Maggie Holmes Design Team: Craft Room Tour

Want to see a little peek into my craft room? 

Stop on by Maggie's blog today and check out my favorite room in the house!  Warning- I may or may not have all of the baskets and storage bins in the state of North Carolina.  :)

A Peek Into My Craft Space

Today, I thought I would give you guys a little peek into my craft room....also known as my favorite place on earth.  As you will see, it's full of baskets, jars, bowls and the like.  And I'm pretty sure organizing this room and all of my stuff ranks right up there with actually creating something.

I've taken over our guest room and made it all mine.  When my son transitioned from a crib to a bed, we needed the bed from the guest room, so I got it all to myself.  We debated buying a new bed for guests, but.....  (I so don't want to give up this room!!).

It's not too terribly large, but it's perfect for me!  It has the best morning and early afternoon light for photographing and videos and that's just awesome.  The Expedit shelf is against the back wall when you walk in.  The white cabinet you see in the middle of the room is a kitchen island I picked up from Target.  I really wanted another workspace and this one was perfect since it wasn't too big....plus it has storage, so it was a win-win!  I keep my Project Life album out and open on this table top.  I love working on it throughout the month.

The Expedit is full of locker baskets and goodies.  These baskets were either found at Home Goods, or ordered through Amazon.  I rotate these out occasionally, but for the most part, they stay the same.  I try to keep some of the smaller products from my design teams here.  When I work on a project, I can just grab a basket and go.  As you can see, I like things organized, but slightly messy...meaning...the stuff is just dumped into the baskets, not organized and stacked neatly.  I think that's how my "life and house" are in general.  Organized and clean looking, but slightly messy if you open something and dig digger.  

I keep my very favorite supplies in this basket.  Lots of Dear Lizzy and Maggie Holmes.  When I have some free time and really want to create, I pull out this basket.  It's so full of inspiration I can't stand it!! : )

Each design team also has it's own 12.5x12.5 storage box for papers, scraps and other random things. I picked these up at Michaels last year and I bought all the white ones they had.  They still have them, but I can't find any more white ones to save my life.  They are perfect because they hold 12x12 papers so easily....no bending, no squishing. 

On top of the Expedit, I have this fun little open cabinet.  Here, I have jars of flair, buttons, wood veneer, etc.  I also keep a bowl of the silhouette cuts that never made it to a project.  (Bowls and egg cartons are from Anthropologie; jars are recycled food jars.)

To the left the book shelf is a 6-drawer dresser.  My stamps, tools, punches, adhesives live here.  The top drawer is full of little bowls that hold paper clips, sequins and other random embellishments.  The key to me is having everything visible.  When I'm starting a project or looking for something, I can just open these drawers, pull out what I need and get to work.  I usually leave them open while I'm working on a project so I can grab and go.  

Above the dresser is my inspiration board.  This just very well be my favorite thing in my craft room.    It's kind of like my own "Pinterest".  (The cork board is from Home Goods.)

Opposite the dresser is two large windows that let in the most beautiful light.  I have a large walk in closet in this room, which gives me a half wall.  I have a large desk here and I use this as my main workspace.  It's actually an old dining room table that I painted white.  It's great because it's a little higher than a regular desk and it allows me to stand and work and not feel like I'm hunched over.  I'm a stander.

Bowls, jars and dishes are my favorite part.  I have them all over my craft room and I keep collecting more.  Every time we finish a jar of jelly or a candle, I check out the bowl/jar to see if it's worth keeping (it usually is).  

This lazy susan rotates supplies throughout the year.  Whenever I feel like "cleaning", I will switch out supplies.  A fresh look at supplies is inspiration in and of itself.  (This lazy susan is from Amazon.)

More and more bowls and jars....  You can never have too many.  I love for everything to have a place and having a little bowl to store them has been a perfect solution for me.  

(Candy jars are an obsession started by Marcy Penner and were purchased at Hobby Lobby.)

If you have seen any of my recent videos at Two Peas in a Bucket, you probably know that I like to organize a "tray" of goodies before I begin a project.  This helps keep me focused as I work.  It keeps me from running around and searching for things and it also limits what I have to work with.  I obviously don't bring a ton of supplies, so if I think of something that would work, I just go grab it.  Super easy!  

I use this tray frequently for projects.  It's a serving tray I picked up from Target a while back.  It has a little depth to it and handles so it's easy to pick up and move around.  I basically use it to hold cards, bowls, 6x6 paper pads and dishes.  It's not large enough for 12x12 papers, so I usually just slide those underneath whenever I'm in the middle of a project.

This tray isn't as deep, but it is large enough to hold a 12x12 paper.  It also has handles so it's easy to tote around too!!  (Purchased from Amazon).

And this tray is even smaller, but is deeper and lets me keep a bunch of papers, paper pads, etc.. together for a project.   It's also from Amazon and came as a set of three.  :)

And that's it!  That's where the magic happens!  Ha!  I so wish you all could come over for a little tour and crafting!!  How fun would that be???

Happy Thursday! 

xoxo

workspace wednesday...

playing along with the lovely marcy penner and workspace wednesday today.  just a simple glimpse of one of my desks right now.  covered in project life goodness from the march gossamer blue kits.  the colors have me longing for chirping birds and blooming flowers, what about you??

organizing for project life...

my project life organizational tips are posted on the gossamer blue blog today but i wanted to post them here to!!  be sure to hop on over to check out the january design team gallery!!

  I always love the beginning of the year.  It's the perfect time to go through your supplies, purge what you don't need and organize what you do want to keep.  I think I change up my organization system at the beginning of the year and several times during the year.  Moving things around and "remembering" what I have are very inspirational for me!  Most of my system stays pretty much the same….it's usually just the containers, baskets and jars that change throughout the year.

One thing I love to do is have a "catch-all" for my Life Pages supplies.  Any type of divided box or bin would work for this.  This year, I am using a mail divider that I picked up from my local thrift store.  It was a little loved and warn, but a quick coat of gold spray paint fixed that right up!

I keep most everything I need for my LP spreads in here.  As you can see, I have my 4x6 and 3x4 journaling cards from the January Life Pages kit, some of the blank journaling cards from the shop, the stamp sets from both the January Main kit and the Life Pages Main kit and a variety of other stickers, labels and alphas.

I also throw in my most used pens and my favorite rolls of washi tape.  Whenever I start putting my weeks together, I print out my pictures, grab out this box and get to work.  Super easy.

For the extra little "bits" that tend to get lost easily, I like to use this divided lazy susan.  Each compartment can hold different elements and I love that they are so visible.  I always print out the monthly printables that go along with the kits and cut them out before I start.  That way I'm all ready to go and there's no interrupting my creating process.

I also like to go ahead and cut the coordinating cut files for the month.  Having them all cut out makes it so easy to grab them and add them to my projects.

And I always have my Raskog cart handy in my craft room.  I keep all of my "extras" here.  Everything is super visible and so easy to grab as I'm working on my Life Pages spreads!

Thanks so much for joining me today!  I hope I have inspired you to get organized for your LP album!   

workspace wednesday...

a shelf of memories.

i'm pretty sure i need another shelf.

linking up with marcy penner and workspace wednesday today!!  thanks for stopping by!!

workspace wednesday...

playing along with marcy penner again this week with workspace wednesday.

this shelf is my favorite thing in my craft room.  i picked it up from home goods for a steal!  it's perfect for holding pretty bowls, flair and what not…

workspace wednesday...

joining marcy penner again this week for workspace wednesday.

i thought i would show a little peek into my craft room.  i've spent waaaay too much time organizing and sorting stuff, but it needed.

my latest addition is the kitchen island you see to the right of the photo.  i have a desk, but i wanted something that was little bit higher.  the kitchen island worked out perfectly and it gave me a little more storage.  score.

and did you see i scored some candy jars.  you will never guess where i got them???  thanks marcy for the inspiration!!  i love having everything out at my fingertips!!

you can see more of my craft room here.

can't wait to see a peek at your workspace!

workspace wednesday...

more workspace wednesday with marcy penner today....

just a glimpse inside of my storage suitcase.  this is where i keep my extra tags, embellishments, etc...  i used to have them organized into page protector sleeves, but they kind of drove me crazy.  so now they all sit in this suitcase.  i just rummage around when i need something.  love that they are all together in one place...

workspace wednesday...

i'm loving these workspace wednesday posts with marcy penner.  basically i just love any and everything organization!  did you get a peek at her craft room today.  swoooooooon.  i seriously don't think i would ever leave that room if it were in my house.  and i'm pretty sure i will be purchasing some candy jars today.  :)

today i thought i would share how i store some of my smaller mini albums.  i'm overflowing in mini books and i don't see myself slowing down any time soon.  i love making mini albums.  i'm not quite sure why, but i just do...

i found this adorable hanging basket at target a few years ago and i have slowly filled up both levels.  i'm pretty sure it's supposed to be used in a kitchen as a fruit basket, but i think minis look better, don't you??  so fun to see your works of art hanging in your room...  now, if only everyone could come grab a cup of coffee and sit and look at these with me....sigh.

workspace wednesday...

another episode of workspace wednesday today with marcy penner!!

i'm loving these boxes for keeping all of my different products organized.  and of course...these wire baskets are just the best thing since sliced bread.  they aren't real vintage locker baskets like i would have liked, but they work just as well!!

and like marcy...i just can't get enough white in my life either!!  i'm slowly weeding out even my clothes for a "whiter" wardrobe.....  :)

be sure to link up your workspace over at marcy's blog!!

happy wednesday!

xoxo

my project life organization

i thought i would share a little about my project life organization.

i have one large desk in my craft room and a small dresser where i keep most of my supplies.  

i like to keep the things i use most out where i can see them rather than tucked away in a drawer.

my ocd-self would like them nicely put away, but i tend to forget about things that are hidden away.

i keep all of my tags, labels and little paper embellishments in this divided lazy susan.  it's great because, not only does it swivel, each compartment can be taken out and then replaced.  occasionally, i will rotate stuff around so i can remember what's on the bottom...rather than just looking through the top of the stacks all the time...

i keep my 6x6 notepads, paper i've cut down to 4x6 and some other little goodies in this basket on my desk.  it's handy for when i want to add something to my page or need a "filler".

i also keep my studio calico project life kit cards and other journaling cards in a little tin on my desk.  i've categorized the types of journaling cards by "theme" so that i can easily flip through and find what i need.

i store most of my cut files in this baseball card protector.  it's great because i can see exactly what i have and it keeps all the fragile pieces from getting torn or mishandled.

my lovely collection of washi tape is kept in a hurricane vase on my dresser.  it's quite beautiful to look at and the best part about using the glass vase is that i can see all the rolls...not just the ones on the top.

there you have it.  that's how i try to stay organized.  i'm pretty much a neat freak so i like everything put away at the end of the day.  having a place for everything to go definitely keeps me sane.

let me know if you have any questions and give yourself a great big pat on the back if you made it to the bottom of this post!!

xoxo,

stephanie