a new little space

I've always loved winter. Its stark contrasts, its fresh lines. But this year I can't take my eyes (or my camera) off the color scheme going on out there. I just can't get enough of the pale blue, the clean white, the subtle browns.






So, it will come as no surprise that those colors found their way into my new little studio space. This little space (200 sq ft to be exact), tucked up above our kitchen, was a brilliant last minute addition to our house plans (suggested by the guy down at the local lumber yard). We had decided to drop the ceiling over the kitchen (the rest of the living space is vaulted) and the guy at the lumber yard said "hey for another $300 (that was the trusses) you could have an extra room up there". Since it would have otherwise just been filled with insulation, we went for it.

Upon completion (I use that word loosely) of our home, this space served as (organized) storage with a guest bed. Then my dad's cabin came along and we moved out the guest bed. Things went downhill up there after that and for the last year (at least) it's been a very unorganized storage (heap). I dreamed and dreamed of cleaning it up and turning it into a pleasing crafting space.

Finally a few weeks ago, we (I say we, because Andy really helped me swallow that overwhelmed feeling brought on by mountains of boxes and junk and just get going) tackled it. We filled a car with stuff for Goodwill, we consolidated and rearranged, we packed things tightly together. Andy painted! (Have I mentioned how much I love this man?) Through it all I was sure we'd never see a tidy organized space on the other end. How was it possible with so little space and so much stuff? I was tempted to take "before" pictures but just couldn't bear it so you'll have to take my word for the mess that was.

There is only one window (thank goodness it faces west) in this little space and you'll note my work table is right under it. The light is not that of my dream studio, but it will work just fine. Not ideal for photos, but you'll get the idea. In full disclosure, I must note that two thirds of the south wall is solid shelving that is storage for all the stuff of our life that does not relate to crafting, but that needs a home in this little house of ours (I spared you a photo of that). Now that I've got space to work I can sew some curtains to cover that organized pile of boxes.




Iris has a crafting table too, just next to mine and right next to the cabinet filled with art supplies. She is loving it already.


As I've noted before there are always more toys and books that we need in circulation in our main living space. These are toys that we might treasure but the sheer mass of them tends to overwhelm us. So, they've always been stored in this space. Now we can just find them more easily!

I knew the only way this space was going to happen was if I could make due with what was on hand. We weren't going to spend money on a major renovation, so for the price of 2 gallons of paint and one large wicker basket from the thrift store we shaped it into just what I was dreaming of.

Now it's time to get to work!