Well....not exactly. I don't have a studio, but I still have a tour. Perhaps, I will have one some day. I have a room ready to go, but I'm not sure once it is done that I will actually sit there and work. I do think I will put my millions of beads, jewelry supplies, picture taking stuff and maybe some more things down there, but my actual work will not take place in that room.
Some people (my sister - sorry Col) ask why don't I make one of our unused rooms into a studio and remove the clutter from my kitchen table. Well...it's because I don't want to. We have one big open area in our home equipped with the table, a tv, the dogs, my laptop and a view. That's why. I do have places, people and things I would like you to see even if it's not a studio.
Soooo....without further ado...let me take you on a tour of the way I do things...
First off, this is a picture of my son Ben and me. He is my most recent addition to my beading life. Since it was just too much to do it all myself, he now creates most of the beads and returns them to me sanded and ready to go. I did invest in a tumbler just recently to sand the beads that have smooth surfaces. If you are a bead maker and haven't done that yet, I want to tell you it was a very good investment! (Just ask....and I will fill you in) I do the glazing, the firings and the listings.
The cluttered table....Actually, it looks pretty good here!
I do have a space that I have organized my bead making supplies in. It was a computer armoire at one time and my very handy husband Bill added more shelves to it so that I could get the best use out of it.
I was going to clean it and make it look like I was a little more together and organized, but why pretend?
As you can see, I no longer have a shortage of beads. Ben is keeping me well supplied. There was a time that I used up every single bead I made. I was actually feeling stress with all of my sales, when that is just absolutely crazy! I'm supposed to like that part ;o)
When I can, I include beads in the woodfiring. This is the kiln that Bill built. It sits out beside our house. Although, I love the results that come from this kiln, I just don't want to stand outside for 15 hours stoking it with wood every few minutes. I prefer using my little doll kiln that requires electricity. He's the Grizzly Adams type (don't tell him I said that) and lives for this kind of thing!
This is a shot from inside the woodburning kiln. Those little dots that are lined up in rows are my beads.
Here is my little kiln hard at work.
This week's firing getting ready for today.
Here they are all dressed up and ready to go.
That concludes our tour for today.
I hope that you come back again sometime soon.
(How about 45 minutes from now which would 3:45 just in time for the 2nd giveaway?)
