Cindy Lietz Studio Tour – Polymer Clay Tutor – 5th Friday

Sounds great Cindy. Looking forward to seeing your creative space :-) Informal videos would be great on the 5th Fridays.

Loved your video. So great to see where all your creative ideas turn into all these terrific videos for us each week. Please tell us your workspace doesn’t always look that neat !! Maybe you can turn the camera on Doug next time so we can see him too – and also those creative children who seem to be following in your footsteps.

Loved the video! Thanks for sharing.

Enjoyed seeing your work studio, and plan on making sure my “hubby” watches too, since he doesn’t understand why I am always hunting at garage sales, looking for more storage bins and shelves! With over 500 drawers, you are well ahead of me, but will do my best to “catch up”!

Cindy! :) It’s so cool to see your studio, it’s an amazing space! LOTs of Drawers and goodies!!

Thank you for showing it to us and I hope you don’t breathe the fumes too much… ;)

Love it!
Iris.

Great video of you and your studio. It’s so nice to have the space to work and store everything in one room, it makes designing easier. Thanks for sharing. :)

What fun, Cindy…..my Dad would be proud of you for using every single sqaure inch of usable space in that little room. The one thing I walk away with is how much clear see through space those organizer shelves provide, a key for me, because I am visual….I need to see it to remember to use it.

For years, I gave my Dad those type of storage boxes for his workshop. You and he would feel pretty comfortable in the same space, lol.

Hey, Cindy….your tiny little drawers are not LABELED? How do you keep up with what’s in them? I have those same drawers (not as many) in my garage, not labeled, and you got it, every time I am looking for something I have to open each and every drawer!!! I need a label maker in a bad way.

I guess you are young enough to have a good memory, lol. No, make that a great memory! Loved this video, tho, and love your space. One day I am moving my “studio”, which right now consists of my kitchen dining area table and a rolling chest-thingy with 3 drawers (plus the top of my dresser–eeek—by the back door, from there to the master bedroom. When I can get my son to stop in and stay for longer than 5 minutes to help with tables, etc. You have a great studio, though, lots of storage and lots of ideas for us! Thanks for sharing!

@Laura R.: Lol, it took you to tell me what should be obvious to me–the computer, printing out, taping it on! I guess I am really a gadget girl at heart, too, though. However, for money’s sake until I get a Michael’s coupon, and more importantly, some spare money (!), I could most certainly print out my own labels!!! Thanks, Laura!

Hi Cindy!! LOVED your studio! Great video for the 5th friday. Love all the mini drawers. I was thinking I needed sometine like that for all of the new bricks of premo I just bought. I have pictures of my studio on my facebook. Nice to have a special space to come to everyday to work. I love all the new things and projects you have for us… Watching someone else do the project is the best way for me to learn. So keep them coming!! You are the high light of my day, Cindy!!!!
Stephanie :)

@Tantesherry: prayers for Mary Sue from western NY. Hope all will be well.

@Tantesherry: Your mother is in my thoughts and prayers.

@Tantesherry: Thoughts and prayers for all of you at this special time, may His blessing flow…

Cindy, thanks for showing us your studio…love it! very condusive to wanting to create :) I have drawers too, but not that many…I am in the process of labeling them right now as I had rotator cuff surgery two weeks ago and cannot do much of anything so I organized my little clay “studio” and am now labeling drawers. Boy, do I have a lot of stuff. I would be afraid to know how much I have spent on it, but I realize just how addictive this polymer clay thing is and I love it. My husband bought me an industrial type bin organizer and I love it. He found it at Costco for about $99 and it holds so much, is very sturdy and looks great. I can put my books and magazines on the top of it and the magnetic tins with the clear windows stick to the sides of it so it is very useful for storage and making everything look ‘nice’. I have a tough time when everything is scattered about and I can’t find anything. Two other items I find very handy for storing and organizing are the photo boxes that go on sale at Michael’s every now and again 3/$5.00 and the docorative boxes with the magnetic lids (40% – 50% off). They look beautiful and everything is in its place.

Again, thanks for showing us your studio. Love it!

I really enjoyed this video, Cindy. It was nice to see your face this time! I love those tiny drawers you have…they’re perfect for clay and beads. And they look so NEAT!

Yes, I’d like to see more of this kind of video on the 5th Fridays.

Hello Cindy! How lovely to see you! I had a strange sense of being where I shouldn’t be as your video began; here was someone I’d listened to for so many weeks, looked forward to seeing so much, whom I had put on something like a pedestal, and here she was just chatting to me (and everyone else of course!) as if she were a regular person. Very strange, but lovely too. It will never be quite the same as I watch your videos each week from now on, having ‘met you’ it will be far more like watching a good friend demonstrating some fantastic new technique she’s discovered and sharing it with me! Such a treat! And yes, please let’s see your video studio too, and perhaps even a peek at Doug, if that’s possible (maybe Fisher could point the camera for a few seconds!). Thank you dear tutor, it was so great to see you – and your studio too!

Cindy- thanks for inviting us into your studio! It’s actually nice to know that you can create all the amazing things you do with a modest work space. I think a real artist just needs a few tools, and above all else, her creativity. (Well, that’s what I’ve been telling myself as I work out my bedroom. All of my supplies are in a couple of under bed storage containers!) So, next time I feel like complaining about not having enough room to do the few small projects that I do with the space I have, I can remind myself that you’re sustaining AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY of artists and enthusiasts from a 12’x12′ space! :)

What a wonderful studio/work space you’ve created. I’d love to see where you & Doug do the tutorial filming too. Just a quick, cute story to share with all of you. My 3 year old granddaughter, Zoey, shares her bedroom with my computer setup. Since she often stays over on the weekends, napping in the afternoon can be quite an issue. To help settle her down for a rest, I sit in the room and watch a couple of Cindy’s tutorials each afternoon. Well, last Monday,Zoey told her Mom she couldn’t take a nap at home without “Cindy Lietz”. I received funny phone call from my daughter wanting to know what film or toy character is named “Cindy Lietz” and where could it be purchased so Zoey would nap!! Another budding Polymer Clay Artist is born. Thanks Cindy!

Hi Cindy,

wow..amazing studio. Curious what are in the drawer.
Lovely to see you, Cindy. I am so glad, finally I can show my daughter this video. I used to watch your tute video with my daughter, she is 8 years old. She is in summer holiday now, so she likes playing around with clay. She helps me conditioning the clay, company me go to Michael and art store, and sometime she suggested the tool that you have. She said, ” Mommy buy this tool, this like what Cindy Lietz has” :), and One day, she said “Mommy why Cindy Lietz never shows in the video, how she looks like.:) and some other questions . She curious about you.
So when I find this video , ohh..I call my Jasmine right away..you know what she says?? “She is pretty Mommy!” :) so sweet. Thanks Cindy..

Loved seeing the studio-it’s wonderful to be able to visualize you sitting there with your creative wheels turning. It will be fun to add that perspective when watching the videos.

I just moved my studio from a spare bedroom to a mouse sized room off the kitchen. It’s surprising me how much I am enjoying the coziness. It also allows me to easily move back and forth between the two rooms in which I feel most creative. I would never win a cooking contest but I love experimenting with food almost as much as I love working with clay.

I love your studio. Especially as its so neat! LOL I would love to have all that storage space.. and counting the drawers sounds like something I would do.

Hi Cindy, how great to see you actually in person and what a lovely studio space you have.I love all your neat little drawers. I have to do all mine in the bedroom and get everything out each time I use polymer clay. My oven is situated downstairs in the outhouse. I really enjoyed your video, would love to see more, thank you.

Cindy, I really enjoyed this glimpse into your workspace. I too have mega drawers in my workshop, however my biggest challenge is when working on a polymer project which incorporates other beads and findings is putting it all back before I start the next project. Hence my studio usually has 2 or 3 projects worth of stuff laying around before I take the time to put it all away. Your video has challenged me to take this long weekend and totally tidy up my space. I am fortunate to have 2 crafting rooms plus an area in my basement for storage. One room is for my polymer, beading and office supplies, the other room is for my miniture dollhouse supplies and my photo studio and I store my craft and market display units in the basement. Guess I better get on my apron and start the big “sweep”. Thanks again for always providing inspiration.

Cindy it was so nice to see you and your space. So tidy! It’s fantastic to put a lovely face to the voice. Love this idea for the 5th Friday it lets us get to know you better.

Greetings from London UK….all the obvious remarks about how interesting and useful your studio tour was have already been made… But what I dont think anyone has said yet is how lovely it was to really see the person behind the voice we have come to know and love! You’re lovely and the photo of you does NOT do you justice. Change it. And keep up the good work. Best wishes, Toni

THAT was a great video! Always amazes me what can be done with limited space! Love it! Thanks!

I love the idea of a video on the 5th Fridays. Your studio is impressive. You’ve arranged so much in a limited space. I especially love the little drawers where did you get them? Continue the great work!

Great to see you, Cindy! I loved seeing you work space. with our recent move, I now have my own room for my work space and it is fantastic. Once I get a break between orders, I’ll clean it up and post pics too to share. Have a great weekend!

Absolutely loved that video! Nice to see you. Wow, if I could be 1/2 that organized. I think if anything, you inspired me to clean up.

I’d love to know what’s in the little drawers and where/how you store your unused bits of leftover PC from various projects. That’s my biggest issue with storage. Although I have lots of room, I’m not sure the best way to store these unused pieces for the most optimal re-use.

Thanks Christl!
@Christl Pelikan:

YES would love to see more! Also the rest of the room and Doug too. My husband is making me a work shop but it is slow in comming but got some great ideas from yours. Love that all the drawers match so you can fit more in a small space. Thanks

Wonderful video, it was so nice to see YOU. While I do have a dedicated workroom for all things jewelry, it’s not neat like yours. Wow, am I impressed with that! Yes, I want to see more like this on the 5th Fridays as it helps with not feeling let down that there isn’t a new “Cindy” video waiting for me when I get up in the morning! :)

YOU are in inspiration to all of us.

Oh my gosh, what great organizing ideas! I am new to polymer clay, and already I’m seeing a “space problem” in the near future!! Enjoy your videos so much, thanks!

@Marcela Saldaña: Hi Marcela,

I visited your city many years ago and still remember its beauty, especially the fountains. It seems like they were everywhere–so beautiful.

Thanks Cindy: your video was really informative, especially for those of us that are just starting out, setting up a studio (I have a VERY small space in our house) and trying to get organized. Nice to see too that you have areas for different crafts and work, as I want to try lampwork and glass fusing too…can’t seem to stick to one thing :-)

The informal videos are a great idea.

Cindy I loved the tour of your studio. It gives me ideas of what I can do to mine. I just love your wall of drawers. I would love to be able to do that someday. Thanks for sharing with us. I would like to see more.

You are not alone and you are more organized than the federal government. I am going to investigate your website now, so thank you for this.

I love video visiting artists and their studios. Thank you very much! I want those drawers, so cool.

Thank you for sharing your studio with us! Cindy, your appearance definately matches your beautiful and creative work. WOW, and are you ever organized! Please come visit me in Germany and/or New York and organize my thousands of Polymer Clay related goodies! That wall of little drawers is totally amazing and impressive! Just love it!
For my sheets of PC and bits and pieces of clay patterns, I thought of a good solution as well. Bought two inexpensive towers intended for CD’s, put one left, one right and placed 50 pieces of cardboard in-between the slots. It holds a lot of unfinished or never finished projects. Throw a see-through plastic table cloth over it and forget about it, well sometimes! Had fun with dried out old pieces: I put fresh clay under the old ones, put it through the pasta machine and made pins from the beautifully crackled sheet, which everybody loved!
Thank you for sharing your never ending great ideas, I think PCP’s (Polymer Clay People) are the best!!!!

@Christl Pelikan: That’s a great idea, thanks for sharing.

I enjoyed seeing your space – I’ll bet it isn’t always that neat! I’d love to have even a 10′ x 8′ work space . . .my “studio” is the top of a small desk with a stool next to it for my pasta machine. I’ve been enjoying your tutorials (I’ve learned sooooo much!) and I love seeing the things others have made.

I enjoyed the tour of your studio.. It’s nice to see the Human behind the hands.. Nice of you to share…

Oh, I’m so glad to get this video. I love your weekly posts and it’s nice to put a face to the voice I know so well. I also love your studio. I’m trying to carve out a space for myself in my home as well. Right now I craft on a table in the living room which isn’t the best, but it works for me right now. Thanks for your inspirational videos each week. They’re certainly one of my highlights.

Thanks a lot Cindy! for showing us your creative place, I always love to see the artist studios. I will show your video to my husband, it will make him to understand that I have so many things in mine. Thanks! I hope to see what you have in your drawers,mmmm! regards

Wow, Cindy, love how you have things so organized. Don’t ever feel alone, some one of us is surely thinking of you pretty much twenty-four-seven.
Reaching so many places in different time zones it really is possible. Will look forward to peeking into some of those little drawers. That area has to be custom built, right? Will have to share this with hubby. He’s not able to customize but he would support me in doing something along these lines.
Very nice, indeed. Thanks for sharing.

Hi Cindy, We finally got to see you. Thank you so much for sharing. Maybe later we can also see Doug and the children? You are so inspiring! I look forward to each video every Friday and hearing your upbeat greeting.

First let me say just how touched I am to read all of your amazing comments! THANK YOU!! I definitely do not feel alone in my studio today! I was going to respond right away, but all of your messages were flowing in so fast that I thought it best to wait a bit, so I could thank more of you all together :-)

A few things came to mind, while reading everyone’s feedback. First of all, I find it just incredible that I can sit here in my somewhat tiny studio and speak with people from all over the world. I mean how cool is it to have Iris Mishly from Israel, then Marcela from Mexico and Simona from Slovenia-Maribor, all leave their sweet words on the same screen! Not to mention all of you from Canada, the United States, Europe, Australia, and other amazing locations. How incredible!

Oh btw Iris, even though my oven is right beside my computer workspace, I don’t find there to be any fume issues. Partly due to the way I bake, there is little to no spiking temperatures and therefor hardly any fumes to begin with. As well, I find Premo doesn’t smell very much while baking anyway, plus there is a window right over my desk I can open for ventilation.

And to answer your question Marcela, I haven’t worked with any of the silver or precious metal clays, so unfortunately, I am not the best to give advice on that. Maybe another member here can help better …?

Next, it was the comments themselves… Lots about how tidy and organized I am. Organized? Yes. Tidy? Not always. The organization had to happen in order to stay on top of all the cool supplies I have and the small space I keep them in. I will show you more of my studio space, and closer detail of how I organize and sort it all, in future vlog posts since it sounds like something you guys really appreciate.

And to address Shirley Rufener’s comments, I could also show you what’s inside some of those 547 drawers, as well as the best types of plastics to use for organizing clay and how to test it to make sure the clay doesn’t melt the drawers. Plus share with you the reasons why I haven’t got my bin drawers labeled and why that works best for me in this case.

And how adorable was it to hear that several of you watch the tutorials with your small children/grandchildren! Dia your daughter sounds so sweet, helping you get the right tools she saw on the videos and Lynn Vinge, I couldn’t help but laugh when you said your granddaughter couldn’t take a nap at home without “Cindy Lietz”. (My kids thought that was hilarious!) And Teresa D, I love to think that you and your son are watching the videos together.

Gosh, then there is Elizabeth S., Janet and others who would like to see the studios of other members here at the blog. That is a great idea! Go ahead and post photos of your workspaces (big or small, messy or not) at the members photo gallery on Facebook. It would be a great source of inspiration for everyone!

Then there is the ever clever Phaedrakat, who seems to be the only one that picked up on the clue of next weeks tutorial… you have always been such a good reader. Nothing ever sneaks by you.

Since you asked so nicely, I’ve asked Doug, Willow and Fisher to pop into a video or two to say Hi, which they said they will. They are all so cute and sweet that I think you are going to enjoy meeting them as well.

I know that I didn’t respond to each and everyone of you here personally, but please pretend I did. After all, there are 94 amazing comments so far and my comment to you is already getting incredibly long!

Thanks again for being you and being here with us! Keep those comments coming. Doug and I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know!

Oh, Cindy – 12X12 sure sounds huge to me these days. I’m still living in my little motorhome and I’d say my work space is about 6X4! Just came from the doc and it sounds like I may be at the coast elevation indefinitely because of the scar tissue left on my lungs from the surgery last November. I’m feeling better but am on oxygen almost all the time. This doesn’t keep me from claying when I have the energy. Some folks saw my home clay station – one end of my kitchen – early on in my time with Cindy. It grew since then, but I haven’t been back there in a year. Some of you also saw my motorhome claying space. It does pretty much take up the entire rig and I’m like so many who have to move stuff if they want to eat or cook! Anyway, Cindy it was great seeing your studio – even though I am jealous – and I loved that dimple that snuck out once in a while. You are so dear to me!

Hi Cindy, how popular was this Video.Look at the comments,
Wow, I have been wanting to see you in person as you know, so thanks for the lovely video,
I had a smile on my face the whole time, it was lovely.
You are so organised.
I’d hate you to see where I work , you put me to shame.
LOL !
I cant make the excuse because it is just a small space, just look at yours, amazing, so well equiped, but then it would be for you.
You are a very sweet lady and much younger than I thought, very pretty, but then that is all the knowledge you have makes you very wise.
Just loved it and hope I can keep that video on to show my students where I get my inspiration from.You have made me feel I must get in and really do something good to my workroom. I think the smaller it is the more you have to have everything in place.Wish I had those 547 drawers, just amazing. I guess we all wish that one.
Will love to see the family when you get around to it.
Seeing other great names in the poly world here was such a buzz. Iris M, Shirley R,love all the comment and loved Elaine Faulks , about her 2am foray. I am on my own , but do have times like that. Very good Elaine
Im always a bit late with my comments, but I will pretend, you saw it too.
bye for now.
Love you all
Elizabeth K.

So nice to get a peek at you and your studio Cindy (love your blouse and necklace!). Not only a warm personal touch, but lots of great organizing ideas with all the feedback too. AND it looks like we won’t have to dread 5th Fridays anymore…instead maybe we can look forward to more visits with you! This was such a great idea, can’t wait to see more – I’m really curious about what’s in all those little drawers ;0)

Cindy, thanks for the tip on security settings. Got to see your studio video and it was nice to see where all your creative resources come from. You certainly have a lot of “stuff” all organized. Wow, I’m impressed and am looking forward to seeing all the new stuff you come up with. I spent all day watching just your videos and am amazed at how much I am learning.
I already have a list of videos I want to purchase from the library. My brain is in overdrive. Dixie Ann

Hi all you Cindy fans. Yep wasn’t it great to see the “face” instead of just the hands (although you have great hands Cindy). You know what Cindy I think you kicked a few butts, showing us your neat n tidy work space.If ever you need a new job you could go all over the world sorting out storage and organising our “studios”, I’m not sure how you would spare the time but knowing Cindy she could figure it out. (Beam me up Scotty)
I hang my head in shame and really should have my own servant to tidy up after me!!I only really have a blitz when my sister comes to stay.
In return for teaching her new Precious Metal Clay techniques she willingly organises me, cooks great veggie meals tidies up and walks the dog. Trouble is it’s an 8 hour drive for her but we usually get together to do art n craft fairs a few times per year.
You will probably guess by now I am a night owl.Well I can watch Cindy 24/7 and must confess to being a PC addict.

I also have a little imp that hides my tools and messes up my work-space, (but I fool him and sometimes work all through the night so he has to sit and sulk in a dark corner.)
But with one daughter living in OZ and the other living between US and Monaco, I sometimes get phone calls at unearthly hours. Do not mind, as nice to know they still need the “Dragon Lady” for a little advice or a chat when they feel homesick.
Sorry you can go gloss over all this rabbiting to cut to the chase.
On Fridays I sometimes get a chinese or indian take-away. The food safe plastic boxes are great for storing you “work in progress”. Wash well first and even bleach the “curry” ones.
If you put your blended PC, half finished work etc.in them and use two or three if needed for each project My friendly postman always puts strong red rubberbands round my post so I stack and band the different projects. Masking tape for a lable, easy to write on and just stick a new piece on top of old if you change the contents. They stack well, even use them to store my spices, dried herbs etc. Another great storage container is a fishing tackle box but make sure it has the recycle logo with the number 5 in the middle. I store all my finished unbaked canes and with all the little compartments these make great storage boxes. Have only got eight so far but they stack great on my bookcases.

Well too late to go to bed now as have to go to work in a couple of hours. Just been nagged for staying up all night but hey why waste time sleeping when you can play with your clay!! But he who must be obeyed is making me a cup of tea, (got to luv em.) Hope some of this advice is helpful but make sure you look for the number five logo on the stuff you want to store raw clay in. Toodles, gotta go………Bye.

Message to Marcela.
Both Art Clay and PMC are great products. When designing my silver pieces I usually do a “mock-up” in polymer-clay as it doesn’t dry out like silver clay so you can re-work it and bake it taking your time to get it to look right.

Bearing in mind that when you fire the PMC/Art Clay it will shink by up to 10% so if making rings it has to be carefully measured. It is a challenging medium to work with and expensive to make mistakes with. I teach (informally) as there is a lot to learn. I do not have a kiln (still saving up) but my daughte sent me a ceramic japanese hot-pot that I use when I am firing stuff that has been modelled over cork clay. When I first fired it up in the garden smoke billowed out and I had to rush inside and close all the windows (good job my neighbours love me) If you are just firing flat small pieces you can use a torch, like the chefs use to make creme brulee or if you have a camping gaz stove you can put wire mesh on the burner and fire on that. Because you are working with a naked flame, always take especial care think (health and Safety) There are some excellent books on the art of metal clays and I always feel like “Merlin” when I have finished a piece of pure silver. But hey this site is all about polymer-clay so I suggest you buy a couple of good books or attend a workshop run by an accredited tutor who has taken the three intensive courses to qualify to teach this wonderful material…….Hope this helps a little….Take care **

Cindy, thank you for thinking of all of us by sharing your personal work space. It looks really good. I seem to take up so much room when I work on a project that it does my heart really well to see that you can accomplish so much in such a small space. And you must know exactly where everything is. Even with labels, I still have a hard time finding things. You are a good example for those of us that think we need so much more space than we do. Thank you again. You are an inspiration.
Georgette

Cindy, I used to be afraid of the dark, so lonely and silent. Until I learned that night time is when everything is quiet and all the world is sleeping, we put down our troubles and cares and pick them up again when we wake in the morning, night is for peace not fear. I even prefer to drive long distances at night when the roads are clear and everyone is resting. Just thought that I should maybe explain that in my first comment, only when I re-read it did I realize that not everyone would appreciate the sacredness of peaceful silent nights like we have here in the country.

Cindy, So happy to see you face to face. Happy to see how organized you are. I think it must be better to have a smaller space to work in. I have a 15ft. by12 ft. space with a closet and lots of storage space. I find the more I spread out the messier I get. My room is a disaster all of the time. I’ll be interested to see how you organize your drawers. I feel like a hoarder and I can’t seem to get organized. Strange as it sounds I know where things are in all the mess. If I put things away I can’t find them.
I really look forward to every Fri. to see what ‘s come out of your creative mind.Thank you for sharing. Sue

@Dorothy Hurkett: Dorothy, thought I might jump in here to tell you those little drawers can be found at places like Home Depot and Lowe’s, maybe other hardware stores, too, maybe Walmart, not sure. They are commonly used to store hardware items like screws, bolts, etc.

Cindy-
It was so wonderful to see your workspace. I have been trying for a long time now (too long to mention!) to get a space organized for my beading and crafts….but there’s so much to do, I feel like I’m spinning my wheels! Do you or anyone else ever have that problem? LOL!
We have a small house, and the bedrooms are small. I’d always thought I needed a big room to work in, but you’ve shown me (literally!) that I don’t need a big room- just a small room that’s organized.

I just showed my husband this tutorial, and he got as excited as I am to change out my youngest daughter’s old bedroom- the “Mom” in me has been dragging her feet to re-arrange her room and turn it into my craft room; I’ve been doing it a bit at a time, but it’s so hard! She finished high school 2 years ago, and has moved out to CA afterwards; so I guess it’s time. She’s even said it’s ok…. LOL. But I’m still hanging on… :) Some might think that’s silly, but for me it’s purely sentimental.

ANYWAY- I’d better get moving…my husband is in the mood to really help me get this project of creating my “space” started, so I don’t want to waste the moment. Thanks so much for your passion, spirit and inspiration. I hope we can all grow up to be like you. :) Happy creating, Cindy. Keep the flow going!
Love, Amy B.

Thanks for showing us around your studio, Cindy! Seeing all those drawers inspired me to go searching for these and i won’t stop until i find them!
Keep up the good work.

Enjoyed the tour.

Hi Cindy,
Have just been watching the back issues I purchased from you and WOW you have got me hooked on copper wire. My other half amazed me with a huge bundle of filthy plastc coated cables and stripped a few inches to show me the different thicknesses inside. So will have to get my hands dirty and start stripping!!
Went to a new venue today (Sunday) to a community of craft people who meet once a month. Lovely setting down by the river. Got talking and bought some lovely home-made jams and also a beaded amulet necklace from a brilliant lady who does great stuff with the tiny seed beads.
No polymer clay stuff and only 3 jewellery stalls so might join them later in the year as they seem very friendly and all the crafts on show were really beautiful.
We sat by the river after, sipping cold beer and my puppy dog had her first swim.
Most people I spoke to had never heard of polymer clay?? Will have to spread the word about Cindy’s site. It seems that here in UK we are way behind crafters from across the pond.
To Elizabeth K.
I am a real dummy when it comes to anything to do with computers as my daughter used to do all the tecchhy stuff for me so still learning (very slowly) how to navigate this site. I am a Gemini (two sides of the coin) brilliant at somethings useless at others!
I also have done (and sold) many other crafts but Polymer Clay is by far the most facinating medium I have worked with and Cindy and Doug, together make the best team for learning and showing us (how to)So glad to have joined and discovered all these clayers…………….

Cindy, I enjoyed this video a lot, like I enjoy each of them! … thanks’ for sharing Your workspace with all of us :)
I’m in the middle off moving into a nice loft (it’s an old factory that was remodeled just a few years ago for craftspeople and artists as living and work space). And while I spend my time this days planing how to organize my new little home studio, your video was really fun to watch… thanks’ again :)

Hi Cindy Thanks for showing what your work area looks like. It is great to see what other work area look like, and get some ideas on what to do with mine. I really do enjoy all your video on polymer clay and all the different styles and designs that can be done with it. The first item I made was beads were white a swirl of brown thru them,and a flat fob same color.

Hi Cindy,
Thanks for making this video. I have been feeling guilty that I have been using up too much space for doing my craft work. Seeing your video made me realize that one needs space to be creative. I have similar storage boxes and probably should invest in more but limited funds keeps me from doing so. At least I know I am on the right track for storage space. Anyway, thanks again for the video.

@Silverleaf: You should see my studio! 99% done! Not in too bad of shape, cleaning wise. We should Skype again and I’ll give you another tour!

Did anyone (as a child) read a book called,
“The Ship That Flew”
(I first read it when I was about eight)I have re-read it to heaps of children over the years and still get letters from “grown-up” children who remember the magic of sitting listening to a chapter a night! In the book “Peter” the main character buys an old model viking ship that turns out to be magic. He learns how to work the magic that makes the ship grow to full size and has many adventures with it.
When it lands back to earth it shrinks small enough to put back in his pocket.(how cool is that?)

When I think of CINDY working her magic to reduce lumps of PC into tiny canes I think of this book….

Peter travelled all over the world in his magic ship and was also able to go back in time…

I CAN DO THAT on Cindy’s “Magic Site”, going right back in time to when she made her first “Tutes”. I can read messages from all over the world and see beautiful works of art without getting out of my chair.(How lucky am I)

Now if only I knew the magic words to shrink all my craft supplies, tools and clay, small enough to put in my cosmetic case you could re-name me Harriet Potter, but I have mislaid my book of spells so must have a mass tidy up in case I come across it!!!

So keep working your MAGIC Cindy (and Doug) I am completely under your spell………..

PS. I hope only good things come out when we open Pandora’s Box****************

Hi Cindy,

Well I’ve been really naughty and buying a load of tools online, well you’ve just gotta have’em!! Just a shame that the alphabet disc thinggy is a little bit too pricey here in UK. Will have to stay with my rubber stamp ones but will put it on my Christmas wish list
Wish we had a Hobby Lobby or Micheals, as I am nowhere near anything like that and our little local art n Craft shop has closed down, boo hoo sob!
I loved all the back issues and will have to complete the set some time soon. I don’t do Facebook, Twitter, or anything similar,(Still learning all this stuff, but will get there one day) Might even get to learn how to use my camera as have constructed a light box (thanks for info) and all the other non-polymer clay stuff……………

Message to Elizabeth K……

My young brother and his family live in Melbourne, he hates computers so I still get lovely letters from him. I only have TWO daughters but the one who was living in US is in the middle of moving. They have bought an old house in South of France can’t wait to get the pictures with her emails. She has been packing up the house in US so has been back and forth and staying in Monaco till sorted.
I just hope Cindy will not get fed up with me taking over but I just love reading all you comments and YES we sound very similar but do not worry about being too capable it IS a Capricorn trait. My favourite astrologer says of your sign, that Mercury is rewinding so you might have to alter your plans so check details carefully.xx

Thanks again Cindy, I promise I am now going so Toodles x

Hi Cindy thanks for showing a portion of your studio.

Incredible! There are 137 comments in this thread now. Who knew just a tiny peek into my humble studio would stir so much activity. How fun! Thank you all for being such great friends for me and each other. It would be hard to feel bored or lonely when there are people like you!

Elaine your stories are fantastic! I love the idea of a ship that will shrink to fit in your pocket. That reminds me… when I was a kid, I had an imaginary friend named Judy. I kept her inside my pocket and would bring her out to sit on my hand to chat with me. Whenever someone would give me too big of a hug, I would get upset that they were squishing Judy. I am sure Judy would have loved to have a ship in there with her to go traveling with! :-)

Loved the video, it made me realise you do need lots of drawers to be organised I thought I was being greedy wanting more lol, I only have a few. Thinks I shall be going shopping! I have a bug bear though its all those little bits you have just 1 of that you end up chucking in a drawer with 100 other individual items any tips would be appreciated thanks

My husband and I found a set of 8 of those little drawer boxes at an auction dirt cheap! They are sturdy metal exterior with the plastic drawers, clean and like new. What luck! We will most likely split them up, 4 for him and 4 for me. Yay!

It took me a while before I could watch your video. I am very happy that I did, it as inspired me on ways to organise my craft room and to restart to do it again. I had put it asside for a while because I was trying to find a way to bring extra income which is not working to well at the moment. It also made me realise that you can’t put asside something you are passionate about for something that is not you. You get lost in that, you feel like part of you is missing. Keep up the good work!

Cool! It looks like several of you got inspired to organize your work spaces. Love to see some of your craft rooms/studios/kitchen workspaces if you’d like to share photos on our facebook page. It would be fun to see where you all create!

@Guylaine Laflamme: I love your comments Guylaine! You are so right about the importance of being your authentic self in order to be successful. In this world of copy cats, the only way to truly stand out and be recognized as something special, is to be your one-of-a-kind self. There is only one made like you… so you might as well be the best YOU that you can be! :)

@Neha Malla: Thank you for saying that! How sweet. I got my bins at Canadian Tire here in Canada.

Mastercraft 60-Drawer Plastic Parts Cabinet: Product #58-1087-2

You should be able to find something similar in your area.

On the back of my bins are some holes so that you can secure them to the wall. Doug did this for me using gyproc anchor screws, so there is no worry of them falling down and spilling or hurting someone. Boy with 500 drawers you sure wouldn’t want that to happen!

Hi Cindy
Loved seeing your work space. My husband and I have a very large family room..too long so our coach divides off a about a 6 by 12 foot area for my work…I inherited his our wood work bench that has 6 large drawers and a large cut out on the left. On top I have my pasta machine on the left and on the right I have my toaster oven that I got from freecyle. I took your suggestion an purchased serveral fishing tackle boxes for my clay…they are in one draw. The other drawers a full of supplies . Most important ones in the top draws..Since this room is all windows…I don’t have the wall space like you do but I make due with what I have. I got my stool when my hubby decided he did not need it in his wood working shop any more. He has been great with giving me things that he has out grown.
What made things even better. he gave me his old lap top that has to be plugged in all the time) battery charge doesn’t hold.. but its great for watching your videos while I work….Working with polymer clay keeps my mind of my cancer….
Hope I can send you a picture of my work space soon….
Natale aka safti

@Tina A:

left info on your flicker….hope you got it….let me know….looking forward to “chatting” Blessings, BonnieB

@ Marcela- I’ve worked with precious metal clay and I use Art Clay. If you’d like more information about it check this site. It’s Canadian but you can take a look: artclaycanada.com/

Those paint storage racks I bought years ago from a supplier that is no longer in business. This is sad since I love them and I could use a few more myself. They are made with MDF (medium density fiberboard) and wouldn’t be too hard to make for a woodworker. I’ll keep an eye out and let you know if I ever see anything like them again.

I asked Doug about the anchor screws and he said, yes whenever you are mounting any racks to the wall that must support weight, always be sure to securely attach them to a few studs. Better safe than sorry.

Thanks for your comment!

Great info Cindy. Enjoyed how compact you are. Looking forward to more.

Lynn… The cabinets like Cindy uses for her clay and canes are available through Amazon.com. They run around $35 to $40 as I recall… but truly worth it. I only have one and have already filled it just like Cindy’s with all the new clay. This is sooo much better than having it in a drawer. I also have other cabinets that are similar that hold gemstones and beads. Those I got at Lowes (a hardware store in the states) They have larger drawers at the bottom than the above cabinet but would still work nicely for clay. Good luck on finding what you need.

Lynn… on Amazon they are called Stack-On Stack-On DS60 Storage Cabinets. $39,99 They come from a company called Northern Tool & Equipment. The main reason I went with this particular cabinet was because Cindy said the plastic drawers were polymer clay safe…. and they truly are. I also wanted to be a copy-cat with dreams of being as organized as Cindy! LOL

Edie… The Stack-On DS 60 Storage Cabinet I got from Amazon had clear drawers. I had also read some complaints about not having clear drawers. I just ordered my cabinet in August so maybe the company received enough complaints about opaque drawers that they changed back to clear…. not sure. Also the ones I have gotten at Lowe’s all have clear drawers. There may be a phone number or email address that you can write to Northern Tool and Equipment and ask them to confirm the clear drawers for you. Good Luck.

Edie…. I bought through Amazon but they used Northern as their dealer. And yes I paid double of what the other one cost. I paid $39.99. I don’t remember for sure but I must have done that because there were no complaints about it. Maybe I was the only one who was willing to pay that much, who knows, LOL. You might try looking at Lowe’s or Home Depot, maybe even Walmart if you are in the states. Cindy said she got hers at an automotive supply place in Canada.

Hi Maria , I went ahead and got through amazon thru stack on the company that makes them. I got them for 19.77 with free shipping. so you didn’t pay but 6.00 more unless you had to pay shipping. I am hoping they will be the same as you got clear drawers. But amazon is good about returning if it is not what they say. My husband says that northern is higher in price on most everything. So keep your fingers crossed I will post and let every one know if they were clear drawers. Thanks for your help! Edie

CINDY,
Yea! A totally organized everything has it’s place person. I’m not alone.
I imagine you don’t have to worry about earthquakes with all that above your head?!?

Totally not surprised that you know what’s in all your drawers. My kids used to marvel at what they called “the craft store!” In my studio they seemed to always find supplies they needed for school projects but I know what blew them away most is that I could be on a trip they would call and ask ” mom where can I find blah blah blah, for my school project?” When I could tell them where anything was that was amazing to them. The funny thing to me was that I did actually know where things were.

I have moved so many times and each move brings me a new configuration to decorate. Being an interior designer by trade this offers great fun. I love organizing and reorganizing my studios. I have had favorites. The biggest change in my moves was to seperate my office and studio. This made me much more productive and less distracted.

My next biggest change came when becoming an empty nester. Now I don’t need such large houses! So my hubby, a master RC model builder, often building the plane’s, helicopters and water vessels he designs and builds radar and various types of electronic systems for (those he designs in his day job) he has also has a large studio. That is where we house our shared tools. Its our dirty space so to speak. Drill press, wood turner, torches, hammers, saws for metal clays and glass working is all in that space.

The camera area is the most steril, in a corner in my office.

Until I was able to seperate my areas to different rooms my production ability really expanded by leaps and bounds. I am easily distracted so this works best for me. Regardless I still end up with about of a 8 by 8 inch area to work in so much stuff comes out its an entire process cleaning up for the day. I don’t make the mistake of not organizing at the end of every session in any area. That was a chore but became a great habit. With that many things going more than a day without putting it all away would be the end of all the work I do putting everything it the best place possible.

I should add being a Gemini also means these areas can be one way when everyone leaves me to the house and my work and they all come home to an entirely new organization. And I still know where everything is! Dyslexia seems to vanish in the face of my passions in life. For me anyway.
Loved seeing your studio, Cindy. Everything sounds awesome and congrats on your anniversary. (BELATED!)
fondly, Trudy