CMM 5th Friday Fun - Where This Woman Creates

(ETA: I thought this had posted! Apologies for the late post.)

Happy 5th Friday!

Today I am FINALLY sharing the progress that I've made in my studio. This room has been a long time in the making...we're talking years! Let me preface this post by telling you that we moved into this house this past summer and I'm still figuring out my workflow in this room, still trying to figure out where to store everything. (My husband is kindly storing a few boxes in the garage for me!)

Made this canvas banner a few years ago using Adirondack Color Washes. Still love it.

Like a lot of crafters, my first 'craft room' wasn't really a room, but a place where I dragged my supply boxes in and out of - the dining room, the kitchen - wherever I could find temporary space. It's tough when you have to put away your project, so you can eat dinner! lol

Being a military family at the time didn't help much either. Moving around meant that I had to reorganize and regroup every few years or so. At one point, we moved to Germany and since we were homeschooling we decided that I needed a room...for school and supplies. My first room!

From that time on, I have been fortunate to have been able to have a room, no matter how small. I made, collected and found things along the way to organize my supplies and rarely have bought anything for full price!

Because of that my room tends to be a bit mismatched, but I don't really mind as long as I can sort and find things. Let me show you around...here's the full room view.

My studio is still a work in progress...6 months so far.

I used to teach classes and have collected supplies with that in mind...5 of these, 10 of those...so don't judge my stacks & piles! lol

While we moved around I stored items in plastic. Now that we are settled, it's pretty glass for me!

I store my buttons by color in upcycled candle holders (they're upside down). I've found most of my buttons in thrift stores and yard sales. Sometimes I've bought a suit for the fabric & the buttons.

I love having my kids' art on the walls of my studio as well as my own. They love it, too!

The shelf above the fireplace mantel is perfect for holding canvases, initials and banners. The heart piece was made during a Donna Downey Pan Pastels class. My oldest daughter took the class with me and has her own heart.

Bought this desk around 2000. It's all wood and has a pull out in front. I was told the pull out was for a secretary to use for dictation. There's a hidden picture under my desk created by one of my kids. With a sharpie. Could the desk be any more perfect for my studio?

I found over the years that I use 'work stations.' This is my cutting station. (Table from Ikea.) Still trying to figure out where my 8"x8" and 6"x6" paper pads are going to go...

Digital cutter station and 12"x12" paper/cardstock storage. (The table is from Ikea, too.) In case you are wondering why I have 2 machines...I bought the Sizzix eClips a few years ago (love it) and I won the Silhouette Cameo over Thanksgiving week. The other machine is a Dymo label maker that prints postage stamps.

Two-tiered wire sorters hold found papers - musical scores, wall paper samples, etc.

Both of these filing cabinets were great thrift store finds. The metallic red paint job cost me more in supplies than I paid for the cabinet! The red cabinet holds my Stampin' Up! cardstock and scraps - all sorted by family and color. The scraps are stored in manila folders inside the same color files.

The blue horizontal filing cabinet holds legal sized files. I use this cabinet to hold 'others' papers - my watercolor paper (fabriano heat press - bought on sale, of course!), acetate sheets, labels, sand paper, Neenah cardstock, etc.

The pegboard was a gift from my husband. He also came up with the idea of these Ikea racks and buckets to sort small tools, washi tape, rhinestones, pearls...

More stuff from Ikea. You've probably seen these carts around a few studios. I was introduced to Ikea in 1999 and have been a fan ever since (could you tell?!) These carts are holding my coloring mediums: markers, pencils, pens, paints, chalks, Gelatos... I pull the carts over whenever I need them; the rest of the time they are out of the way.

Love having my kiddos art hanging around the house. This is a jellyfish my son made out of stuff from the recycle bin. When the light's on, the jellyfish shimmers and waves! I've been thinking I need to make one, too.

I love the industrial look mixed with the feminine. I wanted to be a librarian in another life. (The Music Man is a favorite musical...) I collect catalogue drawers. The larger magnetic containers are from Ikea, the smaller ones are from a scrapbook company...not sure which brand.

The Ikea Expedit has been through two moves & is still holding up! Right now it's holding crafting supplies by type: metal, wood, plastic, glass, paper, glitter, embossing powder, chipboard, etc. This area needs be reorganized. On the list of to-do.

My husband built this workbench for me. It has a stainless steel top. Durable and cleans so easily. The shelves were built to hold 12"x12" paper holders, so there's plenty of space. I store envelopes, packaging, card bases, stencils, mixed media papers, painting supplies...

Another gift from my husband. My kiddos helped make the punch shelf, too. They even signed the back of it! Holds my older punches and the flat styles, too. The rest are stored in photo boxes.

This started out as my wood mounted stamp shelf, but as we unpacked it was apparent that I needed a different strategy. The plan is to unmount them, but for now this will have to do. I started to store my Studio Calico Project Life kits here, too, but I discontinued my subscription and will probably break up the kits when I have some time.

Okay...lest you think I am usually this neat and organized, here are a couple of pictures of my current studio reality!

I did mention that I was running out of room on the shelves... This couch is supposed to be for the kids to hang out... The red bucket is holding some of my Project Life supplies and ephemera I'm collecting. This year I'm using the Cinnamon and Kraft Editions.

Those black metal drawers (another thrift store find) hold my extra tools: heat guns, melting pot, irons, soldering tools...

My first craft desk. Ever. It's a counter top I found in the clearance section of Ikea for less than $5. The intention is for this to be my sewing table and my kiddos craft area. The roller drawers on the desk top are scheduled for emptying. These contain beads and jewelry making supplies that I've collected. (I've only made a couple of pieces.) The brown boxes will be for those items and any embellishments I don't find a place for.

The chair was found during a junking trip while we were in Germany. The seat cover is leather and not a single hole or scratch in it!

Thanks for visiting today! I hope you found a little inspiration for your own room. (You can see more of my past craft spaces by using the search box and 'WOYWW'.)

Want to see where some of the other Mojo Mamas create? Click on their pictures below to see more!

An InLinkz Link-up

Inky hugs,
Angi