Discover ingenious small space yarn storage solutions! Maximize every inch of your crafting area with these creative tips. Stay organized and craft comfortably.

Well here it is, this is my new sewing room / studio for messy jesse. It's the perfect craft space, with lots of shelving and storage for my growing fabric collection. A new addition to this room is a wall-mounted TV over my desk yippee! Wowee such a difference hey, It's so amazing what a lick of white paint can do! I haven't got my new scalloped blind or a light fitting in yet so it's not quite there but I couldn't resist giving you an update. I was lucky enough to already have the wall shelves there when we moved in so all they needed was a rough sanding and some fresh paint. The thread rack is handmade by a seller I found on Ebay. I also found a cute little place to hang my bunting :) Note the victorian fireplace I painstakinly restored for DAYS! I haven't got a proper picture of it before I started on it annoyinly, but it was covered in a ultra thick layer of cream paint which I stripped down using nitro mors solution and a little metal scraper, hopefully won't have to do that again : I My trustee expedit holds my sewing books and my prized collection of Golden Hands encyclopedia's (mentioned in a previous post here). As well as lots of papercrafting bits and bobs. The ladder shelves house an array of sewing notions, threads, trims and paper patterns. I'm still working on this part, I'd quite like to have more of these things on show but I'm not sure how to work this yet. I've got a new desk by upcycling the old kitchen countertops we ripped out downstairs. It's so sturdy, and a great neutral colour for the room. My old desk from IKEA bowed with the weight of my sewing machine so hoping this won't do the same? And the crowning glory... the fabric collection! I've arranged it with vintage sheets, curtains and pillowcases on the bottom four shelves and modern fabric on the two shelves above that, then fat quarters all arranged my colour, topped off with some larger yardage peices including some beautiful linen I brought back from Turkey on a holiday this year (going to be turned into a couple of sofa cushions). Some CK fabric, and a stack of vintage emroidery bits and bobs I've been collecting from charity shops this year. Haha my scrap bucket! what a disaster it looks but it actually works quite well for me. I need my scraps relatively easy to get to and not too tidy where it takes me forever to tidy. Do you have any good scrap organising tips? though I'm hoping to clear alot of it in the new year with some scrap-busting projects. A shelf of my vintage sewing baskets and tins store less-frequently-used items, like press studs, zips, alphabet stickers, and button poppers. Hmm have I missed anything out, let's see: deer ornament collection over the mantelpeice, vintage Singer sewing machine and spools of bakers twine = my perfect studio.

Explore creative Craft Room Layout Ideas to optimize your space. Find inspiration for functional and stylish designs for a perfect crafting haven.

I really want a craft room! With all my craft supplies and being interested in so many different types of crafts, I really could use a spa...

Untitled from Kim Blevins on Vimeo . Isn't she cute!!! I just found this picture as I was looking for organization ideas and I fell in...

It's mid month inspiration and reminder time to let you know there's still time to join in with the That's Crafty *Spring into Action* Challenge over HERE. This mini make was inspired by a Large upright I decorated a year ago for a Guest Design Project for Rubber Dance Stamps. Spring has officially sprung! Onto a Dinky MDF upright Tag I dabbed on some Texture paste to create clouds and painted a little scene around it. The Tulip Stamp has a face which I masked off before stamping. This gave me a blank flower head to add lots of paint layers. Stamping the tulip six times I painted with multi surface paints and cut out the leaves and Tulip head layering them on top of a full painted image. Concertinaed card acts as a raised base for the Tulips. When painted the tulips are glued in place held by clips until dry. Glitter Glue gives a little Spring Time Sparkle completing my Spring Time Upright. The dull months have really knocked my colour mojo and I needed a little trip down memory lane to see what I was up to on my blog in March last year. Please pop on over and see the inspiration the Design Team bring you and we'd love you to share your *Spring into Action* creations with us all. There's lots of prizes up for grabs over on the That's Crafty Challenge Blog Wishing you warmth and springtime sunshine Creative Hugs Tracey xx I'd like to enter this into the ~ TioT ~ The Call of Spring Challenge. Crafty Supplies: That's Crafty! ~ Dinky MDF Upright Tag That's Crafty Clear Stamps ~ Nature's Faces SET 2 Designed by Melina Dahl That's Crafty! ~ Multi Surface Paints That's Crafty! ~ Texture Paste

It's my turn to share my scrap space at the Scrap365 blog today. I always love to see where my fellow scrappers create their magic, so I thought other people might like to see where I scrap. Like most scrappers, I started scrapping on my dining room table with a little box of supplies. And like most scrappers, I quickly accumulated lots and lots of scrappy stuff and needed a bigger spot. I graduated to a desk, and then to a room in the basement of my old home. You can see that room here and here if you'd like. Finally, we bought a new home three years ago, and now, I'm in scrappy heaven because I have lots and lots of space. My room runs the length of our family room and sun room. It's not a pretty room, like the one in my old house, but it's spacious and functional and organized so that I can find what I need. I love seeing how people store all the various bits and pieces, so I'm including lots and lots of pictures for those who might want some storage ideas. Here's a look from the entrance to the room. I insisted on hardwood floors so I could roll around from place to place, and my paper carts (which I'll talk about later) also roll. My room is in our basement, but we have lots of lighting. I also get a little light from the window, even though it's below ground. (I took these pictures at night, so the window well is dark.) And here's a look from the other end of the room. You can see three doors. The door on the left is a walk-in closet that at the moment is full of boxes. The next door is a bathroom, which I love having, not only because it's convenient when nature calls, but also I can wash my stamps and paintbrushes without having to run upstairs. The door on the right takes you into the rest of our basement. I have a serious addiction to paper. I'm talking serious. For most of my scrappy life, I had my paper organized by manufacturer. This summer, I organized a whole bunch of it by color, since I generally scrap by color because of CSI. I store my paper in rolling legal-size hanging folder carts from The Container Store. I love that the paper sits upright and I can leaf through them to find what I'm looking for. These carts are unbelievable strong and roll smoothly from under the countertops. I made labels on my computer by typing on cardstock, laminating them, and stapling them to the folder. I said I organized my paper by color. I left my BasicGrey collections intact (I have 2 carts of BasicGrey--I told you I have a paper addiciton), and I left multicolored papers organized by manufacturer. Here's a shot of my papers organized by color: Another great thing about these carts is they've got drawers underneath for additional storage. They're nice and strong and can hold things like punches, and they slide out smoothly. I used to store my patterned paper scraps in sheet protectors at the front of each folder, by manufacturer. This summer, I sorted my scraps by color and put them in drawers and now I use my scraps all the time. In fact, I've used only scraps on most of my layouts since I organized them this way! I can easily slide out a whole drawer and put it on my scrap table to pick out my colors. My 6 x 6 and 8 x 8 paper pads are stored in shoeboxes and baskets. My cardstock is stored in a mail organizer I bought at an office supply store. Since I scrap 8 x 8, I buy 8-1/2 x 11 sheets. I do have some 12 x 12 sheets from when I used to subscribe to kits, and those are stored in the paper carts. And my cardstock scraps are stored in a rolling bin that sits under my scrap table, easy to grab. Most of my embellishments are stored in these stackable drawer chests, also from The Container Store. When I first started buying these, they only came in brown, and I had bought a bunch. Later, they started making white. I inherited the white ones from my sister and my mom, both of whom gave up scrapping. I've had fleeting thoughts of painting the brown, but then I come to my senses and realize how much work that would be. The drawers are labeled alphabetically so I can easily find what I want. I have a few empty drawers, so I have some room to grow. The drawers are a nice size. Not too big and not too small--I can easily pull a drawer out and go through its contents to find what I need. The rest of my embellishments are stored in baskets, sorted by type (e.g., labels, word stickers, border stickers, rub-ons, etc.). I wish I had fancy matching baskets, but as my stash grew, I'd buy additional baskets, so they don't match. I've got a gazillion buttons, and I found these cute little jars to store them by color. I covered the lids with color-coordinated polka dot paper. How does one accumulate so many buttons? Seirously. I think the red and green ones are multiplying. I love how things look organized ROYGBIV! Speaking of ROYGBIV, I've got my ribbons stored that way in candy jars. Remember when ribbon was all the rage about ten years ago? I went crazy buying ribbon. Someone seriously needs to make ribbon the next trend. But I do like the way they look on top of my drawer chests. That British love print is a present from Tracee Provis when she visited me last summer. One of these days I'm going to get it nailed to the wall. I used to store itty-bitty brads and similar embellishments in stackable bead containers that screwed together, but after several spills, I came to my senses and found these nifty storage cases that are non-spillable. They come in a binder-sort of set-up. I found the perfect cabinet to fit my Thickers at Pier One Imports. The baskets on top hold other letter stickers, organized by color. Here's a peek inside one of the drawers so you can see how perfectly they fit: I store my stamps in a few different ways. I've got my wood-mounted stamps on a CD shelf that my former brother-in-law made for me. Some are stored in CD cases in this pretty CD storage piece I inherited from my sister: I put a bunch of my acrylic stamps in binders. I'd like to put them all in binders, but the three binders that I've filled took quite a bit of time. A summer project, I suppose. The rest of my stamps are stored in these pretty letter sorters I got from Home Goods. I store my roller stamps in a plastic container, and I wanted to share a tip. Save the cardboard packaging and put a number on the handle and on the package so that you can easily find the stamp you want. The images are much easier to read on the packaging. My mixed media stuff is stored in a couple of places too. I've got inks and texture paste and stencils and stamp ink on these cute little Ikea carts everyone's been buying for their craft rooms. My acrylic paints are stored in spice racks on the wall that fits just perfectly in a corner of my room. My embossing ink and glitter and flocking powder a few other mixed media stuff is in this cabinet that used to be in my kitchen at my old house. I used spice shelf steps to hold them so the ones in the back can be seen. On the top shelf are a bunch of rub-on letters. on the bottom shelves are the gazillion packs of Heidi Swapp letters I bought when they were all the rage--this was before Thickers had come out. Here's a little tip that lots you probably do, but if you don't, it's really helpful. I created samples of stamp colors, embossing colors, stickles, liquid pearls, and circle punch sizes on cardstock, and keep them close by for when I need to choose colors. I made them a while ago and need to update them, but I still find myself using them lots. Speaking of mists and such, I've got a spot on my counter that houses a box I got at Costco where I put stuff in there to spray. I added a large piece of cardboard for added protection against stray spray. One of the great things about my room is that I can spread out different work spaces. Here's what I call my "power tools" station. Here I keep my sewing machine, Cuttlebug, embossing tool and my chargers for my camera and iPad. Tracee taught me that an iPad is an essential scrapping tool. I take pictures of my layout when it's all planned out before I stick things down. That way, when I take everything off the page to do a background, I know where everything goes. Tracee and I send each other our layouts to get feedback and advice. Then there's my work table. My table is 10 feet long, so I can scrap with other people if I like. I read my bible in the morning, so it sits on the other side of the table. The blue cup is to hold small bits of trash. I scrap 8 x 8 on a BasicGrey magnetic mat. I've got a couple of those spinning holders that enable me to keep tools close by. This one holds pens and rulers and liquid glues. That white cabinet you can see in the background has boxes of photographs. This one has paint brushes, cutting tools, filing tools and such. And I've got a lazy Susan with a tiered piece I got at Home Goods that holds adhesives. In the background you can see another couple of things I inherited from my sister. Stackable drawers that are pretty big. Most of the drawers are empty, so I've got some room to spread out stuff, should I decide to reorganize some things. I've got my 2Crafty chipboard for DT work in one of those drawers. Those white binders hold the stamps I referred to above and the purple binders are the ones with the bitty brads and eyelets. The other thing in the background is a magazine rack that my sister gave me. I've got magazines that I'm in (or that CSI is in). I have the others I've been published in stored somewhere, but when I find them they'll be added. My last work station is my computer desk. It's nice and long and holds my monitors, printer, Silhouette Cameo speakers and a fan. I've got two large monitors. When my husband brought me that second monitor, I thought he was crazy, but I can tell you it's one of the best things I ever did because I can easily multi-task, and it really helps me with CSI tasks. And the best part of this set up is that I can scrap via Skype with my BFF Tracee, who lives way across the ocean! We scrap together every weekend and most days when I'm on break from school. I'm planning to get a wall quote for the wall above my scrap desk. I'll show you one more part of my room which is super-embarrassing, but it's a reality. I have a gazillion layouts that I never put in albums. When we moved, they were in boxes. My husband took them out and put them on the shelf and there they've sat since we moved in. This shelf and the two cabinets were hand-me-downs from my sister. I've got scrapbook-related books at the bottom. The drawers are empty right now. Whew! That's a lot of pictures. If you've stayed with me this long, thank you for taking this tour of my scrap room. Feel free to send me a message with any questions you have. And if you're ever in my neck of the woods, give me a ring--I've got plenty of space for some scrappy friends to play!

Many of you may ask "Why just SOLID color ribbons?" You may be disappointed that I am not even going to tell you how I organize my 3/8" r...

{Full source list at the end of the post} So, I finished this project in August, but I'm just now writing about it. I think it's because the project itself wore me out so much

Explore creative Craft Room Layout Ideas to optimize your space. Find inspiration for functional and stylish designs for a perfect crafting haven.

So I went a little crazy buying crafty goodies this holiday season. I bought a little for other folks which justified me buying something for my self. I’ve been working on my craft organiza…

For those of you who may not know the background, my basement has always been a rental suite ever since my husband and I moved in here 11.5 years ago. Our most recent tenants were my parents and they moved out in December into my grandparents' house. My grandparents' moved into an apartment. We decided that the space would better serve us as my "Ultimate Scrap Room" than a rental unit and the renovations began. The above photo is what you see as soon as you walk into my room. To the left you can see some of my old cameras that I have collected over the years. The second one from the top was my mom's first camera. I have a guest book out for my visitors to sign in when they come to visit and it is sitting on top of my grandma's old sewing machine. That was the machine I used to make my daughter's first Halloween costume with my grandma's help. As soon as you come in the door and turn to the right, that is my photo archival area. Since I opened DAT'S Scrapbooking 6.5 years ago, most of my photos are in those totes or are still on cds because I haven't had time to get them into albums. In time, the photos will make it to the albums. For now, we have a great space to store them and to sit down and go through all the albums that are done. This used to be my parents' dining room. When you walk a little bit forward, to the left you will find what used to be my parents' kitchen. This was newly renovated in 2008, due to our basement flooding. My Cuttlebug, Cricut Machine and Sewing Machine now sit out, ready to be used at a moments notice and the rest of this area is great storage and extra scrapbooking space for my daughter or my girlfriends. I even have a small bar fridge where my parents' dishwasher used to be. We turned my parents' "lazy susan" in the corner cupboard into my Cricut Cartridge storage area. One of the deep drawers in the kitchen area fits ten of the WAL-MART bead boxes that I use to store my Stamping Bella Bling, brads & other small embellishments. This narrow cupboard used to hold my parents' baking sheets and now it holds 10 small clear storage containers that I bought from Canadian Tire. Another angle shot of the kitchen area. My sewing machine is set up where my parents' stove used to be. One more angle shot of the kitchen area. This is a general storage cupboard that fit in perfectly where my parents' fridge used to be. My parents' old pantry and microwave area works out to be the perfect stamp storage area for me. The green magazine holders each hold 9 of the Stampendous Thin Stamp Storage containers that is perfect for all my EZ Mounted Rubber Stamps. The next area presently holds 19 Close to My Heart Storage containers and there is still room for 8 more. The bottom area used to be 3 pull out drawers, but we had the carpenter make us another one and it holds all my Stampin' Up Stamp Storage containers perfectly. Here is my parents' old livingroom. It is now my main scrapbooking area. The walls are painted '57 Chevy Blue because that is Trevor's favourite colour. The Green Apple accent colour is my favourite colour. It just so happens that our two favourite colours are the popular colours for all decor stuff right now. This is to the right of the room when you first walk in. My scrap room is in the basement and it does get chilly down here in the winter, but this fireplace is amazing and throws great heat to keep me warm. You can also see that there is a pillow on the floor with some toys on it. That is Sparkle's dog bed. She has one in every room of the house. My electric fireplace not only keeps me warm, but it stores my tv, dvd player and my music. On the opposite end of my fireplace wall, I have a comfy chair to kick back in and relax. It also is a great place for my daughter to relax in and watch a movie while I scrapbook. This is a medicine cabinet that I bought at WAL-MART for $40.00. As you can see I still have more space for the new Stampin' Up inks coming out in the summer. It also is sunken in on the top so that the 18 jars that I have can't slide off the top shelf. Behind the door with all the punches on it was my parents' bedroom, but it is now our exercise room. Across from the wall of punches is the entrance to Amy's hang out room. This is my just under 12 foot counter top area and storage area. There is my island with more storage underneath it. That door with all the punches on it is the bathroom door. Same space, different angle shot. Again, same space but a different angle shot to show you all the storage I have under my island. Well, hopefully I have given you an idea of how you can store some of your own scrapbooking supplies. I love my space. Dreams definitely do come true. I have pictured this space in my head for over 6 years and I finally have it. So, don't ever give up on your dreams. Happy Scrappy Day!

*Click on photos to enlarge* Well it is finally done an I am all moved in. My hubby did all of the work on this and I think he did an aweso...

(blogged) Here is a visit to my little studio today at Apartment Therapy Unplugged...

Welcome! I hope you all can handle the rambling of a busy yet excited lady! We recently moved, and although our new home is wonderful, the unpacking is taking forever! But I have worked hard to get my craft room ready for the party, and here it is! Thank you Karen Valentine for hosting Where Bloggers Create again this year! You can find all the party list at her blog here. I have also started a You Tube channel where you can find many of my projects. Please visit me here. And for the video tour of my craft room click here. As I looked at the piles of boxes the movers left in this room, a basement, all I could think of was: I'll never be ready for next year's Where Bloggers Create Party!! But I started. With the walls! The walls here are of rough cut wood...splinters and all! So, I covered them...with the pages from an old falling apart Bible!! Then I added the shelves and got my tables put up. Lots of shelves and doilies! Because I use my craft room for different things, I have my things in different areas. The first group of pictures has shown my antique and vintage sewing notions and laces, sewing boxes and threads. The next part of my room is where I do a lot of gluing! I have my laces for making lace books and decorating over here: Got to have something pretty to look at for inspiration!! I lately began to organize these laces and trims using Fernlidesigns products. They are awesome! You can find my You Tube videos about this project here. My dress form, named Nadine, was none too happy to have to travel in a dark trailer for the LONG move!! I keep my projects that I'm working on in these decorated boxes, as well as lots of laces and doilies! And the table below is my cutting table. More boxes of laces, and lots of fabric for fun projects!! In between the two craft areas is my sewing machine. I've learned a lot in the months I've been working on my craft room. First, I have to let myself, that is ALLOW myself, to make changes. I know that sounds weird, but that's the way I work. If I think of one way to organize and it really doesn't work, I need to be able to let it go. Do it another way. And with time (that's another thing...knowing it will take time to work out the glitches), it WILL all get put together the way I can best utilize it. Second, I have to take TIME...already mentioned. It takes actual time spent crafting to know where something best works. If I need to be able to access a drawer with tools in it, then that drawer needs to be handy. If my materials are a long way across the room, then I probably won't want to get up, go over there, and use them. Time wasted, inspiration gone. Organizing is great, but UTILIZING the space is for the best functioning of the space, and the best use of my TIME! Third, It's OK to change things around even if you think it's set and ready to go. Case in point. A tall unit or rack that I own has been used to hold lots of fabric. Well, it doesn't fit into this space. Therefore, I have to figure out how to make the fabric fit in another way. I moved my upholstered chairs probably about 50 times! Yes! During the unpacking, yes for sure, but even since then. It doesn't make sense to put it where it is not functional and comfortable. Fourth, Make it Pretty!! When I start working on my space, I always have in my mind how I WANT it to look. When that doesn't happen, I work with it until it is pleasing to my senses. If a space needs to be covered, then pull out a curtain rod, rope, whatever works, and MAKE it look good. Spray paint covers a lot of ugly too! Fifth, Have fun. Enjoy looking through each and every box or jar at all your saved pieces. Familiarize yourself anew with what you have on hand. Put it out, pack it up, whatever, but enjoy this process. And you'll probably need to realize that it will change again. Needs change, favorites change, sometimes we just need it to be CHANGED! That's OK. Giving myself permission again to change things. Seems like that's all I do! So, after all the effort put into it, I can finally say, I love it. It's time to get busy! I hope you each have a spot to call your own! It can be a whole room, or it can be a small spot, but make it YOURS. Make it fun, make it inspirational to YOU. You're the one going to be using it after all! Thank you for taking the time to look through my craft room! Blessings, Doni

Blogged at: henhousehomemade.blogspot.com/2009/07/oh-my.html

Sharing my love of all things vintage, and aged with the patina of time...

I am in LOVE with my new room! And I want to share it with you today in my bazillion photos. hehehe I recorded a video tour, too. But it won't be ready until next week. You will love it when you

bliss bloom {blog} is a craft & lifestyle journal. we love modern crafts, tutorials and sharing creative ideas.

Welcome to the studio here at Quill Cottage. A few things are new since last years party post and I hope you will enjoy the tour. My name is Sandy and I am a mixed media artist who loves to play with paint, paper, fabrics, and fibers. What do I make? Mostly a mess, (although today everything is cleaned up and company ready) as well as handmade books, fiber embellishments to use in books or art quilts, fabric and paper sculpting, and pretty much anything else that strikes my fancy. I also enjoy surface design, making my own unique backgrounds for collage pieces or book pages. ("Elements of Nature" a handmade mixed media nature journal, book can be seen here, book text can be seen here.) If anyone had ever told me that I would some day have a creative space all my own larger than a TV tray with more storage than you can fit under a bed I would have smiled and thought, "When pigs fly!" Well, pigs still can't fly but time sure did, my high school sweetheart husband and I watched our son and daughter leave the nest and the cottage that once seemed so full and over flowing suddenly had a little breathing room and my studio was born. (One of my handmade fiber birds) It measures a scant 11 feet wide and 16 feet long with an 8 foot wide by 2 1/2 deep foot closet. Space planning and storage were my key concerns when designing the space. I assessed my needs and my wants as well as how I wanted the space to function. While I could not have my cake and eat it too I was able to meet most of my "wish list". I wanted a space where I would have a large work area, a sewing area, room for a guest or three to come and play, supply storage, gift wrap area, a place to write, and a photo "booth" for product or blog photos. Believe it or not, I can do all these things in my small studio. By careful planning and a ton of culling and honing my supplies down to only things I really love to work with I made it work. My supplies are my "decorations". My philosophy is that I don't have to have a lot of any one thing but a little bit of everything I truly love. I tried to artfully arrange things where I can see them or they are in labeled containers so I can quickly find them. Since I generally work small my storage containers could also be small (and numerous ;c). I like the pretty things in sight and the actual tools and various products hidden out of sight. My goal in this studio was to create a neutral backdrop of creams and whites, letting my supplies or accessories bring in color. The walls are a parchment color with white trim. Sometimes when you work with color in a colorful room your color does not read true. While I embrace color in other areas of my home, outside of this small room my life contains a lot of chaos and stress so I wanted a soothing peaceful environment. My little get away haven is soft and feminine with a vintage feel creating a neutral backdrop that can work with any colors or changes I might make as my mood changes. All the furnishings were thrift or flea market finds, while putting together my studio I was working a tight budget. I married many pieces together to meet my needs. Since the space is small I planned out a lot of vertical storage/workspace. To make them all cohesive I used white paint and vintage book pages unifying the mixed elements. A small child sized chest of drawers and two tier table made a perfect unit to place between the open studio door and closet. This unit houses a collection of pretty storage boxes and drawers full of vintage linens to craft with as well as my fabric surface design backgrounds. (Handmade book by Tina, I'll be sharing more about this in another post.) Don't discount what you can store behind a door! With a scant six inches of space between the door and the wall I have created a narrow storage unit to house threads, jars of ribbon snippets, rolls of seam binding, hand dyed fabric ribbons, and colorful feathers. Old wooden crates were sawed down into uniform thickness, all were applied to a scrap wooden backing. The backing was coated with book pages, (still needs to be painted white and when time permits that will get done). A store bought thread holder was cut down and tacked to the backing. Cone threads rest underneath. A tension rod sprayed brown holds seam binding rolls. Jars fill the remaining areas to hold those ribbon roll ends and scraps that are still useable but loose. Old door knobs were applied to one side to hang my hand dyed fabric ribbons from. An old metal eight hook hanger is on the wall on the other side to hold more dyed ribbons and crinkled seam bindings. I hope to score another one of these some day. Another small chest and some old porch posts made another vertical unit to house most of my ribbons, laces, and trims plus fun inspiration pieces. (One of my handmade paper shoes) (Handmade fiber and fabric boot) In the closet I had stock lament shelving and brackets from a previous space and they were too short to fill the closet so I married a small book case and a hutch top to create a center unit and installed the stock shelving on either side to create one continuous storage space. Jars from various food stuffs have brown spray painted lids to hold multiples of small supplies. Wire baskets house fabrics to keep them from tumbling off shelves. Since my work is small in scale I don't need places for large item storage, inexpensive shoe boxes from the dollar store fit the bill for most things. I had a set of cardboard boxes from a previous space the I spray painted glossy black and glued more old book pages to the lids, other containers with drawers were purchased over time as they were on sale or with store coupons. All are labeled so I or guests can find things quickly to use when crafting. Cardboard boxes were cut down and covered in old book pages to create book holders for craft magazines and art books. I reserved the center shelf where the two pieces were joined as a place to put a rotating display of inspirational pieces. Right now it is a girly gallery... Featured below are a series of paper and fiber sculpted shoes and boxes I made: Fun trinkets I can incorporate into art pieces... TIP: When planning closet storage sort all your supplies into like minded piles to determine the size and kind of containers you are going to need to house each set of items. Once that is done you can then measure your closet space to determine your shelving needs and plan the layout accordingly. Using adjustable shelving strips with brackets is a great idea, since they are adjustable you can move them around as space and needs change. I flanked the large window with two old wooden columns (free from a friend, gotta love that!) and placed old door knobs evenly spaced down the front to hold empty frames I have collected to use in my art work. One side also houses a 3 tier hanging basket that I made canvas liners for to hold small hand sewing projects. (A fabric collage I made featuring a favorite quote) A side wall holds a wire basket that can be used as an inspiration board, another holder for muslin ribbons, and a trio of containers holding handmade items to use in my artwork. The desk was a big brown bear that wed an old twin sized iron bed frame that had been welded into a bench. It created vertical storage that did not block the light. The base was painted out white and my husband laminated the desk top, pull out wings, and knee hole shelf for a smooth and easy clean up surface. I used simple tin cans from the kitchen spray painting them and then decorating them with various things from around the studio that make me smile. I drilled two holes in the back of each can and used zip tie to hold them in place on the back of the iron frame. I applied old cabinet knobs to the sides of the frame and painted out some old cafe rods to hold a roll of waxed paper and artist tissue as well as various rolls of tape. In the area where the weld for the old seating was I placed two small shelves painted out to match the desk top. The previous seat was moved up to the arm rails and became a shelf with under mounted lighting, it houses an inspiring collection that can be rotated or changed with need or mood. I filled the shallow center desk drawer with flea market find shadow boxes. They hold small finds to use in my artwork. A simple garden trellis, found wire, cup hooks, chain, and anchors top off the desk making a study hanging storage space. Strips of torn muslin wrap the chain to make it appear to be tied up with fabric. Vintage wire shopping baskets decorated with a couple of beeswax collage pieces hold handmade substrates and rolls of interesting papers and textiles. Vintage hat boxes house favorite paper scraps for using in collage. The large unit that divides my sewing station and creates my main work cubical was put together with a mish-mash of finds. The base was built from stock laminate shelving pieces that I found on clearance. The sides are two old bi-fold doors that I removed the louvers from the top half and replaced with chicken wire and some scrap trim. The shelving consists of two rough boards that I sanded then glued old book pages to cover their imperfections. This area holds and jewelry box I turned into an ink pad cabinet, jars of supplies, a pair of paper sculpted birds I made, as well as a fun collection of writing items. The back is an old window (another freebie from an old family cabin that had fallen into ruin), a couple of old spindles, and some more scrap trim. The brackets for the shelving are flea market finds. Finishing pieces are some aged picket flower bed fencing with rusty tacks to hang things from and on the back a couple more brackets and a window stool that came with the salvaged window. Hidden underneath a vintage lace draped tension rod are modern containers of supplies. My printer is here handy as well as a place beside it for my laptop for those artful printing project needs. My main work station is the back wall with an 11 foot wall-to-wall counter. These white cabinets and gray counter top were deep discounts of discontinued stock from a kitchen store display. I used wallpaper paste, vintage book pages, antique images, white paint, and a rubber stamp to create the cabinet fronts. More stock laminate shelving were hung above with lighting installed underneath. More flea market shelving finds top them off for more vertical storage. I arranged the cabinets to have two knee hole work spaces for sitting or standing options. Leftover laminate shelving ends were tacked under neath for extra storage space. Since the cabinets are kitchen sized they are deep and house most of my tools and products that I use to create with. I was able to find two large matching picnic baskets that I tucked under each shelf. One holds drawing pads and substrates, the other holds rolls of vintage wall paper. The stools were found at a flea market, they were bar height cut down to fit the counter top and to seat comfortably. The chair pads were ready mades that I found on sale and stapled to the seat rim and trimmed with a wide lace. I work standing up so the counter height is perfect for that. That is not a cute rug that you see below but an ugly cushy gel mat. I totally recommend one if you work standing up, it is great for the back and legs. Centrally located is my ribbon roll "lamp" and containers of colorful art supplies. My work cubical houses most basic supplies in open handy reach. I have utilized flea market finds of spice racks, paper towel holders, bottles and jars, even a stray glove and shoe last have been pressed into service. More decorated tin cans hold my paint brushes on top of my inspiration/photo booth/project design rail. This piece is an old ceiling tile tin layered with a baby bed rail, both flea market finds. It is capped off with upper and lower picket flower bed fencing and a shelf on top. (A work in progress) I can clip or hang things from the rails and with a quick blink of an eye I can convert it into a small photo booth for taking blog or product photos. To use this area for a photo booth I remove whatever is on it... Set up my lighting, an adjustable clamp lamp on top and an adjustable goose neck lamp on eight side... I place brackets that my husband helped me to modify in the bracket holders and clamp sheeting to the brackets to diffuse the light... I have three options for showcasing products, hanging from a wreath hanger... Clipping directly to the rail with clamps or clothes pins... Or by sitting something on a shelf, this shelf is featured on the center of my desk, it is removable, the hooks on back were set to work in both areas... On the other side of this room diving piece is my sewing station. What appears to be an antique sewing machine it not what it seems. The old sewing machine base with a board top was bought at a flea market. I found the machine drawers at an antique store and the wooden machine cover at vintage textile store. Once again I married them up to create a sewing table. The table top and piano stool were covered over with sewing patterns. The drawer frames were attached to the underside of the top. The wooden cover was too shallow to go over my modern machine hiding underneath so I had the Handy Hubby frame it out with some scrap trim that I painted black. The ends of the cover were damaged so I covered that over with pattern pieces too. Since I have to face the wall to sew I filled the wall with a collage of fashion themed items that give me something to look at. A small antique vanity mirror helps to reflect light. Baskets on the hat rack, all flea market finds, hold sewing and needlework notions. Just within reach are a collection of candle holders that hold frequently used cones of thread. Each cone has an insert to convert it to fit on my standard machine and underneath each cone are three bobbins of coordinating thread. TIP: To make these holders for your studio you will need candle holders of your choice, corks to fit in the holder, bamboo skewers, black craft paint. Hot glue cork into candle holder. Poke bamboo skewer into cork, place either cone or spool threads on skewer to determine where to clip off end of skewer. Leave a little bit of tip for a "wick". Remove thread, paint skewer with black craft paint and allow to dry. Replace your thread and you have chic sewing thread candles! A button cubby rests on the floor underneath the salvaged shelf. Buttons are sorted by color into small jars topped with hand sewn tags. Other pretties round out the space. The newest studio addition is a gift my husband gave me for Christmas, an antique dress form... This poor dear has been standing around stark naked ever since she arrived. In panic mode I thought she needed a party dress and a head, she did not have either. I plopped on a vintage doll skirt on to create a collar. Tattered old books were stacked to create a neck. An old glass jello mold jar topped off with a door knob completes her head and shoulders. Her necklace is a broken piece of jewelry and a Christmas Dangle Ornament (ornament tutorial found here) Her "skirt" is made from coffee filter flowers, a handmade Christmas garland (Garland tutorial found here), and pearl and chandelier crystal drops tied on with muslin ribbon. I am so close to sticking a fork in it and calling it done I can scarcely believe it! I have left myself room to grow some of the drawers, boxes, bins, and jars are empty just waiting to be filled with creative delights. This studio did not happen over night it has been over a two year process to get it this far. It is also not perfect, I would have loved to ripped out the carpet and installed cork flooring but Handy Hubby was agreeable to everything but that. Hopefully when we get around to installing new flooring in the main living space I can convince him to run the hardwood into this room also. Until then, I will throw down a tarp and create anyway! (Over view of entire studio space) I feel incredibly blessed and so grateful to have a place that encourages my creative dreams. A huge thank you goes out to our party hostess, Karen of My Desert Cottage, for supplying the creative connection through Where Bloggers Create 2012! I hope that you enjoy a visit to my studio and I hope that you too will DREAM until your dream comes true! Blessings, Sandy

Welcome to my studio! I'm showing (tons and tons) of photos of it today as part of Karen Valentine's "Where Bloggers Create" party. Last year, I was chosen as one of the winners of the tour, and my studio was...

Do you have too many supplies and not enough space for them?.It doesn’t matter if you have a craft room, a corner in the house or just a closet. These tips will help you get more space for al…

it is a few days until i reach the half way mark in my handcrafted secondhand year and yesterday was, i do believe the greatest temptation to have crossed my path since September 20th 2009 yes dearest readers, yesterday saw Liberty of London hit the shelves of Target. i knew the day was coming for i had stumbled across the info somewhere in cyber land. i have been preparing myself for several weeks. i took a good look at all they were offering, now some may think this foolish for one that cannot have, but i saw it as a way to deal with the situation. i took a good long deep look, and then i came to the conclusion that in fact there wasn't anything at all i actually needed and very few things that i wanted. except the bike, lordy how i love the bike oh and then the gardening gloves who wouldn't want to garden in those peachy things and then lets not forget the mens shirts, colin firth would look fabby in one of those and so would my man. then i saw the little girls clothes i don't have a little girl but i still would like a dress... and so it continued and then i said "enough Tif, this is madness... this is precisely why you took up your challenge!" and dearest readers i was quite right, it is the very reason why. to see if indeed one can live without the temptations of the advertising world and the feeling of 'want', especially when it comes to such lovely wares as Liberty of London. so armed with the knowledge that this past weekend was going to be all about temptation i kept myself busy... i cleaned up my studio space, which was in dismal disarray due to shop work i made a pretty curtain for my bookcase from pillowcases i wrote the supply list for my workshop retreat i finished up some coat hangers i had been working on, i have done crocheted hangers before but when i found a cream and orange shell patterned one i knew i wished to try one for myself i made a whatnot garland to hang in my shop window and all those things kept me busy, but at any time i could have walked out the shed, got in my car and been tempted amongst the aisles of Target. what stopped me was just as it always seems to be... the handcrafted thrifty gods intervened they noted me wavering, they saw me looking online, they heard me talking on the phone and they made a plan. for they were not willing to see me fall from the righteous path i have chosen for one year, they saw a soul that was a little lost, a soul that needed saving. so who should come knocking at the shed door late on saturday night? well none other than Mr Lurgy. a visitor i haven't seen in nearly a year, a visitor i had been so pleased to have kept at bay, but i knew the reason and i knew i must take what comes. for Mr Lurgy has taken me down thus giving me no energy to take a trip to Target and despite his wicked and cruel ways it would appear he has saved my soul from losing its way. today as i tippity type with a hankie by my side i feel good i feel proud i feel strong (well actually i feel quite weak from Mr Lurgy, but you know what i mean) that i did not cave to the lovely, oh so beautiful, lordy let me look at you closely, perhaps even touch you, can i smell you? Liberty of London in Target she is thinking the second half of the year is going to be child's play compared to yesterday ~ Tif

A blog about Elizabeth Maxson's design, photography, food, travels and storytelling. Living with gratitude in Elizabeth House Style.

We all have a dedicated place to open our mail, pay the bills, and work online. It may be at your kitchen table, or in a room that is your

(PART ONE, I THINK I CAN, CAN BE FOUND BY CLICKING HERE) A couple of posts ago I shared some thoughts on The Little Engine that Could as a metaphor for reaching our dreams and goals. I have been living proof of these very words shared in part one: "Sometimes it takes much longer than we think it should. (to reach our goals or dreams) Our progress is impeded in some way, (like a slightly freak accident that leaves one with a mild concussion) there are interruptions in our daily lives (like our entire family sharing the flu, I am the last one standing) and schedules that hinder progress (I have been cooking and delivering meals to the other sickies, I drop off at garage doors, text, and take off)..." And, despite all this, in the back of my frustrated mind I still chant, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...get this desk done!" (Before: Desk and Iron Bench) Persistence, tenacity, and grit have kept me going up the grade just like that little engine. The very last piece of studio furniture is all but complete and installed. There are two small parts missing and as soon as Handy Hubby recovers from the flu he will finish the job but these two minor items do not hinder the use of the new piece. (Primer and a fresh coat of white paint to the desk base) (Gel Medium transfers of printed numbers to the drawers, a little sanding to age them out just a bit, then topped off with a non-yellowing sealer.) Between progress impediments I have started some new art pieces, one of which I sat for hours in this very spot yesterday creating. More new ideas are bubbling in the background with this physical representation of reaching a goal spurring me on. (Desk top and side pullouts covered in a fresh new pale gray laminate called Fog. Vintage office chair filched from my writing cottage) Like the little engine I have reached the top of a steep grade and I am sliding down the other side congratulating myself with, "I thought I could! I thought I could! I thought I could!" It took much longer than I ever imagined, progress was impeded, many interruptions to my daily life were present, and schedule changes hindered my ability to accomplish what I set out to do, even so, I did eventually complete it and it turned out better than I thought I would. (Interior drawers were all scrubbed clean, stained bottoms covered in decoupage dictionary pages) (An extra laminated shelf added underneath for storing my super cool old school light box) (My favorite drawer! I used two old shadow boxes, cutting one section off of one to be able to reposition it to fill the drawer with small dividers. I popped off the backs and papered them with old dictionary pages, spray painted the frames black, reassembled and filled the drawer with them. I have a collection of found nature objects stored here for the moment.) (The rusted out bench legs were cut off and feet re-welded by my Handy Hubby. Bracing was removed, more bracing added for the painted out recycled shelving. I had the paint mixed to match the laminate. As soon as Handy Hubby recovers he will put the front brace under the top shelf, it is just kind of sitting there waiting to be attached properly. I papered the underside of the large shelf with Anaglypta wallpaper and painted it out. I will add some task lighting to the underside of the shelf.) (The bench acts as a storage or supply hutch that does not block the light from the window) (I added vintage drawer pulls to the frame work on each side and placed an altered curtain rod across each to hold supplies. I staged it with tape rolls but I am not sure that is what will actually go here. I have not had time to load out the desk yet) (I used the back portion to attach recycled decorated tin cans for supply storage, the idea being that nothing would actually sit on the desk surface allowing for easy supply access and a large open workspace, altered cans can be viewed up close HERE) Edit Added: I added a small white shelf to the blank center of the back of the desk, perfect! I hope that you too are chugging along to reach those goals and long sought after dreams despite whatever it is that might slow you down, I think you can too! I am linking to Miss Mustard Seed's ... P.S. Pinkie swear this is the last studio post for a while, next post some new artwork to share!!!

So here is a look at my craft space! I am very lucky to have my own room, outfitted exactly like I want it. I ripped all the flooring out and I have bare cement floors. I didn't want to worry about what I might get on it. And let me tell you, I have dumped some things on it! And let me say thank you so much, to my wonderful hubby, who lets me buy and do whatever I want. Love you honey! When you walk in the door this is what you see... ,,,,,my work table, it is an antique trestle table I bought for next to nothing a few years ago. I have my little rolly cart with all my most used tools on/in it. The rods across the windows are Ikea curtain rods and S-hooks. I keep all the embellies that I reach for the most on those. My sewing machine is to the left on an Ikea drawer unit. Next up is my Ribbon Ring - this was the best organizational tool I ever bought. It was worth every cent and then some. I love it. My desk has my laptop, printer, photo printer, album in progress and a few misc things. Yes. I did paint all the walls, back when this was DD2's bedroom when we first moved in the house. There are murals all the way around the room. Here I have stacked my Iris carts next to some cubicle shelving I have. In the Iris drawers, I sort things I am collecting for future projects. One drawer is all Texas stuff, one drawer is all my DD's High School stuff, one is all the cards my DH has ever given me, etc. Above the closet is my collection of House Mouse stamps. I don't actually stamp with my House Mouse stamps, I just collect them. Aren't they toooo cute???? Shelves from Ikea (I am telling you - Ikea is the Mother Ship) This is my wall of shelves. I keep all my lesser used supplies here. These were stamp shelves in a retail store in their previous life. When the company decided to get rid of them, they came home with me. They are so happy here in their retirement years. No obnoxious children hanging or climbing on them! This is the newest addition to the room - I wanted something to keep my Cinch out on - I use it all the time. So off to Ikea I went. This little thing was so cheap. And very sturdy. Right now it has some things I got at convention on it, but it will have some baskets on the shelves to hold my Cinch supplies very soon. So this is my happy place - my PRIMA BREEDING PROGRAM. Someday, the world might run out of Prima flowers. If that ever happens, I plan on having enough of them in captivity to start breeding my own. I get LOTS of questions about these tilt out storage bins - they are available from Deflecto Craft Solutions and you can see them here. They are the Craft Tilt Bins and I have the 5 Bin and 6 Bin. They also come in smaller bin sizes with up to nine cute little mini bins in each unit!! Here is my paper storage, another shelf just like the ones in the closet. It had a former life in a retail store as well. It is perfect for storing my paper in! I love, love, love my Alex drawer units from IKEA. There are three of them here, sittingso happily side by side. They come with casters, but I wanted a little more height for mine, so I put cinder blocks under them instead. They are the perfect height now, I just turn my chair around and there they are! I get a ton of questions on these drawers - the IKEA item number is 401.962.41 and you can find them HERE I keep tons of things in the drawers, my most used stamps, my inks, die cutting supplies, embellishments,button jars, all my paints and sprays, my punches,,, so many things. Last, but not least, is by brad storage. I have issues with brads and buttons. I love this little cube, I bought it from Best Scrapbook Shelf, and it is wonderful to store my brads in. It holds HUNDREDS of different little containers of brads. So that is it! My scrappy space. I hope you have enjoyed a look around my studio.

Disclosure: This post is brought to you by American Crafts. Affiliate links may be used. As always, all opinions are mine! Looking for ideas on how to use the Heidi Swapp Minc foil applicator tool? Here are 3 easy foil Read More...