I see all these beautiful workspaces on blogs these days, it seems. They are full of color, and art, and oh so much inspiration. The air even looks like it’s clean.
It kinda makes me jealous.
See, I can’t really do a lot of my work inside, or there would be sawdust everywhere. And, the clean-freak in me, just spazzes out at that very thought of the house covered in the stuff.
So, I work in the garage instead. Which got me thinking about making a post about this wonderful workspace of mine, in a “keepin’ it real” sort of fashion.
First of all, every working gal needs a workbench. When I started this business, I used my husband’s.
I went off to a craft fair one day, and came home to find a new workbench in the middle of a clean garage. Sean, my husband, had spent part of that day working on creating it for me… He said it’s the best one he has ever made.
See, it has a shelf on it and everything! On the shelf, I store all my sandpaper, paint, polyurethane, oils, and what-not. I ran out of room, though, so some of the paint sits on the floor. My shiny tool box also sits down there.
Although I do stand a lot, when it comes to detail work, it’s best to be seated. The chair was a Christmas present to me.
It’s a bit dark in the garage, though. So, the best part about this workspace? Dude, it comes complete with this huge and enormous “window”!!
Can’t you just feel the breeze? Smell the fresh air?
Really, this is only a benefit on nice, pretty days. The winter was a little harsh to be opening up a big window like that.
An epoxy covers the garage floor, it’s brown with the intent that it’s harder to see all the dust. It actually works. We’re thinking of putting a sign on the door to the house that says, “please shake off the dust on your feet before entering”.
Back to my workbench….it holds all the necessary tools and items I use when I’m sanding and finishing an item.
Starting from left to right…. Mug of paint brushes sitting in low-odor mineral spirits, my new head-gear, wood glue for projects that require it, gloves, mug o’ pens and assorted tools, my “mission control” ear-muffs, Ryobi sander (for tough spots), Dremel, and assorted sandpaper bits strewn about.
Even though I use the Dremel quite frequently, with assorted bits, I do find myself hand-sanding quite a bit. There’s also a small about of sawdust on the workbench, because it wouldn’t be complete without it.
On the side of the bench hang assorted clamps.
Piled up just in front of my workbench is some awesome wood my in-laws brought down at Christmas. I did a happy dance in the driveway.
The cardboard boxes are there because, well, I tend to make my own shipping boxes for signs. So, they are waiting their turn to be re-used.
The bin of tree? Well, a good friend of mine brought those pieces over one day. Don’t I just have the best family and friends?!
Can you spot the miter saw in the background? Feel free to flip it off. I do. Every time I pass it. I *think* I may be harboring some resentment.
You want to see another pile of wood, don’t you?
If we had kids, this would NOT be safe. Like, at all.
Okay, let’s just be honest, I’m kinda clumsy, so this isn’t really safe for even my sake. We’re currently hatching a plan to get all the wood onto little carts that can be moved around at will. And, by “we”, I mean my husband.
A fun game, when we get bored…. We spot things in the wood. Like, the polar bear face on the wide piece, towards the front. It only gets scary when I see aliens.
I don’t know how that piece of plastic got on the wood pile. I mean, I know this looks like a mess, but there is order to it. :)
It doesn’t matter that I have my own workbench, because I seem to just spread out…and use my husband’s when he isn’t looking. Shhhh.
But, let me just point out that I did not move his tape measure, bunch of bolts, or his piece of crumpled up paper towel. That’s love, my friends. L.O.V.E.
And, I’ve kinda been using my garden cart for work in progress…
That’ll probably annoy me once Spring is in full motion, and I want to do the yard work. It appears that it’s also holding my hubby’s drill, a can of spray paint, and some drinks. See, it’s totally multi-purpose.
There’s more to the space, too, obviously, because I use a carving machine, scroll saw, and stuff like that. But those are in areas that are less interesting.
Like, the carving machine is by the bathtub. Yep, we have a bathtub in the garage. You don’t think we bathe the 5 dogs in the house, do you?
I do tend to work in our kitchen a lot. In fact, my business has been known to take over the kitchen island before, and it has, quite frankly, taken over the kitchen “office area”.
This window ledge basically holds the inventory, currently listed on Etsy or ArtFire. In the crate are bags for craft shows, and an Atlas. That seems random, but I used a map out of it for the OBSESSED with Traveling sign.
Oh, and there’s my computer office, too.
This is where my laptop lives, and where I post all my wonderful items. Not to mention, where I do all the software design for these things…that’s pretty important. Dual monitors are awesome.
And, hanging on the wall is proof that I not only went to college, but received degrees. Oh, and also my CPA certification. It’s always good to remember where you’ve been.
So, that’s pretty much Rustic Carvings, and where I work everyday. Thanks for stopping by and visiting, and be sure to shake the sawdust off your feet. ;)
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