my crafty space

One of the items I get to cross off my to-do list is taking some pictures of my crafty space that I am sharing with you today.  Before I get to the pictures, just a couple disclaimers....

1. I am incredibly blessed to have this space. The house we bought 6 years ago had one extra bedroom and over time it evolved into the mom cave. It it the smallest bedroom, measuring about 10 x 11 and features a few odd nooks due to the closet configuration in the next bedroom.  The room is the hottest in the summer and the chilliest in the winter, but I am still so, so fortunate to have this dedicated room. 
2. This space has been cultivated over time.  I have been collecting pieces and odds and ends over the past 4-5 years, upgrading storage when I could afford to do so and when I happened to come across good deals and clever ideas. 
3. I am sharing the room in it's particularly clean state.  Just keeping it real, but you should know, it almost never looks like this. I am usually frantically working on projects or submissions so there is usually crafty vomit all over my desk...and sometimes the floor.  Oh and the closet is nicknamed "The Closet of Shame" and it has a tendency towards vomit as well, but that is for another day. 

So without further ado, let's take a look around....

This is the view of my room from the doorway. The desk is to my right and a 4 x 4 Expedit is on my left.  On the back wall are my Cropper Hopper cubes which also serves as a work surface and die cut area. 

Stepping into the room and closing the door, I tried to make use of every bit of space in the room.  On the door, I hung a shoe/accessory organizer that I purchased at Bed Bath and Beyond.  The adjacent wall holds most of my wafer thin dies from various makers.  The black sheets are magnetic vent covers that I picked up at Home Depot.  As my collection of dies grows, I just purchase additional packs of covers and nail them to the wall.

This is my Ikea Expedit.  I opted for the 4 x 4 unit and it fits this wall perfectly.  The cubbies hold tons of supplies from my 6 x 6 paper pads to my stamps, idea books, embellishments, paper and more.  The unit next to the Expedit holds stamps that are still stored in CDs or DVD cases. 

These crop in style cubes were among my first purchases from my crafty space. I bought them one at a time from JoAnn's with a coupon over a period of several months.  These drawers and cabinets hold supplies that I need to access on occassion- like glitter, cork, scrapbook album refills, etc.... I store my newest 12 x 12 scrapbook paper in the basket to the left.  8 x 8 paper pads occupy a pink paper rack on the right.  The center space is die cut central.  My Cuttlebug and it's cutting plates and folders live there and I hung some vent covers on the wall to hold my most frequently accessed dies.

The ribbon holder is by Making Memories and was one of those crazy awesome deals that I stumbled upon at Tuesday Morning.  I think the unit originally sold for somewhere around $60.00 and I found it for $5.00. 

Continuing around the room, I have another Making Memories Embellishment center.  This one I picked up at Micheal's. It holds my buttons and all kinds of crafty bits and bobs.  The white rectangles in the open cubbies are my Stampin' Up ink pads.  

My paper trimmer and my grandparent's sewing machine are behind my workspace for easy access. 

I have another 2 x 2 Expedit unit behind my desk.  Up top, I keep my printer and a little unit that holds all my Project Life journalling cards.  The cubbies hold 8.5 x 11 and 12 x 12 cardstock, photos, and alterables. On the shelves, I keep some frequently used tools and supplies like adhesives, specialty scissors, gems and pearls, Mod Podge, etc...

One of the recent changes I made in the room was to position the desk so that it extends out into the room.  This change gave me access to more wall space and I have super easy access to even more supplies like my ink pads and the assortment of crafty necessities on the storage rails.  Previously the desk was positioned flush up against the wall and I had to reach over the top of my desk to get to my ink or post its.  Plus it really shows off the mess of cords and the surge protector that like to hang out around my desk. 

I store most of my ink pads in a wooden cassette holder that I found on Craigslist a few years ago.  It set me back $10.00, but it was located an hour from my house. One of my newest obsessions, washi tape, has found itself a home on a spool holder purchased at JoAnn's and hung to the wall with Command Adhesive by 3M- no nails or screws- BONUS! 

So the desk top was another lucky bargain find.  I was shopping in the closeout area of Marc's (Discount store in NE Ohio) and found a stack of these table tops.  It cost $3.95.  It's heavy as all get out, but I just knew that it would make a perfect working surface.  The desk legs and cart are from Ikea.  On the wall above my desk, a simple nail holds my Silhouette Portrait Mat and a clipboard.  Artwork from my kids and family pictures are sprinkled throughout the space.

Well, that's it for the "around the room" tour of my crafty cave.  It's still a work in progress, I would love to add labels to the drawers and cabinets and do something to tame that mess of cords.  Also, my photo and memorabilia organization needs some serious help.

If you have any questions or suggestions, I would love the hear them, just leave me a note!

Thank you so much for stopping by!  Make today wonderful!

Katie