"Hi Resolution - A New Year's Studio Meet and Greet"

Thanks for stopping by!  If you've been hopping through the other artist's blogs in our group before you came to mine, I bet you've already enjoyed so much before landing here. Your last stop should have been Phyllis Dobbs blog. If you happened upon my blog before going through the other blogs in this fun hop...may I suggest you start at the beginning Aaron Christensen's blog and enjoy the journey.  We are having a "Little Studio Tour and Meet and Greet." I have some incredibly talented and wonderfully warm friends...and I think you will agree too! After my blog, you will visit the outrageously talented Sharon Himes.

Samantha Walker copyright 2011

Now that we've made it through the holidays...and we've entered the New Year...I've had the chance to reflect on my past year with hopes of how I can make this year even better. This last year was such a fantastic whirlwind of a year, with so many exciting things happening in my licensing business. In addition to continuing my design work in fabric, paper crafts and home decor, I added two more regular licenses. I am thrilled to be designing cut and emboss dies for Spellbinder's Paper Arts, and also digital scrapbook/craft kits through JessicaSprague.com. These are such wonderful companies with fabulous people behind them, and I'm so grateful to be able to work with them. Also, last year, I appointed a creative team to share their talents in how to use my craft products, they have been such an incredible inspiration to me and I hope to you too...as they are such a talented group of ladies. In addition, my husband and I also decided to finish our basement which includes a whole revamp of my studio space.  Some of you may have already been following my studio updates if you are regular readers, but if you just stumbled here, then I'll catch you up on our progress in just a minute. That just summarizes a few of the highlights of my last year.

Samantha Walker copyright 2011

This year, I would love to be able to pop onto my blog a little more often to fill you in on the new projects I'm involved in that might interest you. I started a new feature on Mondays "New this Week" and I intend to continue it...so come stop by often! I'd also love to give you glimpses into some of my design thought processes, and what inspires me. This year I hope to sew a little more, I learned to sew last year...and had a few really fun windows of time putting together some applique projects and clothing...I'd love to do more of that...as my time permits...and when I do...I'll post what I'm working on. I would also like to bring more tutorials on my blog to feature my incredibly talented creative team...I don't think I show them off enough.  Their projects are innovative and inspiring.  I look forward to seeing how this next year unfolds.  It's already starting off super with the Craft and Hobby Association trade show just around the corner...and the progress on my studio.  And as we get my new studio space into shape, it will be so nice to have one central area that I can design, sew, craft, play, work...etc.  I've been divided between areas as my computer is currently upstairs...and all the crafty stuff is downstairs.  Bringing it all together this year is going to be fabulously fun!

Samantha Walker copyright 2010

If you are first timers to my blog...or old timers...I'd love to give you a virtual tour of my studio to catch you up on my studio and basement renovation...For this hop, it might help to know what I was working with in a before picture...(some of you have seen this...)

So...here it is...my studio space in all it's uninspiring glory, and not connected with my computer area. It just hasn't been very practical.  

This wall used to house the closet and the door into my studio...it is going to become my main crafting area, as we have now demolished it. 

Here's a crude drawing of what the crafting alcove will look like. I've been buying used cabinets through local classified adds and have been putting the area together with the pieces that I've collected. The turquoise cabinet in the middle is a kitchen buffet cart that I'll be painting turquoise and distressing. The cabinet group in the middle is a bargain I found on an IKEA glass cabinet and two side cabinets. I also found 4 file coordinating file cabinets for my room...two will serve as a base for holding my countertops--we will put bead board on the outside edge to make them look nice. My husband will help build some shelves to connect the cabinets.  The panel on the right side wall is a fold down ironing board that mounts between the wall joists.  It will fold over the top of the counter, I'm using every inch of space I have.  

This picture...I'm standing in the area that used to be my closet looking into my room...what a mess!   The contents of my studio and a myriad of other basement contents are under that tarp! You've heard the phrase you have to make a mess to organize a mess. It can only get better from here...right?

You can see the full effect here...yup...the walls are completely gone on the closet side. We had to install a beam and a post...because evidently, the front wall of the closet was a support wall.  

Here, we've framed in the back crafting alcove and built the post that holds the beam right into the wall. You may wonder why the strange cut-out shape on the backside of my room...we have a clever idea of adding a kitchenette with a restaurant booth in that alcove.  If you use your imagination...that black post thing-y in the middle of the alcove will attach to the wood support between the wall joists to hold up the table between the booth seats. We have literally measured the furniture on both sides of the wall to determine where the walls will go...there won't be a wasted millimeter of space when we are done. 

This is the wall where a fun sliding barn door will go...if you haven't figured it out already...the room has no door at present...we boxed it in on the other side, where we rebuilt the closet area into a craft alcove. Right now, if we want anything from that room, we have to go through the wall joists to get it.  All the Christmas wrapping paper was in this room, so I felt as magical as Santa Claus with the ability to go through walls.  Not really...I felt more like the abominable snowman getting a nice white coating of dust and trying to squeeze through the wall joists while holding boxes of wrapping stuff.  It's going to be crazy around here for the next few months.

This is where the studio door will open into on the opposite side.  This area that you are looking at, will become our wide open family room.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the more interesting window side of the room. It is light and bright for a basement.  My ultimate goal is to get the basement not to look like a basement in the end.

You can see what I mean from using every last millimeter of space...and building our walls around furniture. If you visited my blog a few weeks ago and saw the post on my studio remodel then...I've modified my plan a bit as we've moved along on our project.

If this project interests you, please come by and check out my progress!  

If you don't want to miss it, sign up for e-mail updates in the sidebar at the right. 

Samantha Walker copyright 2010

So come back, enjoy a cup of tea, and I'll keep you updated. 

Thank you again for stopping by! I am grateful to those of you support my products...I wouldn't have the opportunity to design for these companies, without those of you who choose to create or decorate with my designs...Thank You!  For those of you who aren't familiar with my designs, and this is your first time visiting my blog...Thank You also for taking time to get a little glimpse into my world.  I appreciate you too!

The next blog on the hop is Sharon Himes, make sure to pay her a visit...she is a You'll love here art studio in a quiet hideaway! 

If you get lost....Here is a complete list of the bloggers participating in this studio meet and greet...you are in for a treat!

Aaron Christensen

Barbara Johansen Newman

Beth Logan

Brenda Pinnick

Janet Wecker-Frisch (Joy Studio)

Karen Embry

Paula Joerling

Phyllis Dobbs

Samantha Walker

Sharon Himes

Shelly Comiskey

Sue Zipkin