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Thursday 24 July 2014

Studio Tour


I moved studios about 18 months ago, and have only just gotten round to taking photos of my new space! I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by - it seems like only a few months ago I was painting the walls. First up, I wanted to clear up something, in the spirit of honesty. When I say 'my studio' people get the idea that I rent a huge warehouse space in East London or something. Not true. My studio is the spare room at home. When I say I moved studios, I moved from a room downstairs to a room upstairs. It's a nice size room, but it's too small for me. As the business has grown, so has my need for space. There is stuff EVERYWHERE and I spend most of my time moving piles of it from one spot to another! That's not me looking for sympathy - I know how lucky I am to have a dedicated workspace, but I also don't want people to think I have it all figured out!

But I do want to give you a little tour around this crazy little place I call Ladybird Likes HQ. It's messy and crammed full of a hell of a lot of junk, but it's all mine and I love it! When you enter the door and turn to the right I have my computer desk space. I have a huge wraparound desk (it's not really a desk, it's just worktop fitted in to use as much space as possible) which covers two and a bit walls! This is where I do all my computer based work, and where I store all my files etc.

The wall above this area is covered in prints, photos, postcards, magazine cutting, tickets, business cards.... anything I find inspiring. It is constantly changing and evolving which I love. Although sometimes I long for a big empty white wall, I need to be surrounded by pretty things to stay inspired, so this wall acts as a sort of giant moodboard.


This corner of the desk sits in a little alcove, and is where my files and folders are kept. Above are shelves with my printer/scanner on and more files (I seem to have a never-ending amount of papers and documents to find homes for!) Underneath the desk is my huge laser printer, plus a filing cabinet where I keep stationery and all my old accounts files.


 Under the window is another large section of wall, spanning the whole width of the studio. This is where I make items and package orders. The desk is mostly empty, except for this corner where I keep supplies and some pretty/inspiring little knick knacks. I have shelves with boxes and baskets on for keeping supplies I use regularly in (packaging for jewellery, business cards, postcards, that sort of thing) and under the desk are two small filing cabinets with shallow drawers which I use for keeping general supplies and tools such as glue, paint, string, cello bags, card blanks etc.



 If you turn left when you enter the studio you will find the least 'pretty' area! Aside from my bookcase tucked in the corner, this whole wall is dedicated to storage. The brown and black boxes (just seen in the photo below) are stacked on three shelves, each containing finished jewellery pieces. As I can't make my items to order (I have the pieces laser cut, so it's not economical to order one pieces at a time) I make them in bulk and store them in these boxes. Underneath are drawers for storing components and jewellery boxes. The narrow bookshelf holds my favourite craft/business/photo books. Most of my books are kept downstairs in two huge bookcases (I have a serious book addiction/fetish) but I keep a few of my favourites up here to flick through when I need to be inspired! I also store some little trinkets on here, most of which were gifts or are handmade items from designer/maker friends.


 My studio does not normally look so tidy. In fact, I think this is the neatest it has been since I moved in! I was going to share a shot before I had a good tidy up, but I wanted to show the room off at its best. Maybe I will share a messy shot over on Instagram so you can all see how disgustingly messy I am!


Whenever I post photos of my studio the two things people always ask about are my rainbow keyboard, and my washi tape holder! The rainbow keyboard decals are from Etsy - I have blue galaxy print ones on my MacBook Pro. They are basically stickers which you place individually over the keys, and are easily removable when you want to change them up (although once you've removed them you can't restick them.) There are hundreds of different ones available, you just choose your design, and choose which keyboard you want to stick them on. The washi tape holder is actually a ribbon holder, which I bought in Hobbycraft about four years ago for around £15 (but there are loads online too). It's the perfect size for washi tape, and means I can easily see what I have!

What is your workspace like? If you've written a post about it please leave a link below so I can check it out! One of my favourite things to look at over on Pinterest is other people's studios.  Also, next week I will be sharing a post full of my top tips for creating a workspace that is both practical, functional, and pretty, regardless of what size area you have to work with.

9 comments:

  1. Great post! Thanks for sharing your awesome space with us. I'm overhauling my studio at the moment too (also the spare room) but I keep changing my mind about the layout.

    Stay messy - I have a sign that says "a creative mess is better than tidy idleness".

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  2. Your radio <3
    I've always wanted a Roberts for as long as I remember but the stations here are terrible so I'm waiting for the streaming version to come out in more colours other than black.
    I'm in love with your work space. (Washi tape is addictive.)
    Katt @ www.acurvycupcake.com xo

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  3. I love your studio space, its got so much personality & character! Your washi tape holder is also amazing. Thanks for sharing! I did a little post about my little home studio makeover recently if you wanna have a peek x http://livelovedraw.com/tag/home-studio/

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  4. Cute! Love the rainbow keyboard! :)

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  5. ohmygoodness!! this is the prettiest room ever!! i don't think i would ever want to leave!! i love all the colors + the art!! this is the perfect creative space!! xoxo

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  6. Love your studio! I have so much to say but I don't want to start waffling! But the type writer is beautiful!
    Lauren | OhHay Blogs!
    xxx

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  7. wow, that is one beautiful work space!!! I love all your little collections, so inspiring and great when you need a flash of creativity! LOVE it.

    sarah @ freckledfennell.blogspot.co.uk

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  8. Oh soooo lovely ♡ ♡ might be a wonderful place to create

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  9. i read a lot of stuff and i found that the way of writing to clearifing that exactly want to say was very good so i am impressed and ilike to come again in future..
    things to do in Oceania

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