Thursday 24 January 2013

New Home New Workshop WooHoo!

The perfect house for me and the dogs came up for sale just three doors up from my store and although it wasn't part of the business plan for a few years, it was too good an opportunity to miss.
House pictures may or may not come later but this house has three big pluses that made it more than perfect for me:
A mudroom/porch so muddy/wet/snowy dogs can dry off BEFORE running through the kitchen and jumping on the couch, and said mudroom has a worktable perfect for torch work.  It was probably designed for folding laundry but oh well.
A walk-in closet the size of a small bedroom off the master bedroom.  Every woman's dream, a friend called it.
AND...(trumpet tootle) a room off the livingroom big enough to use half of it as an office and the other half as a workshop!  No more kitchen table! 
This is a workshop on a budget.  No money left after buying the house.



 The room has a built-in bookcase, still a work in
progress but with room on the lower shelf for my
tumbler and a plug directly below it.  Jewellery
books and other stuff on the shelves and stuff still
not unpacked on the floor.  It's coming.
I'd say the old computer table was a lucky find but I looked hard for what I had in mind and finally found this one at the Habitat for Humanity's Restore for $15.00.  Can't beat the price.  It has a bookcase at one end just tall enough for my display busts.  The slide-out keyboard tray is great for having stuff handy but normally out of sight.  And it was cheap enough that I won't feel guilty whacking on it with hammers.
I forgot to move my cordless drill and big hammer - they aren't for jewellery - I was hanging pictures.


The little container with my tools in it was a handy find a few years ago.  It's a TV remote caddy and it swivels on a round base so you can grab tools from
either side or the middle.  

In case you wondered, the little green ashtray is a holder for those rubber earring stops.  It doesn't matter how organized I am, I never seem to be able to remember where I put those things and when I find them, they try to escape, so the ashtray is now their permanent home.



My new favourite thing is the magnetic tool bar.  I get email flyers from Lee Valley Tools and this was on the most recent.  Twenty-four inches and it'll hold three pounds (or kilos, can't remember which!)
for a reasonable price of $19.98.  How cool is that?  All the tools I use the most right in front of my nose!
It made a little room in the TV caddy too, because it was getting crowded.  That's a steel ruler sitting on top of it.
The magnifying light was a Lee Valley special too but I bought it a few years ago.  It clamps on and it'll be so much nicer to have it permanently clamped instead of having to take it out and put it away.

Now, with the perfect place to work, organized and efficient, there should be no excuse for not getting to work and do some creating!  Should be. 

3 comments:

  1. Aren't you the lucky one! Having a store/home situation within walking distance is a great way to save money on a vehicle, too...
    I'm very happy for you and I'm glad to be reminded of a magnetic wall thingy...I need one too!
    Nice to see you back...♥

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great work space! It looks like you have everything you need in 1 spot and on a budget!! My dad volunteers his time at a Habitat rehab store and he is always telling me about the goodies there.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congratulations on your new place! I'm so happy for you and I look forward to seeing what comes out of your workspace soon! I can't wait to get settled and back to work too. So glad for you! Congratulations!

    Best,
    Jill

    www.jillmackay.com

    ReplyDelete