I have been busier than usual the past couple of weeks, and I expect that this will continue for the near future as we prepare our move into our new house. There is so much to consider and so much organizing to to! We are both really excited about it, but it is also very time consuming to plan and think things through and also figure out and purchase what we will need to make the move as seamless as possible regarding our business.
Since we no longer will be both working in one room, there have to be several adjustments made to our computer systems. Keith will be working both in the living room and also in the shop we are making downstairs. I will probably be spending the majority of time in my studio working, but would like to have access to my computer from the living room as well, as I can see myself settling down there in the evening to take in a movie or relaxing, but I will still want my computer available. We also will want computer access in our ‘scroll saw room’ on the second floor. This will mean quite a bit of skill in networking for everything to work properly, as well as having to purchase additional monitors, etc. But we think we are on the right track.
I promise to show everything that we will be doing in future blogs. I think that what we figured out will be relevant to those of you who are in similar circumstances, and may help you set up your own work places in the most efficient manner possible.
As I mentioned before – Keith and I are both sticklers for organizing and we plan to have a place that is comfortable, organized and most of all functional so that we can get the most productivity out of our days. Nothing bothers us more than having things in disarray. I am certain that is part of the anxiety that I am feeling these days, as I know that the weeks ahead will be somewhat crazy. But hopefully, not more so than they need to be and with some good planning, we will be able to do this as painless as possible. We already have been purchasing what we feel is necessary to organize and store our supplies. Hopefully the pieces we special ordered will arrive on time as well so we can jump right in and have places to put things when moving day comes. (One can only hope!)
This planning takes time though. The research and making decisions are part of the unseen picture that will make everything look like it is easy. Hopefully there will be only a short 'down time’ when we actually move, and for the most part it will be 'business as usual’. That doesn’t just happen.
Because of that, I will probably be very spotty in my blogs for the next few weeks. While I will share all the choices and show the new working spaces, I feel that it will be more interesting seeing everything come together rather than just wait for the pieces to arrive, as well as moving day. I have already ordered most of the furnishings for my studio, but they are sitting in storage either here or at Keith’s mom’s house – unopened. The child in me wants to tear open all the boxes and 'ooh’ and 'ahh’ over the new things, but the realistic adult knows that it wouldn’t be a smart move for me to do that. Things will get damaged if they are all pulled out and it will be much easier to move them in the boxes they arrived in. Here is where patience and maturity needs to win out. (But just think of the day when I will be sitting in my empty studio and opening all those things up! It will be like Christmas for me!)
So for now we are just trying to keep focused on the business and keeping things as 'normal’ as possible. One can try, anyway …
I wanted to show you the “Day 5” ornaments that I completed from my Lynne Andrews 12 Days of Christmas set. They were all mailed out yesterday to the recipients, and while it was the first day of June, they were actually finished in May so I feel that technically I am still on schedule. I am thrilled with them as usual, and I hope those who receive them are as well.
Here is the finished face of Day 5:
… and the back:
The snowman was my favorite of the group (so far!) and I love the beautiful layered colors! This angle shows the Opal Dust sparkles and the rhinestone berries better:
Isn’t it beautiful?? And for those of you who are new to my posts, I am doing six full sets, one “day” each month to complete the set in December (just in time for Christmas!) They are being sent out to each recipient each month. (Of course I am doing a set for myself!)
Here is how my five look together:
Aren’t they amazingly beautiful??? Lynne Andrews really outdid herself on this design. You can get her painting instruction book Christmas Blessings by clicking on the name of the book and going to her website.
The ornament blanks are sold on my own site here: SLDPK129 Elegant Bevel Cut Ornaments.
And we even have a Facebook support group of people who are making the set as a group over the year: 12 Days of Christmas Ornaments by Lynne Andrews - We are making them!
I hope you stop by and join either to paint the ornaments or even just to cheer us on. It is a great and inspiring group and it is fascinating to see the wonderful variations everyone has on their pieces!
I loved the Day 5 snowman so much that I decided to make a larger version on my SLDPK134 Large Snowflake wood piece.
Instead of the five gold rings, I strung a set of beautiful metal snowflake charms for the snowman to hold:
I loved the way it came out and the charms added a beautiful dimension and the piece can be out all season that way. I have been asked about the charms and have them on order. I will put them up on the site as soon as they are available or you can email me and I will hold a set for you. I will be charging $3 per set of five charms.
Today I am working on making my patterns for the wood pieces I showed earlier this week. I have some photography to do and I will be good to go. I am also making a general instruction book for the Sheila Landry Design Elements that will be available on the site in the next few days. That will give a better explanation of the patterns and their versatility.
So that about covers it for today. It is another warm and sunny morning here in Nova Scotia and truly a beautiful day. I would love to play “hookie” and run to the beach, but I don’t have that luxury right now. Perhaps when things are all settled.
I hope you all have a wonderful day as well! Thanks for stopping by and reading. Happy Thursday to you!
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