workspaces: my own.

Happy Friday! Today I am sharing my own workspace :) I have spent quite some time organizing, purging and cleaning and am really enjoying knowing where everything is ;) 

I am incredibly fortunate to have my own work space -- this area is supposed to be for a formal dining area (note the chandelier), but we eat in our kitchen and decided we didn't need an extra eating space :) We have a very open floor plan on our downstairs level, I love that it's open and airy. 

*Disclaimer: My space is definitely not always this clean. When I'm in the middle of a project (putting together journals, creating my own mini albums, etc.), it gets a little crazy. If you follow my Facebook page at all, I've posted a few photos at times when my space is (very) messy ;) I like to have my space clean and tidy (much easier to find stuff), but it quickly becomes the opposite of that when I'm deep in work ;)

So, to start - my desk area and two printers are to the left in the room. I do a lot of blogging, emailing, and shop upkeep at this desk :) I have a lot of my fave books stowed here, as well as a bulletin board and frame and twine board to put pictures and bits and pieces.

I love my actual work area - the large table where I can stand (or sit) and cut paper, put together journals, paper packs, etc.  My dad is an amazing woodworker and custom-made the table and the craft cabinet (and my desk above... and the trashcan in the picture below ;)). I drew up several sketches with measurements, sent them to him, and he created them. I love them. So neat to be working on furniture my dad made :) Right now they are unfinished wood. One day I might paint them. Maybe. :) Go here to see more pictures of the craft cabinet when we first installed it.

On the craft cabinet shelves I keep a bunch of odds and ends - craft punches, cello bags for packaging, washi tape, alpha stickers, envelopes, shipping supplies (return address labels, packing tape, "Please do not bend" stamp). In the cabinet below are storage boxes of paper scraps for scrap paper packs, as well as other materials that I don't use often (batting, contact paper, glue gun, etc).

On the craft table I have a huge cutting mat, and there are a couple little baskets to store materials I use a lot - adhesive, thread, paper clips, stamps and a stamp pad. I also have a container holding pens, pencils, metal rulers, hole punches and my rotary cutter. Above the table I store my minis, more washi tape, buttons and some other odds and ends. I love the huge bulletin board on the adjacent wall. Easy to access to put pictures and other pieces of inspiration. I store my sewing machine underneath the table on a small cabinet. The cabinet holds things such as paint, stamps, colored pencils, etc.

I recently added this fabulous Expedit Bookcase from Ikea and my, oh, my I LOVE it. It's huge and a perfect way to store a lot of different things.

I purchased some 12x12 paper tray holders from AC Moore to store all of my paper - which is organized into how they will be used - mostly to make journals- Autumn, Christmas, Baby and Random. 

I have several containers that hold different things - more shipping supplies (envelopes, cardboard, bubble wrap), more paper scraps, labels, envelopes and other ingredients for art journals. And all of my fabric is over top of the bookcase.

I have several books and found papers that I use for scrap packs, as well as some cookbooks I use in meal planning. I keep a few of my fave magazines (and the current issues) in magazine holders and (try to) limit myself to only keeping what those two holders can hold :)

So there you have it :) My work space where I spend a lot of time in the evenings and during naptime :)

workspaces: Monika of I Love It All

*Edited to add: I re-uploaded the pictures - so sorry for them not showing up :/ They seem to be showing up now, but please comment if there are still problems. Thank you! :)

Today's workspace is Monika Wright's - owner of etsy shop I Love It All and blogger at I Love It All. I've loved Monika's fresh, gorgeous goodies for quite some time, and was so excited when my hubby gave me this super cute Pocket Mini Book Kit from her shop for Christmas! :)

1. Tell us about yourself and your creativity - ie. what you make or do, what you blog about, your history behind your creativity, etc. I'm a former Marketing Director and Assistant Vice President that decided to stay home after the birth of my children. I missed the decision-making and camaraderie, but felt that being paid in hugs and kisses and art projects was the best path for our family. In my Etsy shop, I Love It All, I offer a wide array of art prints in the wildly popular subway art style. But, originally, I only carried Mini Books and Journals in my shop. Only when someone saw an art print I designed and said that I should have them in the shop did I begin down the path of modern typographic design.

I have always created homemade cards for birthdays, but never considered exploring my creative side as a business venture, so all this comes as quite a pleasant surprise for me. And it makes me quite happy for my girls to see that it's possible to "live the dream": do what you love, love what you do. Perhaps seeing their Mommy being a business owner will serve to inspire them to dream big about their future selves.

2. Tell us about your workspace. As you enter my crafty space, this is the view, which is a collection of art projects from the kids, found objects, lots and lots of mini books and projects galore. The bookshelf is from IKEA and the tool chest from The Home Depot.

Behind my computer desk is the printer, my trimmer and the repurposed family room chest houses all my shipping supplies, ink and business papers. 

I have our family albums separated out by child, each of them with their own color and own stories, and then my husband and I have our stories in another set of albums. Often times, each child has the same scrapbooking layout, just with colors and embellishments to fit their personalities. I also have photo albums in our living room that are just that, photo albums, with just short notes about each photo.

These two tool chests face each other and I've found that I rather enjoy standing while I create mini books and scrapbooking layouts. The majority of my tools, embellishments, tags and journaling spots are all in these two chests. My husband found them for me, knowing they were the perfect solution. The artwork on the two IKEA picture ledges change quite often as I try out colors for new prints and change out art work from my little in-house artists!

3. What is your favorite thing about your workspace? We have three children, aged 20, 8 and 6. My oldest is in the Navy and no longer living at home. I snagged his room for my craft studio when he moved away. What I love about this room is that it is adjacent to our family room and I can talk to my husband while I create and can hear the girls while they sit at their art desks and create or play games on their computers. They often come into the room while I'm working and ask for some baker's twine and glue dots. Lately, these two items are their go-to items for all things creative.

In addition to blogging, I am also lucky enough to serve on several creative teams, which means I also need room to store their products that I create with in addition to my own personal crafty supplies AND the supplies I purchase to create for the I Love It All shop.

4. What is one thing you can't live without in your workspace? My business existence revolves around my access to the Internet, which requires my Mac. So those two would be my "can't live without" items, even though that's not a very exciting answer. Most used tools?  My Mac computer and laptop, my super awesome paper trimmer and the Bind-It-All. And I kinda sorta love my iPhone as well!

You can always find me here, I'd adore having you drop in for a visit!

blog  |  etsy  |  facebook

*See a cute print or album in one of the above pictures? You can find the Gratitude Journals and Month in Review Albums, and other mini books, in the shop. Also available: the Creativity print, the Summer Fun mini books and lots of other goodies!

workspaces: Katie of Gadanke

Today's workspace is that of Katie Clemons, owner of Gadanke, and blogger behind Making this Home. I have always loved Katie's fabulous journals and her passion for capturing and documenting stories. I "met" Katie a long, long time ago (I have no idea how long ago, it's been that long :)) via blogging and it's fun to keep up with her and all of the adventures and stories of her and her husband! Welcome, Katie :)

My name is Katie; I’m fueled by the power of story. I make award-winning writing prompt journals. The goal of my business, Gadanke, is to empower women, help them get through challenging times, and encourage them to celebrate their lives and themselves.

I blog about living a simpler life rich with stories, not stuff.

Tell us about your workspace.

I have two:

One is an old airplane hangar my husband and I are remodeling into our home and Gadanke’s studio.

The other is in a house we rent. It’s called an “Earthship” because oddly, it’s made of hundreds of old tires. Until our remodel is finished and we move, I hand-build all the Gadanke journals from home.

What is your favorite thing about your workspace?

The airplane hangar is a place of dreams. Where will life take us next? What are the stories we’ll be celebrating?

If you think the idea of living in a house made out of tires sounds weird, it is. It’s not a comfortable place to live at all. But I’m so beyond thankful for the experience. It’s taught me gratitude and patience. A tire house might not be warm all winter. It might have trim made of tires. Yet it’s a house. A good life isn’t free, though. Neither is a comfortable place to live. They take getting out of bed each morning and fighting for your dreams, which because of the tire house, I give it my best to do every single day.

What is one thing you can't live without in your workspace?

My journal. I keep track of a lot of my creative ideas and memories in here

+ shop : www.Gadanke.com + blog : www.MakingThisHome.com 

+ facebook : www.facebook.com/Gadanke

Thank you, Katie for sharing your space(s!) and about yourself and business :)

*All images are by Katie Clemons

workspaces: Xenia of saturdayAMvintage

Today's workspace is that of Xenia Feere, owner of etsy shop saturdayAMvintage and blogger at saturdayAMvintage. I came across Xenia's shop awhile back and instantly fell in love with all of the vintage paper and odds and ends she finds. I order her scrap paper packs every now and then and it is always a fun treat to receive in the mail :)

1. Tell us about yourself and your creativity - ie. what you make or do, what you blog about, your history behind your creativity, etc. My name is Xenia, and I run a little shop and blog named Saturday Morning Vintage.  My shop is filled with vintage finds with a strong emphasis on vintage ephemera – old tags, flashcards, labels, and other paper. In addition, I offer handmade journals made from a variety of new, vintage, and found papers – scrapbook paper, vintage sheet music, office paper, pages from old books, and more.  My blog also has a big focus on vintage ephemera and other paper.  I share projects of my own, along with highlighting other small businesses through my weekly "Affordable Finds" feature and periodic interviews.  I've been collecting paper in some form since I was a little girl and don't anticipate it stopping any time soon.  It started with stickers and has evolved to vintage paper for the time being.

2. Tell us about your workspace.

Much of my free time is spent scouring flea markets, estate sales, and thrift stores for vintage paper and other interesting things.  Thankfully I have a separate office to house all of my finds and provide some creative space.  It's a small room, but fits a lot.  I couldn't find a simple desk I was happy with, so I purchased an unfinished tabletop from IKEA, stained it a dark shade, and attached some legs.  I like to do most of my work on the floor so I only needed room for my laptop, cup of coffee, and some basic office supplies.  The rest of the room is filled with a bookshelf lined with old books, a wall of IKEA cubes containing craft supplies and shop inventory, and a metal cabinet that holds my shipping supplies.  The room has an itty bitty closet, but an open area above the closet that runs the length of the room.  All of my extra inventory is stored up here in 14 crates that are organized by category and labeled with hanging tags.  

3. What is your favorite thing about your workspace?

From a visual point of view, the vintage pull down map is my favorite.  I found it in an antique shop in Ohio while my fiance was temporarily working out of state and I came to visit.  I fell in love with the colors and the price was unbelievable.  Unfortunately I didn't have any way to get it home with me to California.  However, a few months later it was waiting for me under the Christmas tree!  My fiance went back to the antique shop and bought the map, and then shipped it to California without me knowing.  The best part is that he couldn't find a shipping tube that was large enough so he pieced together his own with lots of shorter tubes and lots and lots of tape.  Clearly a lot of love has gone into bringing this map into my office.

From a practical point of view, the shipping station is my favorite.  It holds all of the wrapping and shipping supplies for my shop - boxes, bubble mailers, tape, scissors, twine, and even mini paper packs I like to include with orders.  I can wrap, package, and weigh an order using just supplies housed in this old metal cabinet.  It is very convenient and saves me a lot of time.

4. What is one thing you can't live without in your workspace? I can't live without color!  Even though I really love seeing others decorate their space with mainly neutrals, I'm always drawn to colorful pieces for myself.  When my vintage book collection grew too large and I had to buy a bookshelf, I picked this one from IKEA because I loved the bright red.  The crates above my closet that hold extra inventory are olive green, and the boxes and baskets holding craft supplies in my cubes are various shades of orange.  The vintage map pulls together all of these colors - another reason it's my favorite!

Thank you, Xenia, for sharing about yourself and your fabulous workspace!

*All images are by Xenia Feere. 

workspaces: a new series

Welcome to a new post series: Work Spaces! I will be sharing different workspaces of other bloggers/crafters/shop owners I have "met" via blogland or etsy once a week for the next several weeks. 

Today, I am excited to introduce Iara of Baers Garten and her workspace. Iara creates beautiful mini album kits (I snagged this gorgeous kit a couple weeks ago and love it), journaling cards and embellishments, and also creates digital scrapbooking kits.

1. Tell us about yourself and your creativity - ie. what you make or do, what you blog about, your history behind your creativity, etc. Hi, my name is Iara and I am the artist behind Baers Garten Designs. I am a former scientist, now WAHM to two girls and a boy. I am Brazilian but live overseas since 2000. After some years of globetrotting, our family now lives in a small town near to Cologne, Germany.

I am a memory keeper. I love to write down the everyday tales of my family and things I want to remember. I scrapbook, I write art journals but mostly, I love to make mini albums. I have the dream of creating mini album kits combining my digital designs and the beautiful products from my favorite manufactures for a long time and this dream has come true recently with the openning of my etsy shop. I love the process of creating a series of embellishments with a special theme in mind and having the final product in my hands. I love to create digital kits too but there is nothing like touching your creations.

I started my way into the world of scrapbooking through website decoration. I started designing such graphics in 2002 and had lots of customers who wrote that they used my graphics for scrapbooking. When I was pregnant with my daughter I decided to make a pregnancy album and found two peas in a bucket. I was sold :) In 2006 I started designing for digital scrapbooking. Please be sure to visit my digital store to give a look in my digital designs :)

2. Tell us about your workspace. My workspace is a dream come true to me. After years of creating and scrapping in a small desk in my bedroom and having all of my supplies stored in boxes in my closet I now have a room for my own, which is not very high, hot in the Summer and cold in the Winter, lol, but all mine. My husband built it for me under our roof last year. I love this place so much. As it is located under the roof it does not have high walls to put bookshelves for my supplies - I really would love to own a expedit :) -  so every corner must be planned and furniture may adapt. I have a very large desk, in fact it is our former dinning table: I convinced my husband that we needed a larger table to accomodate our family of five and guests and when he asked what we should do with our former table he knew that he did not have a choice ;) The table is quite wide so I created a small shelf to have my everyday supplies close to me as organized as possible. For storage, we cutt some old shelves and adapted them to fit in the "dead space" on the floor. It is really stunning how much it holds: there are enough place for albums, books, boxes of small supplies, my journals, magazines, canvas, kids at supplies... it is everything there. These shelves used to be in our living room when we moved together 12 years ago. I love to re-use that furniture and to keep it in the "family" :)

3. What is your favorite thing about your workspace? There are lots of things I love about my work space: the amount of natural light - there are windows in both sides and is always beautiful there, even in the gray days. I love that it is big enough to have a place for a second desk for my kids, and I love to have a dedicated sewing corner and that I do not need to close the sewing machine and put it away after every project (as I did for years). I am very grateful for my studio.

4. What is one thing you can't live without in your workspace? I can't live without my two Alex drawers from Ikea. I have an Alex and a Vika Alex with casters. They hold my papers, my punches, my stamps, my embellishments... everything is so organized thanks to them. I just open a drawer and find what I want to use, I use it and put back in the drawer, this way I always have an almost clean desk. I am a very organized person, a messy desk makes me crazy. And when I am ready I can put them under my table/desk.

Check out Iara's etsy shop here. Or stay up-to-date via Facebook here. And don't forget to check out her blog here - she shares tons of inspiration there :) *All images courtesy of Iara of Baers Garten.