My studio has been a work in progress for many months. My poor husband kept getting new tasks as I "moved in" and needed improved storage solutions. I have purged, organized & cleaned and finally say that this project is complete! We re-modeled a tiny 9x10 bedroom in our home to suit my needs. Let me give you the grand tour!
This is the view as you walk in the door from our hallway. Notice the large scissors hanging on my door! I bought them at Hobby Lobby 50% off a few months ago! I loved the pair that Jeanette had from Pottery Barn, but they no loger carried them. When I say these at HL, it was all I could do to contain myself!
David designed and build my workspace fo me. It has real countertop, which has held up so well and I am really happy with it. It came with a backsplash attached and he had the brilliant idea to cut it off and use it as a little shelf just above the workspace. It is cuh a nice detail. All of the "little things" an artist needs at their fingertips can set perfectly on the shelf and not clutter my actual work surface. My 22" flat screen monitor (courtesy of Papertrey Ink *wink*) is wall mounted so it doesn't sit on my work surface either.
I hung all of my Paper Crafts magazine covers on the wall is simple black frames. It is rewarding to look at the wall everyday, it serves as a reminder of my accomplishments.
To the left of my workspace there are two slide-out shelves. The top one holds my printer/scanner & my heat gun (since it is close to the outlet). The second shelf has my fax machine & paper trimmers.
To the right of my workspace I keep all of my embellishments. They are in plastic compartmentalized boxes ($1.95 ea. from Wal-mart) by color. It is amazing how much stuff these things can hold once you start taking emellishments out of their packaging! Just above the embellishments is a little shelf that has a tray where I like to toss my scraps. There is also a platic box that holds all of my Palette Ink pads.
Above that is my "necessity drawer". It contains all of the supplies that I use everytime I sit down to craft. A variety of adhesives, stamp clener & pad, black ink pads, distress ink pads, paper-piercing pad & template, postage stamps, etc...
Sitting on my workspace, above the necessity drawer, is a 12x12 Cropper Hopper drawer. It holds all of my patterned paper. I have orgainzed it all by color. I have five folders for each color. The green section for example has folders labeled Green, Green Dots, Green Stripes, Green Floral, Green Plaid. This has been such a great system for me and it really allows me to find what I need, fast.
All of my SU! ink pads sit on top of my Cropper Hopper drawer. I also have a turquoise bowl sitting beside it which holds all of my acrylic blocks. I keep all of my tools in a Tool-Turn-About from Pampered Chef.
Above my workspace is a series of cubbies holding white photo boxes. The cubbies were really inexpensive from Target, David just wall-mounted them. It consists of 2 six-cubby units and 1 two-cubby unit. If fit the space perfectly. The white photo boxes are from Hobby Lobby. There are 28 of them and they contain EVERYTHING! They are all labeled and easy to access. There is one for embossing and it conatins all of my embossing powders, trays, inks, etc. There is labeled "sparkle" which houses glitter, stickles, perfect pearls, etc. I also have boxes for acrylic paint, loose ink pads, pastels & pencils, inspiration, tapes, distressing, etc. These have been essential to making the most of my space. David mounted track lighting to the underside of the cubbies. They provide plenty of light when I am putting in late nights.
Right beside my workspace is a low set of cabinets & drawers under the window. This is Hannah's space. Turning to the right from my workspace, on the next wall, is what used to be the closet. David removed the doors and did a complete set of built-ins. The little stool on the right-hand side is what Hannah pulls up to sit on when she is working. I also use it to help reach top shelves.
The counter space is what I call my "tool table". It holds my Cuttlebug, Revolution, QK Squeeze and MM Tag Maker. They are easy to access and use right there without having to clutter my workspace. The shelving surrounding the tool table holds all of my wood-mounted stamps.
The cabinets below the tool table hold all of my magazines and books. I have 6 years worth of back issues of Martha Stewart Living and I refer to them often! I have a basket on the top shelf of the left-hand cabinet that holds all of my envelopes and shipping supplies.
Turning to the right from the tool table is my main storage wall. It holds all of my cardstock in Crpper Hopper organizers.
On the top shelf I have turquoise baskets that hold office supplies, alphabet sets and sticker embellishments. Here is a peak inside my alphabet set basket. I keep all of my rub-ons and sticker sheets in here. I put them in file style, so I can literally flip through and find what a need.
My ribbon is in candy jars (Wal-mart for about $5 each). I wrap all of my ribbon on clothespins and have one jar for each color. It has been such a solution for my ever-growing collection.
The left bottom cabinet holds all of my alterables. It is just a LITTLE crowded in there. I can't seem to stop buying this stuff!!!
In the center bottom are three shelves. Each holds a tray basket (Target $12 each). There is one for each of my children and labeled as such. These are ehere I stick any artwork or keepsakes before I file them into their large storage boxes in the attic.
Right above the baskets are 4 drawers. They hold all of my punches and cutting tools. This is a peek at the inside of the top drawer.
The right bottom cabinet holds all of my scrpabook albums. Most are still waiting to be filled! One day, one day!
The center middle of my shelving system holds all of my alphabet boxes (freezer containers from Wal-mart). I have filed all of my chipboard letters, alphabet stamps, letter charms, etc... into these boxes. If it has a letter on it, then it gets filed here! It has been such a great resource to have and I find myself using things I normally would have forgotten about.
Beside my large shelving unit, to the right, is my custom built CD rack! David completely invented it himself and I am so thrilled with it. It has the capacity to hold 200 cases!
The top half holds all of my acrylic stamp sets (75 and counting!). David installed adjustable shelving in the middle that holds baskets with ink spots, reference books, etc. IT packs a lot of storage into a little space tht would normally have been neglected behind the door!
My scallop punches hang on a rack on the back of my door. The base of the rack was made out of scrap wood, ahile the punches are held on inexpensive curtain rods. I will end this post by pointing out the sign above my door, which sums up everything nicely. "Surround yourself with the things you love".
