Studio Tour: Up close, personal, and un-edited.

I'm a lucky girl: I finally have a room of my own, and it's even heated.  The house we bought in Milwaukee is a duplex that we use as a single family home.  My studio is the upstairs kitchen, which means it's got oodles of cabinets, a double sink, and lots of space.

 My workbench is nestled in the nook where the stove should go.  Love the task lighting!

 Lots of Dictionary Sacrifice earrings on the bench block today.  (I finally got wise and schlepped a concrete block upstairs to use under the bench block.  Before that, I was doing all my metal stamping on the concrete floor of the basement.)

Beads hang out on the bench with me-made findings.

A repurposed  rake provides storage for strands of beads and wire spools.

 This is pretty much the way it always looks.  There's never just one project going at a time...


Between craft fairs, I keep everything set up in my "showroom."  Makes it easier to find items when they sell, and also gives me the opportunity to switch things up if need be.

 This is where the heavy drilling and cutting happens.  Right now, I'm trying to put together some storage for my metal stamps.  Naturally, I can't find the right size drill bit...which means it's time to hit my neighborhood hardware store.  The blow dryer is handy for drying off findings after they've been tumbled.

 Here's my trusty $3 paper cutter.  Bought it from friends at a yard sale years ago, and have probably used it more than any other piece of equipment I own.  More than my money's worth...

 I have a (ridiculous) collection of tool boxes and jewelry boxes, which hold everything I need until I need it.  Or until I forget about it...

 The south wall is where all of the cabinets live.  Original to the house. Awesome, no?

 The kids like to hang out with me, so they have their own work table smack in the middle of the room.

 Reclaimed heat register---sprayed silver, and used for storage.

There you have it---my little haven o'craft, Milwaukee-style.  Where do you get crafty?