The art and craft room

I need to preface this with

It took me 30 years to be able to have this room!

I don't want anyone to feel like this was just something I wanted and went and got. Even after the boys were gone it still took me 3 1/2 years to work long enough to afford to make it how I wanted. I had all of the clear containers before... just all over the house, tucked here and there, hidden away or stacked up in a corner! All of the books were lining the hall and shoved in other shelves. All of the supplies were stored in a garage or in a closet.

I am blessed!

There is still much that needs to be accomplished before the room is complete. Taking down the blanket from the window and putting up the blinds. The blinds are purchased, but Thor is still pretty busy at work and frankly, my "standing on a ladder" days are over! My knees are shot and it ain't gonna happen. There are still 3 pictures to be hung over the day bed. The window sill has need of grout. Now that all the book shelves have been installed and the furniture put back in, after living and working in the room for six or so months, now we have decided that perhaps we should have put down wood floors instead of keeping the old (and I mean OLD) carpeting. Live and learn. I need a comfy chair that is high enough to accommodate the height of the work table... might have found one...I'll let you know. Thor wants to put in a ceiling fan (with bright lights) for the summer heat when it comes. I am not arguing... this is a good idea!

The walls are a funky 'avocado' green to match the leaves in the Hawaiian print on the the day bed. And the closet doors are chocolate brown. All the book shelves were purchased as kits for $15.00 a piece. They only had black, and it matched so there you go! We purchased an inexpensive base board and painted it black to match and nailed it to the top edge, connecting the three and making them look like one unit. We finished off the separate shelf as well so they would all look better than $15 shelves.

Thor installed up lights on the top and behind the molding of the shelves. It looks great at night and adds much needed light to the room while accenting the coral, shells and palm trees, etc. on the shelf tops.

The slat board and glass shelves, along with the metal paper holders were purchased at a store closing. I knew what I wanted and, fortuitously, a store went out of business with those items when I had the money to purchase and at just the right time for our 'remodel'. This never happens, and I was really really lucky and BLESSED! I had to drive 1 1/2 hours three times to get all I wanted, but it was worth it.

I use no name brand reusable plastic food containers -always clear- to hold an organize my embellishments, glues, staples, brads, buttons, etc. I found the perfect folders on school clearance to organize my large sticker collections and other flat paper cutouts. I place them in page protectors and organize them by categories.

My work table is a piece of 1 1/2" thick butcher block 3'x5'. #4 gave it to me until he buys a house sometime in the future (at least 5 years). We have it upside down to keep the pretty side pretty, and supported by two $12 book cases that companion the $15 shelves. The smaller book cases hold books on one, and current projects and photo boxes in the other.

I wrapped a measuring tape around the front edge of the table for convenience. I also have measured marks hidden in the large shelves for measuring ribbon.

Clear containers hold: glue guns and sticks, yarns, felts, sewing supplies, threads, embroidery supplies, sequins, glitters, paints-stained glass, stencil, mural, fabric, poster, puffy, gel, craft, wood, glass, water, & oil, silica sand and flower press, scrap fabrics, magnets-sheets and rounds, book binder, paper making supplies, tablet binder, sticker maker, small sewing matching for scrapping, sea shells and sea life, crayons, markers, pens, pencils of all kinds, small ribbons, pins, tacks, adhesives, small frames, wood pieces, cookie presses, crochet supplies, beads -glass and plastic, vellum, small scrap papers, sponges and applicators, sea glass, tiles, grout, wire spools, and all varieties of stationery supplies, paint brushs, stipple brushes and sponge brushes, and water bottles!

There are pieces of coral, shells, and some other decorative iems on display. #5 made a ceramic tribal mask that just happened to look great, so I put it up also. Over the day bed I have three photos of ferns/tropical plants in black frames. I scanned the photos out of a botanical book I picked up during an after school sale a few years back at Bath&BodyWorks; a coffee table art book that was originally over $60 that I got for $10. Like I said, I have been planning this room for years and putting things aside for it a long time.

Thor drilled holes and mounted magnetic strips onto the closet doors so that I could use them for memos, ideas and other things when needed. On the tiny wall behind the door I have a photo collage made for me by my former deaf students.

That's the tour! Sorry it took so long to get it up.