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Me too! I think I will do drawers on the shelves in the closet when I get to that. I will have to purchase them, as my DH had to sell all his shop tools when we moved. If he could still build me what I needed, they would fit perfectly, be the right sizes and look beautiful. Downsizing has it good and bad sides.
We just moved recently, so I feel your pain. I had my own small craft room in our old place and still have one in our new place. Even though we downsized by quite a lot, my craft room is slightly larger area-wize, but is configured differently so my storage units don't fit as ideally. I still like my craft room to look beautiful regardless of the fact that it can be closed off to the rest of the house. I will attach pictures so you can see what my DH built for me. My suggestion for you would be to make a faux wall with a passage way to the family room. That can be done with a book case or stacked cubes. The thing with cubes is, you can turn some of them to face your crafting area to store things you want handy to your work table, and others to the family room to hold decorative pieces, pictures, plants, etc. I would make maximum use of your closet and find the kind of storage that you like best and convert it all to that---drawers, bins, shelves. Then any storage that you have around your desk and showing, I would have in closed shelving and drawers. It is handy, but when you need it to be, can be closed and neat looking. I like to have my paper close to where I work, so I have it all in the big drawers of my work table. I also have another work table that I use for cutting and houses my sewing stuff. The closet area in this house is the area that still needs work as my containers don't fit as well as in my old closet and look messy, but eventually I will get that figured out. We removed the sliding doors that were there and used shelving, but it needs more shelving to make better use of the space. For all my ribbon, I use plastic guttering attached to the back of the door to the hall. (You could use the back of your closet door.) For the most part, I have to get up to get stamps, ink, tools, embellishments, but I stand a lot or use a stool to stamp and the extra movement is good for me. I have a "take with me" bag that holds the basic stuff (my stamping club has a list they suggest as do many places that hold classes). It contains doubles of adhesives, scissors and exacto knife, ruler, stamp cleaner, a various tools one uses all the time. That way my bag is always ready to go and all I have to add would be the stuff specific to the project I will be working on away from my room.
You are exactly right!!! In the bigger house, my craft room was actually a lot smaller with a smaller closet, however I had my closets lined with shelves with my desk in front of it...so all I had to do was turn around and grab things. This space is such a different configuration, NONE of my old organizational systems work....so I've had to start from almost scratch! I used to not mind having tools in caddy holders on my desk....but it bothers me now seeing it from the kitchen and family room...so drawers drawers drawers!!!
The biggest difficulty for me has been to stick to some uniformity with baskets and bins. I'm an impulse buyer when it comes to cute baskets and bins...then nothing matches...which adds to the visual clutter. So, *committing* to just a COUPLE colors and shapes has been difficult.
quick update...and sneak peak. I also picked up two recollection cubes and they fit perfectly under the desk. I'm not too excited about the quality....but they will do if I take care when using them. I do like that I can pull out the entire drawer and throw it on my cart when I want to stamp in the other room.
I will be purchasing two stamp pad holders from Stamp and Storage for the Kallax, but decided against the marker and pen holders. I find that the one mini cube I had to store a few Copics wasn't working since i do like to color more on a lap desk in the family room than at my office desk. I like them to be more mobile.
quick update...and sneak peak. I also picked up two recollection cubes and they fit perfectly under the desk. I'm not too excited about the quality....but they will do if I take care when using them. I do like that I can pull out the entire drawer and throw it on my cart when I want to stamp in the other room.
I will be purchasing two stamp pad holders from Stamp and Storage for the Kallax, but decided against the marker and pen holders. I find that the one mini cube I had to store a few Copics wasn't working since i do like to color more on a lap desk in the family room than at my office desk. I like them to be more mobile.
Love your cube idea. It's much as I suggested, but I pictured cubes with a solid back so that some openings would be toward you and some toward the family room making a more solid wall. Think I like the airiness of what you have done as it is a good shield without totally blocking. You have done well and quickly!!!
Love your cube idea. It's much as I suggested, but I pictured cubes with a solid back so that some openings would be toward you and some toward the family room making a more solid wall. Think I like the airiness of what you have done as it is a good shield without totally blocking. You have done well and quickly!!!
Yes, i was looking at the cubes turned in both directions as it would solve some problems in the kitchen as well. Mainly stemware and WINE!!! lol
So the bottom row will be baskets with special plates, dining ware, napkins, etc. Second to the bottom will be wine and stemware racks (both facing the kitchen). Third row from bottom will hold the stamp and storage cubes (facing the office). top two...I'm thinking an herb garden and crystal display....not sure yet.
with the stamp and storage....I'm thinking I'm going to cover the back of those with artwork. I can easily throw some canvas to cover the backs that looks decorative toward the family room.
I'm a weekend warrior!!! hahaha....although putting that Kallax together was not fun, the DB walked in saw me standing on the counter for leverage to drill the top screws in....now he thinks i'm a little screwy. lol
I'm a weekend warrior!!! hahaha....although putting that Kallax together was not fun, the DB walked in saw me standing on the counter for leverage to drill the top screws in....now he thinks i'm a little screwy. lol
If you keep your storage baskets like the ones you have already in the picture, I think they will looks great as is, without being covered. They could be opened from either side no matter what you put in them. Of course, I love baskets and use them for storage/decoration anyway. If most of the bottom ones were covering most of the openings, the top ones could be somewhat empty with your glasses, art, plants, pictures, open to both sides, even leaving some completely or nearly open, so that beautiful piece of art you have on the wall shows to the family room. Sometimes being a little "screwy" gets the job done!
I still don't know how much of this I should keep. I have all the old, old SU colors, some of them are full packs....like Brocade Blue. lol
The rule with the stamp pads were, if I didn't have a reinker to go with then it had to go. I guess I'll stick with the same rule? If I don't have the matching ink...it goes???? yikes....So hard to get rid of paper.
I still don't know how much of this I should keep. I have all the old, old SU colors, some of them are full packs....like Brocade Blue. lol
The rule with the stamp pads were, if I didn't have a reinker to go with then it had to go. I guess I'll stick with the same rule? If I don't have the matching ink...it goes???? yikes....So hard to get rid of paper.
I'd imagine whole unopened packs would be in demand... if you're looking to sell or trade. As for matching inks, that's generally true for me except for neutrals like creamy caramel or river rock. Those are good for card bases where you don't need matching ink.
I have lots of retired SU paper (like Brocade Blue). If I have the ink pad/reinker, I keep it. When the ink runs out (or paper, whichever comes first) the remaining stuff goes. I haven't bought any of the "In Colors" in years, so use all the retired colors I have lots. They just don't make a lot of the colors I love and use anymore, so I stocked up when they were retired.
I have old colors of SU papers, inks, and inkers...and I have old-old pads as well as old pads. You figure that one! I decided to take a couple of craft storage box thingies and put together inks, papers, ribbons, etc for my grandkids to use. I keep the pads inked so they don't have to fight them, and they got the old-old pads because of space and because they're easier for them to handle. They use my stamps.
Some of what is around my house was my mom's stuff that my dad asked me to sell when she died last year. I still have to inventory and photograph it so I can list it.
So I ended up purging about a 1/3 of the 8.5. Some of the colors, even though retired, I still really like and can see using them with other patterned paper or other brand ink.
I have magazine holders, but I think they are fine without them. I purchased 9x12 job ticket holders and labeled each one of them....took hours. My label maker and I have a love/hate relationship! lol
As you can see, behind the paper, I got lucky that frames I already had fit VERY snuggly in the back. This faces the family room and hides the clutter of the paper...soooo happy that worked out! I still have two cubes to fill on the level of my desk. Stamp-n-storage will be going in those slots and I hope I can do the same with them. 4 kids....5 cubes. perfect w my two doggies in the middle!
Another question for anyone who uses the Kallax for other than crafting. If you look at the cubes below, you can see that I have plate chargers in the center, wine holders on each end. The two left over, I'd love to hang my stemware. There is zero room for them in the new kitchen and I'm afraid of them getting broken in boxes.
Have any of you tried to mount wine glass racks to the inside of the cubes?
Oooh, I just love what you have done. Everything looks so organized and also beautiful---my favorite combination! You might want to reconsider the magazine racks for your card stock, unless you plan to get more. Mine is stored vertical like yours in drawers that have expandable files for each color family. I have found that if they aren't held straight up, they get funny warping.
I haven't tried mounting wine glass racks inside cubes, but you would have to be careful as the wood is not thick and not real wood. Could you just set the glasses upside down on the shelves? I had to buy a small buffet for just that purpose as my "new" kitchen didn't have enough storage either---and that doesn't count all the crystal, china and silver that I sold as I knew there wouldn't be room for that much less the everyday stuff. I really, really like how your area looks.
Multi-purpose craft rooms are super great ideas!
In our video series, Crafted Spaces, Mackenzie Fuchs has an awesome room she uses for crafting and entertaining. Mary Fish even has a pull-down bed in her craft studio, where as Keisha Charles teaches craft classes in hers!
I am planning on sort of sectioning off part of the area (at least the front of my desk). I found on Pinterest beautiful barn door rail kit...but they're over $400 :/. I will definitely figure something out similar...but for more like $100. lol
We found this type of system at Home Depot! It looks fantastic and was about $150 (Canadian).
