NEW Blogger -- An Oddity or Two

I came across a new blog this evening called An Oddity or Two. Isabelle is a mixed media artist working out of her tiny studio in Bedford, Nova Scotia.

The post really spoke to me because she shared how she's been avoiding her own studio space!!

WHY, you might ask!!

For the same reason I've been avoiding mine --- the chaos and mess!!

A little over 1 year ago, I set up ONE FULL SIDE of our upstairs guest room specifically for the purpose of having a place to store all my supplies and to do all my work because using the dining room table was just NOT working well ... it was NO fun having to clean away everything you're working on just because it was supper time :(

Well, the past 2-3 months have been especially busy for me with all my venues ~ Etsy shop, Facebook page, local custom orders, consignment selling at Fiddleheads Kids Shop in Dartmouth; Love, Me Boutique in Halifax and the brand new gift shop Treasures of Distinction in Pictou AS WELL AS creating my own website!

Not even mentioning trying to get prepared for my very 1st appearance at our local craft fair!

My craft area soon became a place where I only stored supplies while my dining table once again became my work area :(

Isabelle's post about spring cleaning her studio plus the fact that we are expecting a guest to use that room for about 2 months beginning mid June are the impetus I've needed to go through and CLEAN IT UP!!

DIY Craft Storage Ideas

If you're anything like me, you don't realize what some of those UNused thngs lying around your house already could be used for in your craft world UNTIL you see a post like this one at Oh My! Handmade Goodness!

I love this one and could really use it :)

My Crafting Space

This is what my CRAFT ROOM looks like NOW -- It's actually just a recessed area that's against one wall of our upstairs guest room.

Below is what that side looked like BEFORE I first decided to take over this side of our upstairs guest room in January of this year after using my kitchen table for almost 8 months ... I was happy that I no longer had to clean up after every session spent there and could finally leave projects as they were to be continued the next day!!

My next step was beginning in a very small way by buying 2 of those 12" X 12" plastic drawer units from Wal Mart --

Needless to say, as time went goes on and new projects are attempted, MORE drawers and MORE organization are required -- I love seeing what I have at a glance which makes these see-through 12" X 12" stackable units ideal and they hold so much --

I got these 3 stemware glasses for about 10 CENTS EACH from a local thrift shop and use them to store the small amount of fabric flowers that I presently have -- it gives a splash of colour!!

The narrower units on the far LEFT are actually stackable plastic shoe box drawers and are great for storing odds and ends that don't need the width of the other drawers . . . you'll notice that I have enough room to store extra paper towels UNDER the work table :o)

The stackable SHOE BOX drawers hold -- beautiful stemware glasses full of buttons -- stemware pieces were 10 CENTS each :o)

All my wooden RUBBER stamps EXCEPT the LARGE ones and the TREE rubber stamps --

My RIBBON which are all INEXPENSIVE rolls from Wal Mart --

Rolls of string, embroidery floss, mini clothespins, Jewel-It adhesive and extra blades for my Fiskars cutter --

I couldn't find wooden letters to form the word *C - R - E - A - T - E*, but did find these colourful FOAM letters at Michaels' and they are less likely to cause damage either on the wall or to fall on me when I'm working --

On the LEFT underside of my work surface, I have a set of 3 drawers that measure 12" X 12" and it was the original storage unit that I BEGAN with going on 2 years ago -- it used to hold EVERYTHING that I owned and used and could be rolled to wherever I had to work -- it now holds overflow and  acts as a desk --

This 3 drawer unit is on the bottom RIGHT SIDE of the work table --

The TOP drawer holds all my Martha Stewart PUNCHES as well as embossing powders, brads, hole punches and the NEXT drawer holds all my SMALL and MEDIUM punches.

The larger, heavy punches are in the BOTTOM drawer --

The following are some of the things that are stored in the various 12" X 12" stackable drawer units ~

Smaller CLEAR stamp sets

More CLEAR stamp sets as well as odds and ends --

Glue, tape, glue dots, adhesives, etc --

More CLEAR stamps -- larger sets

More RUBBER STAMPS and TREE stamps

INK PADS and CUBES and TEAR DROPS --

Ivory and Pure White PEARLS as well as other FAUX JEWELS

Bits and Pieces that are READY to be USED

Card stock and designer paper for projects ON THE GO --

Large blank MANILLA TAGS and new packets of 3D adhesive foam --

This is what the CORNER of my work top looks like - the wallpaper border has been there since my daughter occupied this room as a child so working there brings back LOTS of memories :o)

I purchased these 3 mesh units from DOLLARAMA for $1.00 each and they're great for holding my scissors, pens, pencils, BIC permanent markers, tweezers, bone folder, etc ~ EVERYTHING I use all the time and need at my fingertips!!

I love my FISKARS cutting unit and can hardly wait until Christmas when I can add my new SCOR-PAL and SCOR-PAL cutting board to my desk top :o)

Scraps large and small --

You can imagine my excitement when I found someone selling their EK SUCCESS paper storage tower  because not only was the price right but it fit perfectly in a spot on the opposite side of my craft area! 

Moving my designer papers and ALL my coloured Bazzill card stock freed up several drawers in my 12" X 12" stacking units -- now I can see what I have at a glance and it's much easier to see what needs replenishing!!

I keep ALL my WHITE and CREAM-IVORY Bazzill card stock in 1 drawer

I've got a couple of those vinyl removeable signs to put above this area along with pictures but haven't yet gotten around to doing it --

 

At the other side of the room just *kitty korner* to my new EK Success paper unit, I have this 7 drawer unit that stores all my FINISHED greeting cards, envelopes and tags --

Against the wall to the LEFT of my Craft Area, I use this old computer desk as a place to store my parcel and mailing supplies for whatever I sell from my ETSY shop as well as old childrens' books and such that I use to create some of my whimsical collages as well as DEMO FRAMES for photographing my 3D art and collages for sale ---

THANKS for visiting :o)
I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my crafting space!

Blessings,

My Crafting Space

I've been stamping and playing with paper since the spring of 2009 and until January of this year, I used the kitchen-dining table as my work area.  Come meal time, it was so frustrating because I had to move whatever project I was working on, even if I was in the middle of something!

At that point, I decided to claim our 'daughter's childhood room now guestroom' as my own craft space.

I don't know about you, but I've always enjoyed peeking into the craft rooms of others and seeing where they work and what they use, so here's mine ...





The area has already undergone a few changes since the creation of this video as I have added more supplies and stamps ... I've added a couple more of the shoebox drawers on top of those shown here on the far LEFT side ...

The reason I'm content using such a small cutting pad on my work surface is because I'm looking forward to Christmas when I'll receive my much suggested gift from whoever would like to do the honours ~ a Scor-Pal and Scor-Mat . . . After seeing all the things it's capable of, I can hardly wait!!