Can I share something with you? I am REALLY messy. Like — REAL messy! I am sure we can all relate, but I am a messy creator. I like things not in their packages, I like my stamps to be super dirty, I like getting my nails and hands grimey — I’m a dirty scrapbooker! But I HATE being an unorganized, and messy scrapbooker because it messes up my mojo.
I sometime dread going on Pinterest and seeing all the cute ways you can decorate your craft space — the only problem is, I am way too lazy to do it. Well, one day it got to the point where my craftroom just had CRAP – I mean, literally, stuff alllllllll on the floor. It was to the point where I walked in and I was getting stabbed in the foot. I was scared to go to my office to create.
So, I woke up one day and said “damn it, I am going to renovate my room!” And the rest is magic. If you’re like me, I am obsessed with the kitchen aisles in any store. Target. Ikea. Container Store. Pier 1. Flea Market. Where ever! The kitchen aisle has some AWESOME things for the craft room. The problem with me – and my craft room – is we have an identity crisis. Is it an office? Is it a studio? Is it a calligraphy station? A library? A scrapbook room? Filofax office? I don’t know! What am I??? Well, whatever it was, I know I need TWO desk for it and maybe a long wrapdesk for the Paper Addict store (which yes! Will be opening up some time in February!!! Getting some AWESOME stuff for your Filofax needs!)
Luckily for me, Eric is VERY patient and absolutely LOVES organizing. Poor guy – lucky me. We pulled everything out – and I mean everything. Then put everything back in, I didn’t like it – then pulled everything out again and started from scratch. That’s how you know a man loves you – if he’s willing to deal with that crap from me! We made 3-4 trips to The Container Store in Vegas (Debbie and Paul were EXCELLENT!) I’ll walk through and link up everything I bought later on in this blog.
Ok, let’s look at my old space:
So for whatever reason, the peg board wasn’t centered and I didn’t even notice!
As you can see, it was a good size area, but I wasn’t effectively using the space to its full advantage. And that thin white shelf was holding on to DEAR life, so I have NO idea how it lasted that long there.
Here’s the entire room empty (minus that back wall, that took me 3 days to build and that bad boy ain’t going anywhere!) My room is a standard 11×11 bedroom size. Awesome lighting. I have 3 small windows that face the Vegas strip, and a large side window that faces my yard.
That thing hanging on the door is a shoe sorter – filled with varies tidbits
My windows – I love them!
First try: I ended up purchased a track that was 56 inches wide. The Elfa system comes in 56 and then hops up to 80 inches. I didn’t want to cut anything because I am impatient and just grabbed the 56 inches. I bought 2 shelves for each row – both 25 inches a piece. Now when I say the Elfa system is the easiest thing I have ever seen – its the easiest thing I have ever seen (No, I am not paid by Container Store).
The peg board is from Michael’s Recollection. What I really didn’t like was I wanted more shelves to go to the bottom of the desk. Its kind of hard to explain if you don’t know the Elfa system and the way it works. Basically my racks were too short, so I needed to go back and get longer ones to reach the top of the desk. I also didn’t like all my little dishes sitting on my desk like that – taking up way too much real estate – I like having a nice clear desk!
Pails are from Target Dollar bins
First attempt – done!
A con of the way the old desk was the PL boxes being on the top shelf and mini albums taking up the 2nd shelf. All I kept thinking was – man, I could really use these shelves for something more practical. So, on to take 2. Mind you for the first attempt, I had put the shelf too high, so I couldn’t reach it, and the boxes hit the Christmas lights. So we (ahem, I mean, Eric) had to take OFF the shelf, we had to replaster the holes, paint a coat of green over, and re-drill to a lower spot where I can reach! So when we did take 2, it was too low! Because the rails ended up hitting the electric plate (and since the rails are metal) , we had to move the rails over! Yeah, horrible planning on our end.
Here he is – my handy dandy gu
So Eric, had to take everything down and put it back up, this time with longer rails! And we LOOOOOVE the new set up! He even put up my 32 inch plasma on the right side of the wall so I have some white noise in the background!
Here it is with a laptop on it – still very spacious!
Three shelves full of happiness!
What I love? Besides everything! I can still reach the top of the shelf in arms reach. Its basically the clunkier and odd shape things. My washi dispenser is also pretty heavy too, so I don’t really want to keep moving it around on my desk so on the top shelf it goes. The 2nd shelf has my more used items – my Studio Calico cling stamps, my rubber stamps, and my acrylic blocks. And my lowest shelf holds my thickers – its about 200 thickers (maybe more?) and they are being in pace with book ends.
And here it is – clean!
I just feel so happy looking at this. The mini albums above are current ones I’m working on: December Daily (which is already done), Sundrifter SC album (pen pals), 2 Basic Grey albums (travel), Pink mini PL (2014 album), 2 Russell+Hazel binders for notes (store and PL), and all my Filofaxes and Louis Vuittons. The crate on the bottom right corner is from Hobby Lobby – on sale! It holds my 6×6 pads, and tons of Studio Calico embellishments.
Rolling storage, I removed the lids off the Iris box to make them drawers.
This rolling storage (I have about 5) holds 12×12 papers, embellishments sorted by designers, less frequent inks, December Daily stuff, etc – just less used stuff. I bought these on sale for about $60 a piece from Michael’s and just removed the tops off to make them drawers instead.
Storage wall – all my PL cores and minis and my SC PL kits – and a signed Derek Jeter baseball.
Kal Barteski print from Studio Calico
Items Shown:
Desk area: Sharper Image desk (Stockton Collection, discontinued) being replaced with IKEA Linnmon/Finnvard desk, 56″ top track, three 60″ hang standards, five 12×25 END shelves, one 8×25 END shelf, clip bookends for thickers
Opposite wall: 80″ top track, four 20″ hang standards, four 12×25 END shelves, two 12×24 CENTER shelves, two sets of solid bookends
My next step is organizing my storage closet for the Paper Addict store – feast your eyes on this – but please don’t have a heart attack!
Before….
During …
To be continued ….