MESSY WORKSHOP BLOGHOP!

Wow.. a hop that was seemingly made just for me :D

 Brenda Sue Lansdowne of B'Sue Boutique has organized this little hop, to show everyone that the picture perfect, everything-in-its-place, neat-as-a-pin workshop or studio... is a RARE thing  among us creative types :) And she's gathered 50 blogs to share photographic proof of their messy work spaces :)

For the record, I don't, or at least haven't up to this point, sold any of my jewelry. I make it for gifts and for myself :) I've always 'planned' on getting around to selling it... just ... you know... darn procrastination... ;) I'd also like you to know, that I have no one living with me to help contribute to my mess ( or blame it on), aside from two cats who make enough of their own mess, and one bird who is even messier than I am ;)

I found out about this just in time since I about to rearrange and reorganize and *gasp*clean, so I quickly grabbed my camera and started snapping. 

I would also like to thank Brenda sue for not making the 'clean' workshop a part of this... because I never did actually get around to finish cleaning.. or even really putting everything away.... I had it about half way done... you could see carpet and even some desk... really.... However...I got working again >.< O.o  As a matter of fact,  the place looks pretty much the same aside from the addition of a new cabinet on one wall to store some of my non-beading supplies, my buttons, my stereo.. and my new Boba Fett talking helmet ... :) ( hehehe... I'm going to take the stereo out and put my remote control R2D2 beside the helmet... lol ).

So... here is MY messy workshop :D

So.. first off, here is the desk, with the cheep-o cardboard 'cabinet' there ( the blue and white thing lol ). Jammed in those drawers were my envelopes, tissue paper, customs forms, bubble wrap, fake flowers, material, paints.... crap I don't remember what else... lol

 There's a press board cabinet beside facing the other way tucked under the desk  that is over flowing with papers, binders... more bubble wrap... and non-beading stuff. 

Those bright orange things are collapsible storage boxes full of ... bits of everything from nail polish, to second hand beads and found objects, to craft supplies that never got put away... to gift bags, tissue paper... and more bubble wrap. Same goes for that box sitting there... you can see my little black mini drawer units that now house.. about half my buttons, lined up along the bottom of the desk, plus one stuck in the box there.

And of course... the mountains of stuff ON TOP of the desk...note that tray that looks like it's about to slide right off... I have three of those, plus a couple wooden ones. That one, is balanced on top of the one wooden one... and I believe one other white one. For those who know me and my love of skulls, the trays have pictures of skulls on them... beneath the beading mat, anyhow ;) 

And many more assorted drawer units jammed full of stuff, trays and containers and dishes full of beads and findings that never got put away... and my drill :D

Close up on the precariously stacked desk stuff...

 Here the side with one tray full of.. everything. On that tray I have a painters palette still holding beads I received from .. the fourth BSBP...? Yeah... the one in September :) Plus there's some stuff form my Talk Like A Pirate Day Challenge littered in there, along with some reclaimed beads and second hand jewelry I plan to tear apart and remake. That black thing is a double sided carry case I picked up at the dollar store for when I wanted to take craft stuff with me on the go...it's still there. Oh, no..I'm sorry.. it's migrated to the floor now >.< And no, it's not yet a 'carry case' .. it's just random storage, still.  On top is a basket... one of my former bead storage baskets, that  was holding a.. pack of ..hmm... think that was something I was using to make a mobile for someone... don't remember now. Whatever it was...I seem to have put it away... not sure WHERE, but... it's moved somewhere else , anyhow.   you can also see  a hint of the crap I have jammed in beneath the desk in behind the two storage cabinets there >.<

And for those wondering WHY I have a box of bird gravel on my desk... my bird Jo's cage used to sit just to the right there... where my big cabinet is now standing. Jo is out in the kitchen where he can go to bed whenever he wants and not get mad at me for having the light on.... for a little tiny bird, he has a very loud, ear-shattering squawk.

Close up # 2 ... my 'almost work area' ... my computer monitor is just to the left, with the ONLY .. semi.. clear spot on my entire desk. THAT is where I work. I have a huge three corner desk, with tons of space ( once I clean up) .. and I work on a tiny little area by my mouse pad :)

Anyways,  there's tray #2 balanced on top of trays #3 & 4... the wooden one, #3, is hidden completely beneath it :)

You can also see some of my bead containers .. most of which are sorted by color... but there are a few that are bits of everything because...I had an empty spot and new beads so...tada :) I'll sort 'em out later ;)  Yeah that's nail polish .. and no, those two salt and pepper shakers don;t have anything in them.. beads wise or spice wise. I got them to see about moving some of my seed beads into them but.... too much room in the jars... makes me sad to see how empty they look... and I seriously don;t need to buy more seed beads to fill them up.

For those wondering, the top tray is holding my , then 'still in the works' FlapYour Wings project, with various extras and ideas .. and tools.  Here's is the finished product that came out of that mess .

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Alright.. so... how about the big picture?

 The full view. 

... and yeah.... it still pretty much looks like that....  see...?

Difference being... the big orange box is mostly emptied .. and there's now a 'still in progress' mask perched on top of my one beading mat... on top of a blue shawl.. on top of ..something.. on the one trays :D Oh, and there's an ugly chair sitting there stacked with stuff too...I had to move it from where it was and...I have no clue where it'll end up... just... not there lol

the cardboard drawers there, now hold JUST my mailing supplies.

And here's the cabinet I told you about... with Boba :D  In addition to the assorted craft crap inside, the button drawers are there.. well.. four of them, right above Boba and the stereo. That white thing is a 'skull' bag someone crocheted for me as a gift... it's holding my fancy yarns and stuff. The others shelves currently hold my Batman, Xmen, & StarWars mugs & glasses... And up on top by that white cat...are two Animal mugs.. you know.. from the Muppets.. cause Animal is too awesome to have just ONE mug :D

So there you have it... MY Messy workshop :)  It's actually half my living room ( That's my fishtank tucked in the corner there on the left... I kill fish almost as fast as I kill plants, but mom gave me some guppies... and of course, now that I'd like to take the tank down and forget about having fish.. the little buggers not only refuse to die.. they're multiplying like crazy >.< )

Oh... and for the record... my bedroom is MUCH worse ;)

Visit some of the others and see THEIR messy work areas... I bet I'm the messiest ;) I wonder if there's a prize for that ... ? lol

MESSY WORKSHOP BLOG PARTICIPANTS

Brenda Sue Lansdowne

http://www.bsueboutiques.typepad.com/

Robin Delargy:

http://looloosbox.blogspot.com/

Kim at Cianci Blue

http://cianciblue.blogspot.com/

Jennifer Jazwick-Smith

http://hudathoughts-jennifer.blogspot.com/

Mary Shannon Hicks

http://www.uptwnsh-fallingintothesky.blogspot.com/

Tracy Swartz

http://tracyswartz.com/category/blog

Jacqueline Marchant

http://jaacquelinesjewels.blogspot.com/

Lynnea Perry Bennett

http://designsbylynnea.blogspot.com/

Terry Matusyk

http://pinkchapeau.wordpress.com/

Laurel Steven

http://laurelsteven.blogspot.com/

Dr. Brassy Steamington

http://drbrassysteampunk.blogspot.com/

Pamela Takeshige

http://www.crittersandthings.blogspot.com/

Kris Lanae Binsfeld

http://www.cherishdesigns.wordpress.com/

Outre Art

http://theartistspaintbox.wordpress.com/

Linzi Alford

http://www.magpieintheskyspoilheaptales.blogspot.com/

Deb Davis

http://naturaltreasuresbydeb.blogspot.com/

Tamara Jones

http://irrysistablejewels.wordpress.com/

Harry Wood

http://www.oscarcrow.blogspot.com

Gerry Nickerson

http://gersgems1.blogspot.com/

Elizabeth Owens-Dwy

http://www.thepolymergeek.blogspot.com/

Georgene Lockwood

http://sylvanavintagedesigns.wordpress.com/

Charisa Sloper

http://www.blog.obsidiansoda.com/

Jennifer Justman

http://soulsfiredesigns.blogspot.com/

Beanzie

http://the-vintage-heart.blogspot.com/

Mary Deis

http://mdeis.blogspot.com/

Cheri Reed

http://creativedesignsbycheri.blogspot.com/

Sondra Kolner

http://scrappybydesign.weebly.com/index.html

Sonya Ingersoll-Stille

http://www.dreaminofbeads.blogspot.com/

Lori Anderson

http://www.prettythingsblog.com/

Sandra McGriff     <- YOU ARE HERE

http://skyescreativechaos.blogspot.ca/

Shelly Joyce

http://www.aujourlejour-shelly.blogspot.com/

Joan Williams

http://www.lilrubyjewelry.wordpress.com/

Kashmira Patel

http://sadafulee.blogspot.com/

Deb Beechy

http://beetique56.blogspot.com/

Ginger Bishop

http://lilmummylikes.blogspot.com/

Kelli Jacobson

http://creativemoonjewelryandthings.com/

Natalie McKenna

http://www.grubbi.co.uk/

Andrew Thornton

http://andrew-thornton.blogspot.com/

Mary Govaars

http://mlhjewelrydesigns.com/

Kate Mulligan

http://mulliganstewjewelry.blogspot.com/

Lisa Lodge

http://pineridgetreasures.blogspot.com/

Tami Luchini

http://ssprocketsmetal.blogspot.com/

Monique Lula

http://www.moniquelula.com/blog/

Lee Koopman

http://stregajewellry.wordpress.com/

Jayne Capps

http://mamasgottodoodle.blogspot.com/

Susan Lloyd

http://designsbysusan-dbs.blogspot.com/

Cynthia Wainscott

http://www.exoticperujewelry.blogspot.com/

Stephanie Amanti

http://www.stephaniesjewelrybox.blogspot.com/

Alicia Marinache

http://www.allprettythings.ca/

Sam Hamp

http://hampgirl59.blogspot.com/

Lennis Carrier

http://www.windbent.net/

sharing the love

Hello :)

As I mentioned in my last post, my challenges have been busted due to illness. I did complete one pair of earrings but... not gonna bother sharing a pic of them today :)
Nope.. today I decided to share some of my favorite blogs to read.

First up we have Anvil Artifacts.
I found this blog by some random link hopping during one day of boredom. I'd got a giggle out of a comment she'd left on another blog and decided to follow her home... So glad I did :) Her blog posts are always fun, packed with photos of her own work as well as others and the last photo in line is always something ... 'interesting' .. lol
I own a pair of her earrings :) Beautiful green-patina copper pieces that are just so nice :) I won them from her ;) I couldn't find a link to a picture of them though, and I'm too lazy right now to take a pic myself to share ... so instead I'll show you a pic of my favorite pair that's still available for sale in her shop :)

The Mysterious Jewel Box by anvil artifacts - available in here

And I HAVE to share a pic of one of her diorama necklaces! I couldn't find a picture of my number one favorite...it's an underwater scene with two divers and one of them has a tentacle wrapped around his leg ;)  The bigfoot one is really cute too :)  These are sort of a two-in-one deal...you get a gorgeous necklace...then you flip it open.. and get this! Hmm..I wonder if you could wear it flipped open? Because that would be like having two necklaces... the fun 'open' one... and the beautiful 'closed' one :)

 

Day at the Beach by anvil artifacts - available here

 Anyhow, here is her blog addie & Esty shop address, so be sure to visit! 

Anvil Artifacts -Blog 

                       - Etsy

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 Next up we have Fanciful Devices ... this is actually the blog I followed Anvil's link from ;) And guess what? I found HER blog by following her link from Sparrow Salvage's blog :) ( another great blog you should visit!)

Fanci's blog is another one that's always chocked full of beautiful photos of her work and that of others. She's always left me in awe over how effortless she takes random 'things' and turns them into gorgeous jewelry! And she's now started to sell tutorials... incredibly detailed and well laid out tutorials ( one of which I'm trying to buy by paypal and etsy aren't liking each other much today... either that or neither of them are liking my card >.< )

Here is a couple of my faves from her shop. She's made so many beautiful things... and I ADORE her bangle stacks ( that's the tute I'm attempting to buy ;) ). I love the Egyptian feeling these give me...she makes no mention of an Egyptian influence or inspiration, but that's what they make me think of :)

Of Bondage by fanciful devices-available here

Oddly enough... so does this necklace...it's sort of makes me think of a simplifies Ankh... or maybe it's a combination of the piece and her 'model'? lol I love that thing... she did such a fabulous job on it and it shows off her creations wonderfully :)

Much Beyond  by fanciful devices - available here

Here are her addresses... make sure to go check her out :) you won't regret it!

Fanciful Devices - Blog

                          - Etsy

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While Fanciful Devices & Anvil Artifacts are pretty much strictly jewelry/components/ life happenings in their blogs, Shaiha's Ramblings offers more of a variety :) 

necklace & photo by Shaiha

While Shaiha does post photos of her jewelry... such as this hand-knotted pearl necklace using AA Black Pearls and Crystals that she made for the Spring Fashionista Event ... (and since I won it, I'm anxiously haunting my mailbox ;) ) ,  her blog is more open to all aspects of her life. She does tons of book reviews ( thanks to which my 'find & read' list has reached  rarely-seen-before lengths ) , and shares the 'beautiful things' that happened in her week to help her keep focused on the bright side :)

I found Shay's blog thanks to Lori McDaniel Anderson's 4th BSBP, in which we were partners :) 

Shaiha does not have a shop, but you can find her blog here .  She also has a second blog where she JUST reviews adult books ;) You can find the link in her profile...I'm making you visit her to find it :p lol

~~~~~

Okay ... now this is next one is not jewelry or bead related at all.

I actually found it through a giveaway link back.. and have been hooked ever since. Boobies, Babies & a Blog  is a mother's rant and rave where she shares all the ups and downs... and embarrassments... of having children. I've sympathized with and helped reassure her through panic attack blog posts about her children's health... and laughed uproariously over her revelations concerning her teen age son and his... happenings ;)  and of course, one of my favorite features are her ' Sh#T the Boss Says' posts ... the Boss is her five year old... and some of the things that he comes up with... true genius... or hilarity lol

But she doesn't JUST chat .. no... she also does the odd product review... oh, and Boobies is seriously addicted to hosting giveaways. She's done a large variety of items, from scarves, to purses, to giftcards.... to sex toys. She tends to do the sex shop giveaways most often, I think. I keep tossing my name into the hat for about three quarters of her giveaways, but as of yet, my lucky number hasn't come up.

And you're damn right I enter her sexy ones ;) Every time it's open to international! lol

Boobies,Babies & a Blog    - blog

~~

So there are a few of the blogs I enjoy reading :)  I hope you pop in and visit them and perhaps get hooked as well :) 

Maybe I'll share some more later on :) In the mean time, don't forget to enter the 4th Freebie Friday draw! For every TEN entries I receive I'm adding another little batch of beads and such to the pot!

~ Skye