Tuesday, April 19, 2011

'Studio' Tour (aka - my scrap kitchen)

This month for Tattered Angels the design team are giving little tours of their studios. Here is where I create:

I have my printer, tool caddy and basket of stamps and odds & ends within easy reach. A cutting mat is always under my work. I pull out my misting mat when I’m getting ready to make a mess.

Who am I kidding? This is how it usually looks. I tend to clean it up when I discover I’m trying to work on a 12×12 project in an 8×8 space.

I don’t have an art studio, or room of my own to create in – I work in my kitchen. The downside is that I don’t have a door I can close on my mess. The upside is that I have a sink handy, because I do get messy. I would love to have a beautiful studio, but it would probably look like a hurricane hit it anyway – I have a hard time keeping a creative space neat & tidy. (A perfectly kept house is the sign of a misspent life).

Fortunately, our kitchen is the largest room in the house, and there is a counter/cupboard that is apart from the main cooking area (which was never practical, and was wasted space). I took it over for my scrapbooking when I realized I could get away with it. :) Working in the kitchen allows me to be right in the centre of all the household happenings, and I can keep an eye on dinner at the same time, ha ha!

My storage solutions are not beautiful, but they are practical, and work well for the way I work. Baskets and trays from Ikea are inexpensive, and fit my cupboard well. I love these trays for my Tattered Angels mists and paints (I often have stamps and glimmer screens sitting on top of the tray):

To make it a little quicker when I’m looking for a perfect match, I keep colour swatches of all my mists. Just 2×2 pieces of cardstock; I add a new one every time I get a new mist. So much faster to pull out swatches than to start hauling out a dozen bottles. :)

I have another tray for ink pads, gesso & texture mediums, alcohol inks, etc.:

I also use a tray like this for all my adhesives and whatever tools don’t fit in my tool caddy. I have an additional tray for my son’s craft supplies – that way he knows where all his stuff is, and can use them without rummaging through mommy’s things.

The basket holds my punches – it’s strong and can handle the weight better than a plastic tray:

Much of my things are stored in portable containers (such as embellishments, alphabets, rub-ons), as I like to crop with friends on a regular basis. Many of these are permanently stored in my rolling tote – it just makes sense for me. Some of the larger embellishments, favorite papers, kits, and computer peripherals are in the second side of the cupboard:

We bought a second table for the kitchen for when I need extra workspace. The sides fold down so that the whole unit is less than a foot wide when I’m not using it. I slide it to wherever I need it at the time. (It’s also handy when doing art with the kids, or when friends come over to crop).

Each end has drawers, which are the perfect place to store items like my work rags. I use these a lot when misting, then throw them in the wash with any dark clothes like jeans or my concert tees. Saves me a ton on paper towels. :)

Thanks for visiting! Where do you create?

7 comments:

Monique said...

LOVE it!!!! So creative & so real! It's not fancy but it works!! It's perfect!! My scrappy room is always a mess, never tidy!! LOVE LOVE LOVE your mess!!

Erin Morehouse said...

I was gonna say, after seeing the first photo...who are you fooling?!

I never knew you had sooo many bottles of mist!

Claude said...

Yup, that mist collection impressed me too! :)

Hannah and Ursula said...

HOLY CRAP JJ, that's some collection of messy in the making! In envy of the liquids...Although I did buy several Glimmer mists at the SC sale...I might need a visit to your table flap!

Vicky Varvadouka said...

I am SOOOOOO jealous!!!! You may not have a lot of space but you have wonderful stuff!!!!!

Lauri {Scrap Attack} said...

I actually love your space! Especially your storage, those cupboards are pretty cool!

Lyneen said...

I love what you have done with your space. Great idea to make sample cards of your paints and sprays. Awesome that you can be in the kitchen which always seems to be the hub of activity!