My Small Space Dream Craft Room Tour 2018!

I don't know how time has gone by so fast, but it's been 4 years since my last craft room tour!  That last one has been one of my most popular posts, so it seemed high time to open the door to my little slice of crafting heaven again and let my crafty online friends in for a new visit.  Come on in!

A little historical background on my space: the room is a former laundry room/galley kitchenette that's about 8ft x 11ft plus a 4ft x 4ft alcove. When we moved in, the alcove was a louver doored closet (sized for holding a washer & dryer) on one side and along the other wall there were a bunch of basic cabinets and a small counter with sink and a stove.  Since we have a normal kitchen and our washer & dryer are in the basement, this room was sort of a question mark as far as usefulness.  Check out these old photos from before this was a craft space and you'll see just how lackluster it was:

I think this is much better, don't you?

This catch-all, wasted former closet got cleared out:  

I migrated my plastic bins full of fabric & sewing gear out of the basement and eventually bought myself an EZ View desk from The Original Scrapbox and a padded swivel chair from Ikea to create a sewing nook.  

There's a second taller desk along the same wall for more crafting space and storage.  I saved up for a while to splurge on both desks and they were totally worth it. 

The see through tops make all the small supplies normally hidden in bins & drawers easy to spot and add some crafty beauty.  The key to keeping things organized in my limited space has definitely been my desks. They're designed to have loads of places to store craft and sewing supplies.  With 4 years of constant use, I can definitely say they were money well spent.  I haven't outgrown them and they've held up to everything I've thrown at them. Literally.   A sewing machine fell on one from a high shelf a few months ago and not a scratch!  

To keep cleaning up minimal, I make sure to always put things away in the same place. With 4 kids and a husband that all leave stuff everywhere (and almost never put things in the same place twice), I need as much help as I can get.  It saves me loads of time since I don't have to dig around looking for things or struggle to remember where something is if I haven't used it in a while.  This is especially true for things like patterns & manuals:  

The Original Scrapbox recently came out with sturdier plexiglass tote bins for the desk shelves to replace the thinner fabric totes my desks came with way back when.  New desk versions all come with these clear totes now.  They were kind enough to upgrade my previously purchased desks to those and I recut card stock fronts to decorate & camouflage the contents.  I also made some vinyl cut labels to stick on them for easy at-a-glance sorting.  Things look more up to date and stay well contained:

I still do all my oven baking with the stove in the room and half the cupboards house various cooking and baking items I don't have room to store in my kitchen. 

I made a less-than-useful sink into a built-in ironing surface by removing the faucet and cutting a piece of MDF to fit the sink lip. I upholstering it with Insul-Bright™ and a layer of cute canvas fabric on top. Since it rests in the lip all the way around the sink it's perfectly lined up with the counter for extra workspace. This little DIY has worked great over the years, is the perfect spot to use my Cricut Easy Press for heat transfer projects and has saved me a bundle by not needing to get a new counter (not to mention no longer needing to drag an ironing board in & out of this tiny space). 

To maximize the remaining space (aka the one wall left), I added white bead board shelves for storing & displaying my smaller supplies like ribbon & beads:

I still have spool racks mounted to the wall next to my sewing desk:

and a big revolving thread rack to store all my other threads neatly next to my Brother PE-770 embroidery machine. Not only do they add some color & a bit of themed decor, but they make it easy to find exactly what I need for a project instead of digging through bins like I used to.  With baby #4 having joined us this year, saving time and keeping things as neat as I can is a must!

Another new thing is that I now share the space with my 9 yr old daughter these days - she's taken over the cabinet under the sink area to keep her own scraps, mini dress form and sewing machine in so she can "work" with me when I'm sewing.  We're still trying to organize her things a bit better, so details on that to come, but the new sewing machine she got for her recent birthday will fit right in decor wise:

We did a sewing themed birthday party for her this year, so many of the props I made have found a home in my craft space, like the DIY giant thread spool storage canister on this shelf.  It's also where I keep fabric and craft books in my sewing nook:

Another improvement to my space has been this little guy, a ScrapMaBox shelf that The Original Scrapbox gave me to try out:

Before I got this organizer, I kept small notions in a drawer of my sewing desk.  Over time the drawer got fuller & fuller and I was constantly sifting through stuff to find things.  If I kept them in containers it looked neater, but meant I had to dig through those instead just the drawer.  Now that I've got this helper, all my little things like pins, needles, marking pens and seam ripper have their own mini shelves and I can see and grab them in an instant.  It's sized so that I can also fit it inside one of the main shelves of my desk if I want, but I like having it right on top, easy to spot.  



It's given me more storage room in my drawer now & doesn't look like a mess anymore:

It's also given me the perfect place to display my whimsical pincushions:

The shelf above my sewing desk is one I'd repurposed from a guest bathroom ages ago. It's still great for my sewing-themed knick knacks like a vintage Strawberry Shortcake figurine sewing, some My Little Pony sewing character figurines, my sewing machine USB drive: 

I'm trying to figure out a few ways to squeeze even more into my space now that I've got a junior crafter eager to join me, but overall I'm pleased that the set-up I've been using has worked so well for so long.  As much as I'd love a giant room for all my crafting endeavors, this cozy space is still a dream for me:)

I was not financially compensated for this post.  I received a ScrapMaBox & totes from The Original Scrapbox to customize as I desired and review.  All other items referenced were purchased by me.  The opinions are completely my own, based on my honest experiences.  

DIY Giant Thread Spool Canister: The Perfect Craft Room Decor!

Looking for a cute accent for your craft space?  Extra storage that is fun & functional? Make a handy Giant Thread Spool Storage Canister!  

I came up with this project as a party decoration for the Sewing Themed Birthday Party I put together for my daughter:

A giant faux spool of thread (aka cotton reel for my UK friends) was a super cute table accent: 

Not only was it the perfect table decoration, but it's become totally practical after the party, thanks to its great hidden storage for small notions and accessories:

Now let's make one the easy way!

Materials:

- Yarn

- 2 wood circles (beveled edge is ideal)

- Cardboard canisters - mine were nesting

- Tacky glue, hot glue

I got all my supplies at the local big box craft store, so easy to find.  I gathered my yarn, wood circles and cardboard can to get started:

I totally lucked out and found a skein of yarn in the exact shade of pink that matched our other party decorations (and my craft room for its later residence) in the clearance bin:

For the canister I used the largest of the nesting 3 container set, but the lid from the middle size so the top edge of my finished container would fit into it to stay on.  If you don't have a smaller top to use, you could probably roll a strip of cardboard into a circle slightly smaller than the base or use a lid from something else.  

I started by giving the entire canister a good coat of tacky glue using a foam brush.

I put a dab of hot glue at the edge to tack down the start of my yarn and then began winding it around the canister in a single row, fairly close together:

It was ok there were some small gaps in this layer since another layer was going over it.

I wound a second later back down, keeping it pretty taut so it would stay even:

I put another dab of hot glue to attach the tail end to the bottom edge.  Hot glue works ideally because you don't have to wait for it to set:

Then it was time to attach it to the base.  A round squiggle of hot glue on the top of one wood circle was all that was needed and then stuck the canister on it:

To do the top I did another round squiggle of glue on the other wood circle, but this time it was on the underside and put the smaller canister lid on it.  

Boom - All done and ready to fill with all those crafty supplies!

Fun With Foxes: Laminated Pocket Wallet Tutorial

Today's how-to is one that can hold up to serious wear AND while keeping all your cash & cards organized.  This is a quick & practical project - you can make one in less than an hour with some lovely laminated cotton and my Laminated Pocket Wallet Tutorial!

This wallet has any easy open snap closure and plenty of room for cards with 6 full size pockets.  Easy to see everything at a glance.  The laminated fabric adds a little extra grip to keep everything in place and add some stylish prints in the mix.  I wanted a fun look for fall, so I went with this cute fox print laminate to get durability and style: 

And because it doesn't use much fabric, it's also a very thrifty sew.  Using 56" wide laminate, just a 1/4 yard will make 3 wallets, so super economical!  

There's even a bill fold section for all your cash (or last couple of bucks in my case). 

This actually an update of my previous Chic Pocket Laminated Wallet that I did a few years back, but I've improved it with more step-by-step photos and a little extra on making bias tape to get a perfect match to whatever fabric you're using.  Laminate is not only easy to keep clean, but it wears like iron.  I used this version every day for over 3 years before making today's foxy one.  

Now, let's get to how to make it!

Materials:
- 1/4yd Laminated Cotton Fabric (I used Wide Eyed Foxes from Laminates).  
- Sewing Notions (shears/rotary cutter, ruler, disappearing marker)
- Flat Clips (I use hair clips, but binder clips, bobby pins or Wonder-clips also work)
- Lip balm (this makes the laminate smoothly move under the presser foot)
- Plastic snaps
- Optional: Walking Foot 

Cutting the wallet pieces: 
(3) 8.5in wide x 2in high strips for the card pockets
(1) 8.5in wide x 11in high piece for the wallet body
(2) 2in wide by 3in high pieces for the closure strap
(1) 8.5in wide x 8in high piece for the bill pocket. 
(2) 1in x 1in pieces for reinforcing the snap areas.  I like to use scrap bits of stabilizer, but bits of laminate will also work.

I started out by making some bias tape.  I had some cotton that was a perfect shade of orange, so I cut a half yard piece of fabric along the bias (45 degree angle).  I cut a strip that was 2 inches wide - very easy when using two yard sticks together:

I folded and pressed my strip lengthwise first and then fold in the raw edges to the fold I'd made and pressed:

I then pressed along the center fold again and my bias tape was good to go:

I stitched the bias tape along the top edge of the pocket pieces.  

Then I lined up the first strip, bias taped side up along the center of the 8.5in x 8in piece and clip on sides.  

I always run a bit of lip balm along the laminate surface where I will be stitching.  This will prevent the laminate from sticking under the presser foot and is easy to just wipe away when done.  I stitched 1/4" from the raw bottom of the strip:

Next I layered second pocket over the first, 1 inch down from the top of the first pocket and repeated with stitching the 2nd & 3rd pockets into place.  Next I marked a vertical line down the center of the pocket cascade and topstitch.  That partitioned the pockets into 6 card sized spaces.

I then took the 8.5in x 11in rectangle and cut it in half widthwise so there were two 8.5in x 5.5in rectangles to make the body of the wallet.  Since there are so many rectangular pieces, I find it easier to cut that part at this point so nothing would accidentally get mixed up as I worked.

I folded the pocketed piece in half lengthwise with the wrong sides together, so there was only the pocketed section showing:

This piece was laid on top of one of the newly cut body pieces, lining up the bottom edges, and then clipped together.  

The layers were basted together along sides and bottom 1/8 in from the raw edges.  This created the bill pocket behind the card pockets.  

I took the two strap pieces and, with right sides facing, stitched together with a 1/4 in seam allowance.  I curved the corners for a softer look, and then trimmed & clipped around them so they'd round when turned right side out.  

Then ran a quick dab of lip balm along the edge and topstitched:

I inserted my 1in x 1in square for stabilizing into the strap and attached the male portion of the snap through the closure strap.  I also attached the female portion of the snap to the remaining wallet body piece (2in inward from edge and with a bit of stabilizer behind it too).

For a little extra whimsy, I used a fun flower shaped snap:

I clipped strap to center of the right side of the pocketed piece.  The end with the snap was on the left, while the piece below had the strap on the right, so when it would be turned right side out everything will be in the right spot.  

Then I put the remaining wallet piece face down over rest of wallet & clipped everything together.  I stitched all the way around, with a 3/8in seam allowance, rounding the corners as I stitched (and leaving a 2 inch gap for turning on one of the width sides).  I clipped around the edges with pinking shears and turned it right side out, poking out corners with a pencil.  I ran a bit of lip balm around edge, topstitched to close the gap.  

Then the wallet was ready to use.  Cute fox fun, easy to find in my purse and guaranteed to last for many seasons of use.