Hand Embroidery, Roses, And My Topaz Case

I feel a little better after whining about retreats.  

I got my package for the hand embroidery today!  Wow!  I can't wait to get started.  Those beads are so LITTLE.  I have visions of accidentally spilling them all over and watching them vanish into my carpet.  Do I wait until I get all the rose bud blocks done or just start?  I have 3 done.   

From Quilted with Love

Here's the mess with the rosebud blocks.  It's really more organized than it looks.

From Quilted with Love

This is where I could really use any reader input:

I haven't done any machine embroidery because it's such a pain to get out the embroidery unit.  It sits in this box behind the machine.  It's not heavy, just awkward as all the weight is on one side.  I knocked over my entire machine embroidery thread collection on the wall pulling it out one time.  I had to give up and put all the thread in a bin instead of on the wall.  

From Quilted with Love

Here's the embroidery unit in the box:

From Quilted with Love

Viking doesn't make a specific case for the Topaz embroidery unit.  I think they make a case set for the Diamond but I don't know if they can sell just the embroidery unit case.  The styrofoam case is 22.5 x23 inches.  The dealer on the Viking Topaz Yahoo! Group suggested making your own or finding a suitcase of sorts.  The suitcase would work if I could figure out padding to secure the unit. 

I still run into the problem of storing it.  Here's my sewing area:

From Quilted with Love

You aren't imagining it.  It's the kitchen.  You can see pulling the box in/out behind the sewing table isn't easy and I can't leave it out for everyone to trip over.  I really don't want to haul it up/down the basement stairs and through the garage to use it.  I wish I could just lay it flat instead of vertical.  Pulling it out would be much easier.      

So..  Any ideas?  I'll call the dealer in the morning and see if I can order the Diamond Case.  I just see mega dollar signs.