tuesday transformation: my workshop

So, a year ago, as many of you know, I started this project. You also may know that when I get my head wrapped around an idea, I have some pretty strong follow-through, and don't stop until I have reached my goal.  This big project is now about 80% finished, but also at a stand-still due to my lack of enthusiasm for the last little bit, but the goal is to get that finished this year. Isn't it funny how that works? Anyway, I was volunteering a ton of hours at a local rescue, but not feeling that my investment of time was really moving things in any positive direction for the dogs I worked with. The dogs I was working with had been at this shelter for well over a year, and I had personally watched them decline from their first days at this shelter. I was feeling some serious burnout and almost a total loss of hope.

I decided that I would turn the old neglected and very large concrete building on my property into a workshop with two really nice sized kennels complete with very large outdoor runs that would be situated on concrete. The purpose was to foster dogs, and allow them the opportunity to get the "home" experience while there, when I was sewing or working on a project..... You see, I used to have an Etsy store, but when we moved into our little house on our BIG FARM, most of  my inventory had to remain packed away due to a lack of space, so this was going to be my new space to get all that going once again! 

This all went as planned and I ended up fostering three dogs here in the first half of 2019. The third one, was Reece, and after learning of his very complicated and extreme behavioral issues, I decided to adopt him, leave the rescue, and focus more on him and failed adoptions from the county pound that I also volunteered with....

(my very first overnight guest was Bruce <3 )

In all that, I wanted to share the transformation of the very big project that I got myself into a little over a year ago, and what it looks like now......

(my sis came and helped me clear out and clean)

(planning the layout of the kennels....)

(....and learning all about masonry)

(I learned how to do a little electrical work)

(thanks for showing me some things about electricity, Angie!!!)

(of course the kennels had to be happy colors....)

(all of the animals preferred the apartment/ workshop living over the kennels, so that is where most of their time was spent)

.....annnnnd now, it is my awesome workshop, where only Reece is allowed. 

He actually still needs so much work, I wouldn't have time to foster and help socialize anyone else, so after I adopted him in July last year, I promised he would be my sole project and priority and so he has been that and so much more! He entertains me, has helped me heal after Eddie's passing, and hopefully this year will be his year for getting over his severe stranger danger. 

This is where most of my blogging happens......

....and where I make all my potions....

Reece makes working out here more fun and when it is time to actually work, I put on some Leonard Cohen and he falls asleep in an instant........

I hope you thought this "Tuesday Transformation" was as cool as I do! I must say I am really proud of it all and so thrilled that each day I have my own space to sew, blog, and create after a day of working in an office! Our little house is amazing and so cozy, but I did lose a little of myself not having the space to create! 

I will be back tomorrow with the midweek mixtape Christian lends to the blog each week! 

xo

-s