Welcome To My Stamp & Craft Room!

No card for all of you today. It has definitely been a Monday. I'm sure you all know what i mean. The phone rang like crazy and it just seemed like everyone needed everything all at the same time. Thank goodness for Tuesdays!! LOL!!

I did tell you I was going to share some of my craft room with you. I love my little nook, little being the operative word. But it is mine and I have filled it with my stash. I love playing in my room. A peaceful place for the most part.

We start by going in the door. I am greeted with a fun sight, my bulletin board. On it are cards that have been sent to me by friends. I love looking at it for inspiration and ideas, but mainly because it reminds me how much I am loved!

To the left of the door when I come in is my 8 1/2 x 11 paper storage. I also store all my very special papers in the rack, ones that I can't reorder or need to be away from much light. Can you believe I got the unit for nothing? My old boss from the stamping store gave it to me. She blessed me with a lot of things!!
On top of that you can see I have several drawer sets that hold some of my individual stamps. Some of my favorite stamps are stored there.

Here is a closer look at the top. The large tray on top of the shelves is an old multiple bread baking pan. I use it to store all of my large background stamps. You can't really tell from the photo, but the stamps are two deep in most of the four trays.

To the right of the drawers are glass jars that I keep all kinds of fun things in that I use for altered art, or just for whatever. There's also a big jar of ribbon in the back.

Going around the paper storage you see the end of my first table. Hooked on the bottom is part of my ink storage. It's an old cassette tape holder . Works great for a lot of my ink. My thicker ink pads like Color Box Chalk are in drawers on the table. You can see the side of the drawers actually. On the end of the table I have one of the build it yourself cube racks for my 12x12 paper. Hanging on the side of that are holders for magazines I found at a place I used to work in the trash. They hook on the wires and hang off of each other. I keep current magazines and catalogs in there, plus idea books I want very handy.

You can see I also hang all kinds of things off the racks too. It has sort of become the catch-all. If it can hang up, I hook it on to get it up off the desk & to not leave it just laying around to get messed up.

So now we are going to continue left again and here is what we see. The rack for my 12x12 paper. Next to it is are clear paper storage slots that I keep all my 12x12 scrapbook pages, etc. in. There are a few slots that have specialty papers in them too.

It's hard to see by the brown thing under the paper storage is actually two old drawers from a treadle sewing machine. That is where I store the rest of my inks. It works great. Most of those I don't use as often and they sit perfectly in the drawers.

You can also see two sets of drawers that hold the rest of my individual stamps in the corner. They are all organized by subject.

On top of the paper storage is a box with small SU stamp sets and precut shapes of paper. I didn't have anywhere else to store those things so up they went. Has worked great so far.

Under the table is where I store all my Creative Memories paper. I have a huge stash from my days as a consultant. And they fit perfect under there in file box containers turned sideways.

Moving to the right here is what you see, some of my misc supplies. On top are notebooks with ideas. There are containers with all my embellishments, scrapbooks I am currently working on, punches and more. The drawer unit in the far corner is for all kinds of misc craft things that I don't get into very often. it is just more convenient to store them way out of the way like that instead of trying to move around them in the small space!!

I think you can tell that I have utilized every inch I can in the room!

And here is my desk. This is where I do most of my work. I keep my pens, markers, watercolor pencils, brushes, glitter, ep's, adhesives, pretty much all those items you want to get to quickly.

Sometime maybe I'll take a close up view of the different areas of my desk. My favorite things on there are the storage pieces you can get from Rubbermaid in office supply stores (although I got most of mine at a big discount kind of place) They connect together and hold things so well. They are clear so you can really see what is where! I have 11 pieces and wish I had more! Most are cubes, some are double cubes, some have drawers. So handy!!!

To the right of that is more of the supplies I use mostly for altered art. But I keep my trimmers and envies and fibers here too!

There are more of those build it yourself cubes that I store a most of my SU stamps on. Next to it is a notebook with unmounted rubber stamps. Under it in a special container you can't see I keep my acrylic stamps, Cuttlebug, all the folders and Nesties. On top of the shelves are magazines that I have wanted to keep. I don't keep them all. Where would you store them all in a small room? But they are ones I particularly like and enjoy going back to over and over.

Also up there on top are special antique cards I use for different projects. I admit I am a paper hoarder/addict. I love paper and when I see neat pieces I usually buy it. I love to scrounge around yard sales and second hand shops. I find the neatest things!!

Well there you have most of the room. I didn't show you under the bulletin board. That is where the computer is. It's to the right of that last picture I showed you. And to the right of that are shelves with my husbands things and office supplies. I have lots of reference books there too. Very handy. It's all pretty compact, but it works. It's kinda cozy even if it is cramped. I love to shut myself up in here and turn on some music and create. It's where I also study my Bible. A nice, quiet and relaxing room. Thanks for stopping by! I'll make a pot of coffee next time!

What Were You Thinking???

Welcome!! I finally did it, my own blog. I have no idea where this is going to go or how it is going to go, but here I am. I find it odd that I would start, of all days, on April Fool's Day. Considering how much I enjoy a good practical joke or a good laugh I guess it is appropriate that I would begin today. Hopefully I will learn this quickly and you will enjoy reading along.

I have two cards to share with you today. The first is based on the sketch challenge on SCS. Rox, the host decided to play an April Fool's joke on us and gave us a crazy sketch to do. Of course it wasn't the real one. The card I did is based on the "real" sketch. The stamp of the exasperated woman is from Art Impressions. Isn't she a hoot!! The sentiment is from Stampabilities. I stamped both with Stazon Jet Black Ink and colored the image with watercolor pencils, accenting with colored pencils. She really looks like she is wearing jeans doesn't she?


The background paper is from Creative Memories. Once upon a time I used to be a consultant for them. Have a BIG stash of supplies yet from those days. I used my Cuttlebug on the right side of the card. The folder is Spots & Dots.


My second card I did for the weekly event held at Cindy's place, The Tea Party. We had a blast this week. If you have never joined us you really should. All kinds of things happen there and you never know who may show up!


The rose script image is from a company that no longer is in business, Stamp Rosa. It's a shame, they had beautiful things. I stamped it first in Stazon Jet Black Ink and water colored it. I think the highlights turned out pretty good on this one.

The little butterfly from Stamp Affair I stamped with Stazon as well. It was water colored and then I outlined it in gold with a Creative Memories Elements Pen.

All the paper is from Creative Memories as well. I love their paper and have that big stash to go through. Which as much as I love, some days it slows me down. So many beautiful papers out there and so much guilt if I buy more with the amount I already have. Sigh!! The struggles of a paper-a-holic!

Thanks for joining me on this adventure.