Crafting Studio

Currently, my "studio" looks like this:

[[Oh my god, I'm so embarrassed.]]

Pros of my current "studio":

• It's super comfy.
• The kitties have unlimited access. (This is also a Con.)
• It's directly in front of the TV.
• It's only 5 steps away from the kitchen.
• Believe it or not, I do actually manage to do crafts in this mess.
  

Cons of my current "studio":

• The kitties have unlimited access and climb onto the coffee table to play their favorite game called "Let's See How Much Stuff We Can Ruin And/Or Knock Off The Table And Under The Couch."
• It's in the middle of the living room, which means we have no actual coffee table because it's covered with my crafting crap.
• Devon gets mad at me because I am not tidy and he has no surface area to put down his beverage/sandwich.
• It has zero storage.
  
• Every time someone comes over, I have to clean the whole thing up, which sucks if I'm in the middle of a project. Usually cleaning involves dumping everything into a box and hiding it in a closet five minutes before the visitors show up.

Fortunately, at the beginning of May, Devon and I are moving into a larger 2 bedroom apartment (hurrah space!). I have already commandeered the second bedroom as my own personal space/studio. I'm really freaking excited about it!

The second bedroom also has to be an office/guestroom as well as my studio, so it might get kind of snug in there since I have to have the futon, desk, and a big crafting table + storage. I already have it all planned out, and it works perfectly in my head. :) We'll just have to see how it works out in reality. (Stupid reality.)

I am by no means an organized person (see the above photo of my "studio") but I hope that I will have enough cool storage solutions (please help me, RealSimple.com!) that I will be able to keep it at least halfway decent. I hope, I hope.

I did make an effort to control my collection of scrap book paper, which was originally was just stacked in piles in my living room. Now it is neatly contained in one of these (except I got a clear one because I think it was cheaper):


I also attempted to control some of my crafting clutter by shoving it organizing it into Tupperware containers that I got at Target. This worked for like 2 days, until I needed to get something out of one of the containers and got VERY annoyed when I couldn't figure out which container it was because I was not smart enough to label them. So, in theory this idea would have worked but I am lazy, so so far no good.
Websites that I am finding excellent storage/organizing ideas on are:

• Organize.com - This website has a whole section devoted to craft storage.
• ContainerStore.com - The one has "scrap booking" and "hobby" storage sections.
• Ye Olde Stand By crafting websites Michaels.com and JoAnn.com also have storage sections, bless them.
• Target.com has inexpensive storage solutions but they're not designed specifically for crafters, so they may not work as well.
• HomeDepot.com even has organizing products and ideas. I totally want one of those California Closet things that they design and install for you.
  

Some fun products/ideas I have stumbled upon/come up with (click image to view web page):


This is freaking awesome. I have no idea what little tiny objects I would put in it, but I need it. It also comes in white and red.


Lots of little clear drawers = awesome. I am already thinking of things I want to put in here and I don't even have it yet. Plus, if I labeled them, it would be even easier to figure out what was in each drawer. Genius!



This looks like it would work wonders holding all the neatly folded yards of fantastic fabric that I wish I had. Also, you could put all your back issues of Martha Stewart magazine in the side pockets. Also genius!

Ok I don't know why this thing is $42 aside from the fact that it's awesome. This one is from Organize.com but they have a similar one at Michaels and I swear it's only like $15 or $20. I just couldn't find it on the website. I don't even know what I would put in it except my scissors.




I like these bigger drawers because a) they're pink (duh) and b) they'd be good for all my bigger supplies like resin molds, wooden boxes, paint tubes, etc. They also look like they'd make an excellent Bad Kitty Containment System. No I'm kidding. (Also comes in black, white, and blue, but I don't know why you would want anything other than pink.)



Holy crap, if you have $800+ you can just buy a fully organized craft room! Amazing. I think I'd rather hodge podge one together by myself though so it would be completely integrated to my needs. Also, I don't have $800.



Whether my craft room stays tidy or not, my greatest wish is to have a giant wall of glitter containers. I love glitter. It's so... sparkly. That is my greatest wish. Seriously.

What does your crafting studio or work room look like? Do you have a little corner of your kitchen set aside for all your junk and supplies, or do you maybe have a whole gorgeous, organized room like these folks who I am insanely jealous of:

[[Click on the image to visit her blog post about her studio.]]

[[Could I be jealouser? No, I have reached my maximum capacity jealousness re: craft room.]]

You can also go to http://www.flickr.com/groups/craftrooms/ to view user uploaded images of their craft rooms. (I just accidentally spent like a half hour flipping through these. Oops.) There are some really awesome ones.

Please tell me about your crafting work space! I'm dying to hear about some great ideas you've been implementing that I can steal. I love you. :)