See...it's not a creepy, dark basement. I have 3 basement sized windows, but the door with the large window really brightens up this space. My hubby also installed recessed lighting which gives us proper lighting at night. I am blessed that he is so handy.
Let's back up though and I'll give you a tour around the room. You can't see it in this picture above, but my sewing area is directly to your left upon entering the room. As seen here:
I love having my sewing machine out and ready to go. The thread organizer was a wise purchase from Joann's. I tried to utilize what I already owned to put my room together. I decided on a Neapolitan stripe color scheme...you know, like vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream. I made those curtains to put over the bookshelves as I thought it gave the room a more unified look. I just spent a great deal of time organizing photos in those photo boxes on top of the shelves. The task light and table are from IKEA years ago. The lamp was my husband's in college and it was grey. Some pink spray paint and it looks like it was made for my room.
Around the corner from the sewing table and to the left of my craft bench is this super-sized version of a scrapbook page. I wanted something that truly reflects what goes on in this room. And the kids are cute, too! Below that canvas, my daughter has a little art desk so she can work along with me. Her area looks a bit more like a crime scene, so I decided to leave it out!
Okay...now let's get down to business. Here is command central. This craft bench came in to existence after a terrible flood we had in our basement. Luckily, minimal supplies were lost, but we were determined to make a plan so it wouldn't happen again. The solution? A sump put into the floor so if the water should enter, it has somewhere to go. It was an awkward spot to have a hole in the floor, but with some creative maneuvering, we concealed it. See that polka dot curtain to the right?
Well, there is the sump and the pump! We used 2 kitchen cabinets from IKEA and flanked a piece of counter top (also from IKEA) across them and over the hole of the sump. A quick sewn curtain with leftover material and a tension rod, and that unsightly, but necessary hole is hidden. Anyway, this isn't "This Old House", so I'll get back to the crafty stuff you came to see.
I have 2 groups of 4 cubes on the counter on either side of my main work area. The left side houses all of my patterned paper. I store all of my paper by manufacturer. I'm pretty good about keeping tabs on what I have (especially now that I am on the design team and create a kit EVERY month) and know the basic gist of each style. For example, if I am looking for papers that are vintage and youthful, I grab my October Afternoon or Jenni Bowlin. If I am looking for floral and sophisticated, I may pull out Authentique. The cubes on the right house all of my solid cardstock, which other than kraft, black and white, I use rather sparingly. There are also spare page protectors and some "in-progress" projects ready to grab. On the top I have some old canisters from my kitchen. One has twill, the other has ric rac and the last one holds lace and crocheted trim.
There are a few more cubes on a little platform my husband built (just in case...)
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| Christmas border strips and an arsenal of adhesive |
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| All purpose border strips and flowers |
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| Glue guns, assorted embellies and embossing supplies |
My parents gave me this organizer one year for Christmas. It is right in front of me when I sit at my bench. The galvanized little buckets with the pink gingham handles came from the dollar area at Target. They are great for holding pop dots, glue dots, distress pads, pens and pencils and scissors and adhesive. In the cubbies of the shelf, one whole section is dedicated to washi...another to buttons, spray mist, distress inks and glitter. Oh...and of course...ribbon! Clear plastic jars from Michaels are within arm's reach on the top. They hold baker's twine, bobbin type ribbons and chalks. Another inexpensive light from IKEA provides targeted task lighting.
While sitting on my stool (which swivels and was a floor sample bargain at an unfinished furniture store), I have a drawer to my left and right
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| Scrap drawer |
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| Punches |
Here's a peek in to where I store my embellishments. They are to my left on the bench in those cube drawers that are divided into little sections. I organize by type since that is often how I scrap. More often than not, I'll look at a layout and say, "I think I need some wood veneers." Or, "Maybe I can add something metal to the page." So it makes sense to me to sort by type of embellishment.
Underneath the bench in the knee space area is a good place to store those plastic rolling carts as seen here:
I use that pizza box for my misting and other messy projects. The Iris cases have some previous month's counterfeit kits that still have lots of life left in them. Let's take a look in the drawers...
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| Love me some Thickers! |
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| Tiny types are also a FAVE! |
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| Chipboard Letters |
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| Stamp pads and blocks |
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| MORE Thickers! |
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| Rubber stamps |
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| Rub-ons and masks |
Behind where I sit, I have my old kitchen table. It used to be hunter green with natural wood. I painted the legs and backs of the chairs a mocha brown color to coordinate with the room. This is a great place to spread out when my bench gets too crowded or messy. (I have also been known to end up working on the floor when things get really wild, but try not to do that too much since the flood!) I usually have my monthly kit pieces out on one side so that I can easily see which supplies I have available to me.
Have you ever seen those cool memo boards in the Pottery Barn Teen catalog? They are super cool and super pricey. In the true spirit of counterfeiting, my husband made me this one that I use as my inspiration board.
I like to showcase handmade cards I've received, packages of new products or embellishments and photos. It has peg, cork and memo boards as well as a magnetic surface in the center. Did I mention that I am blessed to have a handy husband?
We're making our way back to where we started, but first here's my photo printer and computer. This is a family area as my husband will pay bills here or my son will do his homework. You'll also see my Cricut over on the right with the cartridges in the pink bins on top of the desk. I don't use it nearly enough, but luckily I never went crazy buying cartridges either.
And here is where we started...
I feel very fortunate to have this much space to dedicate to my hobby. Luckily, my husband is also a hobbyist as he builds model airplanes and tinkers around with his '69 Volkswagen Beetle. He completely understands the need for "stuff" and a place to put it all. There was a time when I had this space set up (minus the craft bench) and I HARDLY scrapped at all! I can say now with great certainty that scrapping is part of my daily life and this room gets used ALL THE TIME. While I like it all neat and clean, I can also appreciate when it's messy and a flurry of activity. Then I know for sure that lots of creating is going on!
Here's the list of the rest of the design team. Hope you can pick and choose some of things we do to enhance your scrap space.
Guest Designer: Sherrie http://sherriesmuddlepuddle.blogspot.ca
Jennifer http://jennifergracecreates.com
Lynnette http://sassyscrapper2010.blogspot.com/ YOU ARE HERE
Milissa http://millermall.blogspot.com/
Rebecca http://howiburb.blogspot.com/
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