I Survived A Studio Makeover.

It's been a very long October here at Annie Howes Keepsakes. Long hours, and missing X-acto blades, lost business card boxes, and many apologies for delayed shipments. The good news is October is over and the studio renovation is complete!

Well, almost. A few minor cosmetic features like the rest of the ceiling tiles, the framing for the windows and one door, and a bookshelf are all that remain.

Mr. Howes took a week off work and went to work on my renovated studio space the very weekend of my last craft fair. This turned my shipping and productivity upside down, but I wasn't complaining. We both knew with the growth of the company, this huge undertaking needed to take place immediately.


The garage is on the left, the studio on the right in the above photo.

The former studio space was about 110 sq ft of carpeted climate controlled space with more outlets on the walls than should be allowed by code. Inside that tiny space I created soldered art charms, handmade accordion books, Scrabble tile pendants, glass tile pendants, and that's where the concept of the pendant craft kit was born. Shipping and packing took place in there, too, until July when I began using the folding tables from my craft fair booth in the main part of the garage as my shipping station.


This is my packing/shipping station while construction was taking place.


Hey, at least I could see when UPS drove up!

The burgeoning studio needed expansion so Mr. Howes knocked out a wall and went to the serious business of constructing a space that would accommodate all aspects of the business, including...my office!


Now when I leave the studio to address something online I don't have to walk through the "black hole", you know, that place where you forget where you were going and why!

To all my customers who experienced delayed shipping due to renovation, here's the unexpected chaos that has transformed into a streamlined efficient space. At over 350 sq ft, I may still have room to grow!