The Studio

Bramblefield is quite a home! This year I have so many improvements and artistic touches planned. From finishing up the dining room mural and stenciling "wallpaper" in the guest room to re-inventing my master bedroom I am so excited to share it all with you.


This week I want to highlight where all of my creative ideas come to life:

My Studio!

I call it the studio because it sounds so much more sophisticated. Indeed, I do create all of my artwork here and design away on my computer but it is also where I schlep around the laundry, fix anything broken or torn, and once upon a time sweat to my workout videos with Gilian Micheals.

Just like the rest of the house it began as an empty shell. The only thing I had to keep me company were the washer/dryer and water heater. Our old dining room table was converted to my temporary crafting and painting table but because I was so limited in space I brought my lovely projects out to our very large (12' long) dining room table. Mark disliked this very much and began calling it "Crapft" stuff. I didn't realize at the time that taking over the house with my paints and paper would motivate him to create such an awesome room for me. Hee Hee.

Beyond the wonderful cabinets and drawers my countertop storage has had to be pretty creative. Below: Ikea aluminum containers for scissors and all of my goodies I send along with etsy shipments, An Armour Box I snagged from Mark's shop filled with old decorative flower pots.

To get my creative juices flowing I always keep pretty things around me. It could be a vintage emblem from and freezer lid, images torn from a magazine, or old license plates. For this I cut sound board in squares and covered them in fabric. With this easy design I can change the fabric whenever I want and it only takes a minute.

To determine what kind of counter and drawer space I needed as well as how I wanted the room to flow I spent many hours taping off imaginary shelves and tables. I would sit as if painting or typing to see where best to place the printer and file cabinetry. I looked like a crazy lady.

One cabinet in particular was dictated by the mammoth sink that would be placed above it. The room was actually designed with it in mind. Our previous home had a charming but dysfunctional kitchen with a 12" deep counters that barely gave you enough room under the upper cabinets to place a mixing bowl. But the sink. Oh this sink was to die for! 6 feet of white cast iron artistry. A shallow sink with two ribbed sides for drying dishes. It took six strong men to move it into the shop and wait for its new home. When it came time to bring it into the room it was just our little family that moved it in and hoisted it up, wood crackling beneath its weight. I can not for the life of me understand how we made it in without dropping it on toes.

The upper cabinets house all of those little treasures for crafting I can not live without as well as my loose paper, bottles of paint, fabric and laundry accessories. Continuing down the north wall is my massive file cabinet with full extension slides. This holds all of my ephemera, art books, paints, pens, tapes, you name it. Below is a slot for rolls of craft paper and yard sticks. I have a weird thing about collecting old yard sticks. Mark created a special narrow drawer within the cabinet to hold my watercolor paper while underneath it I can load the full extension drawer with paints, brushes and ink. 

As you can tell from the photos, the fir has really become red and rich in color. The walls are painted a basic taupe so it doesn't reflect or interfere with anything I might be painting.
The baskets below right are from Goodwill (GW) and cost .99 each. They are tough and I have used them for so many things but their final home is now on hooks on the wall so I can easily access my ribbons and string.
I also have a thing for the inside lift out compartments in tool boxes. They hold all of my little tinys.

 The counter tops are a generous 36" deep; big enough to hold my largest pieces of paper with my computer set to the back. Mark at this moment is working on a new shelf for my printers. This will revolutionize how I do things!

Around the corner I had the counter jog up so I could stand at my cutting mat and paper cutter. There are so many times I just need to sew, cut or paste something on the go and do not want to sit. Just in case thought I have a great vintage stool that I found at St Vin for only $8! Underneath is my latest experiment. I recently found a folding plastic table (not pictured) for the sewing machine I usually just bring out when I want to do a project. It seems lately that it was frequently in use for repairs and my new line of lavender sachets so I decided to keep the girl out with me. We'll see if it just gets in the way. Hidden behind the large cabinet is the hat water heater. The TV above was once used to play my workout videos on but with the finished basement it is now only used to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade on once a year. It's safe there until I find I have more things to store and need the space. :-) 

In all magazines they show the space before and after making it look like a hurricane came through and with the clever use of storage boxes it will remain organized and zen. Not so with me. This is what my room NORMALLY looks like. The above pic was taken just after a holiday craft show I was getting ready for. Believe me, it doesn't take a show to make this room get messy in a hurry. My sisters and I joke that we all have a "shove" room. It's where you shove everything when company comes. This is it my friends: My creative area, my haven from the chaotic world and..my shove room.

I would love to hear your questions and get your feedback! What is a must have for your creative space?