Crafty Space: MaryLea from Pink and Green Mama

Hi I’m MaryLea from Pink and Green Mama Blog and
today I’m so excited to be guest posting today for Linda
and Craftaholics Anonymous!
I consider myself to be a Craftaholic with a fully stocked
art studio full of an embarrassing amount of arts and craft supplies.
Our babysitter says this room is like a craft store–
I never know if I should say “thank you” or apologize!
Today, I’m going to give you all a little tour.

My art studio space, is what is supposed to
be the “formal living room” in our house,
it is one of the first rooms you see when you walk in the front door.
I call it “Mommy’s Playroom.”
Our “formal dining room” is on the other side and it’s our playroom.
I don’t know about you but I needed an art studio
and a playroom a lot more than I needed formal
living and dining rooms.
Bonus — these rooms actually get used daily!
We use this room for sewing, crafting,
kid’s art classes, painting, peep diorama building,
and whatever else we can come up with!

SEWING NOOK
My sewing nook consists of an old Ikea kitchen table
that I used as my desk in college and my new little
Brother CS-6000i sewing machine
(a surprise Christmas gift from my sweet hubby and girls this year)
I’ve driven two Singer machines into the ground
in the past 12 years — probably because I sew everything I shouldn’t
including Tyvek, Cardboard, Cardstock, Felt,
and super thick (painted) art quilts in it!

 

CREATIVITY STATION
The girls have their own Ikea easel–
it’s seen lots of action in the past 8 years as well!
This vintage cabinet was a yard sale rescue
that has been a very handy kid’s art supply cabinet.
I also keep my mini fabric bolts in there
(yards and fat quarters wrapped & pinned around
acid free cardboard comic book boards)
Paint chip samples make great supply labels!

 

STORAGE
Don’t mind the mess, this is where the magic happens!
Along the longest wall of the room I have two Ikea kitchen islands
for storage and workspace. They have super deep drawers
(packed full of supplies) and two deep shelves that hold boxes of
paint, tape, scrapbook paper, fabric, beads, paper cutters,
and big sheets of drawing and watercolor paper.
If you look carefully you’ll see my own art work hanging on the walls
around the studio. The girls’ work is on display in the rest of the house!
Here’s a sneak peek inside one of the drawers
with the essentials:
glitter glue, felt letters, Martha Stewart glitter dust,
doilies, and liquid watercolors.
See how much stuff I can cram store under there?!
(Shhh…I have canvases stacked behind the cabinets along the wall!)
The big table in the middle of the room is also from Ikea-
I think it’s supposed to be a desk.
It’s great to cover with brown contractor’s paper and use for messy projects.
I also put my fabric cutting mat on there and spread out when I’m sewing.
I have a second (ugly) fold-up table the same size
I use when we’re having classes or a party and need more room
(see the above photo – it’s older and things have moved around a bit since it was taken)
It’s the same table I use for garage sales.
Stools for the table(s) are still on my wish list.

 

RAINBOWS !
I like to sort and organize our art supplies in spectrums,
so you’ll find lots of rainbows around the room.
Felt stacks, masking tape, fabric mini bolts, paper, and markers.

 

Makes me smile!
GRANDMA’S LOOM
My grandmother gave me her loom last year.
We shipped it from Colorado in a gigantic box.
The leather cords are rotten so one of my (MAJOR!)
summer projects is to “restring” the loom with my hubby.
Can’t wait to actually use it and make stuff.
I’m in the process of painting that little bench next to it right now.

 

 

She sent me all of her awesome wool yarn spools too!
Thanks grandma : )
Here’s the room looking at it from the Ikea island’s wall.
See the fireplace hiding behind the big basket trunk?
It doesn’t work right now and I’ve got it sealed up with that
shrink-wrap film you put on windows in the winter — classy, I know.
To the right of the fireplace is our electric piano for “E”s lessons
(covered in a quilt so the cat won’t barf on it —AGAIN)

 

On the mantel, I have some little inspirational treasures:
Two of my African Zulu baskets,
 Framed vintage butterfly tabacco cards I bought in Leesburg, VA,
Hand blown glass river stones from Seattle, WA,
Drift wood from the Outer Banks, NC,
A tiny pink sea shell from Eleuthera, Bahamas,
Rainbow Waldorf-style lantern and Felt Acorns 
and
Re-Cycled Crayon Hearts made by me and the girls!

 

 

Thanks for coming over for a little tour today,
hope you’ll come by again soon for some coffee and mess making —
I need to use up some of these art supplies!
Fondly,
pink and green mama,

 

want to show off your Crafty Space? read this post!

Linda
Hi! I'm Linda, the craft addict behind Craftaholics Anonymous®, a craft blog. Crafting is cheaper than therapy, right? When I'm not DIYing something, I can be found taxiing around our 4 crazy kids or working out. Or shoe shopping... because you can never have too many shoes! Happy crafting! ♥
Linda
Linda

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Comments

  1. 1
    Me salen alas (si me paras los pies...)

    I need one place like that… my things are messy ;D
    I like so much your blog

  2. 2
    kimberly @ craftyland

    wow – now that's a serious craft room! i love the cabinet that houses all your fat quarters and other fabrics.. what a pretty and functional way to organize them!

    great room!

    kimberly.

  3. 3
    Evie

    IT'S AWESOME!!!!! SO NEAT AND TIDY… I REALLY ENVY YOU.

    GREAT PLACE!

  4. 4
    Rhonda Merry

    Great space! You only have to apologize for your space to the person cleaning it. Otherwise take the compliment.

  5. 5
    Sunshine Mama

    That space is dreamy! I don't know that my hubby would let me use an open space at the front of the house for a craft room (I'm guessing it has something to do with not wanting to see my very unorganized mess ;), but having my own craft room (with a door), is going to be a must when we buy a house next year! Thanks for the tour, so much inspiration Marylea!

  6. 6
    Miss Mermaid

    ok, I am completely and 100% green with envy at your craft space! I love love how you have your fabric organized! So inspirational!

  7. 7
    Simple Mama

    Want/need! What a treat it is to see other craft studios. Mine is scattered throughout the house.

  8. 8
    Sarah

    What a great place to be!
    I would love to know where the rug is from.
    Thanks and thanks for sharing-
    Sarah

  9. 9
    Lil Mama Stuart

    whoa that is like a real art studio!

    totally going to do the mini bolt idea at home now instead of my cardboard box where I can't see anything I need! thanks!

  10. 10
    Phyl

    It's amazing, but… my cat would have a field day!!!! There's no way I can keep my stuff in such open storage. She's a girly-girl kitty and as such likes to play w/ribbons and beads and yarn and sparkly things. Problem is, she also likes to chew on them.

  11. 11
    lauren@warmandfuzzy

    wow. my eyes are green with envy. This space is awesome…I wish wish wish I had a great space like this to craft and create!

  12. 12
    Tanya

    *drool*

  13. 13
    Amy

    I love your blog and I loved seeing your studio. It totally makes me envious, that you have all that space. I am hoping when my kids get older, they will have more ability to sit and create with me. Then maybe I'll have time to create too. Some day I'll have a studio of my own (I hope)!

  14. 14
    Sarah

    haha! i always organize everything in rainbow order to! :)

  15. 15
    ArtsyNina

    I had one of those 'ah-ha' moments when I read this post. I have a front room, currently full of junk and had no idea what it should be. But now I know. It's going to be my studio!!!

  16. 16
    Lizzykewl

    Say Thank you! It's awesome!

  17. 17
    Lefkothea

    i love your craft room….!!!

  18. 18
    Krust

    Oh my goodness! This is such an amazing space. I would love to have a separate room sewing. Someday… I'm super jealous of this space!

    <3, Krust

  19. 19
    Tammy

    You have an awesome space to work in!

  20. 20
    Danielle

    wow that was inspirational overload! I love that she's so brave to use her living room as her craft space!

  21. 21
    Monica

    Wow!! That Studio is amazing!! I love your blog Pink and Green Mama, I have done a few projects from your website. I wish I had an studio like that. How old were your daughters when you introduced them to paint, and other messy art supplies?

  22. 23

    Oooooh, so jealous! I’ve just cleaned out our spare room to use as a sewing room and it feels so good to have a little place of my own. No point having a spare bedroom when it’s only used a few times a year.

  23. 24

    Love love love your craft room. Ohhhh, I need a studio to fall into my yard so I can set something like this up! It is just beautiful!
    (pssst, i hang my laundry on the line in spectrum order lol!)

  24. 25

    Now that’s what I call a craft space! Fantastic!

  25. 26
    Jody

    Love your creative space! I do have a question: Do you ever have a problem with your fabric fading? Is it in the sun? I am considering putting my fabric in a cabinet with a glass door because it’s so pretty to look at! But do you think the exposed side would fade after a while?

  26. 27

    Are. You. Serious????????? This is like heaven!!!

  27. 28
    Betsy

    Hi Linda, I was thrilled when I found your blog…because we are right in the middle of moving our studio from an upstairs guest room into our FORMAL LIVING ROOM!!! I totally agree with you…that living room was totally wasted space for way too long!!! I struggled for over a year with decisioning whether to do this or not…but we’re fully committed now! (in the process of relocating all our L.R. furniture to other rooms in the house and giving them to my married daughters too!) Our room even looks like yours with the fireplace etc.! I love what you have done and the furniture pieces you have used. I, also, LOVE Ikea…and am wondering if your overhead lighting came from there too??? You eased my mind… that I was NOT alone in this!!!! Peace! Betsy