Purge. Reorganize. Simplify. Those have been the phrases circulating through my head the last few days. Our home has three bedrooms and a large bonus room. The master bedroom is large and spacious, but the other two bedrooms are quite small. Currently Owen & Hannah share a room with Ethan in his own. The bonus room has become an extention of the bedrooms, containing an overflow of toys, books & games. It provides a play area and is constantly cluttered with children's activities in progress. My studio is located in the corner of the bonus room. Lately it has become difficult for me to concentrate in my space, to feel creative. There is so much going on in the room, so much chaos visually, that I no longer feel inspired to create. All I feel is the constant push to pick up after the kids constantly, which would be an impossible chore.
That being said we have decided to switch everything around. We are going to remodel the bonus room into Owen & Hannah's suite; Ethan will move into Owen & Hannah's old room. My studio will be relocated to Ethan's old room. I am looking forward to a room of my own. I can shut the door and have privacy. It can also be locked when not in use so little hands cannot get into anything (did I ever tell you about the time Hannah used a glue stick on all of my projects for a PC101 column? Lets just say 8 became 1!) I will have a closet for LOTS of storage. It is a self-contained room, so I can paint it and decorate it however I like! This also gives me the opportunity to re-organize everything in s new and fresh way. Purge product I don't have a need for. Re-discover tools I forgot I had. I am excited about this change!
So I have been doing some preliminary shopping. This is the desk I have picked out. It is from Target and made of maple. It is difficult to tell in this photo, but it is made from maple and is mission style. I love the shelving system that goes with it. It will frame my computer miniter perfectly and the cubbies will be perfect for Prima jars and other goodies. There is a small matching side table that I am getting as well to hold the computer tower, printer & scanner.
I think I am also going to get some of this Maple Lane Studion storage from EK Success. I love the smallest canvas bins. I am planning on having one bin for each technique & type of product (embossing, distressing, rub-ons, stickers, etc...). I am going to stack them and put the unit on casters. I'll store next to my desk and be able to easily access all of my favorite supplies. I think I will also get a large cube & bin for the bottom portion of the unit to hold new product before I have time to put it where it belongs. Currently, the new product sits on my desk until I use it and looks so messy! I think this storage will be perfect for my needs. The canvas bins come in khaki, blue, moss green & black. I think I am going to go with khaki, so my room color can be flexible over the years. But I LOVE the blue and green as well. Any suggestions?!?!
For the back wall of my new room I am going to get a ladder shelving system. I'll probably purchase mine at our local unfinished furniture store and stain them to match my desk. The bottom rows will be perfect for holding all of my Cropper Hoppers holding my patterned paper & cardstock. The rest of the shelves can hold my ever-expanding magazine collection & idea books. Speaking of which, I need SEVERAL magazine files and I want them to all match. Does anyone have suggestions for somewhere online to purchase stylish yet affordable versions?
I have done extensive research online, peeking into other artist's spaces. I have gathered so many ideas that I am looking forward to executing. I thought I would share a few of my favorites...
Terri Bradford's scrap space inspired me to have a special bin for new product that has not yet been filed. She also has a small basket of pictures waiting to be scrapped. Her room is SO cute too! Be sure to check it out.
This studio has AMAZING organization throughout.
Jenny's studio is SO darn cute! There are so many great storage ideas in her space! One cool aspect that I LOVED was that she covered her plastic Sterlite drawer fronts with fabric! Cheap to classy in one easy step. I LOVE that!
This one shows great use of drawer space.
The style of this space is so invitng and has amazing lightling. I love how it looks like an elegant office, not filled with overflowing shelves of supplies. This is kind of what I am after with my own space.
And I thought this was a cute way to store mini books!
I also picked up the tip to store the rims for my FAVORITE tag maker tool in CD jewel cases. Those along with my smaller unmounted and clear stamp sets will go in a CD holder somewhere in my new space.
So I really want to hear from you. What are your favorite organization tips? I want my new space to be a happy place that is inspirational!
