Book of Shadows Box – Part 4 (END)

 Welcome back friends! We have finally reached the end of this particular adventure but were we successful in our endeavors? In Part 3, we went over the slight struggle of making some designs cooperate with us and the possible solutions that we were able to figure out.

Making sure placement is right

Checking in with the Customer

Throughout the process of customizing this, I have been keeping my client updated on the entire thing with pictures and texts to get feedback as to how far should I go. My client has been thrilled with everything up to this point so as I was getting close to the end, I texted once more to see if there was anything they wanted me to add before I clear-coated. They loved everything that I had going for it but requested a tiny triple moon at the bottom point of the central design. I was happy to oblige so checked the size and placement with them before getting it colored in.

Time to get some spray on

First clear coat on

Double and even triple checking everything before I went outside with the box to put on some layers of clear glaze. I have had a few people ask me what I use for this process and it's a Rust-Oleum® Triple ThickGlaze – Clear High Gloss Coating (this or any of my other mixed-media wood projects are no way sponsored by Rust-Oleum). I have been using this for years but I know that there's probably better choices out there such as using a clear apoxy but I have absolutely no experience with that and wouldn't want to randomly experiment on something a client's been keeping their eyes and heart on. Probably in the near future I will test things out to see if it would be a good choice for some of the things I do.

So I only put 2 coats of the glaze on the box this time instead of my usual 3 simply because my current can is almost empty and I haven't had a chance to go to the store to pick up some more. Why would I normally go 3 or more coats? Wood is thirsty and instead of having a nice even sheen across a whole project, there will be low points were it looks like the wood was never touched even though you sprayed evenly over the entirety of the piece. I've also learned over the years that the type of wood also affects the outcome along with prep and treatment of the wood before the clear-coating. So unfortunately there is no concise 'Do this to A for B result' since every project situation is different.

Project now finished

Vigorous Jazz Hands

Ta da! Pardon the fireworks and lady in the Roaring 20s dress doing the Charleston in the corner. However, the project is officially done and the client is beyond thrilled with the results. If the 5 lines of heart-eyed smiley face emojis sent to me is anything to go by to show how
much they love it, I believe that this has been a job well done. I may go ahead and get a fresh can of clear glaze and to at least one more coat on the box since there are some low spots I noticed where the wood was basically going 'I THIRST FOR MORE!!'. So I can take care of that before I deliver the project to the client next month. This brings this particular adventure to an end but I hope that you've enjoyed the journey with me. Stay creative and don't be afraid to experiment and push your craft! Until next time everyone.

Book of Shadows Box – Part 3

 

Here we are once more and man has there been a few choice words between the box and I since our last adventure in Part 2. Some ideas I had were used while others were tossed out of the window thanks to aggravation. So settle in with a drink or a snack and let's dive into this together, shall we?

I had a Plan

Uneven Curve

And I say “had” in its loosest sense. You see, my original plan was to use apoxie sculpt to make it look like box had bindings to mimic an actual book and have a nice 3D affect. After some trial and error, I realized that it would be much more headache then it should be. Partially due to the fact that the apoxie sculpt refused to stick to the wood (which could honestly be fixed with some E6000 so it wouldn't have been too much of an issue) and partially just the construction of the box itself. I didn't notice that the side of the box was irregular if I attempted to correct the issue by oversanding, I would endanger the integrity of the box itself. So tossing that idea aside, I went and drew on what I wanted.

Watercolor Wash Stain

Now that I had that little issue sorted, it was onto the staining of the wood the non-traditional way. With watercolor washes. Using a ½ 4400 Angular brush and a mix of various blues and purples, I did a wash of the various colors on the parts of the wood that would be seen while the box was sitting on a table. Once it dried, I went back with some P400 X-Fine sandpaper and carefully sanded where I painted. The reason for this is the introduction of moisture to the wood will cause what you had previously sanded to feel a little rough to the touch. Lightly sanding it will make everything smooth again and it would be ready for clear coating later on. The watercolor staining will only lighten slightly, depending on the pressure used. If a bit of wood is exposed, just do a little touch up unless you're going for an
aged/weathered look.

For where the pages were to be, I ended up using acrylic paints instead to get the look I was going for. Painting with white first and letting it dry, I went back with my sandpaper to smooth things out like I did with the areas I did my watercolor staining. I then ended up using a bit of

Painted 'Pages'

black and pink to put in the illusion of pages and book binding.

Nearing the Home Stretch

As I get slowly closer to the end of the project, I purposely have to remind myself to slow down. Yes, I'm excited over the fact that I'll be able to do a clear coat soon but if I rush towards the finish line, I could easily screw everything up. Let's break down what I am planning on doing or what I need to remind myself to check on.

Start of detailing central design

1. Detailing and making the cover design cohesive – With many of my box designs, I go ahead and add an outline to the the various elements in the design with micronpens. I am still planning on doing this but this will also give me the opportunity to see if I need to add some more leaves or blossoms to the central design to it doesn't look unfinished.

2. Staining touch up & binding detail – I've noticed some spots where I need to do a little touch up of color to the box and the designs I put along the side still need to be finished.

3. Clear coat & optional extra details – Once I do my check of the first two things on the list, I get to clear coat. I normally use a clear glaze spray paint and it takes a few layers to get things to where I want them, making sure each layer dries before I add the next. As far as the 'optional extra details', I have a couple of bits and bobs I would like to add after the clear coat part of this process bit those ideas may get set aside.

So that's the game plan but who knows how things will go. Guess you'll need to stay tuned to find out. Stay creative, everyone!

Book of Shadows Box – Part 2

Welcome back my fellow adventurers! I have made a fair bit of progress on the box since my initial post of Book of Shadows Box – Part 1 but let's not jump ahead of ourselves, shall we? There is always a process as to what I'm doing, even if the majority of the time I don't realize it myself. So let's continue where I left off on this story.

Book of Shadows box cover concept

Inspiration and Prep

As I mentioned previously, I decided to use a couple of elements from a design concept I had set aside while working on a different custom box a couple of months prior. Sometimes when I design, I will like certain bits in the concept and not others so I'll set them aside for possible future use instead of what normally happens – crumbling the paper up and tossing it into the recycle. Not only did I have a better idea of what I wanted to do with the composition but I knew that I wanted to keep all of the elements within the same range of colors.

Photo References

The photo references I was using for the moth and the raven skull had very similar colors, ranging from greys and creamy whites with hints of pink, blue and even a little purple. I wanted to make sure the flowers were in this range so they could compliment the original
elements and work cohesively together. I settled on a beautiful photo I stumbled across of flowers of the Common Hawthorn. With yellowed white blossoms sporting hints of pink, this would tie together nicely. Of course up to this point I haven't decided on a color for the background or for the prayer beads but I know that I'll be able to sort that out once I have the other pieces colored.

Start of moth coloring

Speaking of color, I know that I am a bit of a strange one when it comes to working on wood. Other artists will prep their surfaces to use watercolors or acrylics. I, on the other hand, use primarily Prismacolor color pencils. I sand down the surface until it's smooth before taping transfer paper and then the design into place and trace what I've done. Thankfully I know how much pressure I need to use so as to not leave grooves in the wood during this part of the process. Once the transfer is done, I will get my colors selected and start coloring. Again, pressure needs to be firm enough to color but not so hard you're carving into the wood. The tricky part, however, is that the grain of the wood will sometimes attempt to dictate where the pencil goes. A straight line may end up being nudged into being curved. When such things happen, patience and going slow is the key.

Raven skull colored in

As you can see, I have most of the moth and the raven skull in at this point but both need a lot more work. However I want to try to get the other elements colored in first before I start blending everything together. Might be a bit before I continue this journey with you in Part 3 but until then, stay creative and enjoy your day!

Book of Shadows Box – Part 1

 It's that time again where I have been requested to bring you wonderful people along on another art creating adventure. This year has been dotted with several custom/personalized altar box projects that customers have been enjoying adding to their sacred spaces. So get yourselves comfy because this is going to be a tad different from some of my previous endeavors.

It started with a Sale

Recently Michaels, a craft store chain here in the states, was advertising some products that they had just gotten in for the season. Among the items was a wooden box which resembled a book and had a magnetic closure for the lid. My first thought was 'Book of Shadows' so I ended up nabbing 2 while they were still in stock. For those who are not familiar with what a Book of Shadows is, think of it as a personalized note book for pagan practitioners. It's usually filled with notes on anything from sun and moon phases, herbs, crystals, and animals to instructions for rituals, talismans and recipes. Each book is completely personalized and sometimes is handed down through generations. My idea for the box was to make it look like a book but it would be able to hold a small journal sized book inside or anything else the owner wished to store.

May the Concepts Begin

Rejected Box Design concept

When speaking to a very good friend of mine who has also become a bit of a collector of some of my work about what I had planned, saying that they were interested was a bit of an understatement. There was a great deal of enthusiasm to the idea and they expressed great interest in not only possibly purchasing but wished to follow along. Honestly I couldn't help but giggle at the level of child-like wonder that was being directed my way. So the sanding of the wood commenced so that the box could be properly prepped. However what in the world was I going to do with the cover? To the random doodle archives! 

Book of Shadows Cover Concept

I had some unused concepts from a previous box project that I rejected and set aside since I wasn't satisfied with the composition so I flipped through the pages to see what captured my attention. In the end I pulled this image out of a raven skull flanked on either side by moths and sporting a halo of coins. All were elements that I wanted to play with at the time but I just wasn't thrilled with how they looked together. So how was I going to work with this for the cover's concept? With much pencil twiddling and a cup of coffee later, I decided on pulling the skull and only one of the moths to use in the new design. Playing around with placement of the two then adding some flowers and prayer beads, it took me a little bit to get things situated. Of course the entire time while I was sketching, I was looking at some reference images of some beautifully covered antique books and planning on how things would work together.

Will this project be the one where I get to try out some new tools I recently ordered? Not quite sure but I can already tell that this is going to be an interesting process either way. Let's find out together, shall we? Stay tuned and have a creative day!

Celestial World Tree – Part 5 (END)

You read the title right! This is the final chapter of the project! As I take you through the last leg of this adventure, let's remember the ups and downs that Celestial World Tree – Part 4 brought. Progress was made and accidents caused by eagerness were overcome with creative solutions. So let us wrap this up, shall we?

All of the Decorations

Even with how well the color pencil covered up the text that was still on the lid, the fact that the indents were still visible was going to bother me until the end of time. I had a plan on how to cover this up at least – Leaves. I ended up ordering some Mulberry Paper Flower Leaves meant for scrap booking. They came in a variety of greens but I picked out a couple of the lightest ones from the batch I received and proceeded to attack them with watercolors. It was a fairly simple process in coloring them, luckily. I went with the colors that I had for the interior panel so there was a natural gradient from green to blue. It took a little bit of time for them to dry, check on if the colors were how I wanted, add if needed then dry again but the end result was one I was happy with. Once dried, I carefully glued them into position on the lid (adding a left over one to the internal panel for a bit of cohesion). Digging around in my eclectic collection of bits and bobs, I also added a couple of shiny trinkets which went well with the entire look.

The tassel that was to be added to the bottom portion of the box was something I was going to need to make myself. As a stepping off point, I ordered a variety pack of various colored tassels. Picking out a couple of the purplish ones to mimic the purple cording that I have in both pieces, I ended up combining them together. I had a holder for them that was originally from a piece of costume jewelry which they fit nicely in. Grabbing my tube of E6000, I securely glued the cluster into their new home and let the hole thing dry a couple of hours. Digging in my collection once again, I chose a beautiful hand made blue glass bead to be part of the top and found a bit of ribbon that would work with making the whole thing uniform. With how small the ribbon I decided to use was, I had to hold it in place with rather thin sewing pins until the adhesive dried.




Final Assembly

For those who have been here since the very beginning and have been paying attention, you
may have noticed that the lid in the rough draft concept and through most of the project up to this point had an eye-hook on top of a tassel which would have acted as a hanger for when
the lid was to be displayed separately. Well! I decided in the end that it was completely impractical. The tassel didn't go in the direction I wanted and instead flopped right in front which covered most of the design. So off the hook went. Once again I went through my supplies and found another picture hanging hook which I ended up gluing into position on the back of the lid. Doing a couple of test fittings, I was happy that the lid could still be slid into position without interference.

With that little issue solved, it was time to attach the large tassel I had put together onto the box. Attaching it to the eye-hook wasn't a problem but there was still the issue of how to cover the eye-hook itself without it becoming just a garish aesthetic disaster. Luckily I had some tiny Mulberry Paper Roses in a few colors in my collection. Picking out a couple of purple ones to tie everything together, I carefully wrappedthen glued them in place around the eye-hook. The entire assembly, once dry, was very secure with now worry that it would get knocked off by accident. Once everything was died, test fitted multiple times and cleaned up, I went ahead and made sure I didn't need to add anything else. With something as whimsical as this, it's easy to overdo it with decorations. Luckily enough, I knew when to stop. So off I went to see how it all would look on a wall with and without the lid in place. Of course the lighting in the room didn't do the box justice but I was more then happy with how the project as a whole looked. The lid and the internal panel compliment each other and stand strong on their own  or as a whole which was what I was aiming for in the first place. As I was wrapping up the project, I had given a friend a sneak peek of the end result. I was expecting the usual show of support and perhaps a question about something that I needed to clarify. What started off as a cheer for how the project came out quickly moved to talks of pricing and having the box on hold. So even before this blog wrap up was done being typed up, it would seem this has already found a potential home. Completely not complaining and I'm rather grateful that something I decided to experiment with has brought so much joy to someone. I think that is a suitable ending for this adventure. 

Celestial World Tree - Part 4

 Welcome back everyone for another episode of 'Why do I do this to myself'. I kid but there has been so many moments during the adventure of this project that I have found myself asking that very question. So, as a recap, in Celestial World Tree – Part 3 I was explaining the process I was doing with the lid and internal panel of the box along with what I still had to do to make the pair cohesive together if they were displayed separately. Let us jump back in, shall we?

Nearing the End

True to my word, I went back and started working on the details to both pieces. The lid took me a bit more time to make work. Going back and forth, adding suggestions of leaves to the tree so it didn't just look like a blob of color on the wood. Little white spots among both the blue and the green along with the purple string through the branches were nods towards the design that I had on the internal panel. As of the internal panel, subtle blue and green leaves in the background. I went as far as adding some veining to some of the leaves. Once done, gave both two coats of a clear glaze spray paint.

Hindsight is 20-20

So. Let's have a moment to acknowledge that there is going to be points of a project where your brain will be so excited about something that an entire step in the process is skipped. No amount of planning and telling yourself what you need to do next is going to help. The skip is going to happen. I experienced this once the lid and internal panel were done drying. There I was, sitting at my desk happily examining the results of the pieces with their new shiny surfaces. In my excitement, I took out my tube of E6000 clear multipurpose adhesive and
proceeded to glue the internal panel into position inside the box. It was only while making sure that everything was firmly in place that a realization occurred to me – I was planning on working on staining the outside and interior of the box so it didn't look unfinished during final assembly. There was no turning back at this point. The internal panel was already a tight fit and the adhesive wasn't about to let it go unless I wanted to destroy the entire box to get it out.

Now what do I do? Using wood stain would probably mess up the project. I wanted to keep the grain of the wood apparent so normal paint was also out of the options list. It was then, in my moment of cursing my eagerness, that I realized I had the answer right in front of me. Watercolors. Using a combination of shades of blue and brown, I mimicked the colors and transition of the tree that was depicted on the lid. The colors actually ended up enhancing the wood grain while bringing the whole project together. So once everything was painted and dried, I sprayed on a light coat of clear glaze over it all and let it fully dry overnight. Now all that is left to do is working on and attaching the accessories then final assembly to call this project complete.

Celestial World Tree - Part 3

Greetings once more all of you lovely folks. I know that it's been a little bit since our last adventure in Celestial World Tree – Part 2 but rest assured that I have not been idle. Oh no! In fact I'm pretty sure this project has been slowly consuming my soul. I mean in a figurative stand point, not literal. If the later was the case then I would be attempting to contact all of my D&D friends to warn them I've apparently created a mimic in the real world. Anyways let us jump right back in and let me show you all where I am at the moment.

Back and Forth

In Part 2 of the project, I left off explaining that I wanted to include watercolors in with what I was doing which was why I had painted a thin layer of transparent watercolor ground on the
lid and internal panel. Once dried, I went ahead and lightly painted base colors as a guide to both pieces so that I had a better idea as to what I was doing before I brought forth the color pencils. With the internal panel, I was going to keep to the blues and purples with only little bits of yellow and green. So working gradually, I focused on the texture of the branches and finding myself discovering a narrative with it. I imagined that instead of the Red String of Fate, the strings that held up the various charms in the tree were purple. The stars, moons (and suns) would softly glow with their own light where as the bells would age but make sound. It was an interesting thought process to have as I slowly worked everything in.

Once the color pencil was in, I ended up painting another thin coat of transparent ground over it all and let it dry before I started to layer watercolors in order to help give an etheric glow to the charms. Since I was using the internal panel as a layout of how the lid was going to be, I set the internal panel aside to star working on the lid. Following the same process as before, however this time I wanted the center of the lid to be the same blue as the internal panel with the outside slowly fading to a somewhat more natural green and brown. Right away I could tell that the tree was going to give me troubles so I reminded myself to take it slow and give myself breaks. Once done with the color pencil part of it, I painted on another coat of the transparent ground and set it aside to dry before returning to the internal panel.

Using a 01 Micron pen (0.25mm), I carefully outlined the various elements of the internal panel. This took a bit of time, not just because of needing a steady hand but to also repeatedly clean the nib off and get the ink to flow how I wanted it. I'm loving how it is coming along so far but I can certainly tell that I want to have a little bit more dimension added to the panel before I go ahead and clear coat it. The lid, however, is showing me that much more work is needed

even as I get started on the watercolor I'm doing on top. So I'm plotting out what kind of details are going to be needed, what I need to do to tie both pieces in together (especially if they are to be hung together and not just as a single piece). With where I am right now with both parts, I'm estimating a few more days to get them to the point I want them but of course who knows.






Critiquing and Planning Ahead

Of course I know that there are going to be a good handful of you going "But Dawn! The internal panel is perfect! Seal it now!" Oh no no no, my eager art adventurers. There is much more that needs to be done first before either one can be sealed. The internal panel itself, though lovely, is lacking in depth and is just.. well.. flat. The charms need a bit more shading and the background itself is feeling more like an afterthought which is making the whole piece by itself to feel unfinished. Then there's the lid. Even at the point it is now, I can easily tell that it's no where near it's middle point. It needs more definition and shading where as the sun, moon and stars in the composition look like after thoughts. Yes, the center of the tree shares the same color scheme as the internal panel but that's it.  So there is still a lot more work to do on both to not only get them to where I want them but for them to compliment each other. It would be simply silly to have one look better then the other or for them to not go together at all. In the proceeding days, I will be working on the color, shading, detail and getting then to be as cohesive as possible before I start turning my attention to the extra elements and assembly. 

Celestial World Tree - Part 2

 

Welcome back to the next installment of this project. Let us jump right on in with this journey, shall we? Where we left off in Celestial World Tree - Part 1, I explained my thought process for what I wanted to do with the box, the brainstorming and rough design work for the project.

Cutting, Sanding, Glueing and Screwing

Sanded, Glued & Screwed

My wonderful father was certainly a huge help with this part since there was so many pieces that needed work. When I explained what I needed done, he was more then willing to lend his assistance. He was able to cut out the center logo of the lid while keeping the outlined circle intact then went ahead and followed my measurements for the interior panel and cut it out for me. I cut the back piece that was meant for the lid and made sure that the whole thing would be able to slide into position if the box was to be closed. Then onto the sanding! Going from a 220 to a 400, I made sure that various pieces were smooth. This also was the time I repeatedly test fitted the interior panel to see where I needed to sand a bit more for a better fit. The piece for the lid was glued into position and I waited overnight before doing another test fit. Luckily I had plenty of frame hooks at my disposal for the box and my father had tiny eye-hooks in his own stash of bits and bobs so that I could get those in place.

Working on Lines

Defining the Lines

Looking back at my rough sketches for the designs, there was a lot scribbles in spots that I knew I needed to rework before I transferred them to the wood. Grabbing another piece of paper, I measured out the sizes before using a light box to carefully trace the shapes. The design for the internal panel wasn't bad and only needed a couple of fixes. The lid, however, had a couple of elements that needed some reworking. Once done, taped transfer paper and the designs to their respective pieces and began the transferring process. Of course, once again the lid was being the problem child of this en-devour. I actually had to do the lid's design transfer in two parts – First had to cut the center of the design out and set it aside, transfer the outer design first then go back and do the center. There was probably a better way to do it but too late now.

Prep and Wait

Now that the transferring was done, I carefully looked over everything. Normally with my wood pieces I could go straight for coloring with my Prismacolor color pencils. However for the feel I wanted to go with, watercolors would be involved as well. Of course this meant that I needed to prep the wood first. So once I made sure my surfaces were clean and ready, painted on a layer of Transparent Watercolor Ground. With such things, make sure to wait the allotted 24 to 48 hours, depending on how thick or how many layers you've put on. Once I made sure that the surfaces were completely covered with as even a coat as possible, I set them aside to dry over night and contemplated my next batch of steps. At this point I will be keeping my fingers crossed that when I have in my head will be able to be made real. Guess we'll all find out in the next installment. Stay tuned! 

Celestial World Tree - part 1

For those who have been following me on social media for some time may know that in between projects, I will go ahead and create altar boxes or mixed media art pieces from the various scrap wood/ wooden boxes I have. Well it's that time again but this time I will be taking you with me on this journey. So grab a beverage, some snacks and prepare for an interesting little trip through the process since I have no idea how many parts this is going to take.

Bits and pieces of the box

In the beginning, there was a box...

This particular box I've had in my stash for a number of years. It was the container for a particular brand of perfume and instead of a hinged lid like most boxes I acquire from salvage, this one actually slid into place. I knew I wanted to do something special with this but not sure what. The logo and information on the lid was branded in so any deep sanding would ruin the integrity of the wood since it was thin. Gessoing would not only loose the color of the wood but even through the process, there would be a faint indent of where the logo was. It took me some time of pondering (close to 2 months in the back of my mind while working on other things) to realize a simple solution to my problem – Just cut out the center logo. Well that certainly took care of that issue but now the next part of this insanity. The brainstorming and planning.

To the drawing board

Now that I have the center taken out of the lid, what was it that I wanted this box to be? I realized that I wanted to make this into a 2-part wall hanging art piece. The box itself with the lid in place could be one art piece but if the potential owner wanted to have the inside on display as well, the lid could be removed and hung as it's own art piece while the work inside the box could be displayed. Perhaps one of my more ambitious ideas for a project like this but

Rough draft concepts & brainstorming

I just couldn't stop myself. So away I went with roughly sketching out the concept designs along with brainstorming how I would need to trouble shoot some things. A lot of trial and error with a ton of erasing occurred just in the designs alone. Of course I will need to refine the designs before I work on transferring them to their respective positions but that's to be expected. The designs themselves may end up being mixed media with a combination of watercolor, ink and color pencil but I haven't quite fine tuned that thought process as of yet. 

Figuring out the pieces

So my first batch of things I needed to figure out while referencing my mad scribbling was how the design for the lid would work. I realized that I would need to secure a piece of wood on the back so the part of the design that was meant for the circle would be recessed. Luckily I had some thin pieces on hand that I could easily shape just larger then the hole for what I wanted to do. Covering up the bottom information would be a totally different endeavor which would include small paper floral leaves to cover it up. The design itself I would need to make sure didn't go all of the way to the edge so that the lid could still side in and out of the notches of the box without getting stuck or just not being able to be slid in. Hanging was the easier of the issues to sort out which was the use of a small eye-hook which would later be decorated and have a tassel from which it could be hung on the wall from.

The box itself was a little easier then the lid to sort out the mechanics with. A picture hook hanger on the back would allow it to hang from the wall without issue while another small eye-hook at the bottom would allow for some decorative tassel and charms to hang. The interior art work would be on a separate panel of thin wood/plywood which could be installed once it was time to get everything assembled. Of course there was going to be a lot of sanding in my future but hey, that's just how it is with this sort of thing. Now time to get started on getting all of these elements created and fitted. Stay tuned, folks!

Change of Plans

 They say that necessity is the mother of invention. Seems to be especially true when you're on a tight budget and trying to make use of a small space. Welcome back my fellow cleaning adventurers to another chapter of my reorganization mayhem. So if you've been following along up to this point, I've gone over the various containers that I've been able to get for some of my smaller supplies and told tales of my struggle to find a place for my larger pieces of equipment. This time around I shall lead you on a path of frustration of odd shaped supplies.

Childcraft Construction Paper Holder

Road of Obstacles
Acknowledging the fact that I needed a central space where I can store my various size pads of Bristol and watercolor paper so I could stop loosing them among other things, I started looking into possibilities. This is when I discovered that prices and sizes that fit my needs and budget was going to be a battle. Let me walk you through this - The pads I have that I would need to store together range between 9x12in (22.9x30.5cm) to 12x18in (30.5x45.7cm) which means I need something that would fit the largest size without issue but have room to accommodate the various smaller pads. I also am budgeting myself about $60 with a buffer
just in case it would cost up to $10 more for shipping and taxes. While looking through my options, I found several possibilities which would fit my size requirements however the prices were more then I was willing to stomach. One such discovery was this children's construction paper holder that had 29 3/8 x 12 ¾ x 15 inches as it's dimensions but a price tag of $151.21. There were several storage possibilities that were within my budget but the size accommodations would not work for my needs. Discussing my frustrations of this with my father, we agreed that my best option would be for us to look at wood and he would make an organizer for me that would satisfy both my needs and stay within my budget. The added benefit of this would be any leftover wood would be saved to be put to future projects.

Sauder 6-Cube Storage Cubby

Now the next hazard along this path was where the hell was I going to put the organizer once we were able to build it. Underneath my desk is completely out of the question since I already have various storage containers under it to. I also have no space in my bookcases which could accommodate it. So my only other option is my closet. Of course that means that I need to do a deep clean of the closet and see how much room I can make in order to have enough room for the organizer. That is where I am at right now. On the plus side, this is something that I've been needing to do for some time but now there's more of an urgency to it. One of the things that I've found that has helped are these small cube storage options. I was able to find the 6 cube option through Big Lots for only $29.99. Since I'm not concerned with color since they're going into a closet, I grabbed what ever color I could. Of course if I wanted to have them a different color, there was always the option of just spray painting them at a later time. Still have quite a bit more work to do but the small bits of progress has been rather encouraging.


So wish me luck, fellow DIY folks. In the meantime, if you're wishing to catch up on my cleaning odyssey then here you go: 

Part 1 - New Year, New Journey
Part 2 - Where do I put this?
Part 3 - Prepare the Tools
 

And Now for Something Completely Different

 

“Dawn! How's the reorganization of your space going? We haven't seen updates!” Yes, I can hear you all. However, my fellow adventurers, we're going to side our battle with trying to figure out what the hell we're doing with the space for a moment and get some work done. So, ladies and gentlemen, enjoy this small intermission from organization and cleaning updates.

'Snake Medicine' by Dawn Star Wood

Snake Medicine Design
As some of you may know, I have a small shop on the Redbubble website where I have some of my designs on products. The newest in the collection is Snake Medicine. I officially added it to the shop early February and it's currently on mugs, phone cases, shirts, stationary and tote bags. The original design was done in watercolors and micron pen on watercolor paper. This was perhaps one of the more daunting designs I've done since the scales on the snake took me so long to do since I normally don't 

Snake Medicine on Redbubble

'Reading Buddies' by Dawn Star Wood

Reading Buddies Design

Late last year I created this design of basically a miniature me riding on a whale who was gently gliding through space, all the while reading a book. Created in watercolors and micron pen on watercolor paper, I fell in love with this piece and decided to keep the original. This particular one is also available on my Redbubble shop but this month, for a limited time, I made a small batch of stickers and acrylic pins of the design available for purchase.

Reading Buddies on Redbubble

Peonies and Forget-Me-Nots Dice Box

Those who are long time followers are familiar with my various random refurbished box projects I do from time to time. This particular box was originally a random project I had done several years ago but was never satisfied with so tucked it into my private random wood pile. While sorting through things in my cleaning, I stumbled across it and decided that I would give it new life. So sanded the old design off along with the box as a whole to prep it for the new design, switched out the hardware, do minor repairs, felted the inside and made it so there was a little slot for a player to tuck some character sheets away. Overall, the project took me

about 2 weeks to do, with some understandable pauses along the way (waiting for glaze and glue to dry). I love the end result with how everything works together.

Prepare the Tools

     Greetings fellow adventurers. If you've been here for the start of this chaotic and dusty journey, welcome back. If you're just tuning in, let me catch you up. Back in January, I explained in my post New Year, New Journey that I'm making this year my Organization year. The goal is to get rid of things that I don't need, reorganize my supplies and products, clean, and just overall reclaim my life from the debris that piled up in the past year. The goal is with the cleaning and reorganizing, I'll be able to be more productive in my work and that the trend of reclaiming my life will continue on to other parts of the house and just my life as a whole. So far, those who have been following along, have been giving me a lot of positive feed back so I thank you.

When in doubt, build it

     Besides the plethora of cleaning that I've been doing and the sorting of the piles I have at the moment, I have a few other things going on. As I mentioned previously, I have already been able to tackle the reorganization and dusting of the 3 book cases that I have the majority of my research and reference books for my work housed. This mini library is filled with random information stretching through across subjects of art, history, theology, botany, weapons and vehicles. You never know what you might need for a project and I enjoy the subjects that I've collected material on. I've also mentioned in my post Where do I put this? that I have acquired several different storage units for my supplies and products. So what's next?

     If you have a small work space like I do or a space with strange angles, you may have the same issue that I've come across which is there's just not a particular item the right size you can readily purchase to fit with what you need. Well if you're a maker or have maker friends/family, you're going to have to make it yourself. My wonderful father is helping me with perhaps the most ambitious part of this project. A sort of shelving unit which will house both 

Base of shelving unit

my scanner and printer. With some careful measuring taken of the size of the pieces of equipment along with my filing cabinets on which the entire unit will be on top of, off to the garage he went. One of the good things about living in a household of makers is that we tend to have the materials we need on hand in some form or another for various projects. Using some scrap wood we had in our recycled wood pile, he was able to make the initial base over a couple of days of gluing, cutting, sanding and putting a couple of coats of polyurethane to protect it. Shifting my filing cabinets over a few inches, we plopped the base on top and made sure that that everything was level before we temporarily put my printer back into position. Next step we get to problem solve is the shelf which be put above. The entire assembly needs to be strong enough for both pieces of equipment but sturdy enough to handle the slight wobble a printer or scanner does when in use. The last thing that I need to worry about is the assembly collapsing and two rather expensive pieces of equipment ending up damaged.

     So making little steps of progress in the overall scheme of things while figuring out. A few

Slow progress of space

ideas which I initially had at the beginning had to be set aside once I began this journey mostly because of impracticality of them along with discovering that there were better solutions. Of course those bits can be discussed at another time.

Where do I put this?

As I de-bury myself from sorting through the various piles of debris that have been in my workspace, I welcome you all back to another installment of my continuing journey for this year. As I said previously, doing a serious deep clean is usually the most time consuming part of this kind of situation. What do you need? What is just trash? Is this recyclable? When the hell did you purchase that? It's like excavating an archaeological dig sometimes. For those who are in the various arts or are makers, this is even so. So that you aren't completely overwhelmed with attempting to do this all at the same time, spread the work out into smaller piles to be sorted and tended to. This way you aren't straining and inadvertently injuring yourself in the process.

Storage Solutions

If you are doing your own clean-up and organization, you are probably entering the “Where the hell do I put this shit” part of the process. Welcome, my friend! You've reached the most eye opening part of the journey; when you're seeing how much or how little space you have to work with. I have also reached this point so I understand what you may be going through. For those who aren't familiar with how artists/crafters/makers are, we have a LOT of small things. Pencils. Markers. Paints and inks. Tools of various shapes and sizes. A seemingly endless cornucopia of tiny baubles and components. All scattered on desks and shelves or plopped into cups and candle holders for easy access. This makes having workspace while also items within easy reach a little difficult. Personally I had things in random shaped cups and jars but attempting to find things that didn't fit a little more difficult. Let me share some of what I've come across that might work for you and ideas for alternatives.

Talenti brand gelato

Mason Jars, Candles & Gelato

Yup, you heard me. For those of you who are on a shoestring budget and needing something to hold things while you save up for a better solution, these items are absolutely perfect. Mason jars come in various sizes which helps with various sized items that might be in bulk such as pencils, pens, paintbrushes and beads. Another option, if you can't get a hold of mason jars, is jars of pasta sauce or jam. Once cleaned after you've used up their contents, these resealable glass containers work handy in a pinch. Candle holders, especially the tall glass ones typically used for cemeteries or shrines work well for taller items. The last one is perhaps a bit more surprising to many people but there are a couple of brands of gelato which come in clear plastic containers with a resealable lid. So not only will you have a sweet treat to enjoy but once the container is cleaned out, it can be used for storage. An alternative to the gelato container is actually clear vitamin bottles.

Metal Mesh Pencil Holder

I had my pencils, pens and paintbrushes separated into nearly 15 different cups and was having moments of “now where did I put this” repeatedly along with having something

Marbrasse Mesh Desk Organizer

fall between the cups and not know it went. Wanting to fix this issue, I recently purchased 2 of these metal mesh pencil holders that I had found on Amazon. They're sturdy and with the things being at a slant, I can easily see where items are. The bottom tray on the holder works perfectly for keeping erasers, tiny tools and small staplers. Alternatively, there is acrylic versions available. However I cannot vouch for the durability and sturdiness of the products since I haven't picked any up.
Marbrasse Mesh Desk Organizer ($20.99)

Acrylic Makeup Holder

I think that by now, you would have noticed that the theme of all of the containers that I've pointed out so far are either clear or at least has a way to keep items within view. The reason for this is for me, which also might be true for others, is that if I don't see something in a container, I will forget that I even have certain items. Very much the whole “Out of sight, out of mind” scenario. This how we end up having so many random items scattered to the 4 corners of our work spaces. So what's this about acrylic makeup containers? These little storage containers are clear, sturdy, and come with a little non-slip/non-scratch padding for each

Sorbus Acrylic Cosmetics
 Makeup & Jewelry Storage

drawer of the container. With a wide range of sizes along with different holders to go with them, they work great for tiny bits for makers and crafters. Currently I'm using one for small bits and baubles while a second one I just recently got in will be dedicated for small product storage. However, as a heads up, this particular storage solution is a bit more of an investment compared to the others I listed depending on what type and size you get.

Sorbus Acrylic Cosmetics Makeup and Jewelry Storage ($19.99)

BINO 5Drawer Acrylic Jewelry and Makeup Organizer ($19.99)

BINO 5 Drawer Acrylic
Jewelry & Makeup Organizer

Like with any of these, be sure to measure the space you have available to find the best solution for you. As I continue with my adventure, I'm sure that I will discover other things that may help with keeping things organized. With such discoveries, I will be sure to share.

New Year, New Journey

 

    Hello everyone! Yes I, like many of you, have managed to survive 2020 with a bit of my sanity still intact. A bit wavery, but considering all things, I'll take it. So, what are my plans for 2021? Considering that at the beginning of last year, I had declared that it was my experimental year, I feel that this year should be my year of organization. For those who have no idea what I mean, let me explain. My “Experimental Year” was meant for me to be open to trying new things (i.e. new products, styles/subject matters of art never tried before) along with working on things that I've been struggling to depict properly. It was meant to be a learning experience to see what worked for me, what didn't and see how potential customers reacted. This year would continue that idea but also would be my “Organizational Year”, in which my goal is to not only clean and organize my work/studio space but to do the same for my life both on the personal side and business side.

So What to do First

Work in Progress

    Making a game plan and clean. The plan is to slightly separate my work/studio space from the rest of the room without making the whole place feel closed off. A little difficult to do when my area is in our bedroom and we have a private patio area. What does this mean? Though the section of room that I'm using is about 74inx136in (6ft2inx11ft4in), the space I basically reside in the most is 74inx81in (6ft2inx6ft7in). What makes this a smidge more complicated in reclaiming a bit more space so that things are a bit more streamline and such is my equipment being so large. Discussing things with my wonderful father, we've been able to come up with a plan where my scanner will be getting moved to where my printer is currently being housed on top of my filing cabinets and we'll be building a stand so things can be stacked a little. Of course this move may cause me to have to move where things are computer wise and have me do some cable maintenance but that is to be expected.

    Cleaning so far has been the most time consuming part since I haven't really had a decent chance to do some serious deep cleaning. I would often just start cleaning and then a deadline would pop up so I would stop to get work done. The result is things just being pushed to the side with the thought of “I'll take care of this later”. Of course this turned into piles of debris or either laundry or recyclables and trash I need to sort through along with dust. So much dust. Thankfully the start of the year is usually slow for me work wise so I'm having the chance to tackle things I've been needing to pay attention to for a great while. Up to this point I've managed to clean and rearrange 2 of the 3 bookcases I have. I still have several piles of recyclables and supplies to sort through but so far so good. However, I have the distinct feeling that my vacuum cleaner is forming a hatred for me because of all of the fine dirt and such I've been cleaning up.

There is much more to come in the future as I continue this journey so if you'd like to follow along and perhaps get inspired or just be amused at my flailing and problem solving. I still have so much more to do as I transform my workspace into a place I can work freely in without it looking like I'm trapped behind a wall of random junk.