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?

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!

Tutorial on the coral pocket to come! I’ll share the photos for now.

These last few days have been beautiful, and hot, hot, HOT. 85 degrees in SF is as common as snow in July, especially in the Sunset district where Hubs and I live. Last night, we opted not to eat in and instead took a long walk to a delicious Chinese hole in the wall restaurant about a mile from our house. I love walking with the Hubs. It’s true quality time for us because we have no TVs, computers, or video games to distract us. It’s just us and our shoes as they hit the warm pavement.

After a satisfyingly salty bowl of beef noodles and black bean chicken, we stopped by a yogurt shop to reward ourselves for “working out.” As we slurped our melted treats on the stroll back to the Sunset House, I listened to Andrew as he chatted about his day. And, I couldn’t help by think, at that very moment, there was nowhere else I wanted to be or nothing else that would make me more content. Not a new condo, not a dream job, or even a winning lottery ticket. All of those would be meaningless without someone to share them with.

Life is truly about the simple joys of loving and being loved.

Recipe (all supplies SU unless noted): Cheers to You stamp set, kiwi kiss, whisper white, pacific point, summer sun cardstock, basic black ink, Sizzix tag die, oval punch, good morning sunshine designer paper, kiwi kiss ribbon, colored pencils

Over the weekend, we found some super affordable, spankin’ new housing developments with hardwood floors, huge floorplans, large bedrooms, the works! The catch? They’re in a city that I don’t want to live in. I mean, I really, really don’t want to live in this city. I don’t like it at all. But, if we purchase one of these units, Hubs said that we could afford it on one income (his income) once he finishes grad school. That means I could devote myself to our future family and possible budding business enterprises, like photography, design, crafts… oh the imagination runs wild! I can’t imagine calling any city other than SF our home. However, the idea of not working a corporate job is almost irresistible…  It’s most definitely a trade off.

What would you do?

I miss my craft time quite a bit. Yesterday, I got out the tools and whipped up a quick card. I love this stamp set (Trendy Trees). Sometimes I sell my used stamp sets after they’ve been retired, but I’m keeping this one for sure.

Recipe (all supplies SU unless noted): Trendy Trees and Absolutely Fabulous stamp sets, kraft, whisper white, bashful blue card, chocolate chip stock & ink, corner rounder punch, white gel pen, button bouquet, kiwi kiss ribbon, stampin’ dimensionals, white twine from Michaels

That long paragraph is my excuse for blogging less regularly than I usually do. I hope you’ll forgive me!

Today’s post is a belated one for Justine, who requested a tutorial for the Top Note die box that I made a few weeks ago. Sorry for the delay! I hope you (and everyone else) find this useful.

Start out with a 9″x6″ sheet of paper. Score one inch in on each side. Then, along the 9″ side, score at 4″ and 5″. Cut the folds 1″ to the score line along the middle score line and on one side.

Next, cut away the two scored sides of the opposite box end. This portion will be the box lid.

Fold the box into shape, tuck the little tabs that you sniped along the inside, and adhere with sticky strip. For my box, I also rounded the edges of the box lid to finish it off.

You can use whatever you like to keep the box closed. Here, I used a magnet that I purchased online. You can use a bit of Velcro too, which is easy to find in craft stores.

Now, cut four Top Note die shapes using the Sizzix. Two of the shapes should be with normal card stock because it’s thicker and two should be cut with patterned paper, if you want to decorate the outside of your box. The two layers will give the cover a little more strength. Then, adhere these covers to the top and bottom of the box that you made.

You can stop here if you like, but if you want to create dividers for the box, those can be easily made. To divide the box in half, cut a 3″x6″ sheet of paper. Score and fold at 2″, 3″ ,and 4″. Insert into your box.

Here’s the box divided into two sections. You can adhere sticky strip to the divider to keep the center from puckering up.

Now, for the other dividers. Cut two sheets of 2″x5″ paper and score at 1.5″, 2.5″, and 3.5″. Fold and insert into your box.

Voila! Finished box.

My uncle (my mom’s brother) was admitted to the hospital for heart surgery last week. There were some major complications with the surgery, and coupled with the poor health of my uncle’s heart already, the situation was not good. My family was very, very worried. But, I believe in prayer and I spent the weekend praying for my uncle. Today, I found out that he opened his eyes! He’s still very ill and his recovery will be a long, slow process; but I know that our prayers were answered this weekend and I am so very thankful.

I know I owe you guys a lot of posts. Today, I’ll just share a card that I made for a friends’ wedding. Oh, and one more quick note: with all the stuff going on, I almost forgot that today is the very last day to qualify for free Sale-A-Bration products. On April 1st, the new Occasions Mini catalog will be released with tons of cute stuff.

Recipe (all supplies SU): Congrats stamp set (SAB set), Park Avenue Patterns stamp set, Polka Dot background stamp, kraft, whisper white, perfect plum card stock/ink, very vanilla hodge podge hardware (metal tag frame), flower from pretties kit, kraft ribbon, lace border punch

Hubs and I went house hunting last weekend. I’m happy to report we found an agent we like. She’s not at all the sales-y, schmoozy type, thank goodness. She’s very forthright and honest. Now, Hubs and I are just waiting to find a place that we like for a price that we like.

Oh, before I forget, there are only six days left for Sale-A-Bration! Then, the free products will retire, never to be seen again. I’ll also share a project with you that I made a while ago. I used the Sizzix Scalloped Circle die to cut the sides of the box. Then, I cut and scored a box to fit inside to hold a set of four cards. The cards are 3″x3″ in size. Enjoy!

Although I think SMART goals are as Office Space as it gets, I’m going to set some for myself in my pursuit of photography. You see, I’m not really a go-getter type of person. I’m a sit-on-the-sidelines type of gal. I like to take things easy. I’m very cautious and even insecure when it comes to my abilities. Unfortunately, sitting on the sidelines and bemoaning my insecurities will not help if I truly want to start a business. I need to stop letting my fears take the best of me and just go for it.

Easier said than done! One thing I’m so grateful for is the full, unwavering support from Hubs. He believes in me a thousand times more than I believe in myself. Just yesterday, he came home and found me sitting on our kitchen floor with a frown on my face; I was upset because my mind was racing through the list of all the things that could go wrong if I pursue photography and fall flat on my face. What if I invest thousands of dollars in equipment and fail? I have zero professional training, what gives me any idea I can pull this off?

Hubs smiled and picked me up, gave me a huge bear hug, and told me he believed in me and that he wouldn’t encourage me if he didn’t think I could be a photographer (and a good one too). Of course, I think he’s biased. He has to believe in me–he’s my husband! But, Hubs also reminded me that God is the one guiding me on this adventure. And, if He’s the one leading, I have nothing to worry about. He always provides. I don’t know how I would stay grounded without Hubs. Seriously. He is my rock.

So, I’m taking a practical first step in the direction of my dreams. My first SMART goal is to learn to shoot (and feel comfortable shooting) completely in manual mode with my camera by July 31st. I signed up for a photography class, but it doesn’t start until June. So, I’m not actually sure if this goal is attainable or not. At least it’s a start!

Project Recipe (all supplies SU unless noted): Owl Together Now stamp set, card stock in bashful blue, whisper white, pumkin pie, ink in kiwi kiss, chocolate chip, ruby red, designer paper in Good Morning Sunshine, On Board So Tweet (for the chip board owl cut out–in the current catty), stampin’ dimensionals