Pictures for Wookiemouse

This is the view to the left when you walk in the front door. Where you see my dining table used to be a secondary living space. Right around the corner from the door is where the craft cabinet used to be - but I can't have it in one room and the shelves in another room. The dining table went in the other room and I had a big mirror on the wall and sconces flanking it. You can see how linear the space is ...just wait - the other living room is just to the right (next picture).

This the stamp rack - DH built it after a joke that we discovered stamp sets fit in the cutout.

Empty (ish) scrap room

Well, it's not as empty as I'd like (leaving a few things out so I can scrap a bit) but I kinda had this 'it's now or never' feeling.

I don't like my sad ugly shelves but they are a workhorse. I'm dealing with it being in the dining room as I'd like to be near the family - not stuck in my room.

Now I have to deal with lay out issues (move the shelves or not), 'zones', and weeding through stuff. I really hate that I have become a 'slave' to 'stuff' (you should see our garage!).

Our pool 'blew' out and we are trying to clear that up also. My son got his license yesterday so now I have a new worry on my heart. I really could use some good crop time. :)

I'm behind on the challenge, but committed to see it through. Off to weed through more idea pages..

Jo

I'm not Lance coming in third for the day...

Oh what tangled webs we weave when first we try to ORGANIZE!
(sigh) S0.... after reading the first two weeks, then tearing madly into things only to slow down and actually tango with the challenge and find I need to pack it all up shelf after shelf... Here I am...sadly still not posting my empty craft room as I found items to be placed elsewhere, but had to clean out 'elsewhere', and then started cleaning the garage so that discarded items would fit until I dispose of them.
I was going to take a picture of me face down on the floor giving up for the day..but DH said it wasn't a very attractive pose... So I guess I'll go turn off the light in the garage, get back to 'elsewhere' and hope for pictures tomorrow.
On the bright side, I found a box of memorbilia in 'elsewhere' that has been sorted, posted 4 sales on Craigslist and 1 on Ebay for items I'm clearing out of my craft room which means I'm on my way to more Cropper Hoppers that match and antiques for the room (eventually). (I think my ADD is showing).
Farewell friends, Jo

Smoky Mountains

I had a few requests for some shots of our vacation. We went to Graceland for our eldest who shares Elvis's birthday, the Corvette factory and museum for my DH, and the Smokies for me. We met some good friends who are really into photography and they helped me take some shots.

Back to the challenge!

Our family just returned from our family vacation. Graceland for the oldest daughter, the Corvette museum and factory for DH, and the Smokies for my soul! :) I saw 5 bears! Woo hoo!

The trip gave me time to go through each of the challenges and ponder, annotate, and come up with some ideas. I do not have the money to do what I like to ultimately do for a craft room, but I did find some solutions. I've also decided to box it all up! Start from scratch.

The first pic shows the mess I created by tearing into stuff; the second is some progress I'm making boxing up stuff.

Jo

I won't be doing the challenge this week....

I won't be able to do the challenge this week - hope to check back next week and see everyone's progress.


Hubby and youngest daughter just got back from their mission trip, and so we are up late washing and packing. :(. Sounds like they had a great time doing work for the Man!





I hope everyone doing the challenge has a productive week! (I should post a new picture - all I've done... is make a humongous mess!)
Jo

Craft room pictures for the Challenge:

First, thank you in advance for looking and reading (it's wordy - what can I say? I'm an english teacher). Secondly, please feel free to offer suggestions! This is for the organization challenge called "My Love Affair with the Label Maker" at Wookiemouse.blogspot.com.

Here are the pics of my room: (and this is my first time to blog or post pics so I hope they come through)

First, let me shout out a disclaimer that I am very blessed that my hubby nor my family care that my 'craft' room is our dining room. However, it bothers me, so I've spent a small amount of money trying to make it look better and to make the face of it look very blended so it fades. When you walk into my house and look left, there it is in all it's messy glory and my problem with it is that a house just isn't supposed to look like that. This should be somewhere else... but... it's not. This is an overview and the room spans to the right which is next.

Another overview showing the two storage shelves, the work tables, and my magazine rack. After the craft cabinet went up and I outgrew it, my DH found these shelves on clearance at a JoAnn's that was going out of business. At first I didn't want them as the craft cabinet he built was so pretty and these were so drab, but he said he couldn't build them for what he could buy them for, so onto the trailer they went. When you walk in, the above picture is what you see - then when you get closer to the dining room, you see the other shelf. Yes, it holds everything, but it's not exactly how I want it to be which is why I'm hoping this challenge will help. Unfortunately, I really can't haul everything out and start with a blank canvas. Not only can I not put this elsewhere for a while, the summer is the only time I have to really crop.




Craft cabinet that my hubby built - which I grew out of the day he put it together. ;) Tools on pegboard (it's a bit empty because I was trying something new on it but took it off for the pics). Under the work table are my sizzix and SU stamping pads, Xyron, binders, Sizzix, etc. Originally, it went in an inconspicuous place that couldn't be seen from the door (hence the size), but we kept moving furniture to accomodate crops and SU classes, so we just shoved the dining room into the useless small living room and converted the dining room.

If you span to the left of the craft cabinet and past the bay windows, there is this niche that my husband built shelves for that used to hold my SU stamp sets. After the purchase of the big shelves, they just now hold display items that we used to make at classes.

Spanning back the other way, past the magazine racks is a hallway to the kitchen that holds my SU paper racks, with my CM paper racks on top. (it's blocking the hallway to keep the dog out :)).

My husband got these racks for free as I was outgrowing this rolling vertical file holder (which I loved). I hate these racks mostly because the dust collects on the paper. I've had friends suggest hanging fabric suspended from velcro on it, but I'm very ADD and I just don't think I'll use the paper if I cover it up. Additionally, I don't like having paper in three areas, but I want to keep the SU cardstock separate due to it's size and project needs. I would mind putting the CM paper in with something else, but again it's 10 x 12 where as my vertical holders hold 12 x 12 paper.

In the "what doesn't work for you" category is this bookshelf! The top two shelves hold Photo sorts, File Mates and memorbilia boxes. Then on the left are idea books, on the right are ribbon containers (which I'm not thrilled with but I already own them). Then it's my CM supplies, a sticker box, and a small container of scraps. The next shelf (which is almost the last one you can see here) are Paper holders (which I love). I used to have an IRIS cart holding all of my paper (seen in the picture where the two shelves are at an L) but found it wasn't as user friendly as the vertical shelves.

What works about my room is that I'm lucky to have it and I technically almost have places for everything. (under the table on the big shelves are other craft items so that all crafting items in my house are in one place).

What doesn't work for me is: 1) the layout - but I feel somewhat stuck to it due to the fact that it's what I have to work with. I have a friend (who loves organizing) who convinced me to put the craft cabinet where it is so that it was central for others to work on as a work station. Plus I didnt want it in the middle of the two big cabinets - thought it would be goofy for me. 2) I know function is important - so this is a hard one for me. What I want is a 'pretty' craft room - what I NEED might be everything around me as I'm very ADD and if it's out of sight, it's out of mind. 3) I REALLY like the look of the pretty, tucked away rooms and would love that but I need to not spend too much money as I've already sunk a lot in baskets, boxes, holders, etc.

Any feedback you have is most appreciated.

To Wookiemouse..

Wookiemouse - I'm the one who posted that my folks live in NB - they are in South Bank. Are you close to that?