Studio or Craft Room?

What do you call yours?  I prefer studio, because it elevates what we do to art. Crafters are artists too. I mean seriously have you looked at some modern art lately? A painting that looked for all the world like a fried egg sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. We could SO do that! Even rubber stamping is art. Can just anyone produce beautiful cards and stamp art projects? No, they can't and besides just read the definition of the word art: "The quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, or what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance." I visit a lot of blogs and belong to a few stamp art forums and the work people post is most definitely "more than ordinary significance." So, I say crafters unite in calling your rooms studios!

 Okay so here is my studio. There, I said it and I refuse to feel the slightest bit pretentious. Although I must admit it doesn't look much like a studio. It's filled with old things, leftover things, and things I made. And then there's that stupid futon. I want that thing OUT OF THERE. My husband says we can't get rid of it, because it's perfectly good and we might need the bed space some day. Humph. I know just what I'd do with that space too. I have this large folding table that belonged to my late mother. I'd cover it with a pretty vinyl tablecloth to cover the utilitarian parts and make it easier to clean off. Then I'd have lots of space to spread out my projects. I'd love to have some of that specially made furniture to store stamps and large sheets of handmade paper.... oh and have all the same color too, so it matches. And I would love to have a bulletin board on the wall to post some current work, photos, inspirations and the paintings that I'm too embarressed to frame. But my husband says, "NO MORE HOLES IN THE WALLS, and besides a bulletin board would look tacky." This coming from a man who has an alligator skin and deer antlers hanging in his shop. I would make it pretty, I'd cover it with fabric and tie it to the wall with pretty ribbon. Of course I am running out of wall space. Since he said no more holes in the wall, I've hung three more pictures in there. You'd think he'd learn NOT to tell me not to do something, I mean seriously, when have I ever listened??

So, I use what I already have, my childhood furniture, with paint worn off in places, and the dent where my best friend kicked off her clogs in the 8th grade. I do love the two prints that belonged to my mom, the collage of Dublin doors my son helped me do in Photoshop, and the photos of my favorite Grandparents, and their wedding certificate from Washington state in 1907.

The futon I want to disapear. It did come in handy for propping up my watercolors to see if I had the nerve to frame any of them. Maybe the two doors could go next to the Dublin door collage. Two more holes in the wall lol! The Iris carts hold stamps and if it weren't for that stupid futon, I could put them all next to each other.

The wood table in the corner was in the "to be disposed of" pile in the school where I taught. I brought it home, sanded and restained it all by myself. It's missing a drawer, but I just turned it to the back. The monstrosity on top is my son's old printer that was damaged by lightening. It still prints in black and white so I'm going to use up the toner before I throw it away. Then I'll have that nice table space.

No fancy shaped storage, just drawers and I cram them full of stuff.

I love making and decorating pretty boxes, but then what do you do with all of them? Put stuff in them of course! These hold brads, buttons, sea shells, sea glass, postage stamps and currency from other countries and 6 round boxes for charms and beads!

I just put my embossing powders, glitter and Pearl Ex in plastic bins and shove the heat tool on top.

Fibers, ribbons and book binding thread are in balls, wound around pieces of mat board or in plastic baggies. The baby wipes to clean stamps of course.

No fancy contraption for storing ink pads. I just stack them in those plastic bins. All my Cat's Eyes are in that fishing tackle thingy that sits on top.

My husband made one thing for me: three pieces of wood with indentations drilled in them to hold all my Radiant Pearls paints. I won 50 jars in a contest and then bought a few more of course!

My art supplies share the closet with the Christmas tree and decorations. The shoe hanging gismo has my stuff in it as well as some of the boxes.

The bookcase is a dorm room cast-off from my son. Iris carts are full of stamps and I covered all the boxes to make them pretty. Flower press and postcard collection are there too as well as binders full of templates and directions for various techniques. The basket on the end holds completed cards to be sent, or taken to the gift shop for sale.

Over-the-door towel rack with skirt hangers hung upside down. That way the clips can hold my decorative papers.

Behind the papers, tassels and mizuhiki cord hang on knobs arranged by color.

That's it. Nothing extraordinary, but I like it. Know anyone who wants a futon?