Where Bloggers Create 2013

 

Hi, I'm Christie. Welcome to my blog and my studio.   I'm thrilled to take a part in this fantastic collection of artists from around the world.  I want to take a moment to thank Karen from My Desert Cottage for putting together this event.  I would love to hear any input you may have.  I know you have lots of creative spaces to visit so please do not be shy to follow, pin or subscribe (whatever suits your fancy) so you can come on back at your leisure.  I have plenty of organization tips, tricks and videos to make those projects easier to manage.  I began my love for all things created by hand when I was a child and have never ceased. Enjoy!

My room began as a bedroom 17 years ago and evolved into the room you see today. My studio was originally published in 2010 which  you can see HERE and video tour HERE. As does everything, my studio also has evolved over time.  It recently was featured in the Summer 2013 issue of Paper Cloth Scissors Studio magazine.  My needs are ever changing and so I have adapted some changes to my studio.  One example of this change was is that I decided to remove my thread racks from the north wall.  Although they were a beautiful splash of color, I felt that the air, humidity and my other art supplies were not doing them any good and decided that they would be better stored in a closet.  I am now better utilizing that space by creating one area for all of my "messy" artwork. i.e. paints, inks, etc. Everything is within reach and able to be quickly cleaned up.  

My studio is not big, only 13' X 15'.   I made the most of every inch with the custom made cabinets purchased at Home Depot, they are KraftMaid brand topped with the beautiful granite counter tops.  Can you find my mini fridge? It blends in seamlessly with the cabinets and is stocked with water bottles to keep me hydrated while I work.  I also love my big Wacom monitor and my LCD TV that when I am facing away from it reflects in the mirror across the room so I can still watch what's going on. Clever, huh? Since most of the walls were going to be covered with cabinets and windows I decided to add texture and interest by adding wallpaper to the ceiling (you can see this in the video). It is a textured wallpaper and we painted it white, it looks like a pressed tin ceiling. My handy father & husband helped install the cabinets and the crown molding and I made the curtains. Voila! 

 

 

 

I try hard to keep my work spaces clear but that is not always possible with never ending projects.  I have adopted a project bin system to keep myself organized while multitasking.  You can find the post explaining more HERE.  Addie has become quite the helper but has decided that my project bins also make quite the nice bed at times. 

I store my stickles upside down by gluing a magnet to the bottom of the bottle and adhering a metal strip to the underside of my cabinet. Love my Stickles :)

 

My favorite place to create in my studio is my "Distress Station".  From one seat I am able to access all of my Paints, Stains, Sprays, Embossing mediums, Inks, etc.  I have a post that goes into it a bit more that you can find HERE

 

To the right of the door I have a few shelves that I added after we designed the room I store all my paints on the shelves and I have drawers that I got at Container Store that I keep all my chipboard alphabet letter in. It makes it very easy to find just what I am looking for. The cabinet just to the left of this is a pull down ironing board (you can see this in a earlier blog post on altered clipboards). Underneath I keep a roll of paper towels for quick clean ups along with baby wipes.

 

 

With everything well organized I am able to find everything quickly and easily.  You may be interested in some of these posts archives where I have entire blog post full of step by step tutorials, photos and videos to help you out.  This is just a few to start you out... you can find more in the search bar on the right side of my blog or under the subject manner in the categories column.

Inventory Book

Project Bins

Paper Storage

Tissue Tape

Color Labeling

Labeling Ink Pads

Chipboard Organization

Paper Punch Storage

Organizing your Embossing Folders

Organize your Cricut or other Die Cutter

Ribbon Storage and Organization

 

  

 

 

 Here's a basic layout of my studio with some of the dimensions.  I have 4 stations that I am able to sit even though I do not have 4 chairs in the room at one time.  I use 2 simple desk chairs, one on either side of the room that serve 2 stations.  I keep the sewing machines and serger under the desk area when not in use and just pull them out when needed. 

I hope you enjoyed your stay and hope to see you again soon!