New Workspace, Part One and a Half

Getting there. Really.

First of all, my new handmade jewelry findings shop is open and running (click here and see)! It's not fully stocked yet - still need to add more copper ear wires and a few new designs - but it's a start. If you have suggestions for the links/tutorials page, please let me know.

Next order of business - I've made more progress in my workroom.

This is another IKEA purchase (a Fredrik computer desk). I ended up choosing this because it had a nice big work surface, and the table height is adjustable, so I can put it up high enough to make saw piercing and wire work comfortable. I've been hunched over a table for far too long, and my old back couldn't take it. I chose this instead of a more traditional jeweler's bench because I wanted a wider, deeper table surface. I may invest in a different organizer for the back of the table, but for now this works nicely.

I've made a couple of purchases on Etsy to add some color to the room, including a beautiful little wall quilt and some button/textile art - so more photos to come when I finish the bench and get the walls dressed up a bit more!

New Workspace, Part One

I did it. *pats self on back*

I'm not finished yet, but I did manage to reorganize the bench I use for measuring/cutting wire and packing items to ship. This is why I love IKEA. I put this together using the base from an office cabinet (Effektiv), the frame and internal drawers from a wardrobe (Pax/Komplement), and a hanging wall rack from their laundry room storage series (Antonius).



The Antonius wall rack is exactly what I've been looking for - gets the wire up out of the way, but easily accessible. And it comes with little boxes, clips and hooks, so I can keep all kinds of supplies up there, within reach.



The top drawer is the Komplement jewelry drawer with dividers, and it's perfect for working on orders from my supply shop - I use the small compartments to separate invoices and fill them with small bags of findings as I complete each part of the order. The second drawer has packing materials, and the tray on top has my tissue paper and labels, so I can put everything together. And using the Effektiv base meant I could raise the height of the unit up over 36 inches, which makes it comfortable for me to stand there and work without hunching over.



I'm thinking everyone else isn't likely to be as interested in my workshop reorganization as I am, but I also know that I love to look around people's workspaces, and seeing the tools and systems they've used is really helpful.

Just wait until you see what I'm doing with my workbench. The IKEA obsession is getting a little creepy - but it just works so well. Oh, and the artwork on the walls is courtesy of my 6 year old daughter, but I'm busily buying art from some other places to further decorate the space.