My Craft Room – The Big Reveal

Hi everyone.
The sun has finally come out so I’m writing this outside while the girls play in the sand pit, ride their bikes and take a break from the destruction of the interior of our house. It’s wonderful.

For a while now I’ve been working on a massive project. Possibly the biggest project I’ve ever attempted. It’s not completely finished yet but it may never be totally finished so I thought I’d share the beginnings of it with you.
It’s my new favorite place and my little sanctuary: My craft room. Our house is four bedroom plus an office, but because the house is fairly old the office’s inbuilt desk was too small to actually fit our computer on (they didn’t have computers back then!). So we made one of the bedrooms an office with the vague idea of using the old office as some sort of space for me (let’s be honest here, I had a lot of really girly stuff that I didn’t really think fair to subject my husband to continually and frankly he didn’t want to see it). But as with all vague plans nothing happened and the room became our dumping ground. Admit it. You all have one some where. That space where things get put until you store them properly or whether things get flung when your in laws/boss/any one else important or that you need to impress stops by. Well after a couple of years and one with babies our ‘little office’ (as I called it) wad piled high with all sorts of stuff. So much you could barely get in the door.

Meanwhile my sewing machine was set up in the corner of the guest room. And And by set up I mean squeezed into a corner so tiny I had to climb over the chair to get to anything and almost had to sit/stand on the bed to use my iron. Not at all ideal, especially if someone wanted to visit and I’d have to clear up all my half made projects and things!

The big thing about setting up myself a craft room was that I wanted it to be FABULOUS. Not just any old room with shoddy wallpaper would do (The other challenge was finding somewhere to put all the STUFF!).
So one day I cleared all the stuff out of the little office (putting it in the hallway) and began stripping wallpaper. A few days later someone must have come to visit because everything got thrown ball into the room which halted progress for a while. Then I finished stripping the wallpaper around all our stuff. It was quite some time for me to actually put the stuff somewhere more permanent and it was only because I couldn’t re wallpaper with it all in there (is now piled in the corner of our new office but that’s a job for another day, or year).

So I began the horrible task of choosing a colour scheme. Initially we were going to paint but the wall surface was awful so we went back to wallpaper. Then I decided to make curtains that were beautiful and have a fairly plain wall color. But I didn’t like any curtain fabric. So I went to choose wallpaper. Which was also boring and mostly ugly and also very expensive. So to cheer myself up I looked through the children’s collection. AND found a bunch to choose from! Pretty colours and cool designs. It was awesome.

Plus they weren’t stomach churningly expensive. Win-win-win.

So once my wallpaper arrived I got straight to it. It took several days (most of a week)because I could only do it during the girls nap times. But I got there and I did it all by myself and I’m so proud. I’d never wallpapered before so a whole room with almost some complicating factor in every drop was massive. It was particularly good for my ego.

Once the wallpapering was done I got straight on and filled up the room. Sewing machine on its flimsy camping table, overlocker, ironing board, then all my fabrics and trims and patterns and tools. I actually got so flustered with where to start and where to put everything I had to ring mum for a stress break. Eventually I formed some sort of organization and got everything in. Not all my fabric though. I still have two massive boxes in the hall cupboard but that’s where it’ll have to stay.

The benefit of the inbuilt desk was there are so many drawers to organise things in. Currently I have Post-It notes attached to all the fronts telling me what’s in them, but I have a wicked idea for making a more permanent solution for that (I’ll let you know about it when I finally get around to doing it! I just need to make sure it’s going to work first!

Along with the drawers and cupboards I filled a massive glass canister I’d bought with absolutely no purpose with my odds and ends of ribbon which makes a pretty feature in the corner. I also collected up all the buttons scattered about my house and started my own random button jar (yes, this is the sort of thing that makes me ridiculously happy!).

Another great thing I love is using a tiered shelf (in my case it’s like a little unit of four baskets) that I use for keeping my ‘in progress’ or soon to be started projects in. I keep all the threads, buttons, fabric and patterns together in here, so I know exactly where everything is when I need it. The only issue is I only have four baskets, and way more projects started than that! Oops.

I love my new room. I filled it with my pretty things as well as a lot of photos of friends and family for inspiration.

I love to just sit in there and ponder my next projects or what else needs doing. Best but of all is I borrowed a baby gate so I can now sew and the girls can’t get me. They sit outside and play (it’s not mean, it’s sensible and safe and sanity-saving).

My craft room is my little space of awesomeness in my house that’s just for me. No children!! Just the things I need to create and be inspired. I love it.

(And now since I’m such a wall papering whiz I can tackle my next interior Decorating challenge: the previously mentioned guest room, currently a horrible kind of sea foam green/blue color)

Please let me know what you think or share your ideas for what I can do better. Also,  I’d love to see/hear about your crafting space 🙂
Until next time, I hope my little room can provide you some inspiration 🙂