Cottontail Cottage Studio Desk Update

Studio Update and solution considerations drawer cabinets vs enclosed options

Last fall I decided to remove my artist easel type desk.

Before

The desk was frequently covered with stuff to the point that I was forced to use a folding card table or tv tray to work on. Because there were cabinets on the top of the desk (more on those later) I also couldn't use the easel aspect even if I wanted to. Rarely was this ever an issue. The biggest issue was the height of the desk. I am short and I like my feet on the floor so this means that I really need a lower work surface.

Removing the desk meant I had to come up with another way to hold some of the cabinets, etc. My solution was to move one of the black book shelves to where this desk had been.
I only moved the desk into the dining room as I figured it might go back to my room sooner than later.

Before

I also moved the three plastic drawer carts together. However I got to thinking that it might be nice to have the desk available for cutting things on or whatever. This desk is designed to pivot up so that it can be like an easel. My idea was to have it so that the pivot could lift the top up and out of the way. So we moved it back in the room where the book shelf I had moved was. (Basically at this point these two large items swapped places.)
The desk with the top down would block the door to the closet but since it could be lifted up and out of the way, it would still work in the corner and not block the door then. The ability to lift it out of the way was because we turned the desk around so that the pivot was at the wall side not the front. So it still can't be used as an easel. Again this isn't a problem.

More Shelves
About this same time my hubby had started selling on eBay. This desk would then be available to him as well for packing/shipping and also to photograph the items. But he needed a place to store his items. We visited a local thrift store to find some shelves. We got really lucky that we found just what we were looking for and more, at half price even. For him we found a metal shelf and for me two tower units.
Here's his ebay shelf (btw - if you see anything of interest here - email me, a lot of this hasn't been listed yet and I will practically give it away).

The desk moved over from previously in front of the closet to under the window.

I can still use the desk for cutting and also we leave up the photo booth. Although I have been trying to keep the boxes put away. 

In order to place the two tower units in the studio room, I needed to move the second black book shelf next to the first one I had just moved. 

Before

It was something I had considered doing when I was considering removing the desk and moving the first book shelf, even before I got these two new units.

I believe these units were part of an entertainment center. The top shelves do not adjust but do have lights in them. The other shelves do adjust using the peg system. I believe that one of them may have had a door as there is extra wood pieces and trim that a door likely hung from and fitted against. It would have been nice to have the door, but I am pleased with them without it.
These two units give me both display shelves and a place for my scrapbook supplies.  They were previously in a couple of shelves of the just moved black bookshelf. These units also have doors at the bottom. Since I was going to keep the bike here, I decided that what went in the cabinets must be items I don't access as often. Examples are extra display boxes and some large tools (small table saw) that may or may not stay here.

Here is the two tower units And yes, the bike does can be used there  - but it is easy to pull it out for more elbow room.

It isn't obvious in this pic, but to get the two tower units in this corner I had to slide the white shelves over a few inches.
After several months of working on this, I am finally ready to share more photos of where I am with the other portions of the room. No, the room isn't picture perfect, but hey this is how I really work in here.

You can see in this pic that I still have piles of things to sort thru, but I have made progress as there are fewer piles and misc boxes.

This one shows both the first black shelf new location and the folding table I am using as my desk. Plus can see the corner. I left a gap for storing tall things like foam sheets in the corner.
That was an interim pic that I was going to post weeks ago, but have moved on to this.
The main difference is moving some of the new divided boxes and other supply boxes lower so I can reach while sitting.

I have refined that placement of boxes and decided that I will have display area on that second shelf that is nearly empty right now. I would like to purchase an extra shelf (piece of wood I would paint black) to go in the other other shelf unit (one on the right). Then my photo boxes won't be stacked as high.
The boxes in the black shelves - most of them are the photo storage boxes that I purchased when the hobby stores run a sale. I actually have some leftover. I guess I need more projects to put in them. Or I could get busy doing more sorting of the remaining areas. LOL.

On top of the folding table is a folding bed table. I got this at a thrift store as well. I so rarely ever used it in my bed, that I tried it on my folding table/desk. I really like that I have the additional space which more than makes up for the loss of the easel desk.

One advantage that I have by using the folding table is that I can easily slide it over to allow a bed roll on the floor (for guests). Or if I needed to it can be cleared off and put away.

This shows behind the door and where the other drawer cart ended up. I did clean out the other one and gave it away to my daughter (they both used to be under my second folding table that was always piled up). The items that was in that cart are now in the black shelves near the bottom. Items that were there, were moved into the cabinets of the two tower units. In this case, items I used less often were stored away behind a door and items used more often left out.

As one can see, my studio is ever changing - for a number of reasons. I still have some work to do for this round of re-org, but I am much happier that my stuff is not as likely to get dusty being in boxes. 

Cottontail Cottage Studio has moved

Welcome to my new studio room.

My daughter moved out this past month and that freed up a room to make all my own.  No more did I need to take up space in my bedroom.  (I had about a third of it.)  You can see pictures of my old spot here.

Having a whole room, I knew that I was going to be spreading out.  After cleaning the carpets, I moved everything from the old space to the new room.  My hubby said it looked like my studio exploded in the new space.  Maybe I was over eager as I did have to move stuff more than if I had set it outside the room. 

We moved the shelves on railing from the old space - leaving some rails and a shelf in the bedroom for the tv accessories.  TV may be mounted to the wall but still have extras connected to it. 

Over last week, I got everything in place and I started sorting some things that were in multiple places.  It was truly tons of fun for me as I felt so inspired by my move.
One thing I was inspired to create was the sign for the room.  (Shown above)

I started adding new labels to boxes and drawers. 
Then my daughter comes over....  She said she had found some shelves.  She found out a business was closing and was selling everything including the fixtures.  So I got two new shelf units.  Used, but still good.  That meant I had to do more arranging. 

Finally here it is - my new studio room....

This is the view from the doorway.  To the left (where the snowy house is sitting) are two drawer carts.  Between them and the wall the black shelf is on is a closet door.  That closet now stores all the Christmas decorates and more. 
The black shelf was one of the shelves I got from the store that was closing.  The only bad thing was only one shelf is adjustable, but for the price I will live with that.
All the boxes at the bottom - got new labels and is where my future projects are stored.  Above that is some other projects in process and also various things (especially rabbits) that I like.  Top shelf is where I have various containers that may one day be a project container. 
Next to the black shelf is two cardboard chest of drawers.  These all got new labels as well. 
Beneath the window is a box for storing scrapbooking things - but because of the new shelves it is empty - whoo-oo!  I added a throw for the kitties to lay on.  Which they do.

To the right of the window is a card table that I have used for scrapbooking - in the living room mostly.  Now it has a permanent home.  The black shelf was the second shelf unit that was recently purchased.  I have room for both my saw and also scrapbooking supplies in the shelf.  This frees the table to be used for what I need at the time and not stuff on top of it as I had originally planned.  This extra chair provides a second spot for a kitty to lay as chosen by my Juni.

This view shows where the railing shelves went.  I had to rearrange half of this area when I got the two new to me black shelves.  In organizing this room I tried to put things I was likely to use most often as close as possible to the place that would be used.  In this case - many of the miniature making supplies are there next to the desk.  Under the desk to the right - there is a third cat spot available taken currently by my Logan kitty.  That corner is all my wood stuff and tall materials. 

Here's my desk in its new spot.  The rabbit shelf on top had been in storage.  I guess I thought I didn't have room for it here but I like have more of my rabbit collection on display.  The TV tray my netbook is on, makes a great side table.  I can have it out or not. 

So there you have it, my new studio location. 

Still organizing...
Preble

Inaugural post of The Organized Miniaturist

For my inaugural blog post I want to clarify that my title of organized is a goal not an achievement.  I think that in some areas/ways I am more organized, but in others I know I am not.  I noticed recently that a major theme on my mini-smallpackages blog has been about storing and organizing.  I decided I wanted to separate that theme, so I have started this blog: The Organized Miniaturist.

I am a perfectionist and I love to rearrange and reorganize my life.  This is true for both my minis and everything else in my life.  I think I have a rearranging/reorganizing gene as I can’t leave well enough alone.  This started early in my life.

Growing up in a small space

Growing up it was common for my mom to have tell me to clean my room.  More often than not, when I did this it involved rearranging and reorganizing.  These two go hand in hand in my mind, as when you rearrange furniture and the like, it is often I find a new way to organize as well.  In my teenage years this rearranging included not just the furniture, but the posters as well.  Maybe not every time were the posters rearranged, but certainly if I got a new one, I had to find a place for it.  I recall quite vividly once rearranging all the posters on every wall.  This particular time I removed them all.  We had very dark paneling on the walls and it was quite amazing to see the difference that those posters had made to my room.  They lightened the atmosphere very well.  There was no doubt that those posters would all find a new place to be hung (by thumb tacks or staples) as the room was just too dark without them and my mom agreed.

My mom was always amazed with the new ways that I was able to come up with to rearrange my room.  She is a arrange-it-once-type person.  I had a very small room growing up, but it was my own.  I am very thankful, I didn’t have to share. Being small didn't stop me from rearranging and I feel it helped mold me into a more organized person.  If you collect things like I do - the more organized they are the more that will fit reasonably into a smaller space.  Although fitting into smaller spaces does not automatically make it more organized. 

Married life with me includes my rearranging things

My husband was initially amazed by my rearranging the furniture.  He has learned over the 20 + years of marriage that it is just something I like to do and might as well go with the flow as it will make me happy and he might just like the new arrangement better.  Over the years some arrangements got used again as they did indeed work better.

 

When we moved to this new house, I was so excited not just because it was a new house but my kitchen presented me with all sorts of opportunities to arrange the kitchen stuff.  I am very thankful for all the cabinet and drawer space.  Even that is not immune to my rearranging gene kicking in.  Although in the kitchen’s case it wasn’t the entire kitchen just a few cabinets that I decided would be better suited to have certain things in a different location which afforded those items more space.  On the other hand the bathrooms have been the bigger challenge for organizing. 

My family understands my need to be organized and they certainly try to stick with the program, but they sometimes don't understand how my mind works (unless I have explained a particular location) so they do put things away in the wrong place occasionally.  I have considered taking a picture of my cabinets and drawers as I have them organized and then putting the pic on the inside of the cabinet.  Cabinet pics would be great, but not sure about the drawers.  But I have not done that, YET! I haven't taken the time nor I have decided if that is more organizing OCD than I really am.

When things get put away incorrectly I do try to be patient about it.  After all the reason they were put away wrong was because someone besides me was doing the dishes and that is something to be thankful for.  I also realize that not everyone has as good placement memory as I do. 

Christmas is the most likely occasion for me to want to rearrange.  Bringing a Christmas tree to the living space may require rearranging or at least require small changes.  My husband was actually shocked that when we moved to this new house five years ago that I didn’t rearrange the living area as often as before, but I think I am back into the swing of this as the past two years have brought the rearranging gene back in full force.   

Why I like organizing and rearranging

 

I just get tired of the same old thing.   I want variety in every aspect of my life.

One distinct advantage to rearranging is that pieces of furniture or collectibles can be shown in a new light.  It makes things seem fresh.  Even when I wasn’t rearranging the living area furniture I was rearranging my miniature collection.  I talked about that on my other blog.    I do that, not because I want to get rid of everything or maybe even anything, I just enjoy change.  For example, I prefer the warmer months, but I really like the changing seasons.  Change can be a good thing.
 

Another reason I rearrange is I don't like the way something is working.  I get a new something that I want to use.  I might have gotten the new thing at a thrift store and in that case, I had a spark of this might be useful or it comes to me later how I want to use.  Or I could have decided my current solution is not working for me anymore and I buy a new solution.  One reason a solution may stop working is the items needing stored has grown or for traveling.

I want to be very organized as I realize how helpful it is to me to be able to find exactly what I need without searching.  I have found that searching for things can be a big time waster.   My philosophy on organizing is to use the smallest container that works for the items storing.  This means I am far more likely to only pull out that one container.  I tend to use smaller containers within larger ones.  However the smaller in larger attitude must be workable.  I don't want to dig in those containers to find the smaller.

One advantage to rearranging things is that it forces me to examine why I still have something.  I am given a choice to find a new location or decide to get rid of it.    I don't make the choices lightly, I will often think about it for a considerable time.   I am more than willing to make these choices as I have found it to be very freeing. 
 

Until my next organizing post, feel free to check out my previous posts on organizing minis.  They are all listed on my Organizing Index page.