiZe TiMe

Now we are on to the organizing stage... Or as my mom has always said, "you need to find a 'home' for that."

So I am determined to find A place for everything and everything be in it's place.

Hammer cart + Wheels = Pure Awesome-ness

Office space time. Big-daddy & Dot-Dot sent this really cool gift to Paw-Paw: A craftsman hat with lights! Paw-Paw LoVeS it and it really comes in handy.

I can NOT even begin to explain how excited I am getting!! I have many beautiful designs sketched out and I can't wait to share them with you once they are made. But enough dreaming for now- we got more work to do!!

Getting back to Busy-ness

Well folks, this is studio building Part 2! We started yesterday and really got a lot accomplished. Have a look for yourself:

First, we installed a sheet-metal wall for those metal clips (you know... the small pile of clips that were mailed to us in 22 boxes!! If you don't know what I am talking about- you might wanna read the next post)

Starting to organize my "beads"... Isn't this the greatest idea!!

Then it was on to shelving. . . Paw-Paw made 3 corner shelves for my fabrication area

Lighting time for my bench pin. This light has a goose neck which allows me to move the light closer or further away depending on the project I am working on.

Need I say anything more????????

Well, I better get back to work... More to come later :)

cLiP-tAsTiC

Soooooo, I came down to H-Town to attend the International Gem and Jewelry show with my "CHO" (chief-help-officer --- aka: my mom). Prior to my arrival, she took the liberty to purchase clips for my beading supplies over the internet. This is what we found on the doorstep when we got home from the airport:

188 clips INDIVIDUALLY packaged inside of 22 BOXES...

Mom said she decided to order 188 just so she could get FREE SHIPPING.

Dont you think its a little cRaZy that this small mound of clips came in soooo many boxes!!

Thanks Dad for helping me open all these. Cant wait to put them up in my studio.

A Sizzling Way to Warm up My New Studio

This is the poem that my sister wrote for the invites:

My jewelry studio is finally here
So come on over for its grand premier
Its artsy, its funky, its in my garage
And now all I need is an entourage
You can come, you can go, you can stay until 2
Just remember when you need jewelry, I'm the gal for you

Funny thing is... some really did stay until TWO!! The last few friends left at 2:45am!! We all had such a blast. I am blessed with wonderful friends.

Everyone was welcomed with this sign displayed by the front door.

We set the studio up to look somewhat like a "museum" feel. Each countertop displayed tools, pictures, and jewelry pieces- each with their own caption...
Lots of family and friends showed up to show their love and support. You all are so dear to me. Thank you for LOVING me!! Here are just a few pics...
Me and my twin sister had so much fun. Thanks for coming Tiffy!! The funny thing was, believe it or not, we were wearing the same outfit and we didn't even plan it!! Thanks mom for giving each of us such a cute scarf for Christmas... Apparently we both love it!
Then came the "fun" part. I had markers out and asked each person to write something on the floor. My floor will be "open" for a few more weeks to those of you who would like to leave your mark. Later, I will paint the floor with a clear coat so that I can always look down and be reminded of all the love and support around me.

A BIG Thanks to all of you for coming. It warmed my heart for sure!! And to all those who were not able to make it, please come by and leave your mark!!!

Last Day... Wish they could Stay

MiMi and I finished the door...

Before and after pictures :)

We painted small, medium, and large circles on the door with the silver paint.

You cant really see that in this photo, but in person it looks really cool in the light!

My first project in my new jewelry studio...

I finished your ring Dot-Dot- and gave it a high polish too! Enjoy! :)

And this sums up the entire week. I can NOT even try to estimate the number of times my dad would say, "Where's my drill," or "Have you seen the tape measure," or "Where did I put those screws," and the list goes on and on...

But the one we heard the MOST...

"Where's my pencil"

And 99% of the time it was stuck on his ear!!

He's a Bonehead- that's all there is to it!!

So all I have left to say is, HURRY BACK PAWPAW AND MIMI SO WE CAN FINISH CAUSE I HAVE A LIST OF "TO-DO's" FOR YOU!!!! :) LOL! Its true though

Its Day SEVEN and I'm in HEAVEN!!!!

Man oh Man do I have a STUDIO!!!!!!!!!!!

7am we got up and started working... I started sanding, PawPaw was building tables, MiMi ran to Lowes and Ikea for some stuff, and Lolly and Pops (my amazing in-laws) not only took care of Bradyn but also went grocery shopping and cooked us some meals!

I made my dad take a break from building my jeweler's bench so that he could hang my sign :)

Then back to building... PawPaw built the frames for the table, then made me sit on top and made Pops hold in place so he could drill in some holes... and then of course, little tiny tot got to help PawPaw put in the screws

Then for the jeweler's bench we bought a kitchen countertop from Ikea- made with solid Beech wood. Because it was so wide, dad "ripped" it (cut in lengthwise) so that we had a longer tabletop to work with. Great idea from Mimi!!

AND DRUM ROLLLLLLLLLLLL PLEASE!!!!!! HERE IS MY "NAKED" STUDIO!!! In the next few months I will add shelves, drawers, more lighting, mirrors, picture frames, and other decor.

This is my jeweler's bench where I fabricate... It will eventually be sectioned off into a soldering station and packaging area as well

This is my "beading" area as well as where I will sketch out my designs

This is my polishing station- complete with a "flashing" backsplash and a partition to section off this station from my beading area

And of course my sink area... Yipppeeee!! The countertop will have a few pieces of equipment: My ultrasonic cleaner, tumbler, and pickle pot (not for eating though-LOL).

A HUGE thanks to Mimi and PawPaw for taking a week of your vacation time to make me a little piece of Heaven. Xoxoxo

And here I sit writing my blog in the kitchen while my sweet Mom is painting the door that my dad built.

I will post more pictures tomorrow so that you can see the finished look of the door. Night Night folks and thanks for being my blog readers throughout this past week. I sure have enjoyed documenting this journey.