A Place for Everything...

So busy lately! Is it just me, or does it seems like that the nicer the weather gets, the faster the days go? I know there are more "daylight" hours, yet it seems like I am still running out of time. Of course, the nicer weather means I am outside more, playing in the sun with the boys, helping them plant a vegetable garden, and trying to soak in some sunshine.

Before the nice weather arrived, I did spend some time cleaning my studio. I organized and prettified.

 I have a large shelf by the window, and I like to keep flowers and ribbons at hand. I use a lot of bowls, boxes, and jars so I can see my supplies. If I can't see it, I forget I have it - so I like to keep my pretties visible...

My best storage solution for ribbon: mug racks. I got several of these vintage looking, white chippy racks and then hung them vertically, and the rolls of ribbon fit perfectly! Not only are they pretty, they are easy to access.

Storing supplies is one thing - crafting a creative ambiance is another.  I like to tuck in unexpected notions with my supplies for little bits of unexpected inspiration. Antique photos and orphaned pages from a vintage book are nestled in a box of tea-stained ribbon...

I adore polkadots - so I need to keep my dotted ribbons handy! A fancy dowel is the perfect home to rolls of ribbon. The paper flowers I made are a nice nest, and I had these fabulous old Bingo cards which needed a place to stay...

A love of words and letters. Old printer trays are ideal for storing chipboard letters. One tray is for plain letters, the other for decorated letters.

All little bits are kept in little jelly jars and little tin cups. Easy to see, easy to use. Buttons, bottlecaps, hatpins, and more...I put the jars on an old cookie sheet, so I can just lift the entire tray up to my work table if I need to.

Of course, that was a while ago, and it doesn't look nearly so tidy anymore. I am a messy crafter. When I work, I like to spread everything out, and right now my crafting table is covered in scraps of paper, bits of fabric, and a few half-finished projects.

However, seeing how nice it can be in there inspires me to clean.

The next rainy day.

I promise...

The studio... in real life :)

I posted pictures of my studio a few days ago, and have had such lovely comments from you lovlies out there! My parents are coming for a visit tomorrow, so I will have to tell my dad how well his craft table was received :) I warned readers to look quick, as it will never be that clean again...

I just brewed a pot of coffee (it is after 10:30pm) and plan on heading downstairs soon to my new favorite place in the house. I thought I would share some more pictures, too. I don't think I mentioned before that my creative space is only half the basement (which believe me, to a girl who used to scrap on the kitchen island while trying to cook pancakes at the same time... very grateful!) ... the other half is a family area. Ok, fine, it is the twins' area to wreak havoc. The make forts out of the loveseat cushions, bring every toy they own to spread on the floor, try to convince me that picnics in the basement are a good idea, and pretty much thoroughly enjoy themselves.

And if you look closely at this picture, you will see that it isn't a child-free zone...

There is about 12 inches between my work table and the loveseat. So much fun to try to stand on mama's table and jump onto the loveseat.

I have decided to pick my battles.





Yes, you can come look at the pretty papers.
No, you can't jump off the table.
Yes, you can arrange all my wood mounted stamps in a row.
No, the Crop-o-dile is not a toy.
Yes, you can pick two buttons to glue to make your "own card."
No, you can't taste the glue...

And so it goes. I don't think I have mentioned it here or not, but my boys turned four just last July, and they both have been diagnosed with Autism. If you are familiar with autism, you know it is a wide spectrum. Johnny's autism is more mild, whereas Mikey struggles a bit more. Mikey loves my craft area. His favorite thing is to line up all my stamps, and to line the edges of my table with his dinosaurs. Johnny makes arrangements of pictures, toys, and cups around my sewing machine. Here is Mikey intent on improving my collection of vintage books (that dress form is now in three pieces, by the way. They said it was a trophy and the boys hosted a race to see who would win it... the trophy lost).


While it can be a bit messy, and I may spend a few extra minutes looking for my distress ink (by the dinosaurs, of course! Duh, mom) I love it. I love that I can make a card, tickle my kids, sort some paper, play pirate, work on a scrapbook page, go outside and push the boys on the swingset... Don't get me wrong. Some days are better than others, and some days I can't wait for bedtime. And then there are those moments, when the house is still and quiet, I go into my workspace, see a T-Rex on my chair, and laugh so hard I cry.

My Scrap Space...

Look quick, because it won't be this clean ever again! I used to work in the extra bedroom on the second floor, and then had the genius idea to move to the basement. Of course, moving all my stuff down two sets of stairs didn't feel very genius... Especially my work table.

Let me tell you about this work table. It is the most amazing, fabulous creation ever! One of a kind, it was built by my dad. This man can make just about anything out of wood. If-you-sketch-it, he-will-build-kind-of-guy. The catch is, and the family joke, is that when dad makes something, it weighs a TON. A lover of fine wood, he doesn't go for flimsy balsam. We are talking sturdy pine, people! It would take two people to move a nightstand my dad created. (Sorry, dad, but you know it's true). Don't get me wrong - I would waaaay have a sturdy piece of his furniture than the soon-to-be-broken pieces I can find in a store!So when I sketched out a table that was over six feet long, waist high, with cubbies to fit 12x12 paper, he made this amazing work desk for me. That had to be assembled in the room because it wouldn't fit through the door, let alone be lifted. That was six years ago. And now I decided I wanted to move this mammoth of goodness down stairs. Two sets of stairs.

Now a reasonable woman would plan this out, make sure she had several strong people on hand, and plan a weekend to complete this feat. I must not be a reasonable woman.

By some miracle, both my boys fell asleep at the same time, so I seized the moment! I grabbed my power drill, ran upstairs, and started disassembling. I must have been on a complete adrenaline rush, because I somehow managed to get the wooden Titanic safely to its new home.

I was sore for a week.