HOW TO: get your craft space goin� on

by Christy Petterson

For years I stored them in boxes under the bed. They were too dear to get rid of and too much of a pain to take out from their designated spot. When I moved 16 times in 9 years, I dutifully took them with me. Without the prominent, easy-to-get-to home they deserved these beloved treasures were reduced to ridiculous baggage.

What item is this that I shlepped around because I couldn�t bear to part with it, but didn�t hold enough clout to be kept front and center? My craft supplies. I never had a designated place to craft in any of my tiny apartments and while I would have loved to sprawl all over the living room floor with projects galore, I never wanted my roommates to feel like they had to tip toe around my creations. And while I had two huge bookcases that would have been the perfect place to keep the supplies in plain sight, the cases were oddly enough used for none other than books. Clearly, my priorities were out of whack!
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It finally dawned on me one day that I was never going to get anything done if I had to pull the supplies out every time I wanted to craft and then have to put them away afterwards...all this taking out and putting back was stunting my crafty growth. If I could just have a way to keep the projects out somewhere and the supplies in arms reach I suspected my momentum would really keep going. It took several attempts with several intermittent moves before I got it right. And even when I designated a space for working I would end up with my work table such a mess that I�d have to set up satellite locations in little corners of the room. I couldn�t keep everything orderly because I didn�t have it all organized.

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I�ve been getting my act together though. Satellite locations are crazy. I had to come up with a plan to make it all work. First, it helped to settle down with one craft. Settling down can be hard for a good time girl. I still have a kabillion beads and tons of fancy paper because I love to dabble, but they are not as easy to get to as my fabric, thread and sewing machine. By picking one craft I�m able to prioritize where I store different items.

Second, finding a good spot is essential. I dream of one day owning a house with an extra room, but for now I�ve carved out a portion of my living room--luckily, my husband doesn�t mind the sometimes out-of-hand mess when I�m in full production mode. When you�re looking for your spot keep in mind it doesn�t have to be huge. In my friend Anne(anniebeegoode)�s last home, the area she called her �studio� was just a bookcase full of fun supplies located in a little walk through pantry between the dining room and kitchen. The nice thing about it was that the supplies were all in plain sight, easy to get to and that there was a big table in both the dining room and the kitchen. So she was just a few feet from a work surface no matter which way she turned. My favorite part is that she called the bookcase her Studio.

My little work area consists of a big table, a big set of shelves and a TV tray table with my sewing machine. I have had several different arrangements of these items within this room, and I think I finally found a set up that I like. Experimenting is key. Rearrange the whole room if you have to.
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Luckily, I�ve been able to set up this space with very little money. My sewing machine was a hand-me-down from an old friend and my big table was a donation from my uncle. My old table was a great size but it was very wobbly and the wood on the top was a little warped in a few places so it wasn�t flat. My brother and I broke the leg off the table from my uncle when we were moving it and I thought I�d be stuck with the wobble table forever. But my 16-year-old brother is sometimes able to teach me a thing or two, and he introduced me to Gorilla Glue. Needless to say the table is perfect now!

The shelves came from Ikea. They are huge, super simple and cost just under $100. Even at this price they were a big investment for me, but they were exactly what I thought would work best so I took the plunge. For my work area to be perfect, I still would like to get a good comfortable chair and a gigantic bulletin board to tack up ideas and inspiration.
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It is important to learn your organizational style. I like for everything to have a place, but within that place it doesn�t need to be organized. My ribbon is all contained in one specific box so I never have to wonder where to find it, but look inside the box and you�ll see it is a hodgety-podgety mess. For me, this is ok. It�d make some people nuts to have to dig through that every time they wanted ribbon, but I sort of enjoy the dig. Figure out what works for you.

For all your supplies find containers that are functional for your purposes. This is a great chance to give new life to old containers. Before my beads were packed up on the top shelf, I divided them by color into clear, plastic containers that once held hummus from the local farmers market. I bought a ton of cheap magazine boxes to store paper and my mom gave me a pretty basket that I use for current sewing projects. Under the table I store extra fabric in boxes, and I have these funky little houses for ribbon and small tools that my mom used in the bathroom when I was little. Years ago during the renovation of a building I worked in, I snagged a bunch of wood file boxes that had been in the old timey safe. I use some to store craft books and I put felt feet on the bottom of the rest of them so I can slide them out for files.

The last thing to think about when setting up your space is lighting. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to work in a dimly lit room. It is bad for your eyes and slows down productivity. I have a big Chinese lantern for overall lighting and an adjustable lamp for focused light.

I think I�m all set now. My space is functional and organized. I�ve made one rule for myself. I have to keep my table clear for working. I�m a little nervous that when I get busy everything is going to become a mess again, but since it all has a place I think I can manage it this time. Wish me luck!

Christy Petterson lives in Atlanta where she writes, sews, works in PR, organizes crafty events, roadies for her drummer-of-a-husband, eats the yummy food he cooks her, drinks coffee, goes for walks and spends time with her friends and family.