Let there be LIGHT!

Let there be Light! New Star Lantern hung in my Dining Room.

From my spot on the couch as the TV blared in the background I could see the dining room starring me down...peaking from behind the french doors were the ceiling hooks, extension cords, light kits and paper star lanterns I'd purchased 3 weeks ago from Pier1 and there they sat...still just begging to be hung. My dog Monte, cast a look of disapproval from the floor, over the laziness I'd been exhibiting over the past few nights and it was at that very moment I hopped up threw on my "work" pj's and comfy boots and got to work.

If you remember from my previous posts I've been frustrated with the lack of light in my dinning room. I have a table lamp, floor lamp, and wall mounted light fixtures but no overhead light. Thus entered the summer solution  : Tissue Paper Pom Pom Ceiling Sculpture . Much to my families dismay this seemed to be to NO ONES liking or design taste but my own.  The critics have won for now.

This is about the most boring picture I've ever posted!

First I needed to find some sturdy white hooks to mount from the ceiling. The plan is to change this light fixture out throughout the season so I needed something that could change and move as my ideas changed...constantly. Next with a little table dancing, staple gun in hand, and a heck of a lot of force, I managed to get about 15 staples into my Plaster walls and down the side of the door to hold the cord in place. I plan to go back and paint the staples white, and the cord green where it meets the painted walls, but for now...from the couch in the other room...no one can see how the light is held in place!

A little hodge Podge for now but in time it will look great.

Naturally, like every project I do, there seems to be a hiccup. You'd think it was when I fell off the table and landed on the side bench...but no.  It was the fact that the light cord was all of 18 inches short from reaching the outlet.  Alas an extension cord was used and with one final shove the most beautiful light blanketed the room.

Ignore the mess below. I HAVE LIGHT! :)

I had planned to hang other lanterns but it looked too cluttered after 2 hours of messing with them, I ripped them down and went back to the original ONE. A few other pics of my Christmas tree, garland, and holiday decorations follow.  Just need to get the X-mas presents wrapped and under the tree and it will really feel like Christmas. Now back outside to shovel my 60 ft of driveway and truly enjoy home ownership and the wonderful Iowa winters! Next year I'm asking for a snow blower!

View from the Family Room into the Dining Room.

Garland over the Stair Banister.

Detail of the decorations on my X-mas Tree! Purple and Silver!

The tree and all of it's trimmings!

Studio Redesign

In the spirit of the holidays, guests staying over, and the cold weather that has forced me to be cooped up inside I've been rethinking how I have my studio arranged.  The space was working for me...the mess that it was - I'd just close the closet door after shoving a "few" things away and all was good to the naked eye. It had minimal furniture given that the expensive sofa sleeper I'd purchased 5 months previous had been sitting in the garage just waiting to get wet and molded until I moved it to the guest room. So this past Sunday was the day. I'd spent all morning "organizing" and "cleaning" preparing for my reluctant Father to come over and help me move the beast of a sofa sleeper up the stairs. Once he arrived he helped me realize all I'd really done was take everything out of said closet and creatively scattered it all over the interior of the room. The space actually looked much worse then when I'd started.  Isn't that usually how it works...it has to get bad before it can get better?? To show you what I mean check out the mess below...and Mom when you read this I know my closet was a mess - I'm a pack rat it's true! My sister would cringe that everything isn't labeled in see through boxes with an Excel document telling me what row or column to find the items in....

Studio when I moved in...

(Studio kiln area BEFORE)

(Glass Cutting Desk that needed to be moved into the closet.)

(Dear lord...this was the closet...yelp)

Alright so before you go judging I have to say the closet is pretty big about 8'x5' and it held a lot of stuff...too much stuff....WAY TOO MUCH STUFF. My plan was to organize as I cleaned and I just needed to get things put away and make more space to have the convertible sofa fit in the main area...this part of the closet clean out and re-organizing started over a month ago- THIS is what my Dad walked into on Sunday:

(I swear I'm not a hoarder...)

But...and a big BUT - after the closet looked great and was ready for all of my glass cutting items to be moved in! :)

(Who knew it was so BIG?!)

After a little bartering with my Dad when he arrived I convinced him that since he didn't have to help me hang Christmas lights he should probably do his fatherly duty and lug the convertible sofa up the stairs. He was not very excited about this plan considering the last thing we moved upstairs together was the 200 lb desk for the studio, during that debacle my Mom had to intervene because we both thought we knew the best way to throw it out the window out of frustration...

The sofa proved much less of a hassle and without further ado here is the studio in its new form. I still have work to do on the space inside the closet and over the kiln, a few shelves to hang and lighting to mount but I'm way too excited to wait another 4 months to post these pics (I know how long it will take me to buy screws to mount the other stuff).  One more project crossed off the list. Check out below!

(Who wouldn't want to sleep on this thing!?)

(This white night stand used to be my grinder table)

($30.00 - 200 lb Desk and Craft Area, $5.00 retro green chair)

(Desk Top - Chicken Scratch Studio)

(This door leads to the closet where my glass cutting table is - to the right is my kiln.)

(Through the closet door.)

(The rug says, "Sorry for the texts last night!" hehe)

(I think I'll take a nap! Night)

For anyone wondering my next post will be all of my Christmas decorations, and removing the "clown" of a light fixture, AKA my tissue paper chandelier, to replace it with silver hanging stars! And here's to hoping I get that posted before Christmas!