Craft Space Re-Do Part 3

As I've mentioned before...my craft space is not technically a room because it doesn't have 4 walls and a door. (We've called it The Loft since we bought the house in 2004.)  We got really lucky when we found furniture to fit in here at a garage sale, especially since the one side of the space only has a half a wall.

The furniture was originally for a bedroom, so I've re-purposed the dresser as a desk.  The small folding stool fits under it nicely though if I'm going to be doing computer work for a long time, I move the laptop to The Table in the middle of the room where I can sit more comfortably.  The ottoman to the right was my original desk chair but it was a tad too short so now I just use it for storage.

Two chests also line this half wall.  There are lots of drawers and it's a nice long, flat space to keep my printer, (some of my) die-cutting machines and Cuttlebug:

I also came up with a way to hide all the cords from said machines:

A power strip, label maker and 15 minutes and I no longer have to guess what is plugged in where.  The best part is that I ran all the cords behind the machines and then down between the furniture and the wall, then thru a hole in the one chest next to my desk and into the power strip.  I can close the door and  I don't see - or trip - over any of the cords.

I still have a couple more parts to share....are you enjoying the tour???

Craft Space Re-Do Part 2

This post is all about... The Table.

The amount of flat space - or Real Estate -  that I have to work on is really, really, really important to me.  Really.  For some reason, if I can't spread out...I can't create.  So before The Table came into my life, I used any space I could find in my scrap area, including the floor.  Or the bed in the spare room.  And the floor next to the bed.  Or if I really got going on a project, I'd load up a laundry basket with supplies and haul it all downstairs so I could spread out on the dining room table...which really baffled my husband.

So when I decided it was time for a re-do, I had to have the perfect table.  And I was picky.   I wanted it to be counter-height so I could stand and work if I wanted to and so I could put storage underneath if I needed it.  I wanted enough space for two people to crop comfortably.  I wanted it to be big, but I also wanted to be able to move easily around it.  I wanted it to match the rest of my furniture.  Oh... and I didn't want to spend more than $75 on it.  Not THAT tall of an order....ummm....right??


Once again, my husband - the King of Craig's List - comes through...

It definitely didn't start out like what you see above.  But my husband saw potential is this $55 steal that looked like this when we went to pick it up:

As you can see it was painted a dark, dark cherry and it was pretty beat up.  But it was solidly built and my husband was convinced that I could strip off the old paint and re-do it to match the rest of my furniture.  (He made it sound like I was going to have to do the re-finishing but the man has never met a project he didn't like, so before I could say "Hey Honey...do you think you could....?" , he had out the belt sander and was going to town.  He'll use any excuse to use a power tool).  Off came the old paint and under was a beautiful solid piece of cherry furniture.  He stained and sealed and ta-dah - The Table was born.

It was high enough to put one of the end tables I already had underneath it and the counter stools are from Target:

Now...I'm sure you are wondering about that awesome organizational thingy I've got on top, right?  Here's a closer look at it:

The bottom is from an earring display rack that I picked up at a garage sale forever ago.  I had it in the "to be pitched" pile when I was cleaning out my scrap space....until I took a closer look at it.  I can't find the actual picture of it, but it looked something like this:

I unscrewed the top part and threw it out, so all I had left was the bottom part that spins...kinda like a lazy susan.  (Ikea has wood lazy susan's for $8 if you don't have an old earring display laying around....)

The baskets are from the dollar bins at Target (I have such a love/hate relationship with that part of the store) 3 for a buck.  I bought 3 sets because I used them in my closet too (more on that later).  I hot glued 4 of the baskets to my lazy susan in a circle but left enough room in the middle for a glass baby food jar.  I didn't glue down the middle jar...I wanted to be able to put water or mineral spirits in it, so it just lifts right out.

Ahhh yes...I love my spinning organizational thing almost as much as the table itself....

The tour isn't over just yet....check back in a few days to see the rest...

Craft Space Re-Do Part 1

A few months ago, I decided I wanted to re-do my craft space.  While I am extremely grateful that I have a dedicated area for my obsession...errr...I mean "hobby"...and all the goodies that go along with it, I needed to make some adjustments...  

*I wanted more shelves for organization.

*I wanted a counter-height table - (with a spinning organizer in the middle.)

*I wanted dedicated space for my die-cutting machines, laptop, printer and the ability to hide all the cords.

*I wanted to make better use of my closet.

*I really wanted a door.  With a lock.

At first I thought about getting rid of the furniture that I had in there and starting over.  My friend Darlene and I spent an entire morning in Ikea trying to figure out exactly what I needed.  But then I came home, looked at the furniture I already had in there and ditched the whole Ikea idea.  Starting over was going to be expensive and besides, my style tends to run more traditional anyway so Ikea's more modern look wasn't going to exactly fit with everything else I had in my house.  

My husband had been on board with this re-do from the beginning, and even started watching YouTube videos on how to frame and dry wall in attempt to give me my much longed for Door With Lock.  While I do have the utmost faith in his handy man abilities, I kinda hate to wait.  I wanted my new room and I wanted it yesterday.  So I gave up on my door dream and let him loose on Craig's List instead.  Just days later, he found me the perfect cabinet AND table.  (My husband is pretty much the King of Craig's List.)  

Before and after pics are my fav, so here is what the wall to the right of the closet looked like BEFORE:

And here is it AFTER:

I now have all of my Cricut cartridges, punches, stamps and Stampin' Up inks in one, well-organized spot.

The drawers are the perfect depth for my punches. I have so many different kinds and by different manufacturers and it always bugged me that I couldn't fit them all in one place... so this was a perfect solution.

I used to have my Cricut carts in a drawer, but they were stacked in a way that I had to dig for them.  Having them on these shelves works beautifully for me.

The bottom shelf is dedicated to just my SU and CTMH stamps:

In the top drawers to the right and left of the punch drawers are my wood mounted stamps.  And in the cabinets below those are all my SU inks and the binders containing all of my other acrylic stamps:

There was even space left near the corner to put up this double hook so I had somewhere to hang my ribbon and the shirt I throw on if I think I'm going to make a crafty-mess (which means I wear it all the time).  The black vinyl on the right is actually a chalkboard and just below that is a hook where I hang up my Cricut mats:

Well... that's all for Part 1 of my Craft Space Re-Do Tour.  Be sure to check back later this week to see the rest of the room...

Now...Go Scrap Something!

PS
I now have Facebook page dedicated to all of my scrappy adventures.  Come like my page so you don't miss anything...  http://www.facebook.com/BrittenLinn

PSS
I'm updating my blog, so excuse the dust while I demonstrate just how much better I am at making stuff with paper rather than doing anything on the computer...

Published!

Look what came in the mail the other day:

And inside (on page 45) was THIS:

That's a necklace that I designed using Paper Layerz by Megan Elizabeth.  I wore it to the CHA Summer show last July and then submitted it to Crafts n' Things magazine for publication.  I'm always so surprised when something I submit is actually accepted.

If you want to find out exactly what Paper Layerz is all about, click on the blinkie on the right.

Now...go scrap something!