Craft Studio and Desk Makeover

Hi everyone!

I recently redid my craft studio to gain some additional table room because I couldn't spread out enough. I also didn't want to spend a lot of money and wanted to use what I had.

I apologize In advance for the less than stellar lighting. I don't get great natural light in these areas. Ironically enough!

Here's a Before shot. 

And here's an After.

Simple furniture helped me gain the entire wall where a linen armoire was. 

Plenty of room now. I can even transport my stationery supplies here if I want to journal on the table. I used to do that on my bed. 

Most of the wall storage is the same. I just added more washi tape storage. I prefer them stored this way because they hardly take up any room. 

Super simple shelving was put up and it allowed me to clear a lot of things on the counter but they were all still easily accessible. 

I took out the boxes of planners from their hiding place.

This nook holds office supplies and files in the rolling cabinet. The frame was one that belonged to my grandparents, repurposed and strung with wire and clips. 

The drawer system holds handmade cards and other bits and pieces, and the document holder on the left was from my mom. It holds card stock, envelopes, etc. 

Dollars spent: about $20

A few weeks later, I was inspired to makeover my vanity as well. It needed some sprucing up. The bigger motivation though was that I wanted a pretty desk but as you can see from my craft studio, there's no room for a desk. 

Here's a Before shot. Functional, but not really very pretty, and looking a little but cluttered. 

Here's the After. A little bit more streamlined, and functions better as a desk. It also doesn't take away from its function as a vanity. The makeup on the counters is just stored elsewhere but still within reach. 

FYI, $0 spent because I already had everything I used.

A close up of the left side. easily transportable planner supplies in the dotted case, and self inking stamps in the floral cases. 

Pens, etc., separated by function in these cups. I've had these forever and use them everywhere. 

I love it for writing, planning, journaling, without the makeup getting in the way and distracting me. The brushes had to stay where they were though. 

This is what the drawers look like now. 

And this 3-drawer system that used to be nail products storage now holds makeup instead.

And that's it, my two makeovers. The desk was weeks in the making because I had to work out in my head first what I wanted to do. Once I figured it out though, it just took about an hour

Now I need to find storage for my nail polish. 

Thanks for visiting!

Craft Studio Storage

Hi everyone!

(This turned out to be quite a long post, just a warning.)

I left you last time with this photo on what storage solutions I use to organize my Craft Studio.

My Craft Studio

This is what it looked like before the 'make-over'.  Phone photo I think, hence the poor quality.

It's just a hallway that runs between two bedrooms, and I liked that it was sparsely furnished previously, but as I needed the room, I felt it was the best location for me to work.

Before photo

First off, the table.  I've had this for many many years.  My daughter used this in her bedroom for a long time.  When we moved, she chose not to use it so it was relocated. I love that it has multiple drawers and cupboards.  By itself, it can store so much.









As I mentioned previously, I have employed numerous storage solutions to make the space work for me.  Here are a few:

Baskets

These are a great way to hold like small and loose items together.  It keeps clutter at bay, and makes it easy to grab what you need.  I use quite a few in my Studio, including the ones below.

The metal baskets hang from small hooks under the shelf and can be taken down quickly and easily if I need to sort through its contents.  These were spray-painted white. In this basket, I wrapped the ribbon around laundry hooks.

Metal basket for ribbons

Another metal basket for markers. I like laying them
flat to spread the ink evenly across  the barrel.
(A tip from a fellow crafter.)

These tiny wooden baskets I think came with a gift (soaps?) and I spray-painted them white (like everything else) to match the rest of the room.

Wooden baskets for sponges

Mini ink pads

Boxes
This box was my grandfather's.  I painted it white, distressed it a bit, and stenciled the "No. 3" on it.  It holds adhesives and glues.

Sentimental box beside Martha Stewart Paper Trimmer

Two boxes of finished cards.

More Ikea boxes

Cupboards

The table has 2 long cupboards on either end that house my Big Shot, Filofaxes, and other random stuff.  These are always messy because things get stuffed in here randomly.

Big Shot on top, painting supplies on bottom

Filofax storage relocated here

Stamp Storage
This took a long time coming, and I love it now!  (:  It took quite a while to get it right and I finally figured out how to do it.  I first saw this storage idea from Britta, particularly this post, and immediately set about working on my own storage.  I used a different bar so I had to improvise a bit, but I bought the same Ikea hooks and it worked perfectly.  I love that my stamps are now neatly organized and right in front of me.  The stamps are also categorized by kind, separated by round paper dividers.

Ikea hanging baskets to the left of the stamps are for supplies I need quick access to (scissors, bone folder, etc.).

Under the pink cutting mat is a Martha Stewart Scoring Board.  I'm a bit of a Martha fan-girl.  She's made a lot of money off of me.  (:

Stamp Pad storage

Ink Pad Storage
I had a few small shelves custom-built to go on the wall.  I resisted wall storage for a while because I didn't want to punch holes on the wall (I'm one of those people, yes!), but eventually succumbed because I just needed the extra room.

The top shelf holds a few ink pads while the bottom shelf is very slightly inclined so that the ink pads don't fall out.  As you can see, I prefer Stampin' Up ink pads.

The stamps are directly below it.



More Shelves

Another view of some of the shelves.

Martha Stewart punches all in a row

Pens, Colored Pencils, Brushes, Markers
These are more Ikea hanging containers that I think were $1 each!  I have a few of these, some of which are used here, some in the kitchen.  They're so versatile!  They're sturdy, easy to clean, white (!) and can hang easily anywhere.  You may not be able to see but they're just hanging from one of the shelves.  They just hook right on.  (:

Behind the pen/marker storage are little air-locked plastic containers that hold embossing powders by color.

Another Ikea fin

Paper Storage

Another spray-painted item is my paper storage for cardstock, envelopes and other paper supplies.  I keep cardstock by color in clear folders, and stack them here.  I love this storage because it came from my mom.

As you can see, I don't have a lot of cardstock.  I only buy what I need and don't usually store a lot of items at a time.

Perfect for paper & envelopes

This (again, spray-painted) tray holds patterned paper and some unfinished (and finished) projects.  I've had  this tray for ever so long.  I've used it a lot, for so many other things.  I think it used to be a rich, primitive red color.

Drawers below it hold stationery and office supplies.

Again, easy access

Hooks
My embossing/heat gun is hooked onto one of the shelves.



















Purely Decorative
On the top of my Craft Studio is a long shelf that had been there before, and was used to store mostly decorative items.  I kept it, and use it mostly to make the space look pretty.  The stuff on it are things that mean something to me (silhouettes of me and my daughter because I love silhouettes, a plant in an urn for something green to make the space come alive, and a big ampersand, just because, LOL).

Some personal items to make the space 'personal'

I've kept a few photos (my mom and grandparents), some pink things that were either a gift (the Herbs de Provence jug is another gift from my mom), or collected over time.  The 'Keep Calm and Carry On' print was handmade by a cousin.

 My Studio has evolved over time as I acquired more crafting supplies and therefore needed more room and storage.  I have recently re-organized it a little bit, but it hasn't changed much lately.  I see that I have some room to grow, and a little bit of re-organizing makes room for more supplies as I acquire them.


It's location is also strategic for me and I can be there for extended periods of time and still not be isolated from the rest of the house.

And that's it, my Craft Studio and how I organized it.

Thanks for visiting!