Welcome to Day 1 of Blog Reader Appreciation Week!
Today, I'm sharing my creative space, complete with my newly painted walls (Sherwin Williams Raindrop is the color).
Let's get started.
First, the video:
My studio in pictures, including links to product (where available):
This is my favorite wall in my studio. Loads of color + inspiration (and many of my favorite things: buttons, Copics, ribbon, etc.
- The brown postman cubby organizer is from Pottery Barn HERE. I use it to store mini jars filled with Papertrey Ink Buttons, specialty laces & trims and my big spools of string and twine. The top shelf has a jar filled with chalk pencils, my empty jar I use to photograph Copic Markers used in projects, a frame with a quote I like, pink jar with small ephemera and the flower frog (spikey metal stand thing) used to photograph cards. Right now it's holding some extra projects waiting to be made into cards, etc.
- The white organizer is also from Pottery Barn. It's usually available around the holidays (or has been the last few years) so it's not on their website right now but I'll look again closer to the Christmas season). I use it for the rest of my buttons (stored by color in jars from Hobby Lobby), rolls of ribbon (these are mostly Papertrey Ink, American Crafts and other random spools of ribbon) and magazines or catalogs that I like to keep handy (like my Stampin' Up Catalog and Copic Marker Color Chart). The silver "imagine" letters are from Target. Picked those up like 5 years ago.
- The hutch on top of the desk is also Pottery Barn (the Bedford Collection). It's also about 5 years old. I don't think they carry this particular model any longer. They have the Smart Technology ones now. I just have the good 'ol regular not smart one. ;)
- I store my Sizzix Steel Rule Dies, cards, 8 1/2 x 11 paper, PTI felt rolls and such in the hutch.
- This is also my manual die cutting central. My Big Shot sits here ready to work.
- Ranger Inkssentials Applicators on the Ranger Inkssentials Craft Spinner: Totally stole this idea from Jennifer McGuire. I love it because I am lazy and don't like switching out the foams for the ink applicator. This way I have a tool for almost every ink color (I use mine A LOT). I also store my address stamp, date stamp, etc. here. I connected 5 spinners together to make one tall tower. In my video I think I said that the ink applicators connect the spinners. Um, no. I MEANT that the craft spinners hook together to HOLD all my ink spinners. My bad. I'll share my ink storage here near the end of my post.
- Copic Marker Rainbow: I love them. I use THESE racks for storing my markers. I have three of them, each holds 72 markers. This solution works well for me because it doesn't stand too tall or take up much counter space. I had limited space to work with and these racks work well for me + I am a little OCD (obsessive-compulsive) and like everything lined up, by color + number). Dont' judge. LOL
- Buttons: Stored by color in cheap glass jars from Hobby Lobby. The glass jars make them pretty to look at, don't ya think? :)
- Ribbon: By manufacturer, by color. OCD again. I know I have issues.
- Papertrey Ink Buttons: I store these in these cute little Slanted Mini Jars from Crate and Barrel. I love these. They are the perfect size. The lid is see-through and they look cute in the cubbies.
- This is also a piece from Pottery Barn that they no longer carry. Boo. I wish they did. I have gotten more questions regarding this one item than anything else combined! The glass jars come out. Easy to take one to the work table and then put it away. I keep my American Craft Stamp Markers here (the ones you can color on the stamps and then stamp), watercolor pencils and paintbrushes (all Claudine Hellmuth's...I threw out all my others hers are SO good!).
- Pottery Barn Bedford Hutch: I keep my Neenah Solar White Cardstock, Hero Arts Notecards + Envelopes, Hero Arts Layering Papers and Papertrey Ink cardstock. Pretty rainbows, no?
- Paper scrap storage is all in this Cropper Hopper rolling cart with 12x12 file folders. Easy to roll out and then put back away. And, yes, the scraps are stored by color as well.
- Embossing folders and extra die storage on the shelves of this cabinet. Also my Project 365 album. I sort of need to update about that here on the blog. Oops.
- Extra paper cutters, glass mat, etc. all stored here as well.
- A view of that whole wall. TV mounted in the corner. My iMac & Printer (Epson R1900).
- Pottery Barn Daily System in White. Wipe off Calendar and mail bin, etc. The pieces that PB carries for this Daily System come and go. Pretty sure these 3 are all still available, though.
- Sewing Center: Looks out over the driveway on the north side of my house. (Garage is below me).
- More Pottery Barn Daily System: Corkboard & Postman Cubbies. The cubbies are currently empty. Doing a bit of rearranging still.
- Peek at the new Simply Renee Clip It Up Floor Model in the corner. Fits there perfectly. Storing all my clear & cling stamps here. Getting another arm (or two) to go on the top.
- Some of my fabric storage. The rest is in plastic bins hidden away in the closet.
- Sewing Machine: I've had this baby for a few years. Still works great with a couple of trips to the sewing store for cleaning and maintenance. Singer 6038 Model.
- Simply Renee Clip It Up Floor Model: This is where I am moving all my clear & cling stamps. This holds a bunch and I chose the Floor Model over the table top version because I simply didn't have the counter space. It fits perfectly into this corner of my room. So excited to be able to "shop" from my own studio. :) I cut THESE sheet protectors in half to hang from the Clip It Up Clips. I thought they may hang "as is" but they folded in half so I just cut them in half. Perfection!
- Next up is my big shelving system: This unit was custom built for me. It holds a ton of stuff and I love it. It holds all my paper, stickers, rub-ons, embellishments, ribbons, florals, punches, chipboard, brads, wood-mounted stamps and more.
- I label everything. Makes finding what I need a breeze.
- I store all my alphabet stickers/rub-ons, etc. by color in THESE clear storage boxes from The Container Store. I also store sticker sheets/rub-on sheets, etc. by theme (girl, boy, Holiday, Fall/Halloween, etc.) in these.
- Brad/Eyelet/Clip Storage: I keep all of my brads, eyelets and more in THESE Craft Mates Organizers. I was NOT crazy about the purple to begin with but I love this system so much that these have grown on me. I've been using this system for about 3 1/2 years and I love, love, love them. Perfect for so many little things. :) I keep them in the binders by type: brads, eyelets, clips, etc. and then sorted by color within the binder. OCD at it's best, baby!
- Florals are all kept in Plano storage boxes.
- Punches in these mesh bins from The Container Store and/or Target. I know the bigger (dvd size) are from the Container Store. The smaller (cd size) ones are from Target & the Container Store. Punches are sorted by type: border, circle, hearts & stars, etc.
- Extra adhesives are in the smaller bins.
- Journaling tags, pages, etc. and American Crafts Flair are in the small bins as well.
- Wood Mounted Stamp Storage: I am using THESE boxes from Joann's. They are the Artbin Super Satchel Slim Single Compartment Box. They are 12 x 12 and a ton fits in each.
- I sort them by theme or brand, depending on how I use them. Mostly by theme, though. And here's a glimpse of one of the boxes. I usually save the 12x12 cardboard that come in my paper orders from 2Peas and put them in the bottom of the box. Looks like this one still needs some cardboard. ;) The cardboard is good because there are some "ridges" in the bottom of these boxes and over time your rubber stamps could warp if they sit on the ridge. If they sit there a long time. Just a possibility.
- Design Block Background Stamp Storage: Artbin Super Satchel Double Deep Storage Box. It is the perfect depth for these stamps. And I all these Artbin boxes stack and store together. :)
- Ribbon: I am keeping ribbon by color in Artbin Super Satchel Slim Compartment Boxes. For regular width ribbons, I keep them wrapped on floss cards. For bigger, thicker ribbons, felt trims, etc. I usually just roll them up and stick them in a compartment. I sort the ribbons by color. One or two colors per box depending on how many ribbons of that color I have.
- Embellishment Storage: For anything that doesn't fit into any other storage above (metal embellishments, pre-made die-cuts, tags, etc.) I use the same containers as I do for the ribbons: Artbin Super Satchel Slim Compartment Boxes. I can get lots in a box so takes up a lot less storage. Plus, I downsized a bunch. I like making my own embellishments with die cutting machines, etc. so I just really don't need that many pre-made things.
- Florals: I've been storing my florals in these Plano Clear Storage Boxes for several years now. Love it. Each color gets it's own box. These boxes can be found in the outdoors/fishing department at many discount stores.
- Work Table: This is where I put together projects. It was a regular (smallish) kitchen table from Pottery Barn. I had longer legs custom built for it so it sits counter height. I also just had a piece of glass cut to fit the top. I wish I had done this years ago so that I hadn't ruined the table's finish in a few spots with inks, paints, etc. Probably going to have to refinish it one of these days. I love the glass top though. A little glass cleaner and it's good as new.
- Often used tools: I like to keep those things I use the most right at my fingertips. Corner Chomper, scissors, pens, tiny attacher, etc. I use a carousel I bought from Pottery Barn years ago. I don't *think* they sell these any longer. I couldn't find them online anyway.
- Inks, Stamping Tools, Cards, Photos & More: This cabinet is one that went with an old dining room set that I've repurposed into my craft space. It holds a hodge podge of items and I use the top for display. It's tucked into one of the little nook and crannies of my office (a bonus space in this house) and is behind my office door.
- The black ink carousel is Best Craft Organizer Dual Swivel Traveler. I think it's meant to be portable but I didn't attach the handle because I never move it. It stores ink on both sides: SU & CTMH on one and Hero Arts, Memories Ink , Versamark & Memento on the other.
- The smaller carousel is from Wisconsin Stamp Supplies HERE. It holds all my Distress Inks and Staz-on inks. I labeled everything to make them easy to find. I love my label maker.
- I keep all my paints, Stickles, flocking, glitters, etc. in THESE magazine plastic containers from the Container Store.
- Embossing powders, clear acrylic blocks, stamp tools go in these plastic baskets from a discount store.
- Cards ready to be mailed: Any cards I've made that aren't for a particular person get filed in THESE mesh baskets by theme. I can easily find one to mail or give at a moment's notice this way.
- I keep idea books, inspiration binders and film 4x6 prints on the bottom 2 shelves in this cabinet.
I hope you've enjoyed this peek into my craft studio.
I'm sure there are things I've forgot. If you have any specific requests or questions, please let me know and I'll add to this post as needed. :)
Giveaways start tomorrow and don't forget new video tutorials every day through next Monday.
Have a super Monday and a great week! xo
eta: Questions from Blog Readers & My Answers
Q: I have a simple question about how you store your PaperTrey Ink stamps: do you store them in the CD cases they come in, or are you also putting them on the clip it up in the sheet protectors?
A: I don't use the cd cases. I store them in dvd sheet protectors just like everything else. I like the sheet protectors because I can store just about all my clear or cling stamp(s) and/or sets this way. I like the way everything looks uniform.
Q: I do have a question -- where are your albums?
A: I keep my albums in our family room instead of my studio. I find that by keeping them where we hang out, that they get looked at a lot more. Plus, it frees up storage space in my studio for other things. :)
This is a photo as it is today. I have some layouts on shelves that need to be put away and stickers/packaging to remove from some albums but this is real life. :)
I almost exclusively use We R Memory Keeper Leather Albums, found HERE.
Q: You have all of your embellishments out of the packaging and in those cute boxes..How do you know what products are made by who for supply lists and things.. I feel like for submissions I need to keep everything in the original package so I know whats what..?
A: I have a freakishly good memory for what product is from what manufacturer. I wish I had a better answer than this but I don't. Now, how to do 6th grade math...not such a good memory. ha!
Q: One question I have is how you store your pattern paper, by company, theme, colour etc?
A: I store almost everything by manufacturer except for Fall/Halloween and Christmas. Any paper with those themes gets put together in a file. I tried sorting and storing my patterned paper by colour but I had such a hard time with patterns that have multiple colours that I went back to storing them by mfg.
Q: If you have a chance can you share a little more in depth how you organize the clear stamps? Do you keep the sets together or do you split them up to store by theme/type instead? (Like all journaling stamps together, sentiments, etc.) Also I'd love to know what you're storing them in (the protectors or whatever that you have hanging on the Clip it Up).
A: I keep my clear stamp sets together, I don't break any of them apart. I store them by manufacturer as that seems to be the way I search for them. I cut THESE sheet protectors in half to hang from the Clip It Up Clips.
