My Creative Space

I love seeing where other crafters create.  What their crafty spaces look like, and how they keep organized.

Now it's my turn to share my Craft Studio. 

Each of the Design Team members at The Pink Elephant Blog is showing what their creative spaces look like  There are some wonderful organization and storage ideas to be found - go take a look. 

I have a dedicated room (I know - I'm a lucky girl) that is in the basement so it stays cool in the summer (the temperature here in California is currently 100+ degrees), and also warm in the winter.  

But unfortunately, it also gets very little natural light, which was apparent as I tried to take pictures and found it hard to capture the true colors.  I guess it's time to call the electrician and get those recessed lights installed.

The room has a counter height island table in the center - under the chandelier - with storage on each of the surrounding walls. 

At the end of the table I installed a hanging paper roll.  I don't worry too much about getting paint or ink on the table top because I like that used/distressed look.  But it's nice to have at my fingertips for those super messy projects.

Continuing around the room, i have a large framed cork board filled with different bits and pieces that make me happy.  Part inspiration.  Part storage.  Part organization.

I change it up for the seasons, or whenever a whim moves me.

Underneath I have some vintage cameras - and other vintage office equipment sitting on a toy chest made by my dad (originally made for my now-teenage daughter).  That's where I store unfinished projects.

This room originally had no closets, and was used by the previous owners as a Media Room. 

That should have been my fist clue that the lighting wasn't going to be good. 

We built out closets along one entire wall, but left a little corner nook. 

I wanted to have a separate writing area with open shelves that hold note cards and pretty bowls of paper clips and push pins.  

the closet doors keep everything hidden inside.  But also open up completely flush against the wall, so as I'm working at the island, I can have all the supplies  inside readily accessible.  
 

One side holds mostly fabrics and sewing notions. 

The other side has all my crafting and scrapbook supplies.

My husband and I made hanging frames to hold spools of ribbons (just one of my collecting obsessions).  Nothing makes me happier than having a rainbow of ribbon at my fingertips.

The left side wall is where my sewing machine sits.  

The wooden sewing cabinet was given to me by my mother when I moved into my first apartment.  It's the machine I learned to sew on as a teenager.  I now use a new sewing machine, but the old one is still in the cabinet (someday I'll get around to getting it working again). 

An old kitchen cabinet above my sewing machine stores various notebooks in the plate rack slots (another of my collecting obsessions), and bakers twine in glass sugar shakers. 

My mom (the quilter) made this cute dust cover for my sewing machine.  it's the perfect touch of color to brighten up the well-used wood cabinet.  

On the other long wall, we created a workspace from a piece of white laminated wood.  It's supported by two file cabinets on one end, and attached to a cube storage unit on the other end.  A little painted wood trim to finish the cut edges and it looks like a custom built-in. 

I use a mixture of vintage and new glass jars for storage.  The window ledge above my work desk has jars filled with buttons, ribbons, brushes and twine in neutral shades of cream & white.

I store my punches on towel bars mounted to the wall.  it worked well for me as I don't have a huge collection of punches, but I'm quickly outgrowing this storage method.  

The bottom of my workspace used to be completely open, but I recently added these colorful curtains.  Not only do they match the sewing machine cover, and window swag - but they also hide some not-so-pretty plastic mismatched storage bins. 

As we finish the tour around my craft studio - the last stop is a close up look of the cube storage unit.  

I keep my washi tape organized by color in kitchen colanders sitting on top of the unit. 

More collected items - like vintage handkerchiefs and spools of thread - are displayed in the cubbies. 

Some of my favorite fabrics are tucked into metal bins.  Buttons and flowers in glass jars are spread out throughout the cubbies as colorful accents - but still easy to get.  

A little satin ribbon and tags give plain white magazine boxes some pizazz, and remind me of what's inside.  

Thanks for coming along on this tour of my crafty space.  
It makes me happy and inspires me to create.

I hope your space does the same for you. 

Homework Station

We have been in school for 5 weeks this year so far - and this is what our Kitchen Counter often looks like:

To tell the Truth - it almost ALWAYS looks like this.

Homework never gets done in one sitting, so the homework supplies stay out all afternoon, and night and usually the next morning (for those last minute study sessions).

I decided it was time to Tame the Beast and Take Back our Kitchen Counter.

Ta Da...We Now have a Designated Homework Station!

 I would have loved to fill it with Fun Bright Colored accessories - but since it's in the middle of the Kitchen - and can be seen from all over the first floor - I decided to keep things neutral.

Everything essential for homework has it's place.

Text Books are covered with Newsprint Wrapping Paper (I added clear Contact Paper for extra durability).

 The books were covered - but not yet labeled - for at least a week.  

 I thought it was fun searching for the right text book - Little K....not so much. 

I used Red bordered labels - and my Old Fashioned typewriter - to make the Subject Labels.

  

Baskets of all different sizes are used to corral the clutter.  

Each one has it's own clever hang tag:

PLUG IT IN (electronic devices and chargers)

TAKE NOTE (note cards and sticky notes)

GO AWAY (erasers and white out) 

KEEP IT TOGETHER (paper clips and glue sticks)

 Cans of different sizes are wrapped with Scrap Book Paper (you could also use the same wrapping paper from the Text Book Covers). 

  
Look at these happy colored rubber bands - tucked inside one of the cans. 

 Colored pencils add another splash of bright.

Smaller baskets keep little bits in place, and cardboard magazine holders hide notebooks and paper packs (I plan on covering the white holders with more newsprint paper).  

 Another wrapped can holds a supply of sharpened pencils (that will somehow disappear completely within a few weeks).  

The bookcase that holds it all - is right next to the kitchen counter where homework is done. 

I didn't expect that everything would be neat and tidy all the time, and the counter is still filled with books and papers most of the afternoon and evening.  But our Homework Station has kept a lot of the little bits in place and made it much quicker to put things away (for her, and for me).

Now I need to do the same kind of organizing for the other place that homework gets done....the car.