Art Room ADD? (long)

Is it possible to be ADD but only in certain areas of your life? If so, I think I have art room ADD! Here is a recap of today's typical art room experience. What do you think?



I need to clean up and organize the art room. First, I will check e-mails. An hour later, after following numerous web links and blog hopping, I remind myself to check into relocating the computer to another room!



So I'll start with scrap papers on the floor. I file these roughly by color in an accordion file. Find a few coordinating Christmas papers - they'll be good for a card. Start making the card at my desk.



A stamped image would be nice. Look through my stamp log for a good image and decide to log the several new stamps I bought recently. Find the new stamps on the desk and stamp them in log. Clean stamps and put in appropriate drawer. Find the Christmas stamp I wanted and rearrange that drawer. Ink pad dry; reink and, while reinkers are out, check several other pads to see if they need reinking. Reink pads and reorganize reinkers.



The acrylic block I need is sticky and dirty - go to bathroom to clean. Clean sink and counter while I'm in there.



Stamp image and decide to stamp others for future cards. Look through cardstock scraps for other papers. Resort cardstock scraps.



That green metal I just bought might be a great touch. Look through a few shopping bags to find metal. One bag has the new plastic storage box I got for my Cat's Eyes ink pads. Pull out all small ink pads and arrange in box. Rearrange drawer where ink pads were previously since there is now more room. Don't know where to put new storage box, so leave it on floor.



Maybe I'll cuttlebug (is that a verb now?) the metal so pull out the CB and embossing folders. The one I want is buried on my desk, underneath a paper mache ornament I wanted to decorate for Halloween. Hmmm, I'd better paint that so I can finish it before it's too many days past Halloween! Get black paint out and paint ornament. Clean paintbrush in bathroom sink and then clean up black ring-around-the-sink again.



Back to card - emboss the metal and it looks great! Don't think I'll use those patterned paper scraps as they'll detract from the metal. But they'll look good on the banner I want to make. Find my pattern for the banner pieces and cut seven chipboard shapes. They need to be gessoed, so get the gesso out and paint both sides. Can't throw out the remaining gesso on the plate, so paint old book pages for future backgrounds (I use these alot). Clean paintbrush and sink once again!



While those dry, look for the perfect ribbon for the card, which happens to be a new roll. Look for tiny pins to secure the end when I'm finished. Spill pins and pick up from floor among tiny bits of paper scraps. Decide to hand-vacuum this area of carpet. Before putting vacuum back in bathroom closet, vacuum bathroom floor.



Decide to edge layers of card with silver. Find silver pen and it's dried up. Look through all pens/markers for the duplicate one I know I have. Check all pens and throw out ones that don't work. Rearrange marker drawer.



Get out Crop-a-dile to add eyelets to card layers and then put back in case where it belongs. (Good for you Susan!)



Assemble card and run out of double-sided tape. Find refill in one of shopping bags and insert in tape dispenser. Card finished! Now scan card (I scan all my work immediately so I have a record of what I've accomplished) and then post on my blog.



So there you have it: several hours later my art room is still a shambles and, in fact, there are now additional items out - stamp log, tape gun, ribbon spool, Cuttlebug machine and folders, reinked ink pads, metallic paper drawer, the new Cat's Eyes storage box. A half-finished Halloween ornament, seven gessoed pennants, several gessoed book pages and more paper scraps are now on the top of the pile littering my desk. I have managed to finish one card; log and put away 3 new stamps; reink a few ink pads; reorganize my Christmas stamps, reinkers, markers, and a few paper scraps; clean one acrylic block; and clean a bathroom!



Ah, the circle of life: I still have the original patterned paper scraps to use on the next project...
and I'm back at the computer checking e-mails and posting on my blog! I'll clean the art room tomorrow...



And here's the card that took most of the day to make!