Inside The Studio with Claire Lockwood of Something to do with your hands

Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you'll leave comments! As an incentive, we offer a prize each week to encourage you to use that keyboard and tell us what you think. The following week a winner is chosen at random from all eligible entries. And here are the results from last week!

Congratulations Kathy Lindemar!
You have won $25 to spend in Erin's shop!
Contact Erin to claim your prize!

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Sometimes I find that, when my Inside the Studio post comes around, I risk going over the same things: I've been making beads; I've been making jewellery. And, since my last post, I've done plenty of both. But, I actually have other things to report on!  For a long time now, I've wanted to get to grips with metalwork. Ages ago, when I first got into making jewellery, I bought a load of kit for silver-smithing, but for various reasons, I've never set to and used it all.  I bought books and read things on line, but I find taking in instructions from reading things quite difficult. Finally, during the summer, I got my act together and booked a place on a silversmithing course.  It's not that I really wanted to start making silver jewellery. I'm planning to use other, more affordable metals, in the main, I think. I just needed opportunity to get comfortable with the various tools and processes. However, I have got a little seduced with working with sterling.

This crop of earrings - all kinda minimal (and not without some flaws!) - have all been made during the six weeks of the course. The term finished this week but I'll be booking on to go back in the new year.  I am now far happier with the logistics of soldering, and I really want to do it some more, preferably sooner than next year! One of the things that has held me back from trying soldering, etc., at home is the lack of space. I've moaned about this here before, numerous times, in relation to one thing or another. Speaking to Christina, the jeweller running the course, I've come to see that the table area I was planning to use wouldn't necessarily be the safest place. Then, about a fortnight ago, I had a brainwave. In the corner of my flat there is what I - and certain close friends - would describe as 'a naughty hole'. To flesh the term out, I guess I'd describe a 'naughty hole' as any cupboard or hidden space where undesirable junk and clutter or 'just stuff' is stored/dumped, usually in a careless, haphazard manner. You open the naughty hole door, you take the thing you're struggling to house, you sling it in the naughty hole, you shut the door, you forget about it.

Now, my naughty hole isn't just a cupboard. It's a walk-in naughty hole. Can you guess what my brainwave might have been? I really can't believe I didn't think of it sooner!!  If I clear out the naughty hole I can set up a jeweller's bench in there!! And possibly have space for other things! Like good, orderly storage! And places to keep all of the many, many things!  But... oh... oh no, that means.... I have to clear out the naughty hole!

That will be quite a tall order. Towards the back of the hole there is stuff that I stacked up in there when I moved in. Heaven knows what half of it is. Dozens of VHS tapes that I can't play, that no charity shop will take, that can't be recycled easily.... but that belonged to my grandma?  Mountains of bank statements and suchlike that need shredding before disposal. About 8-10 years worth of the Times Literary Supplement and The London Review of Books. If I chuck them out, am I abandoning academia forever? Oh, naughty hole!!

BTW, am I the only person preserving one of these?

Because: design classic? Thought so...

The mouth of the hole poses another problem. At some point, I did attempt to set up some sort of storage nearer the door; there are some old shoe racks on which I had piled my unused metal tools, my polymer stuff, and various other supplies and kit. This started in an orderly fashion but has since descended into chaos. I messed it up even more the other week, trying to find my neglected metal tools under the other stuff. Now it looks like some kind of craft-based dirty bomb went off in there.

Just writing about the task in hand is making my head spin. I'm telling myself that, now we have this lovely expanded ABS team, and now I only write an Inside the Studio post every other month, I might have it sorted by the next time I join you. I so hope I can do it. Wish me luck!

Anyway, it's giveaway time. The question: Would the prospect of a new workspace be reward enough to encourage you to clear out a similarly horrendous mess? Perhaps you have your own neglected naughty hole for which you have plans? Let us know! (Also, if you're interested in an extensive collection of 1970s - 1990s, BBC nature and comedy programmes, all preserved on VHS, just say the word!)

The prize is a...

Bye for Now, Claire

www.somethingtodowithyourhands.com
www.somethingtodo.etsy.com
www.somethingtodobeads.etsy.com

Amuse Your Muse - Bead and Studio Storage - with Rebecca of Songbead

Hello June-Bugs! Can you believe we are almost halfway through 2014? I really and truly can't. I have about 7 weeks left until we leave Northern Ireland - I'm trying not to count down the days too much, but live in the moment and enjoy the time we have here - but planning ahead is of course necessary so I can't simply stick my head in the sand, tempting as that is. 

With that in mind, I decided that this was the month to dedicate my weekly post to bead storage. Last week, I spent a small fortune  on some new boxes and containers for my beads - necessary and very functional but not exactly the most aesthetically pleasing solution to my bead storage problems. I thought that with your help, we could collate a mixture of the practical and the beautiful storage solutions here on Art Bead Scene throughout June. I invite you to send pictures of your best - and even your worst! - bead storage. Let's pool our ideas and get inspired. I am sure I am not alone in saying that my design work is greatly driven by the beads themselves, so how I store them has a huge effect on that. I want to see your beads in their homes! 

First up, these cute wee glass vials from In The Clear. I am not sure they would work for your art beads(!), but if you use seed beads, these would be a very lovely - and very visible - way of storing them. They have a real vintage vibe which would go nicely in my fantasy studio - I can see them on a small shelf in rainbow order. Yum!

This very vintage unit from Chicky Doddle is 'designed' for storing washi tape - something many of us have a few spools of. It works perfectly for tape - but could also be used for spills of ribbon or even small spools of beading wire.

I am sure I am not the only one who likes to bead on the go. Whether you are planning to stash a few beads for a forthcoming summer holiday, or whether like me you can barely get on a bus without knowing you have a project with you - you know, 'just in case' - it's worth having a dedicated carrier for them that is beautiful as well as functional. This lovely bag from Gerda Bags is so pretty, it could inspire jewellery designs in itself. 

Lastly for today, something a little more fixed for your studio - a vintage sewing basket/table from Berlin Attic. I have a real thing about these little sewing storage units - I was fascinated by my Mum's as a child, I inherited one from my Grandma and I even picked one up on ebay a couple of years ago. OK, you can't see what's in them - but a couple of these for storing beading essentials  - spools of wire, findings, tools - would look great in my fantasy studio. 

I would love to know what's in your fantasy bead studio! Or even what's in your real bead studio if yours is closer to your own fantasy studio than mine is. Leave links here or email me with photos so that I can share next week. 

And now for the BeadBlogger Links. Have a great week!

Fluttering Monarch Butterfly Flies Out to Meet Card Recipient 
You'll find the directions and downloadable template on The Artful Crafter. Be sure not to miss the video of the butterfly in flight!

A Bead A Day
Sometimes you just gotta resort to smiley faces! Lisa shares how she started off her week with a smiley face bracelet packed with personality!

Free Crochet Class
For beginning crocheters who want to add some texture to their crochet designs, there is a free class available from Craftsy.com. 

Mixing Jewelry and Drawing
Andrew brings together his training as a fine artist and a jewelry-maker to create these fun "drawing brooches".

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean reviews the funloving and chic jewelry design book, STYLISH JEWELRY MADE SIMPLE ! 

Resin Crafts Blog
Did you know you can make a mold in 25 minutes? Really, what are you waiting for?

Rebecca is a Scottish jewellery designer, currently living in Belfast, Northern Ireland. You can read more about her and her work at her blog, songbeads.blogspot.com and see more of her jewellery at songbead.etsy.com. She also has a supplies shop at thecuriousbeadshop.etsy.com.