The T-Cozy

Studio Storage: Part 3

Being organized in my studio is the only way I can stay focused and foster creativity. And I believe you can never have too much storage. However, I tend to shy away from standard options like metal filing cabinets, plastic bins and prefab furniture. My motto: the more vintage items that I can repurpose, the better!

This tall, narrow cabinet has a place of prominance along a wall of my studio. It was hand made by a local furniture maker entirely out of salvaged elements: reclaimed wood with antique tin ceiling tiles for the door. The upper portion is an old window topped with a drawer front that still sports its original drawer pull. So neat!

Inside the cabinet, I store some of the more fragile items I sell in my Etsy shop, along with canisters of T-Party's loose leaf tea.

This small shelf is actually made to sit on a tabletop. But I decided to hang it on the wall instead.

I have shared this favorite studio piece with you before: it's the antique child's dresser I use to store my collection of rubber stamps and stamp pads.

I'm always looking for ways to keep my vast button collection organized. This small unit, with its see-through drawers, is perfect. It sits atop an oak filing cabinet.

One of the features I love about antique filing cabinets is that they were made to be modular. Mine is actually in three sections, each with a metal rod that holds them in place. Since these solid oak pieces are very heavy, it makes it a lot easier to move them when you can take it apart. And you can even add more sections to make it a taller unit.

Alongside the filing cabinet is my 1940s metal shopping cart. When its not holding rolls of paper, it becomes my  constant companion at flea markets. 

Have you enjoyed my three-part series of vintage storage solutions for the studio? I hope so. Maybe I'll do another one sometime, showing the many smaller elements used for storage in my space.

Enjoy your weekend!

Susan

Studio Storage: Part 2

Here is an area of my studio that always stays organized — these shelves filled top to bottom with vintage picnic tins.

I love how they form a patchwork of color and texture. I also love how accessible all of the materials I store inside them are.

Each tin has a little tag so I always know where everything is.

I'm sure you've seen photos in magazine of tins like these place in tall stacks. Although they look fabulous that way, it isn't terrible practical if you want to actually use them for storage. Can you imagine wanting to get to something that's in a tin at the bottom of the stack? That would be annoying! I placed my large collection on separate shelves so that I can easily get to their contents. 

You can find picnic tins like these at thrift stores and flea markets, but they are getting a bit harder to find thanks to an article that appeared in Martha Stewart Living several years ago. I happen to have a faux woodgrain one listed here in my Etsy shop.

More storage in my studio to come . . .

Susan

Studio Storage: Part 1

So much for a taste of spring. It snowed yesterday! Nonetheless, my spring cleaning fever is still in full force. As promised, this week I'll be sharing views of my studio that needed attention. The first is my stainless steel work table, all tidied up and shown below.

I love this table. It is a perfect surface for working on small projects. I also use it when packing up items for shipping in my Etsy shop. This table was one of two from my former tea room's kitchen. And the vintage fabric I used to fashion a pretty skirt for it was from my store, as well.

These two stainless steel work surfaces were where all of the yummy tea time treats were prepared and then set up on trays, all ready to be delivered to hungry patrons. As you can see, the table has a lower shelf that is great for extra storage. When my shop closed, I took one of the tables home with me. Tables like these can be purchased from professional restaurant supply stores. Not only are they useful in the studio, they are perfect as a kitchen island, or even in a laundry room or garden shed.

Below is a view of the front room of my former shop. Does that green fabric look familiar? When friends of mine gave me an old oak sideboard they no longer used, I turned the front with the cabinets and drawers to the back for storage. The backside faced out, so I dressed it up with original 1940s floral fabric that I had found at a favorite antique shop. With the addition of some red trim and upholstery tacks with decorative nail heads, the sideboard was transformed into an attractive and useful store fixture.  

Now that same vintage fabric has a happy new home as my work table's pretty skirt. Lurking below it, you'll find baskets filled with lots of my Etsy shop items.

To the left of the table is a small flat file filled with paper samples left over from my graphic design days. I still use the paper for all sorts of projects. I found the cabinet, which was made by the Amish, on eBay several years ago. I replaced its boring wooden drawer pulls with new green glass knobs that look like vintage Jade-ite. 

On top of the flat file sits an old magazine rack. Pieces like these don't have to only hold magazines. Mine corrals the padded envelopes I use when sending out small Etsy items. 

I hope you'll stop back in the coming days for more views of storage in my studio. So, are you spring cleaning yet?

Susan

Storage in the Studio

This weekend, I've come down with a premature case of spring fever. Maybe it's because we've had a few warmer days lately and our huge snow piles are disappearing at last. I took advantage of the bright sunshine streaming in my windows to do a bit of studio spring cleaning. Here's a little peek . . .

Being a visual person, I derive inspiration from the favorite vintage items displayed throughout my studio. But I hate cluttter, so I'm always looking for ways to stash supplies, and most of the things I sell in my Etsy shop, out of view. Having a variety of places to store things is essential.

I'll share more detailed views of my studio's storage with you in the coming week. Maybe it will inspire you to do some spring cleaning in your studio, home office or sewing room, too!

Susan

Playing House

Did you like to play house when you were a child? I certainly did. In my early years, I even transformed a corner of our basement into my play kitchen, complete with a toy stove and dishes, similar to the charming relics shown below.

My special spot was along side my mother's sewing area in the unfinished portion of our basement. She would be working away at various sewing projects while I happily played in my "kitchen."

Since I had a creative streak early on,  I embellish my area with artwork. My mom even allowed me to draw on the wall! (Better in the cellar than on the living room wall, which I had attempted.) 

On the wall, I drew a window in crayon. It sported flowery curtains and a window box. On the concrete floor, I drew a welcome mat.

My kitchen was quite a popular spot when my friends came to play. Tea parties were our usual activity.

When my kids were little, their favorite pastime was playing restaurant.

We had a stash of pretend food that became the various dishes on their very creative menu.

My job was to patronize their establishment. Jacob usually wore many hats; he was the host, waiter, and bus boy. Hannah took the orders and "cooked" the food.

They spent many happy hours playing restaurant, just as I had in my toy kitchen.

With all of the techno gadgets out there today, I do hope children still have an opportunity to pretend play. Maybe the vintage toys you've seen here, which are available for sale in my Etsy shop, will inspire them to play house, or restaurant, the old-fashioned way.

Susan

It's a T-Party Tea Sale...

Calling all tea lovers! In my Etsy shop, you can now find eight of the most popular loose leaf teas that I offered in my tea room:

Vintage Rose, Jingle Blend, Precious Eyebrows, Lavender Lace, English Breakfast, Orange Cranberry, Earl Grey, and of course, my signature red tea known as Susan's Blend.

These T-Party four-ounce tins of teas are now only $3.90 each. Buy a total of 2 tins and receive one FREE stainless steel mesh tea ball!

Susan

So Happy Together

Happy Valentine's Day! Here is an Etsy Treasury I curated in honor of today.

Filled with happy couples, John and I would fit right in. We have been together for over 25 years and we're as happy together today as the first day we met. Hooray for love!

Susan

iPhone Love

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I'm in love. Is it wrong to love a phone? This is so sudden, and so unlike me... But just look at it. Who wouldn't love it?

Yes. It's true. I now have an iPhone. And it's about time, too. I've been an Apple Mac user for over 20 years, so I was holding out for Verizon to finally offer this phone. And let me tell you — it was worth the wait. I was sorely behind the times. For the past six years, I had been using a sluggish Motorola Razr. Why so long, you might ask? Because I kept letting Hannah and Jacob have my upgrades so that they could get new phones. Aren't I a nice mommy?

Okay, so you've seen my newest love. Now feast your eyes on its other side.

Isn't it pretty? I decided to protect it with a novel kind of "case" called a GelaSkin. Here's what they say about them on their website: GelaSkins are removable covers for protecting and customizing your portable devices. They feature stunning, photo-quality graphics ranging from fine art prints to contemporary urban images designed by a growing family of artists from around the globe. Pretty cool. I love how it has matching wallpaper that lines up perfectly with the pattern. You can even design your own skin, if you wish. They provide protection without bulk and are available for more than just phones. You can also skin your iPod, MP3 player, gaming device, laptop, netbook, tablet or eReader.

It's nice to step out of the cellular dark ages and finally have a phone that does so many things. It really is a brillient little device. Now I understand why they call them smartphones.

I'm really glad I finally said goodbye to my old phone, even though I am vehemently against "planned obsolescence." (I've rambled on about it in many a post.) But my Razr was on its last legs, so sometimes getting the latest and greatest is good, and oh so fun, too.

Susan

Tea in Pinkney Park

I spent yesterday morning at the Rowayton Historical Society's annual Valentine Tea. Pinkney Park is the picturesque setting for the Rowayton Historical Society headquarters which sits on a point of land overlooking the Five Mile River. The view is beautiful even on the coldest of winter days.

This area has so much local history, and the historical society does a wonderful job of preserving it for us. Their primary focus is the period when oystering was our town's main industry, boats were powered mostly by sail, and visitors came by train, trolley and steamer to Rowayton’s Roton Point Park because it was the prettiest place on the Long Island Sound to spend a summer’s day.

Here are some views from inside the Seeley-Dibble-Pinkney House.

I was asked to bake scones for the event. I used my former tea room's recipe and they were a hit.

I also set up a table of T-Party wares for sale.

The event was such a success that I have been asked back for the Rowayton Historical Society's Valentine Open House this weekend. It's on Sunday, February 13 from 2 to 4 p.m. For directions, click here. If you are in the area, please stop by! 

Susan

Coming Soon to a Newsstand Near You

It's almost that time again. Get ready for the upcoming spring issue of Studios magazine! With none other than Ty Pennington on the cover, there are over two dozen wonderful studios to drool over inside, all chock full of inspiration and ideas for your art and craft space. To me, there's nothing better than seeing where creative people create.

For this issue, I contributed a piece called "Art Lives Here" that is all about spiffing up your mailbox and studio entrance. Below is a peek at my studio's door as it appeared in the article. Isn't it pretty? It's all spruced up for spring.

Over the last few issues, not only have I styled, photographed and written articles, I've also been able to make some suggestions of studios to include. Such fun! For this issue, I helped my blogging buddy Claudia Hill of Mockingbird Hill Cottage get published. She is one of the featured studios! I'm so happy I could help Claudia share her sweet little studio with the world.

The Spring 2011 issue of Studios will be hitting the newsstands on February 22. Or you can pre-order a copy by clicking here.

I'd once again like to express my gratitude to the Studios editor, Cate Prato, for giving me another opportunity to contribute to this wonderful publication. Thank you, Cate!

Susan

Love Me, Love My Junk!

Here is another Etsy Treasury I recently curated . . .

In honor of Valentine's Day, I titled this one Love Me, Love My Junk. To me, the things I selected for this treasury are interesting. What do you think?

I'm sure that some may call these items trash, but others might consider them worthy of purchasing. I do think they have potential. Perhaps they will be discovered by a creative soul who will upcycle and repurpose them into something wonderful. Or maybe they will be left as is, full of rusty, chippy junkiness.

Susan

Modern Romance à la 1952

Last month, I sold an issue of Modern Romances in my Etsy shop. Have you ever heard of this magazine? It was produced monthly by Dell Publications from 1931 until the 1970s. Filled with lurid articles about love and lust, it must have been quite racy for its time.

The issue I sold, from June 1952, has three sections. The first is comprised of booklengths and novelettes; the second section has short stories. And lastly, there is a modern family section with articles about home and family. Sprinkled throughout are ads for make-up, hair care, unusual beauty products, and lots more.

Here is a closer look at some of the issue's pulpier pieces . . .

The Loose Girl article has the subhead "Pity the boys who become her victims." (Oh my.)

Baby Born of Scandal is the story of a woman persecuted. It has the subhead, "Wanton was the word hurled at her." (Now that's a word you don't hear very ofter today.)

Kiss Intoxication has this intriguing subtitle: "What did he want of her? Tonight she would find out..."

The article entitled Who am I? is about a woman suffering from amnesia who finds herself in a mountain cabin after an accident. The subhead reads, "Was there a lover in her past? A job? Parents? Children? Was she married or single? Should she stay in the cabin with the hermit? Then one day a single secret from her forgotten past was revealed to her. She was a nurse..." (Yikes!)

This article is called How to Lose a Boyfriend. Its subhead reads, "Carol had everything — looks, figure, ability. How could any other girl hold her own against those heavy odds?" (Hmm, didn't they forget to mention brains?)

I Was Bait for Every Wolf is a career wife's story of her way up.

I've saved the best for last. The article called An Engaged Girl's Trickery has the subhead "Advice for those whose men are alter-shy." Love the photo! A woman is wearing a black negligée, holding a pair of tweezers, and gazing into a hand mirror while thinking to herself, "Why wasn't I married? I was average good-looking, correctly permanented, and all the rest."

Thank goodness we no longer have to be "correctly permanented." What a hoot!

Susan