My Crafty Spaces

Finding the space to organize my business has proven to be quite an arduous task. After almost eleven years with my partner Sean including one year of marital, cluttered bliss and at least five years living together in a one bedroom apartment, our collective undergrad and graduate degrees have accumulated mass clutter, hundreds of books and little space left for a new business.

For several months we've been scouring vintage boutiques, upcycling found pieces, repurposing antique printer trays, sanding, painting - a far cry from a feng shui home, but we've created a manageable space and at least our kittens seem content.

We repurposed two antique printer trays which holds most of my finished pieces. Plus, we've now found new loves and are constantly accumulating more printer trays to restore. Using simple eye hooks in each crevice holds a fantastic amount of earrings and rings.

We use the blue Hamilton printer tray to bring to shows or sidewalk sales. It's great for easy transportation and is definitely an eye catcher.

Using acrylics, I love hand painting some of my pieces to diversify my products. Black is such a classic colour to start with and some of these items have produced some great complete pieces. Plus, who doesn't love to paint?

As an early, very early birthday present to my partner (we often buy random gifts throughout the month leading up to one another's birthdays), I bought him this great little owl pincusion from strawberriesandcream on Etsy: strawberriesandcream.etsy.com . Their designs are adorable!. Sean's a closet needle threader.

A few more images of my crafty spaces! I love making my own business card designs and using these elegant paper cutters. It can be labor-intensive but the end result is so aesthetically beautiful. I just received some custom made stamps from modernartstamps.etsy.com

and I'm so excited to start applying them to cardstock for earring studs!

Now, I'm finally putting my wedding china to good use! Actually, the dishes are the perfect shade for pictures and add a touch of elegance that my Ikea dishes couldn't touch. lol!

Right now, as the summer is coming to a close and we're gearing up for autumn trends, I've been acquirng various pieces in vivid shades of red that I cannot wait to use. Some of the hand blown glass I've already made into earrings. They're so elegant and the translucent glass reflects sunlight in such a pretty way. I really like these pieces!

My necklaces are strung everywhere in our apartment. I'm in the process of finding antique door knobs or cabinet knobs (if you know of where I can find some, please share!) and I'm going to adhere them to some sort of wood board which I'll frame. It's an idea I found on everythingetsy.com and it really showcases each piece instead of trying to figure out where one necklace ends and another begins.

And lastly, a piece I'm very excited to work with. I'll be making this piece into a necklace. Anyone that knows me or recalls my last birthday bash, knows my quirky sense of taste. Plus, if these don't sell, I'll wear them! :) Thanks for taking the time to read my post! I've been asked by so many friends about how I've coped in such a small space, but alas, it's the Toronto life.

In future posts, I will include some DIY tutorials on how to make some of my pieces so everyone can join in on the fun. I think for the first DIY tutorial, I'll focus on the Shabby Chic Pomander! Check out my shop to see some of my pieces: frameboutique.etsy.com
Cheers!