making new spaces.

so we're pretty much done with the closet project, at least for the time being.  plus, our house is pretty clean at the moment and it's a good time to snap some photos.  :)

I never get good before photos, but here's one from right before we painted and purchased our new bed.  these were Michael and I's closets:

awesome, I know.  please note the MVP paint can holding up one side of our old bed.  we first painted the room a lighter color, purchased a new rug to go under the new bed, and slowly but surely started cleaning things out.  fresh into a new year, we started figuring out how to make 'my side' of the closet into a studio space:

when we decided to get serious, I ordered a chair and some recording gear and we decided to gift each other nice Container Store Elfa closet systems for Valentine's Day.  the studio closet was our elfa guinea pig.  

at the end of the day, it didn't have a real 'back wall' yet and we were still missing some gear, but it was a great start:

fast forward a few more components and here's what the whole space looks like today:

I purchased all new curtains for the room from Target, and these matching long ones were available online.  I also got the lamps beside our bed and the one on the desk from Target:

We already had the metal tree wall hanging, I just painted it.

the booth:

I read from an iPad, and the monitor over there is connected to the laptop outside so I can control the display and record myself using the bluetooth trackpad/keyboard:

outside the booth is the laptop, the preamp, and the external hard drive.  this is pretty amazing, considering what it used to cost to build a studio and how bulky things used to be.

the most 'it'll do for now' component of our project that's sure to be futzed-with as we go along.  we had a tough time figuring out how to create a little 'box' to record in.  the enemy of soundproofing is air, so you really want something enclosed.  since this is a closet from the 50's, there's no chance of closing the door, so M cut off these wooden clothes rods, zip-tied them to the shelf, and they can be moved out to hold the sound blanket in it's proper place and create a little cozy but roomy space when you're inside recording.  

Michael's new-and-improved closet:

magz had just woken up from her nap.

my new and improved closet in the hallway (made way better by a great purging of unworn things):

a couple of other things I like in the room... these photos of the girls beside my bed (the aqua rolling nightstand came from ikea):

 and my little montage on the wall.  the framed art was, I believe, the first thing Maggie ever made that she named (Michael wrote 'A Scary Monster' and the date on the back).  the top left photo is Michael and I just before our celebratory "we're debt-free!" dinner, I took that photo of the girls in the middle, that family selfie is from the Thanksgiving Day Parade this year, and some dear friends framed an invitation to our wedding reception here in Houston.  You may notice that there's a lone wise man hanging out on my dresser - he's been MIA since christmas, and we just found him again.  the 'Do Small Things With Great Love' wall hanging was in the kitchen where I could see it multiple times a day, but Maggie's Wednesday night class calendar is there now so I'm still figuring out where it should go. 

and there you have it.

I'm still learning how to use the equipment and am honestly already plotting which preamp I'll purchase next, but I'm proud to have gotten this far and have high hopes for doing more work in my jammies in 2014 and beyond.

-m.y.

february 2014 - or the month of head bonks.

february:

Irma's birthday party:

I got mgb a Chinese New Year Date Night cooking class at Sur La Table for his birthday.  here's us sharing what we learned with the girls:

I took advantage of Banana Republic's 40% off sweater sale to purchase a couple of audition tops.  fyi, these are perfect for these reasons:  they have a v-neck (elongating, universally flattering), they're in rich colors that make most everyone look fresh and good, and they're very lightweight with 3/4 length sleeves (good for Houston weather, multi-season).

wore this one to an audition in Austin the next day.  first words out of casting person's mouth - 'wow, what a great color!'.  see what I mean?

adding the letter A to our repertoire.

sushi dinner with Su and Eli, followed by cupcaaaaakessssss.

I saw this house leaving a session in the Heights one day and liked the colors.  I wouldn't mind this type of color scheme someday.

valentines day!  best.

princesses.

appreciating books we got at C's birthday party.  such a fun time at the Houston Fire Museum!

first big bonk of the month, courtesy of our uneven back yard and an unfortunately located compost bucket.

Seeds class with Miss B.

renewed health efforts:

I'm only speculating, but I'm guessing this one will be pretty easy to potty train:

my lunch date after story time.  I still love sharing lunch @ whole foods.

so grateful for this ministry.

second major bonk:  at church on Wednesday night.  origin/cause slightly murky, as I was preparing food at the time and didn't actually see what happened.  4 stitches, and a renewed hope that our health system becomes more efficient.

story time again, same outfit as last week.  So glad Grammy made this dress!

everybody poops around here.

I think my next post will be about the transformation of our closets into a studio and... well... closets. :)