The Shop: My Crafty Storage

I came across this blog, Crafty Storage, last month and I have to say, there are some LOVELY shops out there.  Unfortunately, mine is not one of them.  BUT, I still love it! It's all mine, my stuff, my space, my creative zone.

I've had a space in every house I've owned.  Our first home was a ranch with a finished basement.  That was a great space.  I looked for pictures of the space but came up empty.  Let's just say, it was perfect for my needs at the time.  Carpeted floor, drywall on the walls, plenty of light, and a huge walk in storage closet with shelves for all of my various boxes of fabric.  (I worked for JoAnn Fabrics through high school and college. Lot's of fabric.)  I also had a big work table, a comfy recliner, and a book shelf for all of my craft books.  It was a great space.  Then we moved, moved, and moved again and my creative spaces became smaller and smaller.  I used a dining room with the first move (so uninviting to have that mess at the front door), shared a small walk out basement space with a toddler (who had figured out quick how to turn the computer off) with the second move, and finally with the apartment we lived in while building I was reduced to carving out space in our bedroom with an unused bathroom as storage.  That first house was the last good space I had until now.

Since before we were married, we planned for the day we would build our dream home.  As we lived in or visited various homes through the years, the layout of the dream home changed but the craft space was always there.  One change was the total elimination of a formal dining room and the other was to get the craft/creative space away from the kitchen.  Thank goodness 14 years went into the planning because this place is awesome!

We live in the woods where visits by deer are common.

And this is my wintertime view to the outside.

The space is not finished yet but I'm not really bothered by that as I will gladly take plenty of well-lit space over nicely finished any day.

Yes, it is a walk out and I admit, that is very nice.  Great for crafting especially when the need for spray paint comes up.

The Crafty Storage blog that I mentioned at the beginning of this post has plenty of drool-worthy scrap supply storage solutions.  All of them are so pretty but what if you don't have that kind of money for brand new and matchy-matchy storage products?  (Or simply have too much as my husband will tell you.) Well you end up with something like I have going on here in my shop. 

Garage sale crates, a Craig's list bookshelf, displaced baskets, and some corrugated cardboard magazine holders for the 22 years worth of craft books.

Bulk ware-house metal shelving with a collection of plastic storage totes that spans 19 years.

Former toy bins slipped into wire mesh storage racks and second hand school tables.

It isn't perfect, I do have to deal with a bit of tubing and work around pipe in the floor not to mention the furnace.  The master plan for this house calls for a possible apartment in the basement if the need ever came up.  That master plan also means, I could EASILY have a utility sink in this space.  I would be MORE than HAPPY to work around a utility sink. 

The slat board and metal brackets were purchased three moves ago and are working out perfectly.

Honestly, whether your storage solution is magazine cover worthy or hodge-podge like mine, what it comes down to is organization and being able to easily get to what you've got.  My space may not be pretty but to me, it sure is inviting.  I have plenty of space to work, lots of good light, and I can find any thing I need quickly.

I can't even remember when I picked up these little bins.  They are FABULOUS for storing everything from my glue gun to jingle-bells.  And one drawer just for little bits of possibilities because who knows when an old suitcase lock might be needed for some craft.

Here is the hub of my space; my link to the outside world. Where Mickey Mouse stands ready and the internet offers up endless ideas.

Yes, the basement is where you'll find me.  It's a wee little chilly down here today but I promise, once the creativity kicks in, it's not an issue.