Craft Room 3.0

This post has been a long time coming.  I LOVE looking at other people's rooms, especially rooms where they create, so I hope you will enjoy a peek into mine. Some of you may remember Craft Room 1.0, which became slightly famous in Flikr land.  Well, when we moved, Craft Room 1.0 had to be taken down and moved to our new house.  Craft Room 2.0 was never really finished and probably never photographed.  It had yellow walls which were pretty and it was pretty big.  HERE is what Craft Room 2.0 looks like now!  We moved bedrooms upstairs with the coming of Amelia, so that meant CR2.0 had to move downstairs.  Well, enough chit chat - come on in!

 My mother-in-law gave me the sewing room sign and button heart.  The framed pattern is actually some scrapbook paper I found.  The best thing to do with beautiful scrapbook paper is to frame it and hang it!

The view right as you walk in.  I do my photo editing at that desk.  Josh gave me the Degas repro painting last Christmas.  I love Degas, ballerinas, and Impressionist paintings.  This one is called Rehearsal of a Ballet on Stage.  Catchy, isn't it?  The cubes are all from Michaels or Joanns and are super perfect for building a desk.  The desk is a door painted green.  It's the perfect width to go across two cubes.  The To Do chalkboard is really a mirror from HomeGoods painted white and chalkboard paint.  When I first signed up for Pinterest, the first thing I wanted to do was chalkboard paint everything!

A better look at the far corner of the room.  The chair I planned on reupholstering looks good, right?  Too bad the sides and back aren't done!  It's only been a few years!  In that cabinet is most of my random crafting supplies.  I use plastic bins to keep things organized.

The other side of the room houses a closet where all my fabric is stored.  Yeah, we definitely aren't taking pictures in there at the moment! Josephine is hanging out by the window, wearing a shirt that's never going to be finished...

 Here's a full on shot of my sewing area and inspiration board.  The middle machine is my main machine.  Then the left hand one is the only machine I can get to do shirring.  The right hand machine is my serger.  The chair we reupholstered in zebra print fabric.  I love it!

The cubes are almost all different.  Here are some looks inside some drawers.  The top one is labeled, "embellishments."  The bottom one is labeled, "cutting tools."

Some organized scrapbook paper.

My Heather Bailey pear pin cushion, a flowery pin cushion from my bridal shower, some antique silk thread in a glass container, wire dress forms from Home Goods, and various other things (including the casings from the first time I fired a gun!).

The inspiration boards. 

I hope you enjoyed a peek into Craft Room 3.0!  Currently it is decorated for Christmas, so I might be back with some more pictures of Christmas Craft Room 3.0!

Thanks for looking!

Maddie's Birthday Outfit - and a small giveaway

My niece (really my husband's step-brother's daughter but who's counting?) turned two recently.  She's the baby I watched two summers ago.  Maddie needed a fresh, springy outfit to celebrate two-ness!

The fabrics are both from Joanns and the t-shirt is from Target.  I love Target.

The flower happened to match the outfit she was wearing!

If you would like to win one of the flower hair clips like Maddie is wearing (it is slightly lighter pink), leave a comment.  I'll pick a winner sometime on Sunday via some kind of randomness (I tend to like to give a human the number of entries and have them pick a number).  I will send it out early next week!  By the way, it looks cute in adult hair as well!

Ode to a Printer

Ode to a Printer

My heart soars and thumps as I gaze

Upon your lovely gray and blueness

Your top and bottom loading trays thrill me

For the possibilities they present

Your sliding paper-guiding levers ensure

Not a sheet will print askew.

You forbear through your tasks,

Taking each one is stride –

Fabric, ribbon, vellum,

None are too daunting for you.

Your skills are known far and wide

And are called upon by others.

Wedding invitations, t-shirts, and scrapbooks

You conquer all!

Alright, this might be a little dramatic, but I do appreciate my printer. I've had it for Y E A R S and it is still going strong. The print quality is great, it has top loading and bottom loading options for more control, and has been through crafting WAR! Anyone else have appreciation for their crafting tools?

Thanks Canon Pixma IP4000!!!

Craft Spaces

I'm flattered to be featured on a crafty blog - The Six O'Clock Stitch

The piece is about crafty spaces. I'm sure most of you have seen mine, but there are some GORGEOUS craft rooms in this piece. Check it out and ENJOY!

Tomorrow I'm enjoying a piece of New England winter - a snow day! We are expecting up to a foot and a half of snow. Not exactly what I want on March 2nd, but I'll take an extra day off!

Birthdays and Birds

One of the reasons I've been silent here for a bit is that it was my husband's birthday on Monday so I was working on a little present for him (Just some fleece PJs which he is wearing right now). Just couldn't blog about it until I gave them to him! He is also the proud and obsessive owner of an ipod touch and I'm the jealous, covetous wife that gave it to him! Man, that thing is cool!

The birthday boy:

I also got one of my "Don't you even think about Christmas until your to do list is finished" items checked off. My mom has a friend who likes cardinals, but my mom could only find cardinal Christmas fabric, so she had me make her a Christmas Oiseaux bag. I didn't really anticipate the bird theme taking over this bag, but I guess sometimes projects take on a life of their own!
In other random news, I saw the oddest craft product in the Joanns catalog that came to my house the other day. It's a rotary cutter with speakers. And an ipod dock. Really. I use my paper trimmer a lot, but I have never looked at it and said, "Golly, I wish you had speakers!" Maybe this will be useful to someone?? Maybe I will get it for my husband for Christmas for his new ipod ;) It's very cute though!
Up next is the coffee pot rotary cutter for those late night crops!

'Twas the Night

'Twas the September before Christmas and all through the house
Not a brain cell was resting, not even the mouse's.
The stockings were packed in the attic with care
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there

The craft room is ready with fabric and thread
While visions of Christmas presents dance in our heads
And Josh with his hammer and I with my gift wrap
Have just given up the hope of a long winter's nap.

While out the kitchen we're planning the batter
Of cookies to later arrange on a platter
Away to the fabric store I fly like a flash,
For no Christmas projects seem ever to come from the stash.

Receipts everywhere and goodies to stow
Neverending piles of objects to sew
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But the mailman with boxes enough for a year!

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be Josh's tricks.
More rapid than priority his packages came,
On ebay can all this abundance be blamed!

I speak not a word but go straight to my work
To make all the presents with quaintness and quirk
From tote bags to placemats to journals to clothes
And tying all presents with elegant bows

I grab every paint, every brush, every bristle
Soon the craft room will look like it's been hit by a missile
Can you hear me exclaim with a slight hint of fright
"Please let me have this all done before Christmas Night!!!!!!"

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Yes, we have started planning our Christmas presents! I have a little Christmas notebook where I record all the presents I give to everyone each year. The notebook is about 10 years old and it's invaluable to me! It's fun to see what I've given people over the years.

In momentous news, I have FINALLY put some things up in the etsy shop, including these two Christmas notebooks which I totally love. Check it out and let me know what you think! I have a hard time assigning prices to things. That's the least fun part of it all!
QUAINT AND QUIRKY