Small Craft Studio Tour Part II: Opening the doors of the Infamous Closets of Shame
Hello, Friends! Happy Saturday! I’m back today with my Small Craft Studio Tour Part II! This time I’m focusing on the infamous “Closet of Shame” where much of my crafty goodies hang out. I also have process photos of my husband and son building my fabulous work table as well as one photo of the room on the day we moved in so you can see what a daunting task it was to pull this space together.
The important thing to remember when viewing craft studio tours is this: everyone is different. Some people like to have everything out and piles of product everywhere. This is what works for them. I tend to be very organized and like everything to have a place. My studio really does look like this except for the moments when I am working on a project. Then it can get pretty messy. But I clean up the entire space after every single project because I cannot function in chaos. Dust doesn’t bother me…but mess drives me crazy!
Move in Day
Moving and setting up a studio is not for the faint of heart. I had been gradually adding to my crafty stash over the course of 10 years. Things come in one at a time. But when you move….ay yi yi! Even though I did a major purge before we moved (I reduced my stash by half!) it was still pretty overwhelming on move in day.
Ay yi yi! This is only part of the mess…as there were boxes in the hallway. I did take the time to really organize everything before the move, so that helped when it came to unpacking the studio.
One of the smartest things I did was to wrap my modular storage units with shrink wrap before the move. Each cloth bucket was wrapped, and placed in its cube. Then I wrapped the dickens out of each cube unit. My movers were able to move them with dollies and when I got into the studio, all I had to do was unwrap. You can see how much I love my buttons. They were the first items I unwrapped…because, peeps…you gotta have a little inspiration when you face a task of this magnitude!
The Evolution of the Work Station
My new space measures about 11 feet x 12 feet. Sadly, some of my cherished furniture pieces from our old house did not fit the new space. I had a very limited budget, so I had to think creatively. I actually moved everything OUT of the studio so I could study the room and sketch out a plan that would allow for ample work surface and a good flow. I woke up at 3 in the morning with a picture of the work station in my head. Sketch pad in hand, I mapped out a crude drawing and shared it with Dale.
The plan was to create a peninsula along the back wall of the studio. This made the best use of the room and since I had Dale build it at counter top height, it created room for all my Iris carts full of Graphic 45 papers to be tucked around the perimeter. It also gave me great storage UNDER the table for seasonal items and Etsy shop inventory.
This was once our kitchen table. Dale is measuring and modifying it to serve as the peninsula. Those white plastic doohickeys are pluming flanges that the PVC legs fit into. I wanted them all the way on the end of the table to facilitate storage.
Here are the flanges being screwed into place.
The legs are on the table! Hooray!
Next, Dale and our son Peter screwed a 2×4 into the wall studs then drilled down into that to secure the table. This table is so sturdy, I could dance on it if I wanted to! You can see the finished table in my Small Craft Studio Tour Part 1 on YouTube.
On with the Show! The infamous Closet of Shame!
Dale took out the wire shelving unit and built me custom shelving that would accommodate 12×12 paper pads. You’ll see it all in the video below.
So now you’ve seen my happy place. I spend most of my time here, and I love how functional it is. I hope I shared some ideas that you’ll be able to use in your own craft studio. It doesn’t take a fortune to build a space that works for you. Just think creatively and be willing to repurpose and reuse.
Thanks for stopping by!
Well, I finally got some time to see your Part 2, and combined with Part one, it has been such a treat to see where you craft and to hear about all your methods to organize your, eh hem, “small” space! Sorry, but I think I may have you beat on the small space! Some day I will have a room of my own that will be even better than my space now (which I love, by the way). I will have your wonderful space to use as inspiration! I have already used one of your ideas, and used an empty bin to put my products I’ve used on a project into it, so I can carry it to my computer to write my blog post. A few times, well, all the time, I’ve had to work on more than one project and I’ve forgotten I’ve put the ink in there, for example, and get really flustered when I can’t find it. My Closet may not look organized, but I know exactly where everything is. Love seeing how this all came together. I think you need to rename the closet of shame to pantry pride, because it is soooo organized! Ha! Ha! I thought I had a lot of paper! I guess the one good thing I have that you don’t is a sink right off my Closet, so washing up is a snap. And because I am a mixed media kinda girl, it’s a good thing! I must use 3 dozen paint brushes a day! Thank you for putting this together with the video! Such fun! Hugs!
PS Where do you keep the chocolate? 🙂
How fun to see inside your world. I love that the table is attached to the wall!
Hi, Kathy! I finally got back here to watch Part 2! I enjoyed seing all the photos too! Your space is so organized! Your Closet of Shame looks awesome to me – I’m not sure what you don’t like about it. Also I think your space is not small at all. Your other room must have been huge! Before we moved into this house 2.5 years ago I crafted on my dining room table! Now I have a room of my own that I love! Mine is very low-budget but I still love it! You make very good use of your space and I enjoyed all your thrifty tips! You’ve found some great buys at yard sales over the years! I also like the organizational drawer set that your daughter made for you! I would never part with it either! Thanks for sharing for space with us!
I just wanted to let you know that your craft room tour video motivated me to do a little bit of organizing in my own craft room and label some boxes. My biggest problem is that I work on several different projects at a time and end up with not enough clear space on my craft table to work! I have stacked two empty shallow boxes on one corner of the desk to hold supplies as I use them, and partially finished projects in zip lock bags so that they don’t get damaged or buried under other papers. Although I clean up after crafting, I still seem to have too many stamps, ink pads, papers, and embellishments stacked on top of one another on my table as I craft. Haven’t figured out how to remedy that yet, so would love to hear how you actually manage as you work on a project. Thanks for the peek into your crafting space, and all the tips on storage.
You are super creative and I guess even when you sleep!! Super spacious and great layout of storage!
Love all the space, and love that you woke up to the idea! I too get inspired during my sleep time! Your space is so functional like this too!!
Wow organized, I LOVE IT. Thank you so much for all your tips. I am just a little envious of course as you have a “room” for your creative station. You are lucky and fortunate that you can find everything lol Me? well, not so much lol I will get there tho’, one day. Thanks again for your tour, it was lovely to get to know you better and to actually see where you get “busy” with your bad self.
Hugs from Victoria, BC
Hi Kathy, thanks so much for showing us your new studio. I was especially happy with all the recycled an sale items you mentioned. Thinking frugal is so important, and inspiring, Your room maybe small but
WOW! what a place to be inspired. Your supplies seem well organized, and we can see the love in each creation. Bravo! for your helpers. so wonderful to have them in the family.
Keep on, Keep on ,creating and sending lots of love our way………Big Hugs……Happy Valentines Day
Such a lovely space!!
Studio Tour – Part 2 was as much fun to see as Part 1. I don’t think the word “shame” should be attached to either closet – they look pretty organized to me. I can only imagine how much stash you had before you moved but if you are anything like me, there is always something you need when you start creating. Thanks for sharing the great space where you make your beautiful creations.
Hugs!
Cec
Hey Kathy – really enjoyed the studio tour and definitely some great ideas to use. I love my punches and they’re in a shoe hanger behind my chair for easy acces – love your studio with the different work stations – makes moving through a project so easy – that way you can put all your energy into your fabulous creations Hope you gave a fabulous crafty weekend