Getting Organized: Creative Space Reveal

Do you have any awkward spaces in your home? An area that you just aren’t quite sure what to do with, so it ends up being wasted real estate? This was the perfect description for the area at the top of our stairs. Not large enough to be a room, not small enough to be considered a hallway, we were never quite sure what we wanted to do with it. Before we had the twins, we used it as a library area with a few freestanding bookcases and even a little coffee bar. There are three small bedrooms upstairs, so we had a “Man Cave,” a guest bedroom, and my office/library, which also housed all my craft supplies. Now that we have kids, they take up two of the bedrooms and the extra one serves as a storage area for everything else in the entire house, including a spare bed for guests. Considering the fact that my craft/sewing stash seems to have taken on a life of its own (see some before pictures along with my action plan for getting organized here), I needed a dedicated space to house it all and perhaps even get some projects done while the kids are awake.

After almost a year of stop-and-start progress, meet my craft corner!

I apologize for the angles of the photos- the space is so narrow there is no way to take a picture of it straight on (unless I figure out how to levitate over our bannister and float in mid-air).

Once I decided to make this a craft storage area, I enlisted my dad to help with the “built-ins.” This is actually an Ikea hack- these are four Billy bookcase units (one double width and one single on each side) that we added trim to in the form of molding and facings to imitate the built-in look at a much cheaper price. My dad even added a large shelf that connects the units for extra storage (you can see it above the desk). I painted it all the same color, filled the shelves, and now have a beautiful little craft space to call my own!

The left side of the unit houses all my craft supplies. Of course, I have a whole other closet in a different room for sensory/tot school/therapy type stuff, which I’ll show you another day. It’s still very much a work in progress. As you can see above, having doors on the bottom half of the units allows me to hide materials that aren’t as visually appealing.

Instead of painting the shelves funky colors, I decided to keep it neutral and let all my craft supplies take center stage by arranging them into “collections” and using clear glass containers or wire baskets to store them when possible. To keep track of what is in all of my baskets, I used labels I made from card stock cutouts stamped with numbers from a vintage sign-making set I found at an antique store. I made a list of what is in each numbered basket so I have a reference when I am looking for something.

My table is a sturdy trestle desk from Target that I ordered several years ago. It is perfect for sewing and crafting- lots of room to spread out! I replaced my old desk chair with this clear “ghost chair” from Ikea- I thought it would help keep the small space from looking cluttered with furniture.

On my desk I have a happy white hippo that was given to me by my Granny (it was actually handmade by a relative) that I use to store sewing necessities. I display medium-sized fabric pieces in an old cd tower and a few more notions (pincushion and button jar) on a little shelf above the desk.

One of my favorite things I made for this space are these “dream” letters. I bought them right after my husband and I got married and they’ve been sitting in our attic for about four years now. I decided to unearth them for this shelf and cover them with tissue paper, brown paper lunch sacks, and mod podge…from drab to fab in my humble opinion!

Here is a picture (not the greatest one, thanks to the strange lighting) of my inspiration board- it was a vintage frame that I added some chicken wire to. I plan on filling it with pictures and scraps of material that inspire me.

The right side of the unit houses all my sewing supplies. On my to-do list is to make some matching covers for my machine and serger, who have a place of honor on the lowest open shelf.

Here are a few of my “collections”- you can see that I have a serious felt fetish, along with a healthy appetite for tulle and buttons. One fun thing we added was metal clips to the cabinet doors to create places to display the twins’ art.

Oh, and did I mention that I am a fabric hoarder? The entire bottom half of the sewing area is devoted to fabric storage. Larger pieces are in stacks, smaller pieces are folded and arranged in baskets according to size. I slide them in sideways so I can see all the colors. It’s almost a shame to hide the baskets away!

One of my goals for this little space is to add spots for the twins to play or do activities while I am working on something. This little slice of wall is right behind my desk chair and is framed by the opening to the stairway and the bannister. I created the magnet board/chalkboard from an $11 automotive drip pan after I saw this post from Thrive 360 Living. The painting above the magnet board was a gift from my über-cool and talented uncle, Dean Wyatt. You can see more of his work at his online gallery here. Seriously, go check it out- my poorly lit photo does not do it justice. He’s kind of a big deal.

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