Before I dive into the endless imagery of rainbow, sugary goodnes, just wanted to share a little story on how it all happened. How I decided to drop everything and re-arrange the clutter in my life.
Its been quite a strange few months. Having left my work place which I’ve grown so accustomed to has left a quite an emotional hole in me. I wouldn’t say that its sad but it definitely felt weird. I was a little lost for the first time in a long, long time. Working in the day has left me little time in the evenings to work on candy-art and dolls. I too, know that I’ve not been producing enough candy art which Caramelaw is known for. It felt like I’ve lost touch with the art/design scene a little.
And yes, I am ashamed.
I looked at my studio and felt…empty. It is so cluttered, filled with evidence of my hoarding nature. I have things everywhere and I barely have space to walk. Boxes of toys chucked in a corner collection fluffy layers of dust. Empty sketch pads. Dried up markers. It didn’t feel like an inspiring place at all. Was this where I made my colourful candy art? Seriously?
I cannot work in here. I didn’t feel inspired at all.
Which was why I decided that I need a change of my environment. And what better way to do this, than to give my room an over-haul. I put my paws down and got to work. It took about a week to get most of the stuff settled in and cleaned. Here I am, with a clean and fresh studio! It felt REALLY good. De-cluttering really lifted my spirits up. I felt comfortable and relaxed, I wanted to do work, I wanted to start making things! Its amazing how a change of environment could do you so much good.
So, let me show you guys what candy land looks right now. 🙂
Work Station#01 :
Where all the craft, painting, toy and doll customizing magic happens. It does look a little over-whelming but its nice and comfy. I am totally surrounded by all the things I love. Everything I need for crafting is also within reach. I sit at my desk and watch Adventure Time or Adventures of Gumball on my ipad while sawing away on dolls or project.
Cozy as f***.
Where the Magic Happens :
On this tiny desk, you will see many decapitated doll heads and bodies lying around. This is what I see and how it feels to be seated in this tiny space. On the left I have tiny drawers filled with craft materials consisting of beads, ribbons, hair clips, felt cut outs, doll eye chips and decora items. There are more tiny drawers behind the dolls if you could spot it. I store flower hair clips, more ribbons and beads there.
Sucker for Drawer Units :
I love craft shopping as well. I would usually buy nonsense even when I don’t particularly need them. I figured I’ll use them somehow in my future craft projects.
Surrounded by Endless Rainbows :
Some close-ups on what all that colourful chaos is. I have my awesome Autumn Stag by Pobber toys. Woodland dolls, Kobito Dukan coin banks painted by SuperBonBon. Some Twiggy heads and vintage paper dolls which I framed up behind. These rainbow horses are called Rody. I have tons of Rody stuff.
A Rainbow at Every Corner :
I absolutely love vintage items. I had 2 licca playsets, vintage rubber figurines and lots of rements. Pictured here is the super-market set I believe. The other set is a salon which I didn’t have space to display it out. Bummer.
You can see Tiina Technicolour, a blythe yarnhead by Dr. Blythenstein. A Kittytoes Calavera and a cute pink custom given to me from a dear dolly friend. I named her Nutella.
The Merry-Go-Round Dolly Clothes Rack :
I used to keep them in plastic boxes but I end up buying extra dresses because I forgot that I have the exact same dress. So I figured I needed something which I can allow me to view what I have at ease. I DIYed this myself from an old jewelry rack. Attached metal rings which I purchased from Spotlight and added paper clips with binder clips attached to its ends. The rack spins so it worked well for me. The OCD in me is happy.
Magic Chest of Awesome Shit :
I also love collecting random, small toys which I use for my custom dolls sometimes. I keep them all in this large chest of drawers from Ikea. Every drawer contains cute stuffed toys, ribbons and small figurines. EVERY. DRAWER. Took me awhile to get these small thingies sorted out.
Work Station #02 :
This is where my 2nd iMac for video editing sits. I use Adobe Premiere, After Effects and Flash to work my shit. Its a different kind of work done at this desk so you don’t see craft items lying around. Just my iMac, dolls, toys and me. On the left of the table is where I stack the stock Blythe and Pullip dolls I have which I can use for customizing. It makes it easier to see what I have in my inventory. On the right, you’ll see my Instinct Toys collection. I try to keep my toys in acrylic boxes to keep them away from corrosive dust and moist air. But of course, I don’t have enough space for more acrylic boxes.
The Shelf of Stars :
I keep all my beloved custom dolls here from different artists. I have customs from IMREAL, Dr. Blythenstein and Sirenita. Those Kobito figurines are from my shopping trip to Japan 3 years ago. I love em’ grotesque toys! They have so much character.
Tiny Shelf, Tiny Beings :
I just started collecting PlayMobils. Its a small and humble collection for now but I’m pretty sure it won’t stay small for long… Those rabbit figurines at the background are Lapin & Me lamps!
Calavera Fever :
Calavera Blythe customs by KittyToes and Artemis.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow :
So here sums up how I manage to get everything into place and work within a small space. I hope this entry will inspire some of you out there who’s feeling a little lost yourselves, to start de-cluttering your life, your environment and yourself. I always believe in making changes, even if its a small one. The universe works in strange and mysterious ways. Somehow, the energy just picks up and soon you’ll start to see improvements in your life. I started my first step by cleaning up my room. I felt better and happier. That’s an important step for anything good to happen. Staying and being positive.
Its time to let those “good joobies” in
as Finn (Adventure Time) would have said.
