Not working today so .........

A Friday not working.  This is a strange phenomenon for me and usually when I look at the Estate sales the best ones are on Friday or Saturday and I can't go.  Not an estate sale of interest to be found today or tomorrow.
Time to get to work on the "studio", in my glory trying to get as much done as I can.  The table that I worked on the other day is now dry and the lamp is ready to finish so I set that up, take some pictures and turn to the other side of the room and YUCK!!  Sure don't like the look of that so take everything down and out of that corner, this leads to more work.  Quite some time ago I laid floor tile on the cement floor but stopped at my work bench because of the feet (2x4's) thinking I would have my husband help me move it to finish.  Flash forward to present and it still had not been done.  Today is the day.
I cleaned the floor in the storage corner and laid the tile.  Now the walls look awful, I find a gallon of paint, stir it up and paint away.  I move the work bench myself and finish the tile.  What a mess I have created on my beautiful table and new rug.  I decide to throw away the covering that has been on my work bench for ten plus years as it has seen better days.  Raw plywood is not really a good look or a good work surface so I paint that too.  Now I have to paint behind the dryer on the other end of the room.  I have pushed the work bench closer to the corner making more room on the other end of the room so now what do I do with the stuff that was in that corner?  Think about it tomorrow since it is another day off from work.
I sure hope I get this room done one day soon so I can actually do the crafts that the room is meant to be used for.  It will be organized come hell or high water.

I love how the table came out, now to do something with the chairs. 

I love the big old plaster lamp.  Purchased at an auction for $2 several years ago, it was painted green and was used on my patio for evening light for the last few years.  The lamp shade still has the covering that matches the patio furniture, I will change it out eventually.

The YUCK corner before and the work bench .

I started this fun project the other day.  I bring a few of my projects home from my job from time to time.  My assistant threw away these maraschino cherry jars and I fished them out of the trash, I can never have too many jars.  We needed a container for the dogs treats.

I taped off an area on each jar for a chalkboard space, the first one I sprayed with chalkboard paint but quickly determined this was not working.  I then sprayed the space with primer. My husband is getting used to the smell of spray paint in the house.  I then did three coats of chalkboard paint, and used a glitter glue to mark a design on the jars, I let the whole thing dry overnight.

I hammered down the edges of the tops so they will just fit onto the jars without being screwed on.  I lined each lid with a piece of scrap book paper glued in place.  I then used e6000 to attach a wood finial to the top of the lids.

The lids got several coats of primer spray paint and a couple of coats of silver metallic.

A few coats of lavender spray paint and we have a treat jar, much prettier than the greenie bag!

My chalk board paint did not survive the lavender paint but I remembered that some one had given me some chalk board sticky paper so I cut a piece and put it over the paint, looks pretty good to me.

I had the day off today so I decided to work on my "studio".  First I had to take my grandson to school, the dog to the groomers, the store for supplies, the printer to pick up an order then I could get to work.  I have so many projects going and ones I want to start that I had no idea what to do first.
I did a little spray painting on a couple of ongoing things that I am not sure will ever see the light of day.  that was disappointing so I decided to regroup.
I sanded the top of my work table, I always think these things will be quick and easy - not.  I hand sanded to get the paint and glue off and then used the electric sander to get it smooth.  This was a job and took more time than I wanted.  I had to go pick up the dog.  Back to sanding.  I got a coat of polyurethane on the top then put on the first of four coats of purple paint on the legs.
Another layer of spray paint on the first project, not looking too bad.
Back to the printer to pick up the brochures that weren't ready the first time.
Another layer of poly and paint on the table.
Off to the sewing room where I made three pot holders for work and sewed up two children's aprons for my Etsy shop. (SisterSusiesStuff).
Off again to take my daughter in law to the airport then home.  Another coat of poly and paint on the table, worked on sprucing up the table lamp for my work table.  Started to decoupage flower pictures on a pair of bi-fold doors that are used as a room divider.
The last layers of poly and paint on the table and laid the new rug into place.
I am not at all sure this room will ever be completely done.  I want it to be organized and pretty, my mind keeps coming up with new ideas.  Several of my friends want to see what I have done but I am sure it is only wonderful to me.

This "Studio" shares space with the laundry, sewing, spare kitchen and storage.  It is not huge but it is mine.

I have moved the sewing out of the room into the grandkids old play room and that gives me more craft space.  The forty drawer chest came from a feed store/old post office and has its original paint.  I struggle with whether to paint it or not.  I kind of like the patina but I think it would be great to have it match the rest of the room.  These pictures are from when I had just started to transform the room.  As I said it is a work in progress.

All things that glitter

Today I finished up an easy project to organize and decorate my craft "studio".  Some months ago I was lucky enough to see a fellow Quester's craft and sewing room.  Her studio inspired me so much that is was hard to leave, I wanted to move in.  Since that was not an option and seeing that she had a lot of the same things that I had been saving (hoarding) for many years I set out to create a special space for me.
I will share some of my changes to my space here in hopes of inspiring others.  Now that my space has been transformed, but not yet finished, I find it more enjoyable to go down and create/ work.
Organization is key, this is a rather new concept for me and one that I struggle with but I am trying very hard to bring more organization into all aspects of my life.
I love to go to Estate Sales and pick up the things people have left for the half price last days/hours.  At a sale last week everything was half off when I arrived.  In the kitchen I found an old dusty greasy spice rack hung above the sink with spices that had to be thirty years old.  The price was $2 but for me that meant $1.  I figured the jars alone were worth $1 so I bought it not knowing what would become of it.
I am a pastry chef and I love to cook but those spices and herbs were not for me.  First order of business was to dump the contents, I then loaded the jars, lids and the shaker caps into the dish washer.
The wooden rack was taken to the "studio" and spray painted with primer then two coats of my favorite purple paint.  It splashed a bit of a second purple.
It did not occur to me to blog about this creation since blogging is new to me so my pictures start after the painting is done.
When I was starting my craft room redo I put all of my glitter into an old drawer where for the first time it was all in the same place.  Handy but nothing to look at so how about if the glitter were displayed in an easy to reach space?

Above is the rack after it was painted, I hung it on a purple bi-fold door that I use as a room divider.

Below is my glitter collection in its old home.  When I go to Estate sales I look for bargains and also craft sales, many of the glitters that I have came from those sales so I have many different kinds.

Using a piece of paper to catch the glitter that doesn't make it into the bottles as drop cloth I folded and taped a second piece of paper to use as a funnel to put the glitter into the spice jars.

Here are two different types of gold glitter, one square, one round.  The round one is from Frank's Nursery and Crafts, a store in the Detroit area that went out of business ten years ago.

Here is my finished glitter rack!!  I am very pleased with the results of this project. I put my glitter glues on the rack since they fit but I still have more jars to fill if I get more glitter colors.

One day I will post my favorite glitter project but for now it is put away with my Christmas decorations.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you will come again as I have more to share.

Here we go....

So excited to finally have a blog name!  I wanted SisterSusiesStuff to match my Etsy shop but it was taken. :(
Oh well, I love lavender and I live in Livonia but a lady I am not.
I am much too casual and laid back to ever be considered a lady.  Not that there is anything wrong with being a lady, my grandmother was a lady.  She always wore a dress, her jewelry always matched her outfit, she held her posture straight, spoke with good grammar, kept a clean well decorated home and was very kind to everyone.  None of that would be used to describe me.
Anyway, as I said I am glad to finally have name so I can get started, a little late to the party but here none the less.
I do have another blog of sorts started when my mother was ill but that is about sickness and dying.  This blog is meant to be for fun and my many adventures in crafting, sewing and my many other crazy activities.