Creative Space

This picture evokes envy. Jealousy. Lustful thoughts. Yes, when I close my eyes, sometimes I envision a room of my own. A place that is all mine. Labeled, perfectly organized, and oh, so me. If I let myself dream of my perfect space, it would be very much like this one. Only maybe with my love of folk art thrown in with greens and Burgundy. It would be my space to enjoy laughter with my kids, moments of solitude enjoying my music and stamping with a glass of wine on the side of the table, or chatting with friends as we create till our hearts are content.

Deep in the recesses of my mind I can remember times of scrapbooking, crafting, or just dreaming about creating while HS took his naps. I found that time to be not only therapeutic, but also a way to keep my mind active. It's a kin to the way I feel about this blog. LD naps; I blog. LD naps; I clean the house and then blog. It's my one little glimmer of what I used to be. Educated. Creative.

Don't get your britches all out of shape on this post. I love being a mom. I thank God for my kids...I worked hard to get them and suffered a lot of heartache between them. So, that's not what this blog is about. It is about reclaiming a creative outlet while LD naps.

So. I've scoured all 1700 square feet of this house in search of the perfect crafting spot. It has taken me since we moved in to discover that secret little space for me to claim. Well, I will search no more. It was a Eureka! moment.

The bedroom? Nope. That's where we sleep...can't imagine trying to pound my brads into my paper while HH slept (if a itty bit book light disturbs him then I can only imagine what my hammering would do). The storage closet (although this worked very well in Monterey, this storage closet has been claimed by toys). If I can't find a space for my dinky amount of craft paper, embellishments, and stamps then I can only imagine the headache of relocating toys! The garage. Big no. I refuse to scrap and try to avoid making friends with anything brown with antennas...not to mention things that make webs and bite.
Laundry room? Hmmmmm....empty wall, large sink space that I never use, plenty of shelving opportunities, outlet for light, privacy and solitude, yep. There you go. A craft space in the laundry room. Eureka!!!!

The baskets in the above picture are already holding the kids art supplies, play dough, and workbooks. I'm going to add to the baskets and organize my stamps by theme. Next to the washer/dryer will be a bookshelf and paper caddy.

This sink will be the perfect workspace. Placing a heavy piece of plywood over the sink and hanging a curtain to hide the sink will make the area look planned. Peg board will help control those hard to store but oh so necessary items. Hanging baskets from the peg board will bring in my desire for a little folk/country. Adding more shelves and adding a few decorative touches and a work light will complete the area.

I feel like at any moment the doorbell may ring and one of the creative teams from TLC will be here to help me. I wish. It's a daunting task. Now when I open the laundry room door I can vision my craft space. I can almost smell the ink and see the scraps of paper in a cute little trash bin. The glass jars would line the desk with pencils, colored pencils, and scissors just ready to assist in a project. Baskets holding stamps and embellishments hold inspirations while peg board helps display those hard to stow items. I'm ready. It's in my brain. Now I'm onto the executing stage. I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Get ready for a space transformation! Any ideas? Come on over! It's always more fun to transform with friends.