how i organize my craft space

so here are a couple of disclaimers. my room is not fancy. i wish i had the martha stewart crafting furniture-i dream of that furniture!!. nope. my furniture (besides the fabulous sideboard) was found at garage sales. one of the tables is actually a computer desk from college!

my room is NOT pristine. nor is it like the ones you might see in magazines. never will be!

and i wish we weren't renting. if we owned this house i would paint the walls a beautiful robin's egg blue. :)

i am also not a photographer nor do i know anything about photograpy (or editing). so these aren't pretty pictures, but they do the job!

several things have changed since last time i blogged about this. i've really been paring down my stash so i've moved things around. i've found that if i don't SEE things...i don't USE them. so i try to display as much as possible.

if you have any questions, ask in the comment section and i will answer there. for some reason, not everyone is notified when i respond to their comments, so make sure and check back.

 

here's one wall of the room:

this is a fabulous sideboard that my friend nancy gave (yes, gave!!!) me. it is the perfect height for standing to work, even though i do most of my scrapping on the floor.

the drawers are big and deep. they hold magazines, crop bags,punches. and the one to the right is my giveaway drawer. :)

the crop bags that are hanging on the front will hold my SC kits and add-ons when they come.

i store albums underneath (the black/white damask one is my project life album!!) so that they can easily be looked at by the girls.

that box on top of the albums is my "misting box".

 

closeups of the work space:

small containers (got these on zulily) that hold adhesives, often used paints,and embossing supplies.

three tiered basket holds stamps, stamp pads, acrylic blocks.

floral frogs for pens, cups for scissors,etc.

 

one of my project life areas.

 

milk glass holds die cuts, brads,chipboard pieces

 

more milk glass holds doilies,and miscellaneous items i don't want to forget to use.

 

i have 2 muffin tins that sit atop sewing machine drawers. they hold buttons (i have another HUGE apothecary jar of vintage buttons in the living room), clips, resin pieces,flowers,etc.

 

on top of one of the drawers is my tin of washi tape

 

inside of the two sewing machine drawers. one holds pearls and the other holds extra adhesives.

tucked my my work space is the bigs art corner. they love to "srapbook" with me, as sadie likes to say.

 

by the window is a bookcase. it holds stacks of unsorted layouts (my specialty), photos, and these things:

on top of the bookcase is a box of JBS inks in front of a vintage flour tin full of thickers.

 

on top of the bookcase is also an old convenience store gum rack with extra stickers on it.

on one of the shelves is this dish drying rack with punches in it.

 

my doily basket sits on top of a suitcase full of mini albums

computer desk (crib bed spring displays layouts)

in the corner by the computer is my mannequin and a few other things:

the greeting card rack holds letterpress cards,greeting cards,and misc. items (crepe paper?!?!?!). the basket on the floor is an old ball basket and has lots of JBS items in it.

next is a long table that has storage underneath:

these 12x12 iris boxes hold cardstock, studio calico stamps, studio calico chipboard, letter stickers,etc.

there are always lots of extra empty boxes. i put guest design supplies in them or they are handy to hold projects that are in progress.

next to the boxes are my 2 cropper hopper boxes full of patterned papers.i need to pare these down even more.

the top of the table:

the piece to the right is an awesome box my mom gave me. it's an old drawer set from a paper mill. right now it holds important papers (power of attorney), notes,address book,etc.

 

next to the drawers are my mists (in an old card catalog drawer) and a basket of twine.

here is another project life stash. on the left is tags and a few rolls of washi tape.

on the right is tickets, sticker sheets,etc.

one last thing i wanted to share:

i found this zig zag box at target. it holds PL memorabilia. wish i would have gotten more than one, i love it.

so there you have it!

almost everything here is repurposed. i love to look at flea markets, junk stores, and secondhand shops. i love that so many things have found a second life in this room.i don't have a professional, perfectly coordinated room. and i love that. that's not "me" anyway.

happy wednesday y'all...it's back to school for us.

and i want to wish my mom/aka "bb" (the most creative person i know!) a beautiful, beautiful birthday. i love you and miss you!!!

xoxo

s

Comments

[Mariangeles_Spain]

I love your space :)

[Dana N]

I'm like you, I'm a visual person. I just recently reoganized my scraproom to pull things out of drawers, and put them into baskets or clear shoe bins on a bookshelf. I found I was never opening the drawers, unless I was looking for a specific piece I knew I had. But now I can see everything, and it's inspiring me to create more. :)

But one question - you scrap on the FLOOR?? That would totally kill my back. Then again, I tend to stand when I scrap. I love all the repurposed items in your room - makes it very homey and welcoming!

[[email protected]]

I'm well jell.....!!! x

[Stephanie Howell]

yep. the floor. :)

[Cheryl Leong]

I love all your vintage storage :) your scrap room seems cozy :)

[Dawn Tavela]

I love that your that your scrap room is real! Not like the pristine pics that you see in magazines. Love it. Love it. Love it!

[Gale]

A misting box. Thanks for that tip. Now I know.

[Sherry]

I love your scrap room! It matters not if is pristine or not, but that it is inspirational and your happy place. I love all the containers [I *LOVE* containers --- buckets, bins, baskets and such].

Thanks a peek inside your creative space. It is inspiring!

[JillT]

Always love to see scrap spaces. Loved the one in your last house. I just switched BR and craft room-well mostly switched-and it makes me crazy to think of doing this every couple of years like you get to do. Thanks for the pics and the ideas (duh my sew. mach. drawers are just pretty but non functional now. . .I'm so moving to my craft room--thanks!)

[krys72599]

I almost wrote "I'm so glad your scraproom isn't pretty" but I realized that wasn't what I wanted to say, because it IS pretty: it's just not STAGED and I love that. I LOVE that it's "you" - bits and pieces you've found along the way and made work for you and your stuff! One thing that shocked me: you don't have a LOT of stuff. Your pages are so great I thought you'd have tons of supplies: ONLY 2 Cropper Hoppers of patterned paper? I have 10 stacked shelves sorted by color (those plastic racks) and two bookshelves too full of pads and Cropper Hopper files... I want to pare my stuff down, too!!! A new 2012 resolution - pare down and don't buy more!!!

[Kami Pfingsten]

Awesome pics, thanks for sharing! I have 2 questions: is that houndstooth washi tape? If so, do you recall where you got that? I am so into houndstooth it is crazy!!! Next, I have never, ever used mist! I think I am scared or something, but I really want to try. LOL!! Do you think you could sometime give us a demo or instruction of how YOU use the mist, what the results are, etc.... Thanks, Steph! You are so inspiring!

[Stephanie Howell]

The mist idea is great. I totally will!! And the tape is by pink paislee. It is old and Im pretty sure you cant find it anymore. So sorry!!

Sent from my iPhone

[Shannon Shurtleff]

I {heart} the milkglass. Yumm! Beautiful way to hold stuff!!! I'm digging the room.

[ginny]

I really love your mix/match craft room! How am I not surprised that you have a doily basket :)

[Debbie]

Oh gosh, I totally love how you have repurposed so many things. Perfect craft spaces are not what it is about...used and loved spaces are! And Happy Birthday to your mom!

[Stacey]

Thanks for showing us the pictures! It is beautiful! How nice to have a scraproom. I was using our dining room, but we had to change some things around in the house, so now my stuff is all over the house!! (That is probably why I don't scrapbook as much). I have way too much stuff too. Is your scraproom in the basement, or a bedroom or an extra living room? i love it'!

[Stephanie Howell]

thank you! its in the office.

[ginny]

love your room - it's so You! I just knew you had to have a doily basket. I've been searching for old square canisters but no luck.

[Kami Pfingsten]

Thank you! Looking forward to the mist tutorial. :)

[Jen Strange]

I'm that way too - if I don't have something out in plain sight, I forget I have it! I love your craft room, it's great!!!

jen

[Jen]

I love your space! I like how you take all the old displayers & give them new life!

[Jackie A xxx]

I love this room - so so welcoming and all you jars etc are a great idea to have things on hand to use. Thanks very much for sharing xx

[Michelle L]

I loved those zig zag storage bins! I bought a couple in green! I wish they'd had the shoebox size though since those fit on my bookshelf better but I love them.

I love your workspace! Mine is just a corner but the rest is used as a playroom so it works out nice. We can all be together in there and everyone has something to do!
Thanks for posting this!

[Stephanie Howell]

michelle!  in my 5th (i think??) house (in waco) my scrap room shared a space with the play room. i LOVED it!

[diana]

Thanks for the scrap room tour showing all the lovely re-purposed storage ideas! But only(!!) two boxes of patterned paper? How do you resist? How can you purge PP? ;-) I know you have mentioned before that you don't have an LSS in Savannah, so you mainly use SC kits. Aren't you worried that your new posting location might have lots of LSSs? It's hard to resist pretty paper when shopping in person. LOL

[Stephanie Howell]

hahahah! i know. i havent bought much paper at all in the past few years! what is WRONG with me???

Sent from my iPad

[hisglorygirl]

Love how everything about this room totally fits your style!

[christina rayevich]

Great space steph. i too love milkglass & use it alot in my scrap space. =) Great inspo this morning!
xo

[Annie]

Thank you for sharing! I too am surprised by the amount of PP you keep in your stash. I can't keep from buying PP. LOL!

I love how you have everything out to see! I need to rethink my scrapping area but my problem is that I do quilting and other crafts too. I can't keep it all out in my limited space.

[Janna]

HAPPY HAPPY BDAY BB;) You have the most creative daughter I know!! LOVE love her inspiration she puts out there for us!! Wish you guys could be together on this special day:) I too have a mother that lives half way across the country. Birthdays spent together are a rare thing. Thanks for the tour Stephanie. I love it!

[Kimber-Leigh]

i love seeing all the ways you repurpose things for your scrapping. whenever i see something unique at an antique/thrift store, i usually think "how would stephanie make that work in scrapping"? i love your collection!

[Janna]

I too would love a misting tutorial. I've not used much and I just bought some from SC. Can't wait to get it in mail and use on me Proj Life. So so excited to do that this year! I'm so curious what the misting box is;) I was totally thinking storage, then I see you store it elsewhere. Looking fwd to tute! Thanks!

[Sandi]

I wouldn't wish for a different scrap room if I had yours. Your room is my inspiration room. Love it!

[Stephanie Howell]

thank you sandi! and you must have misunderstood- im not wishing for another room.i dream of that desk and a room i can paint...but i know im very blessed to have this one :)

[Kristy]

I love how you use vintage this and that to keep your crafts organized. I do the same thing but I lean towards 1970's kitchen type of things. I need to do a post like this!

[Cornelia Kennedy]

Thank you for sharing, I have a 150x90 table in our living room (small english houses!) and I find storage such a huge problem, I love the idea of using tiered baskets, that give more storage but use less space!

[Kirsten J]

Thanks for the share! So I get that you say it's not pristine, but it is totally charming, and although you don't have cookie cutter furniture & storage bins....it all looks so neat. Do you think the secret is that you "containerized" everything? I mean, I'm sure you cleaned & tidied for the pictures, lol, but I think I need to get a few more containers instead of piling, maybe. And now I'm sure I need to sort more....

[Stephanie Howell]

actually (dont kill me!) it looks like this most of the time. i find i cant work/create in a messy space. im a bit OCD like that. yes, everything having a place really TRULY helps.

[tara pakosta]

I love your craft room! it's functional & pretty!
and I love all the little areas!
can't wait to see what you are doing with Project Life!
tara

[Account Deleted]

Such a cute room!! I'm so not surprised. :) I do have a question about your albums...do you do an album for each of your girls? Do you do a 'family' album? Do you do a book for ever year or just keep an ongoing album? I'd like to know your system. My son is almost two and we have a baby on the way so I'm trying to figure out my system and stick to it. My son's first year is 3 packed full 12x12 albums!! I know I can't keep up that pace though. :) Thanks for sharing!!!

[Stephanie Howell]

i have NO system right now unfortunately. eeek! but when i sort them they will be done by year!

[Jenny G.]

I love that you use found things for your storage! The style of your room is totally you! Can't wait to see what you do with PL :)

[Jenn H]

I love how you have everything out so you use it. I have a problem of putting it away and then I forget about it and come across it later on and realize it's never been used. So now I am trying to use it up and not buy anything so I can downsize before our next move.

Oh, and it's my mom's birthday today too...Happy Birthday Mom's!!!

[Elizabeth]

This is such a lovely space!

[Account Deleted]

Hey Stephanie!! I m totally digging all the vintage treasures, I do LOVE some milk glass. I wish I had more vintage items-it's crazy too...I have TWO vintage shops I have to pass to go anywhere. I even passed on buying one of those vintage stamp holders, sigh. I think I will stop in and see if that Mustard Seed has any goodies I can't pass up.
PS-renting does suck...I so feel your pain there. Military life, right?!

[Paula]

This is fabulous ! Thanks for sharing~ Two questions..did you make those big paper decorations (blue/green/pink) that are on your wall? They are pretty.. And love your project life binder, what company is it from? Thanks again :)

[Stephanie Howell]

paula- the flowers are martha stewart (theres a whole blog post on them here somewhere...maybe under home??) and the album is american crafts.

[Jackee]

Steph, I covet your doilies, bakers twine and mists....cannot find mists here.

[Jenn V]

This is such a fun post! I love the details you have provided...especially all those drawer photos! I love to see close ups of people's rooms. Looks like fun! Good idea to organize your project life stuff within reach.

[kimberly]

LOVE the old gum display that is holding the stickers! Genius! I always wish I had a nice craft room where everything is neat & tidy (and I have been drooling over that Martha Stewart furniture wishing we had ONE extra room!). What I love about your space is that everything is OUT and accessible...it might not be magazine ready, but it's clearly work-ready, and you have the gorgeous layouts to prove it :)

[Renee VanEpps]

Milk glass! WOW, I seriously never knew it was called that and now I know! So thank you! Your craft room is spectacular, I love all the beautiful and repurposed vintage treasures, esp. the paper sorter your mom gave you! Happy Birthday Stephanie's Momma!!!!!!!!

[melbrewin]

Love love love your room!!!! *sigh* I adore milk glass & old stuff but it is very limited here.
Love that you are so REAL, make me want to scrap even my crappy photos.

M xx

Happy Birthday to BB hope she has an amazingly blessed day!!!!!

[Amy P.]

Love your scrape space and all the storage ideas!! I will have to start checking the second hand stores more often for storage containers!
Anyway, I have one question-what type of pens to do you use on your layouts? I currently use Sakura Pigma Micron and have used ZIG in the past and they just don't seem to last very long, how well do the ones you are using hold up?Thanks!!

[Stephanie Howell]

i use american crafts precision pens. they hold up well but ive lost them all!!!

[jennifer Camplin]

vintage I love it all!! you found ways around what works good for you as possible.. everybody have different view what can and want for sb room or area.

[mollie]

hey girl! love it. as usual. :) i need to go to waco to visit your mama and maybe she will go thrifting with me! ;) how fun!! anyway, saw this on pinterest and thought of you if you ever have to rent again... hope you have a WONDERFUL day sweet girl! http://pinterest.com/pin/231372499575645965/

[Serene]

Thanks for showing us your room. I love seeing other scraprooms and yours is fabulous. Great ideas for repurposing.

[Jessica B]

Love the milkglass. I think when I have my own space I can really decorate that I will need to search the antique stores for some pieces. I currently collect some antique dishes that are pink/peach and never thought of using them for my crafting space. Also love the flower frog for a pen holder. I've never seen one made like that before. I will have to keep my eyes open for one. One last love of this post...that your mom blogs too!

[aja]

Hey lady! Hope your labels arrive soon. :0)
I love your organization. I still think we were meant to be friends...IRL. lol. If you have a sec, check out my project life post on my blog, and you'll see what I mean.
Aja

[Melanie]

love the room - it's so you. i craft/scrapbook on the floor too and create a 360 degree mess! thank you for hanging my jane print in your creative space, that makes me happy :)

[Kim]

Thanks for showing us your very real scrap room. I can really relate to it and I'm sure others can too!

[Marvin]

some day will need big house with your special room where you can play your loud music and create away!!! Love it!! and tou of course

[Marvin]

sorry---you

[Vanessa M. Santamaria]

Your room is perfect! Love everything about it, especially the vintage containers and milk glass :)

[Elizabeth]

Thank you for the pictures. You gave me a few ideas for my space. I am also a fan of repurposing things. Like you, my mom is always bringing me stuff. I am looking to move my office to our basement where my craft space is. You helped to get my mind going, thinking of ideas.

[Wendy]

Love, love, love this room! I am a milk glass and vintage tin collector, and have been hoping to use my collection to store some of my scrapping and stamping supplies. Your room is a wonderful inspiration. You have some great pieces here!