Time For A Change: Stage Two

Please forgive me for the tardiness of this post.  My husband and I lost two very special loved ones in the last 10 days and things that didn't have to do with sickness, funerals, and family came to a grinding halt....as it should when you lose a loved one.  

With out further ado: here's stage 2!

 

Once the walls were painted and dry it was time to start organizing and getting things together.  As I went along I figured out what I needed (and what I needed the hubby to build). 

Here's the finished (mostly finished - I'm still tweeking things a bit) product:

You can see (bottom right hand corner) that I still have a few things that I am finding homes for.  I decided to keep my totes as storage for fabric. Although it isn't my favorite look it gets the job done AND keeps mice/ spiders / dust off my fabric.  I had decided on a folding table to put my sewing machine on.  I used it once that way and there was way too much vibration so I went back to this ugly old heavy as crap desk that I had been using.  I am going to try and spruce it up but haven't decided how yet.  

Here are some close ups on the desk we "made":

Scrapbooking items moved to the back and sewing to the front.  We used 8 scrapbook organizing cubes from Micheal's and three four foot by 10 inch shelves from Home Depot to create my desk.  I believe that you can buy the piece to make the cubes into a desk but we were having difficulty finding them (and the price was high).  Hubs screwed the shelves to the top 4 cubes to make my desk top.  It is super sturdy.  

Here are the four sets of two cubes high that make up the desk: 

  There are shelves for paper/ Cricut boards. There are drawers for scraps, punches, Cricut cartridges, paint, markers, cards, stickers - just about anything that you want to put in a drawer. I've never been so organized!

On the left hand wall - I have my scrapbooks on a floating shelf built from pine by the hubby, 8*10 pictures that I have entered in the fair and couldn't stand to put in folder, tote storage for fabric, and of course - my peg board that we made for my thread and bobbins.  

 

I love this room and hopefully the organization will help me.

And of course after you organize - you must accessorize. This was quite possibly my favorite part!

 The shelf is an old wood crate screwed to the wall.
The coffee cans are holding adhesives, pens and punches (I may modge podge these later).

The cute red clock is from Hobby Lobby.

The jar is full of random buttons - for decoration and use.

The "S" is a large cardboard S that I modge podged book pages onto over the period of a few days.  

I had bought the chalkboard thinking I would use it to make a gift but it's found it's home here. 

I hope that you like my craft room make over!

I certainly do!

Stacey

Cold Saturday

Well - It's been a while.  The last couple months of the year are always a busy time for us and more so this last year than ever before.  I go back in my head to my New Year's resolution to do one tutorial blog every month in 2013.  That SO did NOT happen.  It was a great goal just not one that I was able to make happen.  Too many other things were more important and hey - we all have to prioritize.  

One of the things that I also let fall behind this year was my scrapbooking.  I love to have a full 12 * 12 album with pictures of events and special occasions that have occurred through the year.  I old fashion scrapbook with paper and adhesive and actual printed off pictures.  Don't get me wrong.  I have some digital albums and I think that they are wonderful but I like taking the time to embellish pages and tell stories from my pictures.  I love sitting down with family and friends to look them over and see the laughs and smiles that they bring.  But it too was something that I let fall to the side.  

A couple of Saturdays ago I was unexpectedly NOT BUSY!  Alone in the house, crappy weather outside, no where I had to be, nothing I had to get done so I glided down to the craft room for a little bit of scrapbooking.  It was wonderful!  I had to put away the sewing and fabric paint supplies to make room.  I flipped on the TV, made a cup of hot cocoa and got started.  

First I sorted....

       Not only do I print pictures but I keep mementos from our trips.  Ten years can pass and I will look back in a scrapbook and say oh remember that - but I might not necessarily have a picture of something but a memento that reminds us of a good time.  I sorted all my pictures and mementos.  

Then I prepped my work area...

I had to clear a space off my tables.  My scrapbooks - top right- stay near my work area.  I ran out of bookshelves for them in our living room plus they are great inspiration when I get stuck.  If I don't clear everything out and have a good clean space to start in I get way off track. I hot cup of coca was also a yummy way to start off the morning. Got me energized and ready to go. 

Then I worked.  I stopped and changed out a few loads of laundry.  Stood up for some stretches.  Worked a bit longer.  Ate some lunch.  Came back and worked some more.  

And the end result was - 25 pages done and a feeling of accomplishment. 

I was able to get all my events done that I had the pictures printed for except our vacation to Las Vegas.  That will be another cold wet Saturdays work.  

Things really haven't slowed down but  I also know that some days I need to take a little time for myself.  This particular Saturday was one of those days.  I ended the day with supper with the hubby and a chance to show off what work I had done.  It was a day for Stacey...that I really needed.  

Cheers to the new year friends!