My Craft Room is Evolving!

 I just wanted to share some changes I made in my craft room.  This corner got an addition of the cubed organizer that I found at Michael's on clearance.  I love it because it has doors, so it looks "finished".  The only drawback is that it isn't very sturdy, so very heavy things can't go in it.  But, for some extra storage it works great.  Right now I only have some embroidery floss in it…more will be coming.

 Here is a picture of that corner of the room.  The drawers on the left hold all of my punches, with my binding stuff on top.  The drawers on the right hold all of my stamps with my die cutting stuff on top.  I had a peg board of Spellbinders by my worktable, but I moved it over to the side of the drawers with my Cuttlebug.  I think it makes more sense to have them together.

My worktable was added onto with another shelving unit from Ikea.  I laid it on its side, and put it beside my desk to add more workspace and more storage.  It works out very nicely!

 I have a sewing table now, also from Ikea.  I love having my machine out all of the time.  I am working on finishing a puff pillow quilt for my son.  You can see it folded up on the table.  I have storage under the table, and used a curtain I made, attached with Command hooks to cover it up.  It looks much nicer!

 This is my new shelving unit I got at a local Fred Meyer.  It is a closet organizer.  I put it at the end of my desk for storage of my planner stuff.  I need one more green drawer though!

 Of course, I had to tweak it a little bit more...

 I used Command hooks and bins to organize my camera, cords, etc.  It is a great spot, and highly accessible while I am working on my computer.

This is where my dies used to hang, but now I use the space for my blades and accessories for my paper trimmers.  It made more sense!

That's my new organization for now.

Thanks for coming by, and remember to stay crafty!!!

A few things in my new craft room I wanted to share

Remember this awesome typewriter that I made using Paper Phenomenons tutorial?  I was using it as a decorative piece in my old house.  I was making the signs for the months and using this to display them.  Well, I'm in my new room now, and I have decided to use it a little differently now. 

 The typewriter sits on my desk now (fitting, don't you think?), and I am using it as a memo paper holder.  I put the papers in it on the top, and I have pens propped up on the side.  It works great, and really is handy to have!  Plus, it looks like it should…a typewriter with paper in it.  I should make some memo papers with some typewriter font on it, that would be cool!

 This is my ribbon storage.  In my old room I could put these rings on the wall behind my door using the Command Hooks.  The texture in my new room is such that they won't stick no matter what I do.  So, I came up with another solution.

 I hung the hooks under my cabinet, then used curtain rods to put the hooks on.  It works great.  I can see all my ribbons, and they are easy to get to and remove from the rod if I need them.

 I did the same thing when hanging my "Create" banner.  I attached the hooks under my shelves.

I kept my Mississippi Mud jug from the old house.  My hubby drank from it while he was building my old craft room.  It sits on my desk still, but now since I have more room, I have a variety of pictures displayed with it.  I think it looks very pretty.

Thats what I wanted to show you today.  I am working on an album for my granddaughter and will get it on this blog soon.  I am also going to do a quick tutorial on how I did the pages for it.  I am slowly getting back into the crafting groove.  (I am getting my free time back!)

Stay crafty, my friends!

Welcome to my new craft room!

Hey everyone…I'm Baaaaaacccckkkkk!  Woo hoo!  The move is finally done, and I finally have a craft room again!!!

This is a picture of my hubby getting ready to install my cupboards.  Look at this room!  It's pitiful to see a naked craft room! I did a video of the finished project.  Save for a little finishing touches, my room is done!

Come to YouTube and check it out!  Please, also, let me know what you think.  I am soooooo happy to be back in the crafty world again, it has been way way way too long.

I'm getting crafty again, my friends!
Michelle

Craft Room Update

I have been working on my craft room and tweaking it as I go.  I LOVE having my room to do whatever crafty idea comes into my head.  I also like keeping it as pretty as I can.  So...whilst at our local Lowe's store, I had an idea.

 This was how my work table looked as you enter my room.  You walk around this to my other desk where my laptop lives.  I love these baskets (Clearance at Fred Meyers), the wire and the fabric lining are beautiful, but below my desk looked sort of messy.  I have filled these baskets with lots of stuff to do.

 This is the view from my desk.  I'm sitting between my work table and my desk, and here is some of my paper organization.  It is organized, and I can find things super fast.  This long table (as I call it) is a nice place to put projects in the works, also, it holds my Cricut and all of my Cricut stuff when I need it.  I also have lots of other toys here.  Again, organized, but not too pretty.

So...at Lowe's I got an idea, and here is what I did with it.

 It is hard to see, but I used some Command hooks on the side table here, and hung a cafe curtain rod.  At Lowe's, I say this curtain panel, and thought it fit with my color scheme in my room.  So, I bought it, and got out my trusty Pfaff, and made some "desk curtains".

Now, when you come into my room, this is what you see!!!  It is so much prettier, it hides my stash a little better, AND it is sort of protecting my stuff from dust and dogs!  It also created a small hiding place for the birthday decorations I bought for my Husband!!  (Tee Hee!)  The curtain rods just hang in the hooks and are easy to move and take down to get stuff I need out of there.  I think it looks much prettier!  The whole project took about 1 hour, and cost me about $30.  One panel did the entire job, with a bit left over...I think I will make a couple of pillows for my chair, because the fabric is pretty heavy duty!

I love my room, did I mention that??

Stay Crafty, my friends!
Michelle

Taa Daa, My "Mom Cave" is complete!

My husband has been calling this room my "Mom Cave"...and here it is, done and ready for crafting!!!  And, Shandee, if you are reading this, I am going to make you some STUFF!!

 I put some of my books on the shelves that he put up for me.

 This is the complete Cuttlebug station.

 My desk, with a couple of layouts I did featuring my family!  I also came across my wedding invitation and put it under the desktop.  It is above the blue "notes" notebook.

 My bookbinding station on top of my drawers full of punches.  One of my friends gave me this picture years ago, and I didn't have a room to put it in, until now.

 My cabinets hold my fabric and yarn, and on top my cricut cartridges...there are stacks behind the ones you see also!

 Excuse the box in front of my Cricut...I had not got it on the shelf yet.

My machines and cardstock.

 My work table.  I bought this serving tray, and the doily is one I made years ago.  I got this little metal pail for $1, I put some pretty buttons in it.

 My "sewing" stuff.  Do you see the little glowing eyes to the right of the picture in the doorway?  That is Ace...he is supervising again!

The shelves above the closet.

That's it.  My room...now for creating!

Stay crafty, my friends!

Almost finished!

My wonderful, awesome, sweet, incredible husband has finished  building my craft room for me!!!!!

 Here he is, my HERO, putting up my shelves for me.  I got a set above my shelving unit.

I also got these cabinets over my long table.

These shelves over my closet door.  I love them!!!  I am really utilizing all of the space I can for all of my crafty goodies!

I am almost moved in.  Last night, whilst I was organizing my "Tim Holtz/7 Gypsies/Graphic 45/Etc." bin of embellishments and goodies, he came in an took some pictures.  Here they are!

 The drawers to the left of my desk hold my punches and scissors.  On top, I am making it my "book binding" station.  My Bind-it-All will live here.  The baskets on top are holding my O-Wires.  I am also putting my McGill paper punch and my book ring collection.

 My desk is still a work in progress.  In the future I am hoping to have my own computer.

 To the right of my desk. my drawers that hold all of my stamping and inks for stamping.  On top, my Cuttlebug Station.  The baskets are holding all of my embossing folders and my cutting  plates.  My Sizzix collection is living on the shelves.

 I got some pegboards and my Spellbinders dies are living here.  My shelves are, at least at this point, holding my books that I have made.  I finished putting some up after these pictures were takes...I NEED MORE SHELVES!!!  LOL!!!

 He took a picture of my collection (in the suitcase) of book rings and binder mechanisms.  I put this suitcase in my book binding station.  (Tee Hee, I am sooooooo loving this!)

Under my cabinet, is my "long table" where my Cricut (behind the bins/boxes) lives.  I put my papers underneath, but then decided that the space was perfect for my other machines.  I have my DreamKuts, my Your Story, and my two large Xyron machines.  They are perfectly visible and useable now!  The left drawer stores my cartridges for my Xyrons, and the right, all of my Cricut cutting mats and goodies.

I have learned some things.  I am a hoarder of craft supplies.  I am weeding out things, and deciding what stays, what goes, what gets donated.  I am trying to be realistic about what to keep, knowing what I really love to do, and what to toss, because I really will not ever do it or I will really not ever do it again. I have to purge and start with a fresh slate, and I have to be vigilant.  I have got to quit buying and acquiring just because I like something. Everything has to have a purpose...really, I can't believe how much stuff I had!  I am an amazing packer...you should have seen all of the variety of locations in my old space I had things stashed in...incredible!

Ok, today, Saturday and Sunday are the final organizing days.  I should be moved out of the old space and totally into the new space.  I am hoping to be showing you my new projects very soon!  Thanks for putting up with my giddiness, I am just too excited about having my own space!  I can't wait, because now I HAVE ROOM TO HAVE MY BFF, JACKIE, COME OVER TO SCRAP WITH ME!!!

Stay Crafty, My Friends!!!

The organizing continues...

 This is the wall unit filled with some of my stuff.  I actually have a couple "spaces" still empty.  I am going to go to Ikea today, and one of the things I am going to get is the drawer inserts for some of the spaces.  I bought the cool wire baskets at our Fred Meyer's on clearance for $7!  They are perfectly sized and go with the room!  The first one holds all of my flowers, the second all of my Christmas themed stuff, and the third, all of my Halloween stuff.  I have more under my work table sorting my kits.  Then there is my sewing machine, behind it the tackle box I have had for over 20 years as my sewing notions chest.  My mom made me the machine cover, I love it!

 The right side of my desk, and I am still figuring it out.  It will be my Cuttlebug station, but it needs to be prettier!  Do you like my monkey?  My BFF Jackie gave that to me, and she loves to hang around.  LOL!  These drawers hold all of my stamps and all of my inks.  It is not filled, so I may do some rearranging and put some other goodies in here as well.  The carousel on my desk here will eventually live on my "work desk" but I am using it not to help sort things.

This is my long table.  It holds my Cricut, and will eventually also hold my book binding gear as well.  I bought the paper holders at Michael's for my cardstock.  The tower on the left of it is holding all of my paper stacks I have bought.  I had the wire shelves in my old room, but got the bins for it new for this room.  The Ikea run will also get me some cupboards for above this table that will hold all of my fabric.  Like I said, I am still sorting stuff and organizing.  Do you see the suitcase on the paper sorter?  I found these at Craft Warehouse...I am getting more!  They are huge and match my room!  I have my recipe/cookbook embellishments in this one.  There are two on my big shelving unit that hold my distressing inks/chalks, and my spray inks.

I still have to go through my fabric...which will go in the cabinets.  I have my yarn stash, which will go into the closet.  Then I have my beading supplies, that I think will get donated.  I haven't done beading in years!  But, as you can see, I am a hoarder of craft supplies and I will probably just figure out how to keep them!!!  One never knows when you are going to need them!

More pictures to come.  I am hoping to get it all in my room this weekend so I can finish a project I started.  I am dying to show you a variation on my last envelope album!!!  I have it half done, and then the room project started!  I can't finish anything right now!  I am trying really hard, I am having crafting withdrawals!!!

Stay crafty, my friends!

Ribbon Storage!

I had boxes and boxes of ribbon on spools and on clothes pins.  The boxes were a hodge podge of shoe boxes, file boxes, etc.  They were not very pretty, and I couldn't get to them easily to see what I had.  Well, those days are over!

 The space behind my door is the perfect place!  It is usually a wasted space, you can't put a lot between the door and the wall.  I bought a clothing hanger with 4 levels and 8 clips.  My over sized ribbon, special adhesive ribbons, etc go here.   Then...

I did a little DIY work and made some ribbon bobbins and used the Command hooks and...TAA DAA! My ribbons are organized, easy to get to, and PRETTY!  I have 4 more hooks on the bottom...and two more boxes to sort through.  But, when I am done, there will be no reason I can't find my ribbons!  I love this idea.  Originally, I saw the idea of Ribbon Rings online.  But, having a Gypsy and a Cricut, I created my own, and it works like a charm.  I did, however, use paper, so I chose the heaviest I could find in my stash.

I will have more pictures soon.  I am still getting sorted out!  I also sew and knit/crochet...I have  a TON of stuff to go through.

The plaque above my door...

He actually bought this for me!  My wonderful Sister-in-Law bought the one hanging on my door.  

Stay crafty, and organized, my friends!

Furniture!

 I LOVE IKEA!!!  They have the perfect furniture for the most awesome craft room!

 I can't wait to get it all organized.

WOOOOOOO HOOOOOO!