Welcome to my Happy Place: Kathy by Design Studio Tour

Hello, G45’ers! Welcome to my happy place! I’m so excited to share today’s post with you. Today I’m inviting you to a Kathy by Design Studio Tour with lots of storage tips and hints for organizing your crafty stash. I’ll also share how I’ve created my crafty space on a limited budget by re purposing common items, upcycling trash into treasure, and shopping beyond the scrapbooking aisle. We’ll take a video tour of my room and I’ll also share still photos with you. So let’s get started!

This photo is of my inspiration wall. I just gave it a little face lift especially for this post. Pretty things inspire me, so I surround myself with photos of the people I love, recent projects, favorite layouts and little items that make me smile.

Almost everything you see in this photo (with the exception of my computer, printer and die cutting machine) was salvaged from a thrift store, bought on clearance, picked up at a yard sale, or built by my dear husband.

I don’t sit at this desk unless I am blogging or editing photos. But I love the large surface when I am creating a project. I lay out my papers, embellishments, and dies here so that I have lots of room on my actual work space. The desk is from the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store. It was in near perfect condition, and to my delight it was just tall enough that I could slip a couple of storage carts beneath it. If you are looking for desks, cabinets, shelving or other furniture for your room, check out Habitat for Humanity. You’ll get a great deal on a great piece and help out a wonderful cause at the same time.

Kathy by Design Studio Tour: The Latest Addition

I love to go junkin’! We live in an area with lots of thrift stores, bargain barns, antique malls and charity shops. I found this nifty message center in a dusty corner of a local bargain barn. And it was a real ugly duckling! But, it had great potential to become a beautiful swan. Because it was so ugly, it was also super cheap. Naturally, it had to come home with me. A little dusting, a little white chalk paint, a little update with Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe papers and BAM! Country chic message center!

TIP: White Chalk Paint is Your Friend!

Don’t walk away from a great office fixture, frame or furniture piece because it is ugly. White chalk paint is the next best thing to a magic wand. You don’t have to sand or prime the surface. Just make sure it is dust free and then paint.

The wire baskets on either side of this piece were given to me by my sister. They are supposed to hold wine corks and they had a sentiment about wine written on them. To re-purpose these baskets for the studio was a quick and easy job. Start by measuring out a piece of adhesive backed cork. Once that is in place, cover with Graphic 45 Staples Typography and Numbers DIY papers. Then, to add a finished look, add ribbon trim. I used Scor-Tape to adhere the black ribbon that Graphic 45 adds to their Staples Alpha Tags. Now I have a great resting spot for my Staples Policy Envelopes and Metal Hardware.

Kathy by Design Studio Tour: The Work Table

This 4 foot square peninsula is the perfect stand up work space. And guess what? It started life as our kitchen table! When we downsized our home, the table was too large for our tiny eat-in kitchen. But I loved the butcher block table top so much that I could not bear to toss it.

The solution? Add PVC pipes, a toilet flange (new, of course…on the plumbing aisle from Home Depot) and now you’ve got a fabulous work table. First, my husband and anchored a 2×4 piece of lumber into the studs on the back wall. Then they added the PVC legs and anchored the whole thing to the 2×4. Super sturdy, it is custom built to be the perfect height for me to stand while working, which is my preference.

As a bonus, I had enough room to place my Iris Carts (Filled with G45 papers) storage carts and a dresser below the table. I store all of my ETSY shop merchandise in plastic bins under the table so not a square inch of space is wasted. (Watch the video to see how I keep my paper, ribbons and dies neat and tidy!)

Create Designated Work Stations

I find that work stations create a good flow in my studio. You saw my stand up work station on one side of the table. On the opposite side, I’ve created a cutting/die cutting station. I leave my Spellbinder Platinum machine out all the time. Why? Because if it is out, I will use it. If it is tucked away, I will not get it out. Beside the die cutting machine I have my big old fashioned guillotine. This is great for cutting heavy chipboard. My dies are stored in the dresser below with all my cutting pads neatly tucked between.

This is my mixed media area. The cube storage and cloth bins went on super clearance at Target one year, and I scooped them up.

My wooden stamps are stored on this CD rack. I found it at a yard sale for $2. Best $2 I ever spent!

I also keep my Bow-it-All Tool and my jars of buttons here. This way, everything is just a step away from my work table.

Buttons, Buttons, Who’s Got the Buttons? I do!

Buttons. I have a thing for buttons. And for cute glass jars. Rather than toss jars into the recycle bin, I wash them out and use them for storage. My hoard of buttons is all sorted by color. Because I can see them, I use them. And, to tell the truth…they just make me happy. I love buttons so much that my kids have started scouting them at yard sales and estate sales. You can never have too many buttons!

TIP: Look beyond the scrapbooking aisle for fun, affordable and functional storage solutions

I bought this lovely wood file cabinet at a yard sale for $10. I use the top as a landing pad for my mixed media goodies.

See that little aqua colander? How cute is that? Wrap vintage style clothespins with baker’s twine and fill it up.

See that big black tiered gizmo? That’s from Harbor Freight. My BFF Ginny Nemchak sent that to me as a surprise gift after I told her about it. For under $20 you get a super sturdy 4 tiered, divided metal turntable that will hold gobs of embossing powders, texture pastes, sprays, Prills, gadgets and goodies. Why? Because it is not pink and it does not come from the scrapbooking aisle.

Now, see the white container with all the paint in it? That’s a Tupperware spice packet storage unit that no one wants anymore. So you can buy these at yard sales for anywhere from 25 cents to a dollar. I have 2 of them because they are so awesome.

Kathy by Design Studio Tour Video with MORE Tips and clever storage ideas

Thanks for joining me in my happy place today. I hope you picked up some hints and storage solutions that you can use in your own crafty space! I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.

Cheerio,

kathy

Supply List

Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe Deluxe Collector’s Edition

Staples Policy Envelopes

Staples Decorative Hardware

Ribbon from Staples Alpha Banner Tags

DIY Craft Papers: Typography and Numbers

White Chalk Paint

Graphic 45 DIY Home Decor: CREATE! An Upcycled Project

Hello, G45ers! I love thrift shops…and flea markets…and yard sales, too! Nothing gives me more of a thrill than finding someone’s castaway, buying it for a song and turning it into treasure. That’s what I did when I made this Graphic 45 DIY home decor for my new studio. It’s being featured on the Graphic 45 BLOG today, and I hope you’ll pop by and take a peek at it.

This is easily the largest project I’ve ever tackled. It measures 3 feet long by 12″ high. The wrought iron finials make it even longer! I’ve hung this in my studio above my work desk, and I just love it!

Here’s a look at the piece before I went to work on it:

You probably cant see it in these photos, but lots of the paper had chipped off, and everything was really faded. But….it was on sale for half price, and I fell in love with the metal finials, so I had to bring it home with me.