Getting the studio finished this week was a necessary evil. I kept dragging my feet, but once I started working on it, I was on a tear. It was great to have today's reveal as motivation to get it 100% done. Working on this project forced me to go through a lot of boxes and throw out quite a bit of miscellaneous crap I've not used or needed in some time. I think I'll hang this banner somewhere, but for now, it just rests on the door nob. I made this last year, two houses ago. Remember what this space looked like on Monday? Nothing productive can happen in this space. A lot more junk can get done in here. I added wall storage for calligraphy supplies, business cards, stamps, envelopes and more. The goal was to get as much off of my desks as possible, so I can use that for work and to keep it from Penelope's grubby little fingers. I had some of the white Ikea boxes and shelving before, but I had to supplement to get it all up there and done. That was less than $20. The table is currently covered with my cutting mat and cutter. I'd be inclined to take the mat off, but the paint is really wrecked. At some point I'd like to paint this little table. We scored that table ages ago in California on the side of the road with "FREE" written all over it. I love that table. I put some miscellaneous artwork up to keep my sewing books and receipts company up top. I don't get as much utility out of the shelving up top besides inspiration and resources. Artwork (from left): Birds of Ashmae temple, photo of Penelope, unfinished painting in back, Kantan Designs quote, Love painting by Mer Mag, Esplin by me, tiny illustration scored from a housewares swap, empty frame for Felix (couldn't get the printer to work). In order to fit the white boxes on the shallow shelves, I oriented them sideways, making it impossible to read the label for what's on there. I cut out little squares of chalkboard contact paper and applied it to the sides. It looks nice, and if the contents of the box ever changes, I can just rewrite it in chalk. I decided it was time that I permanently set up my easel. It's a constant reminder to paint. This piece is about a third of the way done, so it taunts me every time I walk in the room. It's a good taunt. I organized my fabric, again. I've recently scored several yards of fantastic prints, which give me no excuses! I must make some awesome clothes with them now. I had this fabric storage set up in the last two places we've been, and I love it. It's cheap, I can use the top for laying out patterns, I can see the contents and everything's neatly contained. My ironing board isn't a standard size, so I need to make a new cover. Can you tell how baggy that cover is? Yikes. Artwork (from left): scored at a housewares swap, mine, mine, cork board with various inspiration. I took advantage of the storage space in the closet and used that to stage the tailoring and refashions I have queued up. Last night I knocked out about 1/3 of the mending, but I still have my work cut out for me. Back in my California days when I taught bookbinding, one of my students was a teacher at a local school district. The school was dumping REAMS of strathmore parent sheets, so she snapped them up. She asked if I wanted any. Of COURSE. Over 3 years later, I've not even gotten through half the ream! It's fantastic warm-grey paper, but it's heavy and takes up a lot of space. I had a brilliant brainwave to hang the paper over the clothes rod in the closet. It feels pretty fantastic to have it all right there, so neatly put away. Below is my assortment of clothing patterns. I have quite a collection! I have a fair amount of white storage boxes, most of which are empty. It's nice to keep a few empty spaces in this room to allow for growth. Below are bins of packaging supplies and leather. Opposite of my desk is my sewing desk. We bought the legs over a year ago to DIY a kitchen table that totally failed. I ended up just buying a top from Ikea and moving everything to my studio instead. It all worked out nicely. The green table elevates the trash nicely, so I can throw away threads as I'm working feverishly on projects. I made that table like 9 years ago. It's a favorite of mine, for sure. I wanted to make sure that I got the thread and scissors off the desks to keep Penelope and Felix from getting into trouble. Felix absolutely LOVES thread. The yellow box has my current projects inside, neatly organized. I can easily store it under the table if I need the extra table top space. Artwork (from left): SeeSaw, A Vintage Poster, Me, Penelope, Thrifted And here's the wall that connects the sewing with the crafting. It's so fantastic to have my own dedicated room for creative projects and to have it all organized (for now). Decorating and organizing this room came just under $20 with the extra shelving and storage boxes. Not bad! I've debated on changing up the color of the walls to match the rest of the house, but the blue fits for now. Check out my old studio here (two houses ago). I think I'm in a great place with this room. However, if budget were not an issue, I would put in wood floors to match with the kitchen, paint the walls a light grey, and get a couple of odds and ends for organizing. See what I have in mind on my Pinterest Board. Next week, it's on to my office!!