Day 24 at 890 Queen

Dad and Tony spent another loooong day working on the walls.

Day 23 at 890 Queen - Down with the old and up with the new walls

Tony and Dad arrived at noon to begin installing my picture frame walls! this is an exiting day for me! Cant wait to see them all done!

Day 22 at 890 Queen

James took down walls at 955 Queen :( Sad day, I loved those walls and I loved my first shop. So many memories, trial, tribulations and successes not forgetting all of the tears (me) and laughter. Silversmith studio at 955 Queen is all that remains for now and by Saturday it will be all gone :(

Some of the students from last nights class wave goodbye to our old studio. This classroom will hold a special place in the hearts of several of our students.

Day 20 and 21 at 890 Queen

Happenings on Saturday at 890 Queen
(Light construction in the front)















More happenings on Saturday at 955 Queen
(Wedding Band Workshop in front)















Each weekend is crazier than the last but at least things feel like they are getting done and I am confidant that all will get done in time. 890 Queen was a busy little space this weekend with the Enamelling Workshop happening in the back and some light construction happening in the front. 955 Queen was not too quiet either. I had my Wedding Band Workshop on Saturday as usual but there was construction going on in there to boot! We had to move a 4x8 piece of drywall that was put up as a sound barrier between our classroom and the construction to access the washroom, everyone usually waited until one would go and then we would all line up to go then.

On Sunday as I run between three locations, 955 Queen to bring boxes to Melissa, 890 Queen to bring Marc the chop saw and home to feed the baby etc, etc (good thing those points are only 50 feet away from each other) I run into Brian Bailey, who's shop is just 6 doors down from my new shop. Brian says "How is it going" and I say "I am in the middle of a big project, I am relocating my shop and I am exhausted" Brian replies "Good for you, you can do it! You are young! Good luck you will be fine" did I just get a pep talk from Brian Bailey, the mentor of mentors? I literally felt like I was in the middle of an episode of Project Runway Canada! a show that I love BTW. I walked away with a skip in my step and a smile on my face and renewed energy for the rest of the day :) Thanks for the encouragement Brian!

An update on our progress so far - Marc spent a grueling 10 hours working on the front of the shop re surfacing the bay window ledge and prepping the space to be painted. Gord finished the grouting. Chris finished the lighting in studio A. Melissa packed up the jewellery an officially closed the doors of 955 Queen to retail traffic but we are still open for classes of course.

Up coming - James will be at 955 tomorrow to take down a few more walls (walls that I love and will be very sad to see go) Tony will arrive on Tuesday (finger crossed) to finally erect the picture frame walls at 890 Queen, I hope his finger is OK. Tammy is scheduled to come in on Wednesday to paint the ceiling. Work, work, work and then the big move on Saturday.

I have got to stop getting up at 5am! Sleep is needed but at least I now have the opportunity to watch the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony on Rogers on Demand!

I would also just like to say that I finally understad the true meaning of why people say "Oh Brother"

Day 19 at 890 Queen

Another Late start to the day. We had to take Lee for his 10 month check up and when I finally got back to work it was 4:30. Melissa and I attacked the back room like mad and got it in good working order for tomorrows Enamelling for Beginners workshop. I am very pleased to finally have studio 2 in working order and am now so exited to get the other studio in there and get back to business as normal, well better than normal I hope. I wanted to take a photo of the back room but gords blackberry camera wasn't working so a fuzzy video was the best we could do. I will try to add some pics tomorrow.

Day 18 at 890 Queen

I bit off more than I could chew today but thank goodness for good friends. The day started with a big plan to get so much done and the first thing on the list was to just take the few remaining boxes from the LWC studio from 955 and walk them across the street to 890. This was a simple plan and a simple task... I thought. When we started to bring the boxes and left overs downstairs we realized that perhaps there were more than just a few things and that a truck was in order. All Gord, Melanie and I managed was to pack the boxes and other things into the truck and then Monte, Marc and Gord unloaded them all into 890 Queen later that day while Sylvia babysat. In between the load and unload of the truck Gord finished the last little bit of tiling to be grouted tomorrow and I finally got that well needed shower after they turned the water back on in our building, it is really hard to go a whole day without water, you don't realize how important it is in day to day life until it is gone, I will never take you for granted again dear water. Class at 6pm went well, our students made some progress on their bezels.

Good news! Chris will be here again this weekend, hopefully he will have time to help finish the lighting. Tony will be here on Tuesday to erect the partition walls. Marc is going the do some drywall patch up work this weekend and James has begun work on some furniture for the new space.

Enamelling for Beginners will be held at the 890 Queen on Saturday and Sunday! I have to have the back studio in good working order for the class!!! Good thing Catherine brings all of her own supplies so I don't have to worry about scrounging things up.

Day 13 - 17 at 890 Queen

So it has been pretty difficult to write every day.  The floor is almost done, just have to do some touch ups and then the grouting.  James is about to begin work on the few extra pieces of furniture that we need for the gallery.  Chris was here on Sunday to install 1/4 of the lighting, hopefully he will finish this weekend (fingers crossed) and Contractor Tony is supposed to arrive soon (fingers double crossed) to erect the wall he has prefabricated.  I can not believe that there is just over a week until we have to be out of 955 and up and running in 890 Queen!!! Where did the time go and where can I get some more?  I took a few shots of our progress so far, hopefully things will look much different in a weeks time.

Day 12 at 890 Queen

...Two more rows of tiles : /

Day 10 and 11 at 890 Queen - Hexed!

So I guess I have ordered some of the most difficult tiles for the front of the shop to work with... I didn't know!... but would that have really have made a difference if I did know?  I would have likely gotten them just the same :)) I can be like that.

I ordered 3/4" white Hexagon Tiles, they are adorable! and as my landlord says they are "utilitarian" I love, love, love them and wouldn't change a thing but my poor husband is likely thinking otherwise right now.  Here I sit in my comfy chair at the window in my apartment looking across the street at my lovely new shop and my dear husband is working away at those annoying little tiles, I don't think he minds too much, he has his music, his dog and my ever enduring love :)  The problem with these "hexing" little tiles is that as soon as you put one down wrong the following row will be out of order and then the next and then the next and then you have a huge space and there is nothing you can do about it, frustrating!  Oh and did i mention that they tend to fall apart when they get wet you so have to place them perfectly onto the cement the first time or else...

Hopefully (fingers crossed) these tiles will get done before Sunday so that my brother Chris can concentrate on installing my pot lights.

Day 9 at 890 Queen

Not a very eventful day at 890 Queen. James came by 955 Queen to take down the half wall in the old LWC Studio so we are looking forward to another trip to the dump! We are approaching the half way point and frankly with my lead contractor out of commission until his thumb has healed I am frightened that things wont get done in time! this feels a little like the reality TV show "Restaurant Makeover" or "Opening Soon"