De-Lighted

Finding the time to spend at the studio is proving rather tricksy at the moment. Although Little B loves to spend time there with me, I've found that I can expect approximately 40 minutes of Good Behaviour before it all goes rapidly downhill and we end up in a tizz with each other. Which is understandable really as he is only three years old and is a very active, on-the-go kind of boy. He finds it hard to sit still, and his attention span for things like books and drawing is still pretty short. I can keep him happy for a reasonable length of time if I give him a) tools of any kind, b) a length of yarn or c) food, but these things inevitably end in damage/trouble/mess and it's simply not worth it.

He is currently at playgroup for three mornings a week which gives me a 90 minute slot of child free time on those mornings. Oh that time feels veeery precious! I try to have at least one of those mornings at the studio if I can, but it never seems long enough to get anything constructive done.

A month or so ago, we purchased some flat pack from Ikea. We had been trying to resist the temptation of quick-fix flat pack, preferring to take our time and look for pre-loved furniture with some character/history to it. But when it came to storage, Ikea just couldn't be beat. Tracy and I both have this same combo, which is a Billy bookcase (mine has some extra shelves added in) and a Benno DVD tower.

I managed to secure two whole child free hours to spend in the studio on Saturday morning, and it was bliss. Absolute BliSS. I got sooo much done. Number one job was to start filling those shelves with colour. It's still a work in progress, but I'm thrilled with the results so far. It's a good practical solution to storing the large amount of yarn I've accumulated, but it's also very visually inspiring and fabulous to gaze at.

As you can see, my little creative corner is starting to fill up! I love it so much. I feel like a happy bird sat in a warm woolly nest :o)

Number two job on Saturday was to play with install my de-lightful new lights. Yes, this box of colourful balls is actually going to transform into Studio Lighting, how fabulous is that?

I first saw these lights on a really beautiful blog called Tales From A Happy House, do you know it? Gillian is a great writer and photographer and we share a lot in common. You can see the photo of hers that made me giddy with excitement and weak with lust right here, and then what she did with her beautiful lights here.

The lights are from a wonderful company called Cable and Cotton and are gloriously simple and rather beautiful. In a nutshell, you purchase a string of 20 fairy lights, then select 20 coloured cotton balls to act as little lampshades. There are about 40 colours to choose from, so you can have a fabby time mixing and matching your own colour combos. If it would help any of you who might (like I did) have a sudden attack of The Wanties after reading this, I will list my colours for you....

I have two of each colour, as follows ::

bright orange, raspberry red, fuscia pink, pale pink, pale blue, sky blue, sunflower yellow, pale yellow, lime green, anais green.

I had a dickens of a job deciding on positioning. Vertical or horizontal? Up and down, or draped across? As you can see, I finally settled on the vertical, after much indecision, coffee, and jigging about. The above photo shows them unlit.....

.....and this is them all lit up. They glow so beautifully! De-lightful indeed!

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!! Love love love love them!!!

You can see things are slowly coming together in the studio. I now have some above-desk shelving and my notice board and pictures have been hung. A new little cotton rug too, although I might later replace it with a larger version. The paper circle bunting was a sweet gift from Caroline Rose Art, you can find it in her shop here.

It's all looking very jolly and Attic24-ish I have to say.

Tracy wrote a lovely blog post about our Open Studio event with some pictures of the café etc., do go take a little look if you like. We are really looking forward to opening our door in a couple of weeks and welcoming you in, it's kind of thrilling and nerve wracking in equal measure.

I'm hoping to get these cute little cotton circles worked up into some sort of window bunting this week, although my finger is still acting a bit weird. Wish me luck.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Joy]

ooooooooohhhhhhhhh Lucy it is all looking absolutely lovely .... I need some of those lights - wishing you buckets of luck with the Studio venture - Joy xx

[Gillian]

They look fabulous! I love the colours you chose, they are very "you". I agree, for affordable storage you can't beat IKEA and your yarn does look gorgeous on the bookcases. The lights are brilliant, aren't they? We have another strand in our living room in more muted shades hung vertically, like yours, and it's beautiful lit or unlit. So great to see your studio coming together! xx

[Jo]

Your studio is looking great and the inspiration I need to kick start myself into action to convert my spare box room into my own little sanctuary. X

PS absolutely loving the lights.

[Clare]

It's all looking wonderful, all that yarny goodness on the shelve such a colourful feast for the eyes, I hope your fingers on the mend soon.
Clare xx

[Kirsten]

Lovely studio Lucy! Too bad that I'm living far away so I can't pop in but you did a great job decorating your studio!

xx

[maypole]

I love your style and colours. The studio looks stunning.

[Claudia]

Oh Lucy! Your studio looks like a cosy nest full of love and yarn! Absolutely in love with it <3 the lighs are delightful, sooooooo "Lucy Style"!
A big hug, hoping you getting well soon <3 <3 <3
Claudia from Italy

[Hookywork]

Just noticed what's on the edge of your desk, is that a yarn winder????Where did you find it?

[One-oh-four]

It's all looking lovely! We have some of those lights too - we got them from the Janet Bell Gallery in Beaumaris when we were on holiday last October - a visit inspired by you! Similar colour choices to yours but with a pair of teal ones and also some white - they look great against my daughter' bright pink walls. Hope your finger recovers soon, need to see what those circles are going to be!

[Claire C]

sooooooooooooooooooo beautiful! and sooo Lucy, such bright colours! I love the way you've displayed your stash, it just looks stunning! Wish I lived near enough to visit on the open day, but I'll just have to content myself with Yarndale instead! loving the whole studio development, Tracy's too, and taking inspiration craft-room-in-progress
Claire x

[Hookywork]

Love love love the studio...very inspiring seeing it all coming together x

[Anne Warburton]

Lovely x

[Hannah@HomeBaked]

Ooh, your studio is looking beautiful, Lucy! I'm looking forward to your event.
I hope your finger is back to normal soon x

[Christine]

Looks like a very comfortable workspace!
You even have "attic24-style-candy" on your worktable???

[Rosemary Dennis]

Studio is looking lovely, Lucy! So much colour.