My Creative Space-With The Pink Elephant

Happy Friday Everyone!  The months of May and June, The Pink Elephant Design Team are sharing their creative spaces. This is week #4.  If you missed the others, stop by The Pink Elephant Challenge blog and check out Sheri's, Natasha's and Lori's creative crafty spaces!  It's been a lot of fun seeing all my teammates places where they create and get some organizational inspiration from them!

Today is my turn to share the place I spend about 75% of my time when I'm home --- my craft room.  I've been gone for about six weeks from all things bloggy and crafty due to my dad suddenly passing away in April.  I had actually been crafting that evening and left things a mess to go to bed. So when my mom called hours later, I just left it a messy disaster.  And, I had planned on doing a bit re-organizing too so I had to clean up the mess before re-organizing once I returned. 

I'm fortunate to have an entire room to call MINE for crafting, blogging, sewing, etc.  It's actually my second craft room here.  I had one in our basement but it got way too cold in the winter even in NC.  So, once he got married, I finally talked my hubs into repainting Patrick's room and making it my creative space.  The top walls before were sponged animal pattern for my son.  However, as I have lived in a house full of testosterone, I had to claim some girl power finally, so I repainted pink and white leaving the bottom brown and notice, even the fan is pink!  It's a pretty big room with lots of stuff in it!  I used my wide angle lens to get a shot of most of the room from the door as I could.  There are perks to being an empty nest! lol 

Some of the highlights of my room ----

In the center you notice a big island.  I confiscated that from my hubs' work room aka "man cave", lol!  I wanted to have it painted for this post, but with being out of town for a month before, it didn't happen.  That is where I do most of my creating and I can see out either window as I do.  On its shelf, I have two boxes of stamps along with a basket of pre-made card bases very handy.  I'm in the process of organizing them slowly the Jennifer McGuire way!  LOL  The top has most of my craft utensils I use most of the time.  The island is counter height and so I find myself standing most of the time.  The little black bag on the side is a small trash bin/cup holder. One evening my wonderful dog, Riley, sniffed out a candy wrapper in it and chewed half of one side of the bag off so now it's duct taped. 

Also, I read somewhere that standing more than sitting, while working, can be almost as beneficial to your health as exercise.  I'm not sure how, because the weight has not dripped off of me yet!  lol   

Just this winter I found that fabulous big four door cabinet (above)at the Habitat Restore for only $50. The Hubs helped me sand and paint it. We added the trim on the doors and around the rim on top.  It holds ALOT --- all of my different kinds of paints --- acrylics, oils, watercolors, markers, as well as most of my embellishments, wooden craft elements, almost every craft supply I own  fits into its three deep shelves!  

To the left of the cabinet are craft cubes with more various supplies like adhesives, emboss folders, glitter, etc, tucked away.  To the right is a pegboard my Hubs built and hung so I could have more items readily available when I need them.  And on the back of the door is a shoe organizer where I keep my punches.

Above the cabinet I have my Big Shot, dies, stencils, markers, inks. It is on my agenda to purchase a true marker shelf, but til that time, I repurposed tin cans -glued together and painted and an old small wooden crate for my Copics, Blicks and Spectrum Noirs.  That little shelf on the right side with my markers on it is another confiscated item from the "man cave"too.  I kind of call this my "joy" wall with the sentiment and family photos and mementos. 

Below shows the front of the room with a small desk in front of the window that holds my sewing machine and laptop.  In the cubes on either side I have envelopes, my computer accessories, 12x12 colored paper, computer paper, photo paper, etc.

  To the right of my desk is a bookshelf I've had since childhood, made by my uncle. It holds my papercraft mags, some photoalbums and books and jars of ribbon as well as some stuffed animals from my guys. 

On the wall next to the bookshelf I have a cube organizer with all my 8-1/2x11 papers stored underneath a bulletin board I recovered.  The frames are a sketch my son Patrick drew of a heart (Mother's Love) for me and the other is a religious picture of Jesus with children that belonged to my dad during his preaching days.  I also hung some fishing wire above the bulletin board to display currently finished cards. Above the fishing wire are some fave photos I have taken in various spots of NC.

Next to the paper shelf is a bench, made by same mentioned uncle.  It was my childhood toybox.  I have refinished it and it holds ALOT of fabric!  It also usually contains a cat or border collie or both upon the seat most days.  ----Well and now true to form, Socrates has decided he wanted to be a part of the post as he wandered in while I was taking pictures!  I had to stop and raise the blinds for him.  Actually I think he wants Mom to stop and take him outside to sit on the deck.

My hubs also built me this wonderful wooden stamp shelf that takes up the entire wall by the closet.  That has to be one of my favorite things about my room!  Under it is an old dresser that holds 2 baskets of stamps (still organizing those-yes they're still a mess), and my printer.  The drawers contain ribbon, stickers, emboss powders, small paper pads.

My closet rounds out the room as far as supply storage goes.  On the doors I've started using some adhesive magnetic squares to store some of my dies.  That will be continued to be done at a later date. The hanging bag is a jewelry organizer I have unused dies I've cut and then not used. The Hubs built ceiling to floor shelves for me and most of the closet contains photos, paper keepsakes, frames, scrapbooks, etc.  One day it may all be nice and organized in like containers and colors.  I actually just purchased new photo boxes as the current ones are falling apart.  Just haven't transferred them yet.

A few other details --- a shadowbox holding my ballerina tutu from when I was five.  A photo of one of the Broadway plays, Wicked, that I saw in NYC with my BFF, and last but not least ---- Socrates' late night lounging area (when I'm up late crafting)!

         

Well, that's pretty much where I spend a lot of my time, lots of evenings and late nights when the Hubs is saving lives in the ER.  I have been known from time to time, to craft all night, share breakfast with him and then pile into bed with him, the cat and dog!  


Be sure and stop by the TPE Blog next week, Friday, May 29 and check out Joni's space!

Creative Space Blessings!