A peek in the studio (Fuzzy Muffins)

Emily, of Fuzzy Muffins, is ready to take you on a tour of her studio...

When I moved into our current Dallas home, I knew I needed to have a cohesive workspace, which really just meant I needed to put all of the things I use while creating Fuzzy Muffins in one area. I’m a graphic designer by day, so I wanted to integrate my design workspace with my crafting workspace. I quickly learned that involves a lot of shelving and drawers. 

Cue: IKEA. I purchased a dresser/drawer storage system for my piles and piles of fleece, a paper organizer for all my graphic design goodies and plush tagging supplies, and a massive bookshelf to house my design books and other plushie supplies (sewing box, baskets of yarn and baskets of excess fabric). All in all, everything is within reach!

It’s nice to be able to finish up a design project, then just roll my little chair on over to my sewing machine to make a huggable dino. But the main plus? Natural light. The entire office is surrounded by windows, which means I can really tell what color fleece I’m working with. There’s no, “Wait, is this navy or black?” Whew!

 

In my last “studio” I had a massive desk, which seemed like a great idea at the time, but after a while a realized... too much surface space = a very messy surface space. If anyone out there is looking to redo their office/studio any time soon, my recommendation: get a desk that allows you enough room to work comfortably, but doesn’t allow you to accumulate clutter. In my experience, a cluttered desk leads to a cluttered work process. You don’t want too many distractions when it’s craft show season.

For tiny pieces, like plastic safety eyes or noses, I use magnetic boxes to keep everything separated and organized. This would work great for jewelry makers or anybody else who needs to keep small parts in order.

It may be a small space, but it gets the job done. In the meantime, I’m off to go make some more Fuzzy Muffins! See y’all around.

 

Studio snacks

Miranda, of Emm8Apparel, has some tasty tips for studio-appropriate snacks.

According to science, chewing stimulates brain activity. (I thought I had made this up but turns out it’s real. Look it up.) So I can’t think of a better time to eat than creative time! 
 

There are just a few guidelines to follow when snacking in the studio: nothing drippy, sticky, greasy, stain-y or crumbly. For me, this means mini wraps. Here are a few of my favorites with clever titles just for you guys.

The Classic Kid-Comfort: A crunchy roll up fluffer-nutter

Ingredients: flour tortillas, marshmallow fluff, natural peanut butter, Cheerios

Spread a spoonful of marshmallow fluff in the center of the tortilla. Spread half a spoonful of peanut butter just beside the fluff. Sprinkle with Cheerios. Roll and engulf.

The Do What Now?: Random ingredients = yum

Ingredients: flour tortillas, cream cheese, chocolate chips, craisins, chopped walnuts (optional)

Spread ¾ of the tortilla with cream cheese. Sprinkle chocolate chips all over (I usually use about a tablespoon per tortilla). Microwave for 10-20 seconds. Sprinkle craisins and walnuts on the cream cheese/choco chip meltyness. Roll and devour.

The Healthy: Eat your vegetables

Ingredients: flour tortillas, hummus, spinach, chopped bell pepper, shredded cheese (optional)

Spread the whole tortilla with a thin layer of hummus. The spread helps to keep bits from falling out of the roll while you eat. Layer on spinach, pepper and cheese like you are making a taco. Add shredded cheese if you so desire. Roll and feel good.

Curbside crawls that inspire

Earth Month is just days away, and Liz of Creative Input By Liz is sharing a little bit of her upcycling inspiration.

Reduce, recycle, reuse. I hear these words a great deal, maybe because I am totally immersed in the movement. I started recycling when I would have to lug a trunkful to any place that recycled. Luckily, today we have curbside pick-up. Speaking of curbsides, I do a curbside crawl on trash days looking for items people consider disposable. My son’s solid wood dresser is from one of my hunts. If I can’t use it, I donate it. 

This habit of hunting for recyclables or items to repurpose has transferred to my art. My favorite sources are estate sales, resale stores, Etsy, and eBay. I also gather inspiration from my search. I consider my ventures to be of divine providence since I have no idea what I will find that will spark my imagination. 

I look for metals in silver-plated trays, copper, brass, and colorful tins. I haven’t stumbled upon anyone with well-priced sterling but I keep my hopes up. I cut up these metal finds to create upcycled jewelry. I also search for pre-vinyl records, books, broken jewelry, belts, vintage wallpaper, and anything I can cut up, use for texture, put in resin or use as a tool.

The photo above is of a piece made from a cookie tin with some great designs and colors. The circular bracelet below was made from a belt and what used to be a copper vase. The cross piece is riveted onto a portion of a brass planter.

Jacky Sylvie with Hi Fi Jewelry brings her love of music to the world of upcycling with her fantastic necklace made from vinyl records. The records I use come from the early 1900s, before vinyl, and are much thicker. I picked up a batch from an estate sale thinking they were worth a bundle. No such luck. Somehow I decided to soften them in the oven and cut them with cookie cutters to create pendants. The one below is my favorite.

The metals I scour for are anything from trays and vases to brass planters. There are some silver plated pieces that are plated onto copper. I particularly remember large compote I found with a beautiful bird and flower design. I raced home to cut it while preserving the design. It will make a beautiful necklace for the Etsy Dallas Spring Bash in April.