May I introduce... My New Craft Studio!

my first sewing maching

I started out my sewing career with my little machine set up on our coffee table in front of the TV. I’d keep the manual nearby and practice straight stitches on fabric scraps and little projects scattered across the table. I had an old pair of office scissors I had used in college (I believe they were from the dollar store!), and a little sewing kit my mom assembled (inside an empty dryer sheet box) from odds and ends in her old sewing caddy. From those humble beginnings, I could never have even imagined where my creativity and passions would take me!

Once I joined Laura (read about that here) at The Blue Ladybug Children’s Boutique (and had a mobile child!), it became apparent that I needed a more suitable (and safe) space for my crafting and sewing. We cleared out a corner of a room on our main floor that seemed to just be a catch-all for our stuff. We attempted to make it an office my husband and I could both use, but I quickly took it over! I loved having a little spot in the house for my sewing and supplies.



so proud of my little craft corner



That excitement lasted a couple weeks, when I realized that I had already outgrown it. But I continued on crafting in the space for several more months. Getting any work done on orders became frustrating and unmotivating every time I tried to work (or even look) in there! Because there was hardly any flat work space, I would have to move my projects back to that same coffee table I started out on. My newly walking toddler sure loved that! He always wanted to help me work and I even walked in the room once to him waving my scissors around! {oh my heart!} So, I couldn’t work on projects while he was up, and then when I did, I’d have to work as fast as possible so that I could pick it all back up and put it away, finished or not, before he was up. VERY unmotivating!

My dear husband, who is always so supportive and encouraging when it comes to my business and hobby, saw my need and began helping me design the craft room I needed. It took many months for me to even know what I needed. I saw lots of cool craft rooms on other blogs that were very inspiring but I wanted to make sure that I was designing what would work best for ME, and not something that works for someone else. I definitely took my time because I wanted to decide what I really needed, as well as consider growth… of my hobby, interest, supplies, business, etc…



BEFORE: notice the piles that have no place to go!



I read the The Cottage Mama has a few pieces in her studio from Ikea, so I decided to check out the website and see what they had and how much! I was blown away at how low-priced and quality-made everything was, and the endless possibilities there were! So once Tim and I (finally) decided on a room design that would work for our odd little room, we browsed Ikea’s website and picked out and priced everything I would need. Then we planned a trip to the only Ikea in MI (quite a drive for us!), and spent the day shopping! Wow… What do you say about Ikea? It is the most amazing place! A friend recently said, “Ikea isn’t just a store, it’s an experience!” So true! So after a few hours of shopping, we came out with a lot of stuff for what we spent! I got 2 tables, 2 wire drawer organizers, shelving, and an office chair for just over $200… Not bad considering some of the solutions I had been looking at before I discovered Ikea. We also bought a 2^nd 9-cube organizer from Target to match the one we already had, and used Laura’s idea from her craft room (read about it here) to make a cutting table for the center of the room. Tim had an old boss and friend make us a laminate countertop that will fit on the top. So for a budget of $350, we came just under… And that was including the paint job in the room too! Can't beat that! Plus, I'm totally and completely in love with my new craft studio! It's fresh, and clean, and organized...

AFTER



I got back to work the moment we finished! :)



Tim even has a little office space! yay!

I love that the clutter is gone and that I have lots of room for my business and hobby to grow! The room has alot of finishing and personal touches to add (shelving, decor, the countertop, etc) but I have been creating like crazy the past couple weeks since we worked on it. It's inspiring me in so many ways and helping me be productive, motivated, organized and efficient. It's also brought my stress down a LOT! I love that it's not just helping organize my business, but it's helping me organize other parts of my life too as I have a clean, quiet space to sit, think and work.

{Coming soon:} Organizing & Design Ideas I've gained from this experience! (with more close up pictures of the details in my studio!)