Goodbye to the Troll and Squatter Space!

There are days when the glamour of crafting beautiful gift boxes fades into the background and I feel more like a troll working under a bridge. These are the times when I’m typing away, surrounded by boxes piled high with packing peanuts, tape, and layers of bubble wrap stacked everywhere. If you're cranking out quality work in your own less-than-glamorous space, fear not, you're not alone. Like me, you may reach a point where the troll's time is up and a redesign is in order. 

I joke with my husband that somehow his workshop rivals the Taj Mahal and my office feels more like a squatter place. How did that happen? It seems crafting gift boxes out of a slab of wood takes only the best of tools…followed by good lighting, then jigs, a humidifier, more tools, then…. (read the earlier workshop transition blog). My content work takes a laptop and iPhone mostly, which doesn’t require fancy space to be functional, I must admit, although I did just have to upgrade my iPhone, if that counts?

On the shelves around me, where picture frames and my favorite books were once visible, now rests hardware accessories and ceramics for me to admire and “think about.” Yes, one has to think about ceramics. I like to look at new pieces and mull over the possibilities. Rows of inventory line the shelves too. We had to add another table so I could spread out the gift box line and consider those possibilities. (Some people think gardening is therapeutic, I like fussing with gift boxes and ceramic pieces.)
 
In my need to clear out space and evict clutter from my life recently, my plants took the hit.  I used to have a four-stalk corn plant in front of my office window, until I whacked it down to two stalks for more space and light. It does look better, albeit much smaller.  

Even the revered Garth Brooks’ shelf now shares the stage! My cherished 8 x 10 close-up concert photo, with his arms spread above as he’s rising from the stage (in the Garthzilla 90’s) now looks like he’s open armed and embracing several new artist ceramic pieces! (I can hear him singing, “Standing Outside the Fire?!...life is not tried, it is merely survived, if you’re standing outside the fire!”) I like to think Garth would approve of this entrepreneurial effort and the cool selection in front of him.  

I hear experts call this the “messy” stuff. Heck, I call it the messy stuff! But alas, enough is enough. We’ll start the transition from squatter office to professional space here soon. As we close out our first year, the time has arrived for an upgrade; carpet out, hardwood in, fresh paint, and some over sized rough cut lumber for shelving. Stay tuned, pics and such coming here and in the newsletter (follow us on Instagram to watch the progress more closely @red.rugged.). 
 

even Garth brooks now shares the stage with new ceramic pieces