06 August 2012

Finally! Craft Room/Office Space 97% Complete!

After months of planning and extremely slow execution on my part, I'm happy to report that my craft space/office is 97% complete! A few things remain to be done -- find a desk chair and finish putting a few piles of supplies away. But the space is organized and operational, and it finally feels like an environment which will inspire creativity! I sure hope it works, because I have a LOT of stuff to do!

In this post, I'll give you a quick overview of the completed space. I have to apologize for the less-than-stellar photos. It's such a bright room during the day that it's hard to get good pictures. But I think you'll get the idea. Now don't think it will STAY this tidy for long...in fact, Bailey thinks the room looks staged right now! HA! Just wait until I break out that stack of projects!

It was tough to find a counter-height table which didn't come with chairs or stools (since I have stools already), but I finally located one online. It's nice and sturdy, and Bailey assembled it in no time! Bailey also found the owl canvases for me at Target. She's very handy to have around!
 


 In this photo you can see my Target cubes at the left, as well as a small table which I've set up for stamping. It's a glass-top table with a white insert. I'll be replacing the insert with kraft paper, as the white is really too stark. I'm also on the lookout for a small metal stool for the table.

This photo shows my re-assembled desk. It started out forest green, but I painted the green parts black. I'm pleased with how it looks but the paint still feels a little bit sticky. It's getting better with time, but it was worrisome there for awhile.

The basket under the table is filled with various projects I've made over the years. My grandma gave me the basket when I was a little girl, and she lined it with fabric so it's very functional. I took it to college and am still using it!
 

 The wire baker's rack came from Home Depot. I've had it for a few years and it's also very functional and sturdy. As you can see, a good portion of it is filled with albums (my favorite black binders by WRMK) and photo boxes. Oops -- looks like I still need to label some of those albums!
  

In this part of the room are my Target cubes. I already had the cubes but added a few more canvas bins.


The contents are listed on labels which are slipped into plastic badge holders and hung with ball chain. In a future post, I can show you how I organized the contents of the bins!

I have a little reading area (which has proven to be quite popular with other members of the household!) in the corner. Bailey made the striped pillows for me from some fabric I've had for quite some time. The fabric was my color inspiration for the room.

The vinyl tree is from Target. It was fun and easy to put up, and I think it works well in the space. I found the lamps on sale at Gordman's last week. I couldn't decide if I wanted the big one or the small one so I bought them both, thinking I'd return the one that didn't work. Naturally, I ended up keeping them both. :)
 Here's a peek inside the closet! I've worked really hard to organize the contents and keep everything relatively color coordinated. You may recall that we removed the door and added a curtain. The curtain is one of my favorite things about the room, because now the closet is much more functional. I'm going to do a few more things to it so that it will feel more like an alcove than a closet.

I still have some labeling to do, and I'm going to add Plexiglas liners to some of the shelves.

My cardstock and patterned paper scraps are sorted by color. It's amazing how much you can do with scraps! For me, it's worth the space to save them. The small stacking drawers at the bottom of the photo started out white. Thanks to Bailey and a can of spray paint, they're now lime green!

This small shelf was previously sitting out in the room. I moved it into the closet and filled it with photo boxes and magazine holders. The magazine holders are just cheap cardboard containers I've had for years. I covered the back sides with papers to match my space, added a label, and now they look much nicer. Those black photo boxes started out plaid, but thanks to a coat of spray paint, they get to stay!

This is the small alcove area at the side of the closet. As you can see, I have more photo boxes here, as well as office supplies.

The best thing in the closet is this small rolling computer cart. I snagged it before it hit the dumpster, and you can see how perfectly it fits in the space. All of my tools fit on this cart, which can roll right out into the room! 

Although a few tasks remain, I'm very pleased with how the space turned out! After months of living in chaos and working on the kitchen table, dining room table, and anyplace else I could find, I am finally back in business. I've got a pile of projects waiting for me and can't wait to try it out!
Janet


For more photos of my craft space, type "craft room" into the search bar at the upper left of my blog.

11 comments:

Heather said...

AMAZING transformation! I love it. It looks beautiful and inspiring and so, so neat! I love when things are organized. I do love how some people's studios or creative spaces look crazy and used but I could never function in a space like that. It really is beautiful Janet. I think you and Bailey should make a little trip north and redo mine! It's in dire need.

Janet said...

Aww, thank you, Heather! I appreciate your kind words. I'm like you -- I could not handle seeing lots of stuff sitting around, although I know many people function best when they see what they have. I'm excited to start working in there and see how it functions! Thanks again!

Heather said...

I love it!!! Everything is so nice and organized and coordinating. I love your choice of colors. I have a question on your scrap organization - what's the difference between the drawers with squares & the ones with circles? Just the shape of the scraps? Probably a dumb question, but I'm curious. Thanks for sharing!!

Janet said...

Thank you, Heather! The circles designate patterned paper scraps/the squares are for cardstock. I haven't finished labeling everything in the closet so that's a very logical question! I appreciate all of your support and interest, Heather! :)

RaNae Ellett said...

Janet,
I've been following the progress of your room, and WOW!!! It looks GREAT! You have really made an Awesome work space, with great lighting, an alcove for reading or just relaxing for inspiration and as a whole, a very productive, functional room. It Looks Wonderful! Happy Scrapping!

Benita said...

Love, love, LOVE it! So organized & I love the colors you did....they work so good together! And the desk transformation is awesome. Love the owl pictures & I have that exact same Big Shot :) Enjoy your new space....I bet you'll be creating like crazy in there!

Janet said...

Thank you, RaNae! I appreciate your interest and encouragement! I finished 2 projects today for the store -- couldn't believe how much easier it was to work in the space! Believe me, it's not so tidy now! :)

Janet said...

Thanks so much, Benita! The room feels great and it's nice to have a spot for everything. Still have a few details to finish up but so far, so good! I worked at the table today for the first time and it was great!

KrissyB said...

Just beautiful, Janet! You and Bailey did a terrific job. It's wonderful to see what women can do with their own hands: painting, sewing, assembling, etc. Thank you for showing us your updated room. Oh, and I just LOVE that cat "statue" on your desk ...!

Linda said...

Your new room looks great! You and Bailey did a wonderful job!

Maureen said...

Awesome Janet! You are so super-organized... what a great space. You should join in on the "Where Blogger's Create" next year to show off your room and organizational ideas! (a link to this year's party is on my art blog). It is a very inspirational blog party each July with literally hundreds of crafters participating!