Showing posts with label Sewing/Quilting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sewing/Quilting. Show all posts

6/11/17

Enjoying My Happy Crafty Space

Hey everyone!  I cannot believe it has been a month since my last post, but that definitely doesn't mean I haven't had anything to post about....just haven't had the "blog mojo" to do it!  I actually have several things I want to post about over the summer, but today's post is all about my "Happy Crafty Space."  For those of you who find no interest in crafty-creative spaces, please turn away now and hurry on to the next blogger.  I won't be offended, and you will probably save yourself a "sensory overload meltdown.  If you are staying around, I thank you; but I do encourage you to grab a beverage....this could be a "photo-bumpy ride!"

You may remember that The Man and I completely overhauled my craft room a year ago.  You can find that post HERE.  The basic layout has not changed, but the organization of my "stash hoard" has changed several times.  I just consider that I'm fine-tuning my organization skills....HAHA!

I am still 100% happy with this layout and adore having this island work station.  It seldom looks this tidy, but my goal each day is to leave it like this at the end of the day....okay, that rarely happens😼.

So what led to my latest re-do of this room, you might be wondering?  Well, in case you're in doubt, I'm a very visual person and being surrounded by all of my colorful supplies really gets the creative juices flowing.  At the same time, I am a very sentimental person with a big jolt of whimsy tucked in for good measure.  There is no lack of photos in my space, but I felt it was lacking in some displays to draw in more whimsical and cute things, as well as old and new things that speak to me of days gone by.


This shelf above my sewing table use to hold jars of zippers, velcro, etc., but decided to find better homes for those items in drawers.  Now this shelf is sweet, whimsical and never fails to make me smile.

This is a card my sister made me for my birthday this year.  This is a piece of very fine crochet that our sweet grandmother made many years ago.  I didn't even know it existed until this precious card arrived. My younger sister and I had been estranged for several years, and we were just starting to find our way back to each other....this could not have been a more fitting way to reconnect and forge a bond that will never again be broken.  Our sweet "Mawmaw Angel" made it all happen!


I have several apothecary jars in many shapes and sizes, so I decided to use them to display some fun and cute things here in my space rather than storing them empty in my decor closet.  What could be cuter than fabric yo-yos?  I think they will be adorable on cards or even scrapbook pages, and they are so much fun to make!  I also adore this cute little tea set inside a cheese dome.

This space is just to the left of my sewing machine and the perfect spot for a cute pressing board!

I had no idea what I was looking for at JoAnn's that day, but this fabric just leapt into my cart.  Isn't it just the cutest? 


 This little desk area is so perfect for me.  I love having the window right there next to me.  One thing new that has been added in the last several months is the TV.  I didn't really think I needed one, but the space between the bookshelf brackets was begging....absolutely perfect fit!



I changed quite a few things on top of my IKEA Expedit (now called Kallax).  I've discovered I have a love for cake pedestals....some new, some old, and look so pretty just stacked or for use as display stands.  I'm not in this room much at night, but I still like having little soft lights here and there.

Here's another apothecary jar filled with some colorful balls of yarn.  The angel has been watching over our home for many years and has been clad in many different colors.  This is her first time in this room and her first time at being white....she is destined to have more work done!

 I bought this cute shabby-chic box awhile back at HobLob....I won't lie, I loved the color and it just hopped in my cart!  It really wasn't serving any purpose until I discovered that some of my small paper pads fit perfectly.

I'm always switching things around on the IKEA picture ledges, but I'm still truly happy with how these ledges work for my wooden stamps and paints.

 I found this box at Michaels' (on sale, of course), and it was love at first sight....sweet reminder of how much we enjoyed our time in Paris and "shut the front door, just look at those colors!"  It's just basking in all its beauty and waiting for a purpose....sigh.😸

This is my new way of storing/organizing my dies and embossing folders.


I still love, love, love my IKEA Raskgog cart, and it has served so many different needs.  It seems I am always changing it up.  It fits perfectly between the two Expedits until I need it and then glides right up to my craft desk.  Abby is giving it a much needed inspection....she is such a cute little photo-bomber!

The top tray holds all of my planner supplies.

This is my "faith" section.  I have my Journaling Bible, creative gratitude journal, prayer journal and a few other faith-related items.

I keep the pens, stickers, clear stamps, etc. that I use for Faith Journaling, right here in a top drawer of my craft desk.

Well, it looks like the inspection continues....lol!  The bottom tray holds my Xyron and a few extra journals.  I usually keep my coloring tote down here, unless it's in the family room next to my chair.

Washi Tape....let me count the rolls!  I enjoy seeing how other crafters store their washi tape, and I have tried so many different ways.  This is how I'm currently stashing most of mine.....I do have a good supply of season-specific rolls located in my seasonal drawers.  I really should share how I have those drawers organized....good for another post! 

 I just recently painted this little stool...it had been on the front porch and was painted black.  Eeek, it was ugly.  I mixed some chalk paint and now I want to paint everything this color!  Have any of you who crochet or knit tried these Caron Cakes?

This is what they look like from the top....the colors are so vibrant!  Cannot wait to start something!

 Okay, here's another little project I finished just a short time ago.

I chalk-painted 3 tin pie plates from the $Store and a plastic turntable that I already had.  I created the tiers using candlesticks from the $Store....already had those, too.  I used E6000 glue just to be safe.

It holds a bunch of cute and useful things close at hand but doesn't take up much space on
my craft table!


Thanks so much for stopping by and allowing me to prattle on and on with pic after pic of my 
Crafty Happy Space.

Hope you have a wonderful week!
Carol

I'm hope to be joining these lovely ladies this week:

Cindy at Dwellings--The Heart of Your Home for Amaze Me Monday
Maria Elena at Our Home Away from Home for Tuesdays at Our Home
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life  for Inspire Me Tuesday
Suzy at Worthing Court for The Scoop
Richella at Imparting Grace for Grace at Home














7/14/16

My New Happy Space

Hey, everyone! I am so excited to be participating in 
Karen Valentine's Annual "Where Bloggers Create 2016."  I had so much fun visiting the party participants last year and made some sweet, lasting friendships.  Even if you don't craft or sew, you might still enjoy seeing some of these spaces.  I can't wait to start visiting!

Where Bloggers Create

This is my second year to join in the fun, and I'm especially excited because The Man and I just recently completed some major changes to this room.  If you know me at all, then you know how much I love my "Happy Space" and how often I have moved things around.  I cannot even express how much I am loving this latest redo and how over-the-moon I am to share it with all of you.



Just a warning to those who may be "faint of heart" regarding color or visual stimulation,  "Back away now, and you won't be harmed in any way!"  This room is 9.5'x11.5', so not big, but it is packed with tons of created fun and loads of color.  Grab a beverage, this is VERY picture-heavy!

This metal piece on my door is covered with photos of my sweet family and makes me smile every time I see it.  Sooo...are you ready?  Well, come on in!

TA-DA!


This is kind of an over-view of the room.  As I will explain in more detail, I have divided my room into zones....sewing, computer-desk, scrap booking/card-making, & crafts in general....I love trying lots of things!


          


We literally stripped this room down to the concrete after we got everything moved out.  I helped as much as I could, but I am still recovering from cancer, chemo and radiation, and my stamina is pretty low.  So I give full credit to The Man who laid the wood flooring and added the tall baseboards and crown molding....yep, he's definitely a "keeper!"  My work came in putting it all back together!
The wall color is Olympic "By the Sea," and the flooring is Pearisburg Barn Board.

My Sewing Zone


Everything I need is practically within arm's reach.  That's a Bernina 1130 from about 1985... it's built like a tank, super-heavy and has served me well over the past 30+ years!



       

I have discovered that I love to crochet, and I'm self-taught via YouTube.....I've made quite a few of these baskets in various sizes to use for all kinds of "stuff."  Before the room redo, I stored most of my paints on this little shelf unit.  The Man made it for me many years ago to hold my meager collection of wooden stamps.  Now it's a fun place to display some mementos and a few other things.


The view at night.

The Computer-Desk Zone




I opened a few drawers for you; and yes, bottom right is my mani-pedi drawer....I've browsed many a blog while taking care of my fingers and toes!  I also have a cute little "photo bomber," and her name is Abby.  I'm kind of new to the "Happy Planner" and would like to do a post all about my latest craze....soon, hopefully.


I've used a lot of IKEA furniture and accessories, plus cube storage by Recollections from Michael's.
Another new-found activity for me is adult coloring.  I have my supplies in the tool tote above and can simply take it with me wherever.



This is my "Visual To-Do List," and I was a total copycat when Erin at "The Sunny Side Up" Blog shared this idea.  If you haven't met Erin, you need to do that right away....well, after you rest and recover from this post!  Erin has a beautiful home and sweet family in sunny San Diego, and she has wonderful organizing ideas.  Go visit, you won't regret it!

Tools and Storage Zone


The IKEA Expedit that is holding the Sizzex, Cuddlebug, etc., use to hang on this wall.  At 5'1.5", it was getting difficult for me to reach things.  Spoiler Alert....apparently shrinking coincides with aging!  Well, isn't that special?  Sorry, I just needed to get that off my chest....moving on now!  I am thrilled to have the Expedit on the floor, providing lots of flat surface for my tools, and exposing this wonderful wall-space for additional visual storage.



I've been using the IKEA storage boxes for years, but decided I wanted to dress them up a bit with just some ruffled fabric.  I also have a few of IKEA's plastic storage boxes....love these because they completely fill the opening.

Scrapbooking-Cardmaking Zone



If you haven't caught on by now, I am a very "visual" person and need that to get my creative juices flowing.  The 4x4 Expedit is the first piece of IKEA furniture I bought when I first laid claim to this bedroom when we moved here 5 years ago.  Over the years, I have added 4 sets of drawers...love these!



I thought you might like to see what I have in these drawers.  The little plastic containers in some of the drawers are the Iris photo holders.  I do use them for photos, but I also find them perfect for seasonal or event-specific embellishments and many other things here in my room.



This was an old frame that I  decided to paint black, added some linen-type fabric, some baker's twine and now have a cute place to display special cards


These little drawer units are from Walmart and have served so many uses around our home and in my craft spaces over the years.  Now they are the perfect home to my Alphas.

The Island & Raskgog Cart


The island is a desk-top from IKEA that is 5' long & 30" wide.  It rests on 2 sets of Alex drawer units....where else, IKEA!  It makes for such a wonderful place to work.

                                                                   

I think just about every scrapbooker-crafter either has or wants or would have if they had room, one of these IKEA Raskgog carts.  I cannot lie, I was first drawn to the color of this little cutie and later fell for how truly useful it can be.  In the photo above left, you can see I have the perfect little parking spot for my cart.  That was not by accident.  I had planned, measured and re-measured the floor space of this room and made a detailed "to-scale" drawing of how everything was going to fit. The rolling mechanism on this cart is very good, so it just glides from around the corner and sits right next to my island.  I use mine for Project Life and scrapbooking.


I thought you might like to see what I keep in these two Alex drawer units.



I love, love, love having all this space to spread out when I'm working on a project.


These little things on the corners that look like hands are also from IKEA in the children's area.  They were designed to protect little noggins from corner head bumps.  I use them to prevent hip bumps and bruises on this aging & shrinking body! 

The Closet


I have my closet very well organized, which makes it much more useful than it would be otherwise.  While we had everything out, I asked The Man if he would put an outlet in the closet, so we could hide away the printer.....love this!  And again, the photo-bomber is back!

I truly hope you have enjoyed this tour and maybe even feel a bit inspired.  I hope to make lots of new friends this year at this blog party, as well as visit with some some old dear ones.  If you have any questions about anything, feel free to ask.

Take care and enjoy your Summer!

Carol

 I often party with these lovely bloggers:

Monday
Dee at Meatloaf and Melodrama for Merry Monday
Cindy at Dwellings--The Heart of Your Home for Amaze Me Monday
Maria Elena at Our Home Away from Home for Tuesdays at Our Home

Tuesday
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life  for Inspire Me Tuesday

Wednesday
Suzy at Worthing Court for The Scoop

Thursday
Jemma at  At Home With Jemma for Thoughts of Home on Thursday
Pamela at From My Front Porch to Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday

Richella at Imparting Grace for Grace at Home





























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