Cozy & Clean

When I first began scrapbooking, I purchased a small, deep bookshelf for the family room to store all of my paper and embellishments. I scrapped on the sofa, as evidenced by all the little blue tabs that fell in between the cushions. Eventually, my stash of supplies grew and I cornered my husband into helping me convert the small laundry/storage area into my craft room. When we moved to a new home almost three years ago, I claimed one of the spare bedrooms for my creative space.

Furnishing and decorating the other parts of the house took first priority and my space was allotted some quick furnishings from IKEA. Although functional, the furnishings lacked the coziness and feel of the rest of my house. About seven months ago, I broke the legs on the IKEA table. That was the impetus I needed to completely re-do my space, using furnishings perfect for my needs.

Because I stand when creating, I started with a counter-height table in the center of the room. It also has a butterfly leaf for expansion when friends come to play with me. If you are looking for a deal, try the as-is section of a furniture store. I got my table for a steal because the matching chairs were broken. Good thing I didn't want the chairs! (My breakfast area chairs come upstairs for friends.)

My next step was to paint my walls in a color that was inspirational and would look good with my new table and other planned furnishings. I chose a Benjamin Moore color called Yarmouth Blue. The walls are kept simple with just a few large art canvases, framed photos and a large clipboard.

Then I found the perfect desk from a store called Haverty's. It is perfect because it has enough desktop space for my wide-format printer and a place to store my scanner, printer supplies and other tools. It has cubbies perfect for displaying projects and ribbon jars, and a bulletin board for reminders and notes.

Other storage furniture includes Savannah bookshelves from Home Decorators, a rotating cabinet from JCPenney, and cubes from Making Memories.

Once all of the furniture was in place I could focus on organization and storage as I filled the furniture with all of my supplies.

The closet:

The closet is where the majority of my stash is located. I like stuff to be contained, preferably behind doors or in containers. When the container is not clear, it is labeled. Photo boxes are an inexpensive way to organize everything from adhesive to embellishments. I use Artbins for the tiny items, like brads and buttons. My cardstock and older patterned papers are also in the closet. I am still in the process of converting the paper to vertical storage.

The bookshelf:

The bookshelf in the room holds idea books, magazines, developed photos and more embellishments. My Magpie storage system for QuicKutz dies sit on top of the bookshelf.

The stamp area:

The black cabinet holds all of my stamp sets, as I like to keep them together, as well as my unmounted stamps in binders. On the cabinet is my stamp cleaning area and some attractive jars filled with chipboard shapes. Above the cabinet are shelves from The Container Store filled with wood-mounted stamps.

The revolving cabinet:

This cabinet was such a neat find. Inside I store all of my ink pads and other stamping supplies, such as embossing powders and watercolor pencils. One side is a chalkboard for Jacob's art, and another side is a bulletin board where I can post ideas and sketches.

Silver drawer units:

The drawer units are the only leftovers from IKEA furnishings, although they are slated for reorganization soon. They are full of alphabet stamps, of which I have so many they don't fit in the stamp cabinet. On top is a shelf with cubbies that contain adhesives and frequently-used tools.

Next to the drawers are cubes containing vertical paper storage, a black storage unit for scraps, and art files from Martha Stewart filled with rub-ons. A stylish fan on top keeps the room cool and comfortable.

Jars, baskets and other stylish containers are filled with buttons, brads and ribbon as décor. The tabletop has a basket full of new products, mostly stamps waiting to be cataloged in my stamp organizer. A frog vase holds pens and a small kitchen container is the place for small bits of trash.

My newly designed space is a perfect blend of cleanliness and coziness for my creative needs. And now that the task of putting it all together is behind me, I can start getting it messy again with projects!

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