1.13.2009




                                    Day 2: My Craft Space


I love my little office/guest bedroom/craft room.  Since it is so very small, I've tried to come up with interesting ways to store my various supplies. I love glass jars, and think they look so pretty filled with ribbons, glitter and thread. Mine are arranged on the dresser, a place which in addition to holding towels and off-season clothing, serves as an area to corral my craft materials. I think it is inspiring to see these things out in the open, instead of having to dig through storage boxes. Inexpensive mason jars can be found at Michael's or Ikea, but I like to salvage spaghetti sauce and pickle jars by running them through the dishwasher, peeling off the old label, and giving the lid a coat of bright, glossy white paint.


This classic Ikea hold-all is a real workhorse. It keeps my most-often-used craft supplies at close reach, from glue gun to fisherman's line to fabric scraps. More spools of ribbon find a home in a milk glass pedestal dish.


The bright and playful fabric scraps are from my favorite sewing shop in Philadelphia, Spool. I'm using them for an announcement mailing that I have going out soon...


A view from the doorway: I don't sew clothing, but I like having a dress form for displaying my favorite pieces. The sequined shift is by Vera Wang.  And the adorable birdcage coat hook is an Oh Joy! design from Urban Outfitters.


And wrapping and craft papers are stored in this fantastically minimal, glossy-white trash can from The Container Store....


Tonight is spaghetti night, so I'll have more jars to work with soon! Meanwhile, how do store your craft supplies?

6 comments:

Unknown said...

love your space! i always see those ikea hold-alls in use all the time but you've convinced me i need one for my supplies. i don't have many but i do have a glue gun and some stuff...lol. and LOVE that you reused spaghetti jars - what a fab idea.

i don't have many supplies so right now they all fit pretty snugly in a drawer on my desk and a small bowl by my sewing machine.

Amanda said...

I'm wondering how you get the jars to stop smelling (like spaghetti or whatever else was in them)? I have a bunch saved and even though they've run through the dishwasher, they still smell! I'm afraid whatever I store in there would stink too. Also, do you use anything to get the labels/glue off because I can't seem to get them to come clean. Thanks for sharing your storage ideas!

Elizabeth said...

Thanks so much for the nice comments!

To Amanda, I run the jars through the dishwasher and then sometimes I soak them with soapy hot water a couple times. To get the labels off, just soak or run the jars under warm water until the paper loosens, then use a dull knife to scrape the rest off.

Anonymous said...

Yup, hot water will take the labels off.

I love this space. I use mason jars too, for storing my craft materials. I love this space and am so glad you posted because I am in the middle of redoing my office and studio right now. I love the inspiration!

LindsB said...

I love this space! I'm actually in the process of getting my office space/craft area in order and I was looking for some cute easy storage ideas. I have a ton of spaghetti jars around the house because I used them to hold everything under the sun, I don't know why I didn't think of my craft items before!

Great post, thanks for the ideas!!

Jackie said...

Fun fun. I want a craft/wrapping/sewing space so bad, but my second kiddo kicked me out of the last room available! Someday...
Oh, and I can't wait to see what your announcements are going to look like with those fabric swatches you are using. You have to post about them, K?