Check out my freehand nail art in the folders/pages above this line :) - Se min frihånds nail art i fanebladene over denne linie :)



tirsdag den 21. oktober 2014

My nail polish stash, storage and work space - a guided tour

Welcome to a picture heavy guided tour in my polish drawers and workspace...!
I feel like a child waiting for Christmas LOL - I have looked SO much forward to showing you this post and I put in at least 8 hours of work in it trying to remember everything and to make all photos and text as perfect and as easy to understand as possible!
I have become one more chest of drawers for my nail polishes - and it's two and a half years ago since I last showed you my nail polish workspace - click HERE - and a lot have happened since then!

First two overview photos showing the storage and the workspace before we dive into the drawers...!
Remember you can click on the photos to enlarge them!
The cushion on top of the smallest of the chest of drawers is mainly used by Ivan, the youngest of our 4 cats.
As you can see I often sit with my laptop right behind the "half-wall", so it's quite cozy. And if the "cozy-level" isn't high enough, Ivan jumps on the table and demands to be cuddled <3
Everything in my workspace is within reach and I even have a sink, very practical both when swatching and painting nail art with acrylic craft colors!
And in case you wonder, this is NOT our kitchen, it's my workspace and noting else, but it is a separate part of your long L-shaped kitchen....

My photo set-up is only a few steps away (if I don't stumble over any cat toys) and I can open doors to get in fresh air if I want to.
Another favorite cat cushion is found on the top of our extra refrigerator.

Ok, enough small talk - let's dive into the drawers. I took photos of all of them except two, that aren't (yet) used for nail polish/related stuff!

Do you remember my many, many untried polishes - click HERE?
Well I have been swatching a lot, so now the drawer looks like this, so that is quite an improvement:
BUT - there always seem to be a but somewhere, doesn't there..?

My drawer of untried Chanel's is way fuller now:

AND there is a new drawer of untried Indies & Co.

AND the acrylic shelves with the "next up" untrieds aren't exactly empty either, are they, tsk, tsk...

So let's move away from the untried polishes to all the swatched/tried ones, all the keepers - most are sorted by color, Chanel and Dance Legend are sorted by brand.

This drawer houses the already swatched Chanel polishes from 2007 and onwards. The empty spaces are for not yet swatched and missing polishes from the year in question.

And this drawer houses the already swatched Chanel polishes older than 2007.

A few swatched orange and yellow - a LOT of swatched pastel yellows - and my so far swatched Dance Legends...

My so far swatched pink and reds.

My swatched pink, red and purple holos.

My swatched holos in other colors.

My swatched greens going from dark til light mint.

My swatched blues going from dark til light pastel blue.

My so far swatched purples going from pastel to dark - I see the need for more room for the darker purples soon...

My glitters.

My so far swatched Diors - a few others and special finish polishes like glow in the dark, magnetics, crackle etc. - a drawer that that is open for other polishes, maybe the darker purples as before mentioned...

My refills, a few gifts and polishes looking for new homes...
- but what is this? MORE polishes looking for new homes + a shelf somewhere else in the house, tsk, tsk, tsk...

A drawer with a few extra acrylic craft colors, most stand ready in my workspace, a little glitters etc.

Extra nail wheels, swatch sticks and a lot of "this and that"...

Re-use of boxes, bubble wrap etc. for shipping polishes to friends...

And finally a closer look at my workspace:
I have all I need in one place - always ready to use.
Because of surgery in the neck and shoulders it's best for me to stand while polishing and painting, so one arm is supported by the clear acrylic box, the other by the metal suitcase.
On the clear acrylic box you see my old eyes secret weapon and helper: OptiVisor (5), that enlarges everything 2½ times (but gives a very short focal depth); I use it when I paint nail art and do a clean up.

The top drawer under the metal suitcase - messy and chaotic, but I can find most things in it without looking - and...
- I chose not to tidy up before the photos, so what might look chaotic to you is very practical for me ;)

Did you like the guided tour in my polish world?
Useful links to my: Indies & Co. -  Chanel polishes - Stash list - DIY Tips & Tricks - or use the menu at the top of the page to see even more pages.
Current giveaway - click HERE!

49 kommentarer:

  1. So fun to see all your workspace and drawers. :-)

    SvarSlet
  2. Do you mind if I show my husband your post because he is thinking I have got too much ;)
    Anyway I am impressed how everything is looking perfect in your work place :)

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. NPA law #1 - use everything you can on the internet to justify your addiction :D
      Aww, thanks a lot, and I hope that your husband realizes how lucky he is :D

      Slet
  3. Wow....Maria! I'm speachless.

    Bet you are keeping your coffee in the blue Tupperware box. Me too ;o).

    Kind regards,
    Elena

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. LOL
      NOPE it's treats for the cats, each time the come home and/or come when I call, they get treats!

      Slet
  4. wow! your place is just awesome <3 I am speachless ;)

    SvarSlet
  5. I really liked the guided tour, Thanks, that is inspiration!

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. That is sweet music to my ears - thanks a lot to you too!

      Slet
  6. Thanks for the tour, it's amazing how much the stash grew! :)

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. Yep, but it's soon 2 years since you visited last, so about time you come again, right :)

      Slet
  7. Oh, this is really MANY :D
    I have to say I adore your cat because he looks very similar to my beloved one that died last year.

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. Guilty as charged LOL
      Aww, I'm so sorry to hear that - I love Ivan so much, he was a kitten left to fend for himself in a summer house area - until he met me ;)

      Slet
  8. No, i didn't like it, i LOVED it!! It's so much fun to see the "behind the scenes" pictures. And your stash is really impressive.

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. I love to hear that - thank you so, so much :)

      Slet
  9. What a great post Maria :-D So organised and what a gorgeous cat <3 <3 Lol I don't let my cats near my "polish room" ;-)

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. Thank you so much Ananka - and Ivan purrs ;)
      Oh I wonder if having 4 cats have anything to do with occasional cat hairs in my manis, nah, probably not ;)

      Slet
    2. 4 cats! Wow I've got 3. I have two pure white females and our house seems to be constantly full of white cat hair - no matter how many times we tidy and clean!!!!! Our clothes are always covered in it too! The other cat is a male Bengal, but he doesn't shed hair as much!

      Give Ivan a big cuddle from me please :-D <3

      Slet
    3. LOL yes, hairs and cats - I know, I do however have a good rubber brush (Zoom Groom) that is very efficient. Back in the olden days I also had Sokoke cats, their hairs are also super short like the Bengal.
      Ivan is right now purring like a V8 in front of me making it difficult to write - so hug is given :)
      We have 2 striped and white (Findus has much less white that Ivan) and two black and whites Smilly and Tyson, ale rescues and all of course neutered. Tyson is a feral cat, getting more and more confident but still not in a state where he allows touching, but he sniffs my hand and feet if I have food for him. At dinner time he arrives waiting for his special treatment, where we put the other cats in the living room and lets him be alone in the kitchen with his own dish. They have food at all times, so he comes and goes as it pleases him :)

      Slet
  10. Woooooow es increible, tienes muchisimos, el cajon de chanel...love

    SvarSlet
  11. This was a true feast for the eyes, especially Ivan :D

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. I am so happy to hear that Vedrana, thank you so much :)
      And having to choose between Ivan and all my polishes, Ivan would be my choice ;)

      Slet
  12. oh Maria... please adopt me :*

    SvarSlet
  13. AMAZING post! How many little baby you want to give away :(
    BTW I love how you've organized the whole thing, great job! I act in a much easier way: put everything together in roughly based on brands drawers and use excel sheets to sign what bottles I own and wether I've already post them or not :)
    I didn't see the lovely bear bottle but I'm sad to see the skull ones and storybook love along the give away bottles :(

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. Thank you so much Chiara :)
      I use Excel too, each polish has a number so that I easily can find it in the crowd - without it would take a lot longer time to find.
      The wee bears still stand on top of the furniture together with 2 scull bottles - and I'm sure the others are going to loving homes :)

      Slet
  14. Well, the beginning sounded something like: Dear visitors, welcome! This is a guided tour throught Marias nail art castle! In the first room, on your left you can see...... :-)
    Ivan has a "top position", as long as he doesn't touch those small bottles of nail polish near him! :-)
    There are so many nail polishes and I see that you organize them perfectly :-) And, I'm happy to see my favourite thing in your stash - OptiVisor (5) :-)

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. Hahaha, you are so funny :D
      Actually no cat has ever knocked a bottle of polish over - knock on wood :)
      I kind of guessed it would be your favorite thing :)

      Slet
  15. Wow. The amount of stuff and order you have is so impressive! I really liked to get some insight into your polish area. I try to not outgrow Helmer-1 and paint my nails at a poorly lit kitchen table :)

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. Aww, thanks a lot Zara - light is important for your eyes andyou, it increases the joy immensely :)

      Slet
  16. Thanks for letting me in your space. I dream someday to have my own space like you.

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. Thank you so much Micki!
      I'm so happy that you like it - and I wish you get your dream space one day <3

      Slet
  17. wow, thank you for sharing this! and i also thought of kitchen :D

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. LOL it is kitchen furniture - so not so strange ;)

      Slet
  18. Very interesting to see! And nice to read about your cats, and see your beautiful cat. I'm thinking about buying an OptiVisor. What a good idea to put numbers on the bottles. It looks so pretty and well organized. And the room is so light and big. I hope your neck will get better.

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. You will love the OptiVisor once you learn to use it, it takes a little getting used to!
      Thanks a lot - I'm glad you like it!
      Neck and shoulder probably stay like they are - or get worse :)

      Slet
  19. Such an amazing space! And I think I need to look into getting some OptiVisor for myself too! Thanks for sharing!

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. Aww, thank yo so much - OptiVisor is my life savior - could do manis without it!

      Slet

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