After sharing my Tuscan Dinner Party with you, you might think I’m a regular Martha Stewart. (I would be complimented, by the way.) A look at my desk might support that concept. It’s fairly neat.
But one turn of the head and this is what you get:
And an aerial view:
Piles, piles, piles. Projects in progress, new ideas, some of Annie’s projects, …., and a big basket under the counter filled with works in the queue.
The room is not huge, but I am grateful to have it. For most of the 21 years that I’ve lived here, my sewing room was the dining room table. The dining room table was our kitchen table. So my sewing machine was dragged up and down off that table numerous times….until we garbage-picked an old Singer Treadle Machine table. My husband put a new top on it and we moved it into our bedroom. (Annie uses that now.) So when we remodeled, we chose to create a family office/craft room instead of a walk-in closet or master bath. (Who needs another bathroom to clean?) The room has wrap-around counters, desk space for my husband and I, a computer often shared with the kids, and some storage units. There is also a mobile table that can slide under the counter if needed or be raised to cutting table height. Some of the file cabinets are also mobile to provide extra seating for the kids.
The large cabinets are filled with miscellaneous craft items. They could use a good overhaul…actually the entire room can use a good spring cleaning. But that’s a job for many hands and I wasn’t ready to tackle that.
But the piles were distracting me and hampering my creativity. I struck upon the idea that I could put those reusable grocery bags to use! I have finally collected enough bags to handle my once weekly trip to the grocery store and have some to spare.
I created categories for my sewing projects and printed photos to coordinate with them. Then I took the piles and put them in the bags. I stapled the photo labels to the bags and placed them under the counter.
Now the view from my desk chair is this. Ahhhhhh…..serenity…..(OK, it looked like that the day I took the photo. I won’t show you what it looks like now.)
The basket that was mounded over is intended to keep my immediate works in progress.
How about you? Do you need organization or does that stifle your creativity? Any tips for me?
You can always tell when I’m in the middle of creative genius around here because there are piles of inspiration items EVERYWHERE (being as I don’t have a dedicated room). Though I do have to say when I did have a dedicated craft space AND on those few occasions that I took the time to organize it, it sure was fun to create in a space open to so many possibilities. Your space looks great!
What a great way to organize. I love the “after” pic of your workspace, it looks so nice and clean. Mine never looks like that, but I wish it would. I have been using clear plastic bins, but stuff is still spilling out all over. I need to figure out a system.
Oh how I wish I had a craft room all for me!! I love the bags, that was a great idea!
I need organization for sure! In fact, I lost valuable crafting time because I have to clean the craft studio before I can get started down there! That being said, I also drag projects all over the house and make messes other places! I LOVE the photos ont he front of the bags – that is genius! I’m going to have to try that for sure!
don’t we all need organization? all the piles made me think about my desk at school. lol. that’s what it looked like this week (and still sort of does!). oh well. what a great idea to use those reusable grocery bags! 🙂 hope you can keep it up!
Nice job…I love cleaning it all up and surveying the order of it all before I completely wreak havoc by another project! Which is what I am about to do…since I need to make MORE rugs! 😉
Jane I love this idea!!!
Not just for the craft room, but for kid’s closets and the garage/mudroom too.
This idea is fantastic! LOVE the reusable grocery bag idea and I have a trunk full so they won’t be missed.
Thanks for the tips. Your workspace is wonderful.
I don’t have a craft room. I took over the tiny hall closet. For projects, I keep all the things I need for it or are collecting for it in two gallon ziplock bags (the pattern, notions, findings, facric, whatever). Then I have a larger plastic tub, a clearance find, that I keep those in. I can easily see what project is inside. It’s nice for when inspiration strikes, I can grab a 2-gal and put in picture or inspiration thing inside and start to gather supplies. Also, if I have to put one aside and don’t want to lose anything, the ziplock keeps it all together. I can reuse the bags since I don’t write on them. That’s what I do… Love your blog!
One thing I’ve found was REALLY helpful… I installed a small decorative curtain rod on the wall above my work-table. Then I got a bunch of S-hooks, and now my scissors/rulers/rotary cutters/etc are off the table (where they won’t get lost under stuff) and super-quick to grab and put back.