Friday, June 18, 2010

Where Bloggers Create II




It's time...my palms are sweating...I've been working hard for 2 weeks now...cleaning, sorting, arranging, rearranging, organizing, reorganizing, tweaking.....oh, you get the picture. I am joining in with 300+ bloggers who are showing their craft room/studios today. I didn't get everything completed that I wanted to but I don't think we're ever actually "finished", are we?
Last year, Karen Valentine hosted a blog party called, Where Bloggers Create. It was inspired by the fabulous book and magazines in the Where Women Create, series
  You can read about this year's party here.
The list of participants for this year's Blog Party will be available here tomorrow.
I signed up to participate this year partly as an incentive to get my room in order and also as a way to publicly say a big thank you to my wonderful husband, David, who started all of this rolling 3 years ago.
For Christmas, 2007, I received a beautifully wrapped gift from David. (This was before I was blogging and therefore, no pictures) It was a letter, telling me that he had arranged to take time away from his office in order to to do all the brute work necessary to transform one of our guestrooms into a craft studio for me. I had been working in our unfinished basement up to that point. I was overwhelmed by this thoughtful and generous gift and started right away to choose paint colors, flooring and furniture that would be needed for the space. The following pictures are the construction phase. Please note that they are photos of photos and the quality is poor..I just wanted you to get an idea of the beginning of the project...
first we ripped up carpeting



then painted ceiling and 9-inches at the top of the wall in a creamy white...

then taped and painted the lower walls a latte color...

taped again for the pink stripe...it's hard to see the details in this photo..

The carpet was installed (by professionals)....NOTE: I would never put carpeting in a workspace again,
 we should have chosen laminate or hardwood...

(This was my first project in the new studio...I photographed it on the floor. You can see the carpet close up.)
Then the few pieces of furniture were put into place...



(These photos make me laugh when compared to the room today)

 There was a lot of work needed to prepare this space and David worked hard to make everything just right.  I love it! My work table is butted right up to a double window so I can
watch the birds and squirrels frolic while I work.
My room today...
I will show you around the room starting at the doorway and going in a clockwise direction...







(The solid oak table top was made by a friend and is attached to telescoping legs from Ikea..I stand when I work so the table is at 36-inches high. The skirt and valance were made by my friend Joni using one pair of Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic cotton drapes from Target. I loved the colors! It is attached to the table with velcro)


I have a tiny paper hoarding problem collecting issue-yikes!


(A Pampered Chef Tool Turn Around holds all of my everyday tools)


(The pink colander was the color inspiration for the pink stripe on the walls)


More stamps, trims, bags of all kinds and tags.


My first piece from Elizabeth...thanks dear friend!

(Standard drawer units from Target {$11.99}, painted taupe and labeled using cardstock and computer generated labels for stamp sets and embellishments. There are 18 drawers here.)


(I would be lost without my BigKick! I use it all the time.)

(I bought this at an Antique shop...it's called a Nun's table...a bedside table I think. Lots of storage.)



(A lingerie chest...more storage places for "stuff")

(The closet door and room door both have shoe storage bags with clear pockets for punches..there are more punches in the lingerie chest....are you figuring I need a "help" program yet? The boxes house ribbon, seam binding, envelopes, lace and chipboard)

I've taken you around my room...now I will just highlight some interesting items I have on display. Remember that you can click on any picture to enlarge. You may recognize your artwork in my room.

Cards & tags made by friends & a picture of my big sis & me having tea...you'll see this again in another picture

This is from Lucketts, Marie!

My favorite dress form stamps.

Thanks Marie!

The stamp holder was my Dad's...it's probably 60 years old.

I have 2 of these paper towers...one has scraps of printed papers by color family..

The other has plain cardstock by color family


These carts can be found at Sam's Club for $30...$75 anywhere else. I would be lost without them.
Elizabeth-have your eyes rolled up in your head yet...you are so good about using your scraps right away...I have lots of pounds of scraps!

My two ATG framers tape guns...I use them every day.

Bits and bobs in my little jello molds, inside a pink and white striped $3 garage sale box!

Eeek! I found this for $5 at a yard sale...it's the same fabric as my valances and skirt!!
Still with me??? I'm almost finished.


My inspiration board...

There's that tea party picture again..thanks Bethanie!





A piece by Jenny Heid...Everyday is a Holiday

Scrap for Joy sign by Heidi at Everyday Cookies. Dress form stamped prints by me.

My Mom is by my side every time I am in my studio..I miss you!

If I hadn't been Scrap For Joy, I would have been Follow Your Bliss but that name was already taken.
Thank you for visiting my Happy Place. Come any time. I've enjoyed our visit.
This was a really long post...I hope you were able to stay awake.
The very brave can come back next week when I will show what this room looked like 2 weeks ago. It's no wonder I'm having some heart issues!
Please turn out the lights when you leave.
I'm off to hop to the other bloggers' spaces!
xoxo
Joyce

56 comments:

GARAGE SALE GAL said...

Your craft room is WONDERFUL!!! I loved seeing it and how organized you are! Someday I'll have a craft room...now I have some great ideas.
Warmly,
Deb :)

Unknown said...

OMGosh!!
This is absolutely Amazing!!!
So pretty and clean but yet filled with all your needfuls.
I sure could use your help with mine.
It always looks horrible no matter what I do.
Plus I try really hard to organize, but yet somehow it is always a mess.
Seriously loving your craft room!! Heading back to look again.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Tam

Lisa said...

Ok just to get this straight if it doesn't take over your house and is organized it it not hoarding. That's my story and I'm sticking to it ;) I love your space thanks for sharing!
Hugs, Lisa

Anonymous said...

Aww, you did a great job with this room! The hard work paid off. Very pretty.

Barb said...

Such a pretty space and soooo organized. I love all the different areas. You have done a great job. Thanks for sharing with us.

Love your blog name!

Barb ♥

GardenOfDaisies said...

OH your studio space is divine!!! And you are sooo organized! I absolutely love that tiered wire basket!!

Bev said...

I enjoyed my visit and now I'm super jealous! I'm starting where you were-the basement-so there is hope I guess. LOL! (fingers crossed and holding my breath!) Hope you health issues are not serious. You will be in my thoughts.

Jane said...

Hi Joyce,
First I want to comment on what a wonderful husband you have for dedicating time to help you put that beautiful space together. I love the color scheme you chose. You are SO organized. What a pleasure it must be to work in that space. Thanks for the tour.
Jane

Kateyed said...

Joyce,

What a thoughtful gift. Your space looks so pretty, very calming, full of lots of goodies and VERY organized! I am glad to know you had to prepare for this. I hope I am ready by next year.

Thanks for the Sam's Club carts...I really like them!

marie said...

Your David is such a peach! What a wonderful gift!
I'm loving the light in your space ~ and the color!! That fabric is beautiful!!
So many flat surfaces to work on ~ I usually end up with about a 12" square! : )
The piece from Lucketts is awesome ~ perfect for your stamps and the giant scissors are wonderful!
I think your dress form stamped prints are one of my favorite things in your space ~ that chair looks pretty nice too.
Can I just say whoa! That's a bunch of paper! Do you sort it by color?

Everything is so organized ~ love that!
Happy creating!

You are an absolute JOY!

Hugs & love to you!

Mimi Sue said...

No wonder you do such beautiful work, you have a wonderful craft room! I'm so impressed with your paper collection. A happy place to create. Mimi

jemkagily said...

That's it! I'm running away from home and heading for your house so I can come play in your craft room. It looks fabulous and so inspiring...
Am I a terrible mom if half the reason I want Emily to find a great job is so that she WON'T move home, so that her sister can have her room and I can turn Fiona's space into a craft studio? :)
p.s. No wonder you liked my "Neapolitan" quilt so much...I had forgotten your strawberry/chocolate color scheme!
xo,
Wendi

Pam @ Frippery said...

I love the soft colors and I really envy your organization. How sweet of your hubs to make it just right for you!

The Tin Rabbit said...

Your husband did GOOD! I love how organized you are! Your room is wonderful!

Suzy said...

Your work space is terrific and sooo organized too! I used shoe organizers also, it's a great space for stamps,ribbon and buttons!

Unknown said...

Oh Joyce! To visit your space is to know you. Thank you for this wonderful tour behind the exquisite work that you produce. It is as lovely as you are! Elizabeth PS Happy Father's Day to the man who gave you your special space!

Unknown said...

That was the most thoughtful gift from your man and your studio is just lovely! I love how you stored your bits in the jello molds!

Thanks for letting us look around :)

Sandy xox

Jeanne said...

Hi Joyce - here I am stopping by to see your creative space. You really DI work hard getting ready for this event - right down to the bones of the room. It turned out so lovely. The pink and brown color theme is beautiful - that was my other choice when we redid mine several years ago. I love the floral skirt around your desk. I may have to "borrow" that idea.
xo
jeanne

Joy@Thrifty Parsonage Living said...

What an absolutely lovely place to work. I love the colors you've chosen. My favorite is the "Scrap for Joy and the dress form stamped prints".
Thanks for stopping by my blog to visit. I do believe we have a lot in common...our names, pastors wives, we both love to scrap and your husbands name...David...my sons name David.
I plan to read some of your other posts to get to know you better. The blog party is fun! Have a blessed weekend!

Betty said...

Your studio is so pretty Joyce. I love how organized you are! I have a slight paper obsession too. I don't know how E manages to keep her stash from growing and growing!!

People Who Know Me Would Say: said...

Did you hear that rather loud THUD? That was me passing out and hitting the floor! Holy Cow, Joyce! What a beautifully decorated, ultra functional, well appointed work room!!!!!!!

marcia said...

Wonderful transformation! You have a very well organized space. Love your wire organizers and all your collectibles too. A great space to create!

happy day!

zandra said...

What a fabulous makeover! Your creative space is fabulous. so, well organized. So, enjoyed my visit with you. enjoy the rest of the party.
Hugz,
Zandra

Queen Bee said...

Joyce,

You must be totally exhausted if you put this studio together within the past two weeks. Everything is meticulous!!! You are correct, we are never truly finished setting up our studios. It is a forever changing and evolving process. Looks fantastic and should inspire years of creativity.
Queen Bee Studio

Julie Ranae said...

A wonderfully inspiring creative space...thank you for sharing it with us : ) Hope you will stop by Julie's Open Window and take a peek inside...

cindy-stitches-n-stuff.blogspot.com said...

Hi my new blogger friend. You know what I like most -- you husband and the special gift he gave to you. He's priceless!

Really, everything is amazing, it looks like there must be a very busy gal in this room.

Have a happy time at the party. Come visit!

cindy@stitchss

Shell said...

Hi Joyce!

Boy, I already like you! LOL You just have a way with words and your studio looks GREAT!

What a lovely Hubby!! Such a thoughtful "Gift."
You should have seen MY studio two weeks ago! Accck!

I've been painting, and painting and did I mention painting? My Studio is the former playroom for two (now grown) boys and lemme tell you,,it hadn't been touched SINCE! Last year, during Karen's event I was in a 5000sq ft office building my BF let me use while it was for lease.....then she had the NERVE...LOL to lease it! So,,,,all those "Goodies" I'd accumulated ended up in the old playroom,,,,,Stuff on top of STUFF!

Well, I whipped it into shape! Not as tidy as yours,,but works for me!!

I'm following now and I'd love it if you stop over and see my little corner of Blogland!

Nice to "meet" you!
Shell
Oh,,,,LOL I'm going to have a funny event in August,,,come over and get a "teaser" about it!

Chris said...

Such a charming space! Love how organized your are!
Best wishes,
Chris

www.curbyscloset.com/blog/

Unknown said...

Hi Joyce! I am still visiting studios but wanted to thank you so very much for the wonderful shell shakers you sent along with your cute as can be tags. How could you possibly know I adore these vintage shakers? I have posted your tags today on blog and am awaiting one more person's tags. Should be mailing soon. My gosh I didn't think through this tag swap well enough. So much copy paper and ink! LOL You live and learn! Elizabeth

Becky J. said...

i love your space!! such wonderful storage solutions. and as for the 'hording' it comes with any kind of craft--- weeee

http://patchworkposse.com/blog

Unknown said...

Joyce,
Thank you so much for stopping by Blueskies. I am so glad you did! I say you are one hundred percent correct-our husbands get the man of the century awards!!!!!
Your room is so inviting-and ORGANIZED!!!!! You did a great job of showing it. I really like the 3-tier stamp holder and the framed stamps you have of the dress forms. Awesome!!
xoxo
lynn

debi said...

Beautiful! Love your wall colors....and your room is so wonderfully organized.

Lori said...

You have a wonderful room to create in! I love how you shared photos of the transformation. You are so organized! I could spend hours in this room. I love your blog as well. Thanks for sharing!

Heidi said...

I love your craft room! How dreamy! I'd love to be there in person with you....and pull from your supplies! I love the way you labeled your paper drawers. WOW! I love the colors you used, so soothing and relaxing. It was fun for me to see the sign I painted on your wall! (And I see a tag I made, too!) I wish I had had time to play along, showing my craft room for this event---it would have taken me a long time to clean it up first, so maybe just as well! Thank YOU for taking the time to photograph and post your's for the event----I loved every single picture! I admit, I clicked to enlarge all the pictures to see every single detail!
Hugs, Heidi

Nancy said...

That was a wonderful tour, Joyce. I'm glad your first choice of a name was taken - Scrap For Joy is so perfect for you. You have a fabulous space and fabulous storage. Lucky you to have a door to close if you leave it in less than pristine condition! I have to look at mine every time I walk to the kitchen. Are you really having some heart issues? I hope not. Take good care of yourself. xoxo Nancy

Becca said...

Beautiful! Thanks for the tour.

M.L. @ The House of Whimsy said...

Well...I finally made it. I knew you had been preparing for the big party and you did a SUPERB job!!! I'm in awe!!!
What a sweet gift from David. The best kind!!
I love how the R.A. fabric matched your walls...delicious! : )
The Pampered Chef/lazy-susan was completely inspired, as were the drawer units that you painted taupe.
That old stamp holder of your Dad's is to die for, you LUCKY girl!!!
And I loved seeing that adorable picture of your mom. No wonder you turned out so sweet...I can see it in your mom, too!
Thank you for your kind words when my mom passed away, Joyce. They meant a lot.
Take care,
Mary Lou

Anonymous said...

I really love alllll of your dress forms! Every for of dress forms! LOL And it's so so organized! Love the three tiered wire basket!

LaurieStar said...

Wow! This is awesome! What a wonderful husband you have to do all that for you. Priceless! :) I love it when my hubby brings things home from the dump (transfer station, excuse me!) and says: "thought you could craft this up..." Ha.
You look a lot like your Mom too, btw. :) I saw a dress form at a shop here and almost got it for you - now I see I think that you already own the same one or a similar one. That black one. Thanks for showing us your studio - so nice! I especially love the fabric trimmed desk. Neat! :)

Elyse said...

hi joyce,

what a really sweet space. i love the colors and how the rachel ashwell fabric ties it all together so nicely! everything is so nice and organized, too.

thanks so much for sharing where you create.

happy summer, too!

xo
elyse

Linda said...

Hi Joyce...thank you the peek into your beautiful crafting space. I know you must enjoy every minute you spend there!

Marianne said...

What an amazing place, and what a wonderful gift from your husband. You sure do like your scrapbook supplies! I wish I could come and play with you in there.

Anonymous said...

What a great peak inside your "space". You look so organized and everything looks like so much fun!!

Kateyed said...

Joyce,
Your husband gave you an incredible gift. He is clearly a professional. Everything is just impeccable! You are so fortunate and deserving.
I love the serene way in which it is decorated and I am amazed at your organization. You are really good at that. I have a lot to learn. The cute "calligraphy" type on your drawers adds a lot...I will remember that!

Thanks for the peek!

Hugs,
Suz

Magpie's Mumblings said...

I would love a few of your drawer units - maybe then there would be hope of my being somewhat organized! Thank you for the tour.

Lovey said...

Such a beautiful studio...you are truly blessed to have such wonderful space and storage galore! Really quite amazing! Smiles...Lovey

Lori said...

Hi Joy! Just wanted to thank you stopping by my blog and leaving such a nice comment! I've been a follower of yours for awhile--just LOVE your creations. I looked through your pics of your room again and saw things I didn't see before (mad rush to go through all the bloggers) I'm still not done! Anyway, I LOVE that pink strainer--it's too darn cute! I'm so glad that you enjoyed my music! Have a joyful day, my friend!

kluless said...

All your hard work really paid off because your room turned out beautiful. I love the table skirt fabric and oh that big window by your work table - perfect! Thank you for sharing.

Rebecca Nelson said...

Joyce...Your workplace is amazing my friend. Truly wonderful! I LOVE that pink stripe around your room. Putting the white (?) on top of it opens up your space and lifts yours ceiling! LOVE IT. Can't wait to see more!

Love to you~

Rebecca
A Gathering Place

Beedeebabee said...

Hi Joyce! Your room so just wonderful! I could lose myself in there for months! xo Paulette

Terri said...

Wonderful wonderful transformation..it is taking me awhile to get to all the ladies creative spaces and I really can appreciate all the hard work that went into creating your current creative space..it is so organized and spacious...I just love it!

Karen Valentine said...

Hi Joyce! I'm finally making it over here!! It was worth the wait! Your room is awesome! I love that your hubby worked so hard to make it perfect for you. I really enjoyed all the pictures. Thank you for joining the party and sharing all your inspiration with us!
xo,
Karen
My Desert Cottage

Sandy said...

Your studio is YUMMY! It makes me hungry for ice cream - a Neapolitan dream - love the colors, a sweet treat indeed! What a great before and after. Thank you for sharing your creative haven.

Connie Eyberg Originals said...

Your studio turned out great. You seem to have a place for everything. It's a great feeling isn't it! Thanks for sharing all the lovely photos of a creative space evolving. Connie

Renee said...

Your room is great. I love that pink colander. I like your idea for the cardstock and other papers, I have so much paper.

After looking at all the posts I want to start rearranging my own space.

Anonymous said...

You definitely got the best present! Love the color choices you used for the room -- especially that pink strainer. And so lucky to have that great view to admire everyday too.

Loved seeing all the art pieces from your friends; those personal touches sure make a room special.

Your sign & dress from grouping is lovely!

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