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You are here: Home / Organizing / My Own Craft and Work Area

My Own Craft and Work Area

January 14, 2013 By Karen Cooper 29 Comments

Good Monday morning!

Usually, when I have a project I want to complete that involves a mess, I use the kitchen table or the garage.  But this ends up being problematic, because (a) I don’t want to get paint, glue, whatever on the rug in the breakfast room; (b) I have to move the project if it’s mealtime; and (c) the garage isn’t so warm in the winter!

I wanted and needed my own creative space.

Our guest room has my desk in it anyway, and it also has this wonky little alcove by the closet.   The alcove seemed the perfect place for a little creative area.

Without further ado, here’s my new work and craft area!!

finished craft and work area

It’s perfect for me. It’s bright, and has a mixture of old stuff (the Coke crate) and bright, modern stuff (the Matisse print).  Happy.

And it didn’t cost me anything (other than time) because I used what we already had!  Score!

But it wasn’t easy…

Step 1: I had to empty the space.

The guest room generally, and this space specifically, is usually our dumping ground for stuff we don’t know where else to put.  Here are some “before” pics:
a messy office area

So the first step in this project was clearing out that area and figuring out where to put all that stuff if it wasn’t going back in the craft/work space.  Here’s what it looked like once I emptied the space:

empty space

Of course, once I emptied it, here’s what the rest of the guest room looked like (oy):

messy guest room means progress

Just had to remember that mess = progress.

Step 2:  What to do about the vanity.

As you know from this post and the picture above, there’s a vanity against that back wall.  To tear it out or not to tear it out…that was the question.

Ultimately, I decided not to tear it out, for three reasons: (1) it would have inevitably meant some drywall repair, and I wanted this project to be finished this weekend; (2) the vanity has two holes in the back of it: a pipe opening and a hole that has the electrical/plug behind it.  It was never plumbed, but the pipe is sticking out a bit and it is ugly.

 

Didn’t want to deal with that. And (3) the floor – under the white tile that’s there now is gold speckled linoleum.  Did NOT want to deal with that, either – at least not now.  So, the vanity stayed.  It does have this cool tag on it:

 

original vanity tag

So, I decided I had to work with it, which was a bit problematic.  Which brings me to…

Step 3:  Creating the work table.

I had a table from Ikea that I wanted to use as my work table, but it wasn’t the same height as the counter of the vanity.  I decided to make the work space an “L” shape, so I needed to rest the table on the vanity to create the L.
The legs of the table didn’t work because they were too short.  So, I had to get creative.
I tried bookcases.  I tried tables.  And then…
I moved a shoe rack!
Huh?
Well, I had, in our donation pile, an old shelf unit that we used for shoe storage.
shoe storage unit
When I cleared out the alcove, I had to move this out of there.  When I turned it on its side, I realized that I could make a box out of it, and use it as the support for the table.  And, as luck would have it, it was the PERFECT height!
voila! a box!
Anyone who thinks that DIY isn’t a logic game isn’t doing it right.
I used the pre-drilled shelf holes to screw the box/shoe storage to the table top:
shoe storage turned support
And voila!
finished work table
Work area complete!  Now we need the good stuff!

Step 4:  Craft and supply storage.

I was lucky and found this Pottery Barn craft organizer on Freecycle for, you guessed it, FREE!  It was new, in the box, never opened!  Crazy.
It was perfect for the space.
Pottery Barn craft organizer
It holds the big stuff, as well as some tissue paper.
buttons and thread storage
small paints storage
big paint bottle storage
And now for the vanity top.  I found an old Coke crate at a furniture consignment store a month or so ago, and was just using it as decoration. I thought it would make great storage for brushes, paint pens, scissors, etc.
Coke crate for storage
 I used one of the containers from the craft organizer for stencils and labels:
stencils and labels
Even the shoe organizer/box support became a good hiding place for the trash can!
hidden trash can
I’ve already put some projects in the area…ready to start working on them.
So, there it is, friends.  My new work and craft area.  I still have to finish organizing the closet (I can’t believe I’m showing you this):
disorganized closet
I use the closet for storage (duh) of supplies and home decor (I love “shopping” in my own house!).  Still have to tackle that and the rest of the guest room.
But I’m really happy with the craft and work area.
finished craft and work area
And I love how I could use what we already had, so the cost was just the time in gathering and putting it all together!  Bonus!
Linking up at:
Home Stories A2Z
Thanks for stopping by!

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Filed Under: Organizing, Repurposing and Upcycling 29 Comments

About Karen Cooper

Hi! I'm Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer” - I traded in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY adventures. Join me for DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organizing projects and tips as I transform a 1929 Tudor bungalow into our home. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.

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Comments

  1. Kristen @ It Comes Full Circle says

    January 14, 2013 at 3:10 pm

    Looks great, Karen! I love the free organizer, and the Coke crate is my favorite!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      January 14, 2013 at 3:14 pm

      Thanks, Kristen!

      Reply
  2. Angie @ Postcards from the Ridge says

    January 14, 2013 at 3:44 pm

    I love it! Especially the jars and crate you used for storage. I’m still working on mine. Have a great week!

    Reply
  3. Julie says

    January 14, 2013 at 6:55 pm

    Looks fabulous Karen!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      January 15, 2013 at 2:31 am

      Thanks, Julie!

      Reply
  4. Kelly @ Eclectically Vintage says

    January 14, 2013 at 7:21 pm

    Looks great – what a score on the new PB organizer!

    Congrats on your move to WP too!
    Kelly

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      January 15, 2013 at 2:32 am

      Thanks and thanks! It wasn’t bad, but I drank a lot of coffee. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Holly says

    January 14, 2013 at 9:05 pm

    It looks fantastic Karen… the perfect indoor craft area! Can’t believe you found that organizer on Freecycle!!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      January 15, 2013 at 2:32 am

      Thanks, Holly! I know, right?!? Crazy. Glad it found a good home.

      Reply
  6. Jessica @ Mom 4 Real says

    January 15, 2013 at 11:22 am

    Wow! It looks amazing! All of my stuff is currently piled in our garage and it’s making me crazy. Must. get. organized. Love the new blog too…I’m in the process of moving over to wp and can’t wait!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      January 15, 2013 at 1:13 pm

      Thanks, Jessica! There had been stuff piled up here for a loooong time. It took guests coming in town plus feeling completely embarrassed by it to get it done! You can do it!

      Reply
  7. Brenda says

    January 15, 2013 at 3:06 pm

    Looks great Karen! I wish I had a space to stash my stuff. You did such a good job using what you had – I’m inspired!!!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      January 15, 2013 at 3:51 pm

      Thanks, Brenda!

      Reply
  8. Paper-Crafts Chick says

    January 19, 2013 at 12:39 pm

    You did an awesome job! All crafty girls deserve a fun craft space. I’ve named my craft room “the playroom”. We need a place to go and play, create and turn all of our crafty thoughts into finished products. Good for you! Your craft area looks nice and cozy and I know you’ll enjoy it.

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      January 19, 2013 at 4:54 pm

      Thanks! I love the “playroom” craft room – a place to get messy, have fun, and do crafts. Thanks again!

      Reply
  9. JOY says

    January 25, 2013 at 4:44 pm

    I really like the coke crate. Lot’s of creative ideas here. enJOYed checking out your craft area.

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      January 25, 2013 at 4:56 pm

      Thanks, Joy!

      Reply
  10. DeDe@DesignedDecor says

    February 26, 2013 at 8:19 am

    Great Job! I love the organized shelves and compartments!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      February 26, 2013 at 9:02 am

      Thanks! They are very handy.

      Reply
  11. Jane @ Cottage at the Crossroads says

    February 26, 2013 at 11:06 am

    Karen,
    What a creative use of space! You certainly used plenty of logic in this project. Now I just need to get my brain working so I can carve out a little bit of space for myself!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      February 26, 2013 at 11:49 am

      Thanks, Jane!

      Reply
  12. Shana says

    February 26, 2013 at 11:35 am

    It looks great!!!!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      February 26, 2013 at 11:48 am

      Thanks!

      Reply
  13. Laura / The Shed blog by Pet Scribbles says

    February 26, 2013 at 10:46 pm

    What a great space, Karen! I did laugh out loud with the picture of the empty space followed by the picture of your newly crowded guest room area! But you did a great job in creating a wonderful place to create!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      February 28, 2013 at 9:46 pm

      Thanks, Laura!

      Reply
  14. Dolly Sarrio says

    February 27, 2013 at 8:56 am

    Hi Karen,
    Hi Karen,
    A friend of mine shared your pictures on your craft area and I love it! https://www.dogsdonteatpizza.com/
    I was wondering if you would share this post on my first ever The Creative Blog Hop? I love your blog and can’t wait to read other posts..Here is link if you would like to link up..I know it would give others like myself motivation to create a great area to do things that we love.
    http://dollysdesigns.blogspot.com/2013/02/dollys-designs-creative-blog-hop-1.html
    Thanks,
    Dolly

    Reply
    • Dolly Sarrio says

      February 27, 2013 at 8:57 am

      Sorry I don’t know why it went on twice…

      Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      February 27, 2013 at 5:02 pm

      Thanks, Dolly! I’d be happy to link it up there. Will do later tonight. Thanks again!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Big Day at Dogs Don’t Eat Pizza HQ says:
    January 14, 2013 at 11:49 pm

    […] from the excitement of posting about my new craft and work area, I also moved my blog from Blogger to […]

    Reply

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Hi! I’m Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer,” because I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. This blog is all about DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organization. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.




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A "recovering lawyer," I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home. Read More…

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