Join the party!

It's time for the 2nd annual "Where Bloggers Create" party, hosted by Karen Valentine from My Desert Cottage.  Hang out here for a bit and take a tour of my studio.  I have to admit that I spruced it up a bit for the party.  I hope you pick up a few ideas for your own creative space.

This is what I'm pretending my desk looks like when I'm working on my art.

Please come back and visit after the tour.  At least once a month, I'll offer another free art or craft tutorial.  I enjoy a wide range of interests and I love to teach so it felt right to use this blog to share what I've learned .  I don't anticipate running out of material for quite some time.  And in between, I'll share some other bits and pieces of my world.

This is what my desk really looks like when I'm in the middle of a project!

I think I enjoy organizing my studio almost as much as I enjoy making art.  Every time I buy a new issue of "Where Women Create" or "Studios" I get the urge to reorganize.  I wish those publications would come out more often, but then I may never do any actual creating.  I have a feeling that before this party is over, I'll be tweaking my space once again!

My mixed media - art area.  I love this big old drafting table.

Our home is still under construction but my studio is finished.  We were still eating outside and cooking on the barbecue the first summer we moved in but my studio was ready!  It's a good size, about 16' x 17' but I had to do some creative editing with my furniture.  In my mind it all fit but not so in reality.

Stained glass, mosaic and jewelry-making zone.  I got that wonderful filing cabinet at an auction and I think I would have bid to the moon, if I had to, to get it.  The workbench is from Canadian Tire.  Old plastic milk crates hold my glass pieces.

I enjoy variety so I have a lot of different tools and supplies to accommodate.  I like things to be organized and have their place but it's important that they are accessible.   I started out trying to make everything pretty but soon realized that it wouldn't stay pretty for long if I could never find what I needed, where it was needed, so function eventually beat form.  I still strive for a balance though, as I enjoy an aesthetically pleasing space to create in.

All of my supplies are within easy reach but everything has a place (I don't always put things back just because they have a place!).  This is also where I blog.

Card stock and special papers conveniently reside in a basket and in a metal upright letter file near my art supplies.

These little drawers are perfect for all kinds of drawing tools, applicators and paints.   I got the corner units that all my mediums sit on for just $5 each when they were discontinued at Michaels.

This little 6 drawer flat file unit is from Ikea.  It's perfect for punches and stamps.

The pots that hold my paint brushes were made years ago by a dear friend who passed away last year.  The wooden caddies that hold templates, cutters and miscellaneous tools are from Ikea.

This wonderful old wooden pop caddy was a birthday gift from my best friend last year.  We share a passion for old things (must be why we like each other so much!).

More art supplies are stored in this unit from Costco.

Another auction find.  I spray painted this old gray flat file and it's perfect for storing my pressed flowers and all kinds of collage bits as well as larger sheets of paper.  Old boxes hold my bulkier collage elements.

Shallow wooden boxes from the dollar store hold my pressed flowers, leaves and bits of ephemera.

My wet zone where I dye fabric, make handmade paper, and create my soaps, body butters and lip balms.  I love those plastic shoe boxes for holding all sorts of materials.

My precious collection of art and craft books.  I got these cubbies from a school that was renovating many years ago and they are so perfect for small canvases, handmade papers, and smaller frames, as well as reference materials.

I store larger canvases and frames on top of this armoire.

 My sewing supplies and fabric fill the inside.  The $5 hanging shoe caddy works well for small baskets to hold my notions.

My sewing machines and serger are handy to the armoire.   The round wooden sewing box was my mom's as was the sewing machine cabinet.  I like it that I can open it up for more space when I'm sewing but it doesn't take up much space in the meantime. 

The cd/video storage shelf is from Ikea and I use it to store all my reference photos for my artwork in blank clear cases that I picked up for 25 cents each.

This little unit was an antique store find last weekend.  It's in the hallway outside my studio and is great for storing my smaller items that are waiting to be sold on Etsy or elsewhere.  I was using the armoire, which made a perfect "store" but in my last reorganization, it became the sewing centre because I moved the workbench to my previous sewing area. 

Even though I have a lot of stuff to accommodate, I like having plenty of free floor space so I can move around and add a folding table if I need to.  Keeping that floor space free is an ongoing challenge.  The floor itself is laminate because what I would do to hardwood would make me cry.

Before you go, I would be so pleased if you would leave a comment.

 As my mother-in-law always said, "Here's your hat...what's your hurry!" but you're going to want to check out as many of the other bloggers' studios as possible.  Don't worry about missing out, though.  The links will be up for a while yet so spread the word.