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Thursday, May 26, 2022

New Life...

After finishing the Beachside Bungalow, I looked around at my work room and thought about how it had evolved over the last ten years. You see, in 2012, it was still very much a dining room.


It was in July of that year that, after an excruciating nine year absence from minis, I began a mini project again. It made sense to work on the dining room table, as we rarely ate in this room. I could leave my "in progress" work there for months without inconveniencing anyone. After deciding to tone down the yellow, this was the first blue paint I tried. It created a soothing atmosphere while I worked on my gas station kit.

My first storage system for minis in this space consisted of boxes on the floor
and filling the hutch and buffet to overflowing.

Over the years we eventually edited out the carpet in favor of very inexpensive laminate flooring. With the carpet, I always had to worry about keeping it nice, and regularly cleaned it with the Bissell steam cleaner. What a lot of work and worry! In 2016 when we replaced the carpet with the laminate, it freed me up to craft in the room with no concern about the flooring. 


At that time I also exchanged grandma's buffet with many drawered storage units. This really revolutionized my ability to organize, find things and put them away with ease. I painted the room too, for the third time, though it was not a charm for me. I really dislike the "new" blue, too. Someday, when I feel really ambitious, I'll try painting it again. But maybe not blue this time.

Upgraded storage system in 2016.

With the bungalow finished and ready to display, it was time for another upgrade to the work room. Since this mini obsession doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon, I needed lots more storage. Luckily, I have Russ. He is the sort of husband that is ready, willing and able to help me construct what I need as my needs grow. 

And when it comes to supporting my many mini dreams, he's the wind beneath my wings! 💗


On the room's left wall, we added another 97" shelf, along with two 40" shelves on the short, far wall. This allowed me to gather my houses from around the house and display them in one convenient "neighborhood". I am working on getting them all plugged into the surge protectors and will be able to turn the lights on with the press of a button. If I need to work on one, I can just pull it down to the work table.

Speaking of table, I pivoted the table the long way into the room. There is still plenty of space to move my wheeled office chair around, and my body won't cause so much shadow from the light fixture onto my work. I can also have three "stations" on the go and just move my chair around to them as I am waiting for glue and paint to dry.


The far right corner of the room got wrap around shelving, too. Now my kits have a place of their own. The Cricut Maker and the sewing machine share the lower shelf on the other side of the window. I'll just pull them down whenever I need to use them. See how the top shelf is empty? This will allow for future yeses! 

I have wheeled carts filled with categories of tools and supplies for various tasks. When I am working on a specific task for that specific dollhouse, I just pull it close. Then my table space is freed up to work on things. Rusty appreciates the open space under the table, too, because he can lie on his comfy bed at my feet while I work. He's a great helper!


When the time comes to sell our house and downsize in our golden years, we will replace the laminate floor with nice new carpet for the new owners. And I can craft worry free in the meantime. 

My goal was to get this room upgraded, deep cleaned and ready for the next project. The one I picked has been left unfinished for nine years!!! Upon first inspection, it needed a lot more "finishing" than I had anticipated! But with the New Life given to my work room, I should be able to accomplish almost anything!

This was all made possible because of Russ and his endless support of my ideas. A very heartfelt ~Thank You~ to my amazing husband, without whom, I could never achieve the things I dream. He is truly my greatest and longest lasting dream come true!

xo xo,

Jodi

38 comments:

  1. I admire your organization.You are so fortunate have a cooperative, caring husband, too, who is willing to build and do the heavy lifting when you need it. Some do not. You don't need fancy space to work in, but you do need to be organized to store and the find all the miniaturists acquire.

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    1. I appreciate your credit for organization but in truth there is A LOT more I could be doing to organize in my drawers but I am too lazy! My work room gets very messy and dusty in-between cleanings, and I usually only lightly pick up, dust and vacuum occasionally until I am finished with one project and about to begin another. But it does feel really good to start fresh again and have things neatly shelved! Russ is such an amazing guy, tells me all the time how lucky HE is to have ME and that I take amazing care of him. We're a two way fan club, lol!

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  2. That is quite the evolution. It reminds me of when I joined the Eugene Miniatures Club and boldly stated that I would not let minis take over my life. Well, now I know better than to say something like that. I have kept the supplies and work surface to the corner of our shared hobby space and left the other rooms as intended. But no more! When we move, I’ll have my own room, not unlike your dining room/work room. I admire your organization.

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    1. Ha ha! I love how we always think we are going to stay the people we are and then we look back and we have evolved in really surprising ways! I am so glad that you caught the "mini bug" because your creativity and ingenuity are delightful! It is such an amazing thing to have all these months to plan your new craft room, and I know you are going to make it awesome! Life is so much more rewarding when we follow our joy!

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  3. ¡Eres afortunada por tener un lugar tan bonito y grande para trabajar!. Lo has dejado muy bien organizado y ademĂĄs tienes una estupenda luz .

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    1. ¡Gracias, Isabel! ¡Realmente soy muy afortunada de tener el espacio para hacer una sala de manualidades dedicada y de tener un compañero que no solo no le importa, sino que me alienta! ¡PasĂł su dĂ­a libre ayer manejando una hora conmigo para recuperar un kit de casa de muñecas! ¡QuĂ© chico!

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  4. What a lovely post Jodi! I see what my husband helps he with and don’t think I could acheive without him either. We are lucky to have such support! Your studio looks great and very functional. I can’t wait to see what project is coming up next!

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    1. Thanks Shannon! It makes for such a happy relationship when we can support and encourage one another. I am so glad you have that kind of guy, too! I love being in my happy work room and I feel like it gets better and more functional with every new improvement (though often other things are higher on the priority list, lo)l! I will gladly make room for a laser cutter, though, should one ever come my way!!!

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  5. What a wonderful work space - so well organized and efficient. How great it is to have a supportive, "useful" husband as well. But I did wonder for a second when you talked about him curling up on his bed at your feet, before I realized my mistake! LOL.

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    1. Ha ha! Thanks emjay! I guess I should have made that more clear, lol! Rusty the dog came to us with that name as he was a very young rescue, and Russ was called Rusty as a kid so there has been a lot of confusion in the family, too, over the years! Then there's Woodson, who I call "Wubby" which also sounds like "Rusty" so it gets even more confusing around here! I need to just start calling them "hey you"!

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  6. Jodi - love seeing the progression of your mini work space! I never thought to take photos of that over the years. You are well organized and neat! I also made the same mistake confusing "Russ" with "Rusty"! (Kendra)

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    1. Thanks Kendra! When we first bought the house I thought it needed to look like Traditional Home magazine all of the time. And then minis came back into the picture and my priorities drastically shifted, lol! Russ is going to laugh so hard when I tell him that all my blog friends think I let him lay at my feet under the craft table, lol!

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  7. Tienes un maravilloso espacio de trabajo, por lo que también felicita a Russ por lograr dar forma a tus sueños!!
    Besos.

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    1. ¡Gracias Pilar! ¡Me encanta tener un espacio de trabajo tan dedicado y me siento muy agradecida por Russ, su apoyo y sus habilidades! Espero que al verme sumergirme de lleno en mi alegrĂ­a, les dĂ© licencia a otros miniaturistas para hacer lo mismo. Reservamos espacio en nuestros hogares para nuestras comidas raras y formales, pero no para nuestras alegrĂ­as diarias. A veces todo lo que necesitamos es que alguien nos diga que estĂĄ bien cuestionar nuestros "deberĂ­as".

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  8. It's Sheila again-someday I'll figure out how to comment as me again. This is brilliant! I love the shelves and those drawers are wonderful! My dining room/workspace desperately needs reorganization but I don't know exactly how yet. I can't wait to see your next project.

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    1. Hi Sheila! I'm so glad you're here even if Blogger doesn't recognize you yet, lol!
      The shelving and drawers are just awesome to have and help organize and hide things so you don't feel so overwhelmed with all the stuff that comes with this hobby! I bet if you could sketch out something like this you could get the shelves installed by someone for not much investment. They could probably include a kitty play area, too! Russ likes to do small jobs for people where they buy the materials and he just charges them for his time. It's transparent and then people feel like they know where their money is going rather than dealing with a bid and such. The shelving is only $23 at Home Depot, and the brackets around $3. I got my drawer units on Amazon who at the time had many that were returns so were discounted greatly. Ikea drawer units are also awesome, if you have a little bigger budget, but I spend my budget on craft supplies, lol! The next project is under way and I can't wait to share it!

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  9. You have a wonderful work space and very organized. You are very lucky, I don't have a room to create, but I would like it so much

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    1. I am very fortunate, Faby, and I so admire those of you who create beautiful minis with such determination in spite of your space challenges!

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  10. Dear Jodi,
    It's so good to see your wonderfully upgraded workroom. Everything at reach enabling you to enjoy your work. You and Ross are soul mates and very lucky to have each other. I wish you long and happy years in this house. The golden years can wait.
    Hugs,
    Drora

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    1. Ha ha! Thanks Drora! Russ agrees with you that our golden years can be put off for a long, long time! Having a nice, big place to work on hobbies is wonderful, but I'd pick Russ without hesitation if I had to choose. It is a miracle in today's world to stay happily married to your best friend for life!

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  11. Me da envidia ver ese espacio de trabajo tan ordenado y organizado.
    Tener un compañero en estas aventuras es una maravilla.. Yo diria que es tu mejor proyecto.
    Un saludo

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    1. ¡Gracias Mariana! Estoy de acuerdo en que Russ es lo mejor de mi vida, y las miniaturas y una gran sala para hacerlas estĂĄn muy por debajo de la lista de mis bendiciones. ¡Tengo mucho por lo que agradecer!

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  12. It appears that Russ can not only build you your required shelving supports but also IS your supportive partner throughout your adventures together; and from what I can recall from some of your past posts, you two pull together as a team be they Full-size home improvement projects and/or your Mini ones, which is just exactly as it should be!
    A BIG hug with Much Gratitude to Russ, from all of us! ❤️

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    1. Thanks Elizabeth! Russ IS my support and my world, and our motto has always been "We may not have it all together, but together we have it all!". It is wonderful to not only have a partner who enjoys and appreciates the things you do to care for him, but who also wants to show his care and support in return. We both have our grandparents to thank for that example, and we love that our kids have adopted that lovingkindness with their partners, too! 💗

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  13. I am so envious of your neat tidy room and especially your floor. I took over the family room in the house, but it still has the carpet, which badly needs replacing. Great looking workshop!

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    1. Thanks Wanda! Where there is a will (and a family room) there is a way! And the great thing about carpet that is already at the end of it's life: you don't have to worry about ruining it! Mini on! My $.63/sq ft laminate is great. I can hammer it and not feel one bit bad. I use the steam mop on it every couple weeks, and it still looks decent after 6 years!

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  14. Wow, that's for sure an impressive amount of Sometime-for-Somewhat-boxes!!! *LOL* I really admire how organized you are - although I'm not surprised as this has always shown up in your How-I-achieved-my-awesome-results-well-explained-and-well-shown-step-by-step-posts. However, this is what I call a craftroom!!! You are very lucky... and even more as you have your best friend supporting you and making your dreams come true. Did Russ ask for a Best-hubby-ever-mug now after reading the comments? Let's hope he didn't ask for the other version of a personal mug, you know: "I am the hubby... not the dog cuddling up at my wife's feet while she crafts miracles". Ah, this conversation above gave me a good grin.

    Next to your amazing organziation it was your working desk which impressed me the most. I can only agree... it's so clever having access from 3 sides. Thanks for sharing your beautiful and impressive craft room with us... although it gave my face a little touch of green colour. I only pity your beautiful houses which found their place at the upper shelf - these masterpieces would deserve better places where they can't be seen without the use of a ladder. So even in your dream work room there's still the bite of reality... quite comforting. ;O)

    Hugs
    Birgit

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    1. Thanks Birgit! As for my organization, my grandma is probably sitting on a cloud in heaven thinking I still have a long, long way to go! She was the organization queen! And when I told Russ about the confusion over him lying at my feet, we both got the giggles so bad that it kept us awake for an hour! Just as we'd start to fall asleep, one of us would giggle again and infect the other one for a while!

      Do I ever know that green feeling! Mine comes in the form of a little green monster trying to sneak thoughts into my head!!! My only weapon and effective repellant is to change my thoughts over to gratitude for my own good fortune. I am so grateful to have such a great space to store my supplies, my projects and to work in. I wish everyone could have this kind of dedicated space, because it truly allows me to focus on my best mini work. If I had to clean up after myself and stow things away each day, I'd find excuses not to start on anything. This way, I can leave my mess and pick right back up where I started each time I have a chance to carve out some mini time.

      The houses I put up on the high shelf are not currently at their best. They are not finished and/or are in need of some type of repairs. The ones on the lower shelf are either done or done enough for now. Maybe one day they will all be finished and take turns in the spotlight, so to speak! Or we'll add more shelving somewhere, lol!

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  15. Your room is very well organised Jodi. I'm lucky to have a dedicated craft room, but with miniatures, quilting and art work it's getting a bit crowded! Your husband is a gem :-)

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    1. Thanks Polly! I bet having three hobbies going at one time can make even a dedicated room feel wanting! But I so admire your quilting skills! If I ever tire of minis, I know what I'll try next!

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  16. ¡Que maravilla de taller! eso es orden, cada cosa en su sitio. Felicidades por tener un marido tan dispuesto .

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    1. ¡Gracias Rosa MarĂ­a! ¡Tener un espacio asĂ­ ha sido fundamental para mi creatividad y tener a Russ para pasar mi vida con una bendiciĂłn!

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  17. Hi Jodi, I always love seeing other people's work spaces!!! You have organization and space to spread out on your side! Also the Helpful Handyman Husband to help you realize your dreams! Lucky you! :):) The long street of completed projects is a lovely sight... in My house... there is just a jumble of Incomplete to look at! LOL! And crammed on every table, chair and shelf too... but you know how it goes! I will get there someday! :):) I am looking forward to following your creative journey for years and years!!!

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    1. Thanks Betsy! I love seeing your space, too, and love the way you manage to jockey all your projects whenever you get inspired to work on them! Creativity Must! We will always find a way!

      I am so grateful to have my dedicated crafting and display space, and that it is expandable. When I look back at my guilt about taking over the dining room, I realize now how misguided the Ideas and "norms" were that we grew up with. The house had to be kept "company ready", even though company rarely came, and we practically tiptoed through our own homes! I'm a rebel, I guess, but I believe that we should live in whatever way gives us joy. The only company that I entertain now doesn't judge me on how my house looks but how I make them feel. :O) Most are fascinated by my hobby!

      I hope that both of us are blessed to continue this passion until we are very old ladies and that we can continue to support and inspire one another! And if you ever feel compelled to work on the Willowcrest and those amazing moon goddesses, I'll get my popcorn!!!

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  18. We are so fortunate to have wonderful husbands who are completely fine with "enabling" our obsessions, aren't we? I know I wouldn't trade mine and it is obvious that Russ is definitely a keeper as well!! *smile* - Marilyn

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    1. We are, Marilyn! I pinch myself everyday and thank my lucky stars!

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  19. Heavens to Betsy! I just wish I was this organised, I love your studio Jodi. It's similar to mine, but we also have a piano to contend with so I lost a wall. LOL! I shall send you some photos later when I finish my current projects.
    Big hugs,
    X

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    1. Thanks Sandi! It keeps evolving and I keep adding stuff. Eventually I will need to let some things go as I have many ideas for new projects and no plans to stop creating, lol! I finally have time to pop on over to gmail to see your photos! I'm so excited to see where your magic happens! Hugs!

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