Home Decor
Breaking Down the Craft Room
I must admit that I much more productive when I’m working in an organized office space. I envy people who can keep a tidy workspace because I am not a neat person by nature. So, I’m sharing where I purchased all the furniture for my craft room in case it helps someone else get a little bit more organized. 
1. Floating Shelf: SmartFurniture.com
2. Ribbon Organizer: Etsy Seller OrganizeMore
3. Magnet Board: Umbra at the Container Store
4. Pencil Cups and Rod: Ikea Grundtal towel rail, Asker containers, and Byger “S” hooks
5. Desk: Ikea Utby underframe and Vika Amon table top
6. Drawers on Casters: Ikea Helmer
Miscellany: Allison asked about my lamp (not shown) because my office seems bright. The light source is a cheap hand-me-down from a friend, but I use daylight bulbs instead of regular bulbs, which makes the room brighter. The ribbon tree is from my old craft room, also purchased on Etsy. Now It houses ribbon spools that I use less frequently.
And just to prove to you that my neatness is all a charade, I’ll share some pictures of my messy craft closet:
Yikes! Piles of stamps and knick knacks stuffed into boxes. Yes, that hanging contraption is typically used for clothing storage. No wonder it’s about to fall apart with the weight of my wood stamps.
Stamps, stamps, and more stamps. Wood stamps take up SO much space. I’m very glad that Stampin’ Up released a line of repositionable clear stamps.
This file box is the only organized section of my craft closet. I separate my card stock by hanging file folders labeled with a tiny swatch of color.
My stamp collection is overflowing and my closet is bursting at the seams. I have a secret plan to take over the husband’s side of the office. I don’t think he’ll mind studying in the hallway, do you? 
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I’m Baaaaack… :)
Helloooooo, blog world! Does anyone still read this? I’ve been out of the blog scene for so long, my poor blog has been dreadfully neglected. I lost my voice for a while and it took me three months to find it again. But I’m back (for real, this time) and I have so much to share!
My first announcement is a shiny new blog! I’m diving head first into the world of professional photography and I started a spankin’ new blog to document my journey. I know it’s kind of silly that I just got back from a long blogging hiatus to announce that I started a new site. But, after an inspiring weekend photography workshop, I’ve found my vision and my voice, and I’m ready to keep TWO blogs updated, at least semi-regularly. So check my photography blog out, and if you feel so inclined, leave a comment every now and then! I [heart] comments very much. www.kellychaublog.com
The second project I want to share is the completion of my office space! During the six months after Hubs and I moved into our new condo, my “office space” was our kitchen counter. With crumbs and food bits everywhere, a kitchen office was not conducive to doing paper crafts. I use this excuse as one reason I haven’t had any projects to post.
Last month, Hubs helped me set up shop in our second bedroom. I’m really happy with the way we utilized our limited space.
Above is my little corner of our shared office. I purchased a counter-height table for my workspace because I like to work standing up when I do paper crafts. Standing gives me more leverage and makes stamping and using a paper cutter easier.
Since the Hubs and I had to sell my beloved Blu Dot desk when we moved, I only have one third of the desk space that I had in my old craft room. I knew that my tiny new desk would need to serve two purposes: photography computer station for dual monitors and craft area. I really needed to have my craft stuff accessible, but get it off my desk so it wouldn’t take up precious real estate. Well, I found some unique storage solutions and now I have so much more storage space than I used to, I don’t notice the smaller desk area because I keep very little on my table.
I purchased two mini drawer units that are so handy. They are absolutely perfect for storing small items, like craft supplies or hardware. They are a tad shorter than my counter-height desk, so I decided to store my ink pads and Sterilite storage drawers on top to even out the height.
Here’s a peak inside one of the drawers. Most of my punches fit into them.
Punch drawer number two. Yes, I have an addiction to paper punches.
Above is a peek into one of my embellishment drawers. The upside down containers at the bottom are tubes of embossing powder. I store them upside down so I can easily view the colors.
I use some of the drawers for stamps that don’t belong to a set. All of my Stampin’ Up sets are stored in our closet. I’ll share photos of my closet space soon.
Finding a good system to store ribbon was one of most difficult things about planning my workspace. I came across many cute storage methods, but I was really picky about my ribbon storage. I needed it to be both accessible, roomy, and attractive. This ribbon organizer was perfect because it was wall mountable, solving my small space problem, and the spools could be removed easily. I love it!
Last, but not least, I’m sharing my favorite storage solution. I found this Ikea hack on a blog somewhere and absolutely loved it. The metal rod is a kitchen towel bar from Ikea and the white containers are mini planters, which store my pens, pencils, and other necessary tools within reach while getting them off my desk. I can’t take credit for this idea because it wasn’t mine, so if I find the blog again, I’ll share the link!
Above the towel bar storage, I nailed a metal magnet board where I can showcase my latest creations and keep inspiration clippings nearby.
So, that concludes a tour of my new office space. I hope it was useful. If you have any questions, leave a comment and I’ll answer them as best I can!
Another Year Older, But Not Wiser
Whoa, has it been over a month since I last posted? EEP. Where has the time gone? I don’t know, because I feel like I haven’t completed much in the last month! Our house is still a complete mess. Boxes everywhere, shoes everywhere, clothes everywhere. It’s a shame that such a nice condo is now such a huge mess.
I have, however, accomplished the following over the last 30 days:
- Moved! What a hassle. I hope we don’t move for another 10 years. I seriously dislike moving with a passion.
- Designed little bro’s wedding invitations and helped him print them on the Gocco machine he bought me. Unfortunately, there were spelling mistakes and he had to reprint some. Did I mention there were five+ spelling mistakes and he had to reprint the ards more than once? Whoops. Auto spell check at work has sucked the intelligence outta me.
- Photographed two weddings. Learned a lot while doing so. Like, how I need a good wide angle, a nice zoom lens, and some serious lighting gear. And how my favorite hobby is going to make me broke, unless I get seriously good enough to make some money from it. Photography, why must you be so expensive?
- Turned another year older. Today, actually. Yikes! Thought I’d be a little more settled at this age. Perhaps a little wiser and more mature. Apparently not!
Birthdays are wretched things, aren’t they? I think they should be banned after age 29. Turning thirty is traumatizing. And 31, well, let’s just pretend that didn’t happen, shall we?
Lately, I’ve been madly obsessed with paint colors. I’m painting our new place this weekend–hooray! Our stark white walls need some life. Who knew that the seemingly simple task of picking paint colors would be such a headache? Did you know there are about a billion shades of gray and they all look completely different? There are , blue grays, warm pink grays, and everything in between. For my living room, I’ve been looking for a very pale true gray with maybe just a tiny touch of blue. Not too much. I don’t want my walls to slant blue in the light. I’m having the darnedest time choosing a color. Hubs has ordered me to stop buying test cans, but I can’t stop. I took a picture of some of the sample swatches I’ve painted over the last few weeks. These were painted on poster board because I didn’t have the guts to slap the paint on my walls yet.
Below (from left to right, all Benjamin Moore colors): Stonington Gray (too drab), Ice Cubed Silver (too light), Bunny Gray (too blue), Iceberg (too blue), Silvery Blue (too muddy), Pale Oak (our pick for the bathroom), Summer Shower (our pick for the bedroom and craft room), and Sterling (too dark). And I’ve got about a dozen more swatches not pictured. 
Those two little squares of fabric are some samples that I got for our curtains.
Anyway, it’s off to bed I go. I will make it my birthday resolution to blog more often than once a month. Now that Hubs officially started his MBA program, I’ll have much more time.
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