Welcome to my Craft Room

Quite a few people I know are in the midst of reorganizing their craft spaces.  How about you?  I do that periodically as I try to find the optimal configuration and new organizers (and new products!).  I think I'm getting there finally.  I can't even count how many times I've moved things around in this space but I bet my partner could--LOL.

I thought I would share what my space looks like currently.  Well, not currently because these pics do not show the tornado that has hit the space but I'm sure you'll have no problem imagining that part.

Picture 1:  Looking into the room which faces east.  I especially love working here in the mornings.  The tables are from Costco--lightweight and fold away if when I change my mind.  Also, this room is an extra guest bedroom so it was important to make it adaptable.

There is a leftover piece of drywall making up the work surface which I covered in brown packing paper just in case.  The work surface in front of the monitor is also covered in a chair floor mat cut to size; it was brand new and I found it by the cardboard recycling at work--can't believe someone was throwing those away--tsk, tsk.  You can see I created an L with the table section so Frankie would have a window perch and would stay off the rest of the table.  Ha!  I love his little bed--it's African and made from rolled paper.  What else?  Oh, love my Copic marker storage to the right of the chair.  Unfortunately the couple that made them no longer do.  Next to that is a repurposed shoe rack acting as a printer stand.  It's so new I haven't even had a chance to fill beneath it with crap!  The paper storage to the right of that is a mail sorter that was being tossed away--the fools!

Picture 2:  Moving clockwise around the room.  An Ikea bookcase someone gave to me.  I turned it sideways and added wheels so it can be moved around very easily.  I keep my stamps, dies, and binders in it.  On top I have another repurposed shoe rack and on top of that my beloved Michael's organizer which I don't think they sell any longer.  I took out the ribbon storage bar on the bottom to store my Distress inks there instead.  I used plastic poster board I found at Home Depot to make the ink pad shelves above that.  Super easy and economical.  (Notice the theme?)  Other things that go here are my glues, cleaners and such.  Frankie has another perch in the corner that is his favorite.  He likes to sit and watch me craft.  And snooze.  Him, not me.

Picture 3:  I have short and tall Alex drawers from Ikea.  All are on wheels for portability.  The short Alex replaced the black rolling drawers next to it.  My crafting life was transformed.   I roll the short Alex over to make a u-shape workspace when crafting.  I use the black drawers for storing wood stamps.  On top of it is an organizer I got at Costco.  I think it needs to go since I keep moving it from place to place and it's not quite right.  

I used to store dies on weak magnetic sheets on the tall Alex.  They kept falling off when I would close a drawer or Frankie would investigate so I gave up on that.  Someday I will find a new purpose for them.  On top of the tall Alex used to be my picture-taking station.  I now take them right next to my chair on top of the shoe rack.  So much easier.

Picture 4:  The closet of doom.  The shelves are great.  Love how much I can stuff in there.  And that's the problem.  It's mostly filled with stuff I hardly use. For me, if I can't see it, I don't use it.  Looking at this pic I can already see where I can improve it.  Notice the colorful box at the bottom which my acrylics came in?  I could put all those loose bits of paper on the 3rd shelf in that.  I wouldn't go through the loose bits, mind you, just move them.

Picture 5:  The space behind the door. Document filing systems from Ikea.  I'm thinking of moving my paper back there and repurposing the found mail sorter from Pic 1.  I love having the pegboard there.  It's like having my own store.  Mostly embellishments.  At the top are repurposed wood corner molding from Home Depot or Lowes.  It's the perfect depth for wood stamps and card display.   On the back of the door right next to my Big Shot (see Pic 1) are my most used basic dies mounted on magnetic vent covers.  I have no problems with the dies falling off of these and they're inexpensive. 

There you have it.  Next time I'll share what I have in my short Alex drawers.  Like I said, that thing has transformed my ability to find stuff.  AND I put stuff back in it.  That never happens unless someone is pointing a gun at me and even then I'd think about it.

Some day projects for this space:  crown molding (we do it ourselves, about 1 room each summer) and replacing existing molding, painting, a vertical Ikea shelf, new flooring, more artwork