IKEA here we come!

 It's no secret that I have been in desperate need of studio space.  Up to this point I've been using a corner section of the kitchen/dining area as a place to work.  The problem with this is that I don't have room to keep all my stuff (and I have a lot of stuff!) in the house so a good part of it is kept in a storage container on the property.  So what happens is when I'm working at home I end up spending a lot of time looking for things because I can't ever seem to remember if they are inside or outside.  Then I run back and forth to the container digging around for what I need usually to end up finding it back inside the house.

Now I don't know how many of you are familiar with the large storage containers used on freight trains, but the Cowboy is addicted to them!  I agree they are mouse and water proof but they are ugly and come with an oily odor that I can't stand.  Not to mention the doors are extremely heavy and hard to open so I usually end up leaving them slightly open, just pushing them closed enough to look closed which makes the Cowboy furious because "it defeats the purpose".  yeah, yeah, I still hate the darn things.

Well this last weekend I was getting ready for a large kitchen cabinet job and so I enlisted the Cowboy to help me organize a little bit and bring in a big work table that used to be in Jamesy's shop when I was growing up.  As I'm emptying out things from the container I'm saying things like, "man am I glad to not have to smell this place again" Big eye roll from the Cowboy.  "Ugh, I hate this thing!" Another big eye roll. "Good God if I never have to struggle with those God awful doors and hear that hideous creaking sound ever again I will be very happy"  An even bigger eye roll accompanied with a scowl.  At this point find some mouse droppings in some of my things and say "Seriously?! Mice have been in my stuff?! Great, just great!"  

The Cowboy sweetly says, "Um yeah when you don't close the doors you might as well hang a sign up saying come on in and poop all over"

My turn to give a huge eye roll.

So we get things inside.  The cowboy removed the old top from the table and laid down a new piece of wood and it's just perfect.  But amidst all the madness, the Cowboy turns to me and says, "You know I don't mind your studio being in the house I just don't like to look at a mess.  So why don't we go to IKEA, (he now has my full and undivided attention at this point), and get some of those shelves we have in the pantry and I can set you up with storage for everything and then you can hang curtains on the front and I'll cut some of them down  and you can have a small counter space and use some of your old silver to hold your brushes and stuff......."

As I stood there with my jaw hanging I realized that he had just laid out the perfect workspace.  

Sooooo much better than what I'm looking at now.

With everything scattered from stem to stern.

He even dug out this old chandelier that's been sitting around waiting for a good home and will wire it up this weekend over my main worktable.

So I've had to wait all week but Sunday, IKEA here we come!! Whoooooo Hooooooo!

I'll have pictures of the space in progress next week.