The question I get most often is, “How do you do it?” The answer is simple, but easier said than done…
“Organize and stay organized.”
My studio is in my kitchen so I have to keep it neat. It is technically the breakfast nook, but as my children grew, and with other places to dine in the house, it slowly morphed into my studio.
It has a vaulted ceiling and a wall of windows which makes it a wonderful place to be.
With the burst of energy the New Year brings, I cleaned and straightened and tossed and tweaked so I could have a fresh start for 2014,
and it occurred to me that you might be interested in some of my little tricks for storing a massive amount of messy stuff in an open area~
I found this desk/cabinet at a consignment shop about 10 years ago, and knew it was the perfect solution. It was maple so I sanded it and painted the outside with a white crackle paint
The front opens up to a desk with tons of space to hold supplies at the ready
It takes no time at all to get started or to clean up, it’s so deep I can cram tons of stuff in there!
On the left side, I have a lazy susan and everything I need for painting JMdesigns glassware , and on the right there are the mediums and gels I need for canvas and large projects.
The easel is right next to the desk, so easy to open it up and access supplies while painting
A large drafting table sits in front of the window
Crown molding type shelves are handy for any space, you can lean paintings against the wall instead of hanging, display decorative trays and objects, and easily swap things around seasonally
A hanging file box holds folders of ideas, notes, and tutorials. I have found this a great way to keep ideas at my fingertips. Notebooks are full of photos and patterns, and sketchbooks stand by
The overall black and white color scheme helps the space from being too crazy
The big boxes hold fabric and yarn. I found those at Office Depot [a while back] believe it or not! You could also cover your own if you can’t find any to match your decor
Black magazine sleeves from Office Supply
I wish I had a before photo of this, it was yellow and blue and hideous! It’s from the unpainted furniture company and orginally went to college with DD. I used leftover cabinet paint from my kitchen cabinets and added a few touches~
Now it is the star of the studio and It’s perfect for holding large tubes and cans of paint
This little piece really works hard holding all my colored pencils, pens, and specialty paints.
I even have a shelf of coloring supplies for Super Boy…who doesn’t like to color…how is that possible? Hopefully CC and Big E will be more interested~
I bought this wicker drawer tower years ago at Pier 1 and it’s perfect for storing a variety of smaller supplies. I labeled it just for fun to see if I liked the look but the labels added too much “eye clutter” for me so I took them off. I know where everything is anyway!
Masking tape and a tape measure are easy to grab, but totally hidden, inside a large ceramic pot
Then a flat screen TV and shelves for books and a basket of felt~ everything I need is in easy reach
With my Dressed Up rolling desk chair I can zip around and easily grab supplies~
and the kitchen island is so handy for extra space on busy days
If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to spend time on a certain activity, make a space for it.
Sometimes just by creating the space, you create the time!
Try to find a spot that works easily for you and your family and you will find that your resolution will become a reality.
Thanks so much for visiting, I hope I’ve given you some ideas for organizing and hiding in plain sight~
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