Craft Room Update

I have been meaning to post for a few days but I have been on a tear with paper (pun intended) lately so my attention has been focused on that to the point that my hands have just about had they can take.  

A few years ago I did a post about us changing my youngest son's room into my new craft studio.  We tore out the carpet, repainted and I moved in.  I have changed the arrangement at least three or four times and every time I think it's going to be "the" arrangement.  Not so much.  Okay, not at all.  I have once again come upon a new way of arranging things again and now I finally am going to post the pics.  I know sometimes Mr. Hunter/Gatherer is not amused but he is a good sport about most silly things I do.  We would not be able to stay married this long if he wasn't.

This scene has changed over and over but what still remains is, I still am not happy with it.  It still looks cluttered no matter how many containers I buy, repurpose or embellish.  It's slowly getting there but not quite yet.

In order to have some sort of order I needed to not put all my quilling paper away in an Iris cart.  I just got tired of looking through drawers and never knowing what I did and did not have.  So I already had two small curtain rods mounted on the wall for mobile storage and decided my quilling paper needed to be there instead.

Here is one of the rods done.  I left the paper in it's original packaging so I would know the name and the size of the paper.  I made a lot of wire S hooks so they would hand on the rods. 

This is how it looks now.  There is not really organization to the colors.  I did however group all the same colors together.  That's a ton of paper strips but it makes me happy everyday when I walk in here and see it. 

I bought this magnet board from The Container Store years and years ago and never really used it but now it has a use for all my little canisters that I bought at Michael's.  I put all my tiny magnets up there at the top and there are a few quilled magnets up there too.  There will be more and more as spring comes.

This shelf is from another room and I just stuck some stuff up there that I am not sure I want to see either in my Etsy shop or at craft shows.  I know I should sell them and eventually I will,but just not yet.

This rack was on another wall and got moved.  It holds my jars of buttons, glues, beads, spray fixatives and now had beads that I have made hanging from the bottom.  They will be either in my Etsy shop or at a craft show soon.

This is one of the craft twirly things.  The name escapes me but piling it up with different stuff does not.  The top section has large and small wooden clothes pins I use everyday.  I got tired of opening and closing drawers to look for them so out in the light they come.  I also have bling packets hanging on the top rack also.  The rotating part holds my paint brushes, magic markers of all kinds, rotary cutter, scissors, chasing hammer, and all kinds of other tools that I use on a regular basis.  

There are two bookcases and in here as well as a desk, a wing back chair, a fan, three rolling carts, and a huge wire rack with wheels that holds all the bins and display items for craft shows.  The room is full.  The walls are filling up fast too.  The closet is full and needs more organization but like everything else around here, it will happen when it happens.  

So that is how I spend some of the time I could be blogging.  I watch YouTube videos about how everyone else arranges their craft rooms and then I get ideas how to make mine more functional.  I think better with less clutter.  How about you?

Long Time No See

I haven't blogged in two months but have a ton of projects that came and went not to mention all the pictures I took of them.  I need to figure out a schedule so that it's not months in between blog posts.  Since opening up Messy Table Designs, I have been busy learning new things in classes, on videos and reading blogs.  There are so many ideas out there I feel a wee bit over whelmed.  I have done some  craft shows this fall and have applications to do more in the spring so rotating stock between seasons is always an ongoing process.

I have some pictures that I wanted to post of the work that I am currently doing.  I am not sure that any of these items will end up in my Etsy shop or at a show.  These first projects are the prototypes of better things to come; hopefully!  I started by watching one video in Spanish (Spain Spanish) and I made items similar to what I saw in the video and actually sold a couple of pieces in a show I did earlier this month.  That video lead me to another one and then I started watching more and more and finally decided to try a project.  So the pictures I am about to post are my first attempts at what I have been watching lately.  I love the idea but it needs to be refined (that's my way of saying, I need to get better at doing them.)  So here they are...

This is this weekend's effort.  It's an oval box made from three Oriental Trading Company catalogs that were duplicates.  I asked to be taken off the mailing list but they don't listen so I decided to use them first.  

Here is the box without the lid.

The inside of the bottom of the box.

The top knob.  

Another beauty shot of the top knob.

Once this thing completely dries, I will vanish it (an invaluable tip I got from a YouTube video).  I have been using a combination of Mod Podge and Diamond Glaze to try and harden my boxes.  This is will be the first one to get the varnish.  I can't wait to see how it will turn out.  I am debating if I should paint it like the next one you are about to see.

Round Box (The second box I have ever made with junk mail)

Really, this is junk mail and newspaper, really.

Here is the side view with the lid.  It looks like it's sloping but it's not.  It's just the paper.

The knob.  This one is small. I didn't see making the larger knob until after this one was already done.  It's still sturdy though.

Here is the inside view.

This box started out as the first one I showed; bright colored paper ads, but I painted it with some watered down paints and then dry brushed it with gold leaf from a tube that I had on hand.  It's been sealed with Mod Podge and that's the shine.

Here is my very first attempt at anything with junk mail besides throwing it into recycle bin.  It's rough but it was fun and I learned all kinds of things.

The view of the base and the wonky sides.

Better view of side and inside bottom.

So this is only one reason why I have not had time to blog.  These bowls take a lot of prep time and then drying time from both the gluing and the painting.  Anyway...that's is some of what I have been up to lately.  Now I have become obsessed with rolling paper tubes, looking at all the junk mail that crosses our threshold, and shapes for bowls and boxes.  I am just in love with this whole idea.  I may be late to the party, but I can still have a good time!