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Dominika Karta Wstępu – Poland
Teresa Cruz – Portugal
Hello, G45ers!
Today we have an opportunity to see inside another Brand Ambassador's studio. Kathy Clement is here with her Craft Studio Tour and we will also throw the spotlight on 3 of her projects. Kathy's detailed walk through and YouTube video is super informative and inspirational. Crafters of all levels and with all types of spaces are sure to pick up a tip or two to incoporate into their own craft organization. First it is time to announce this week's lucky winner.
…and the winner is Kirsty Vittetoe! Congratulations, Kristy! She commented on the blog to say, "I am loving this amazing piece of art!" Thanks for being with us Kristy. Please email info@g45papers.com to claim your prize. Now onto Kathy's tour.
This week’s winner won a St Nicholas prize package, including one 12×12 Patterns & Solids Paper Pad, Ephemera Cards, Stamped Metal Brads, ATC Alpha Banners, and Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L.
Craft Studio Tour
By Kathy Clement
"Hello, G45’ers! Today I’m excited to welcome you into my favorite place on the planet: my studio! I spend more time in this room than in any other room in our home. It is truly my happy place! I have lots of storage tips and ideas for creating a functional and inspiring creative space to share with you. But, before we start, remember, your studio is your personal space and should reflect your personal work style and tastes. What works for me might not work for you. I love to organize, label, and have a place to put everything. That arrangement frees up the creative side of my brain. You, on the other hand, might like to have everything out, or piles of supplies scattered around. It’s all about finding what works for you and going with that. So now that I have that disclaimer out of the way, let’s get on with the tour.
This is my inspiration wall. I like to surround myself with items that spur my creativity. So I have photos of loved ones, current projects, and favorite projects on display above my computer desk. I really only use this desk when I’m blogging or editing photos. I like to keep the work surface clear except for when I am in mid-project. Then I use this great surface to lay out papers, embellishments, and paper pretties so I can see them. When I’m done, everything gets put away.
Tip: White Chalk Paint is a Girl’s Best Friend! Lots of the items I’ve used to decorate my studio started out as real Ugly Ducklings! I like to paint them with white chalk paint and then dress them up with pretty papers. Chalk paint is awesome because you don’t have to sand or prime the surface first. It goes on really smooth and has a great vintage finish.
The message center above my desk was hideous, but cheap and had good bones. After cleaning it up, I painted it with white chalk paint and added papers from G45's Olde Curiosity Shoppe. I even created magnets with scraps of Olde Curiosity Shoppe paper. Now it’s a fun focal point on my inspiration wall.
The little wire baskets on either side were designed to hold wine corks. They have been dressed up with G45 Typography & Type DIY paper. The black border is ribbon from the Staples Alpha Tags. This gives me a great place to store my G45 Policy Envelopes and Staples Metal Embellishments.
Tip: Become a Bargain Hunter! Studio furniture doesn’t have to be expensive! This lovely desk came from the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store where I bought it for almost nothing. Almost every piece in my studio has come from a yard sale, a thrift shop, or has been re-purposed from another part of my home. Even when you are on a tight budget, you can create a happy, functional place to create!
My studio measures about 10 feet x 12 feet. This large work table used to be our kitchen table. When we moved, it didn’t fit in our small eat-in kitchen. I loved the butcher block top, so had my husband adapt it into this 4-foot square work peninsula. The legs are PVC pipe attached to a toilet flange. The back edge is attached to a 2” x 4” that is anchored into the studs in the wall, making it a very sturdy and functional work surface. It is built at standing height (customized for me). This left room below the table to add lots of storage. I like to work standing up. It keeps me alert and prevents back pain from too much sitting.
Tip: Look down! By raising the table to standing height, I gained a ton of storage beneath my work surface. I store my Graphic 45 paper collections in the Iris carts below the table. I have space under the table to store seasonal collections and my Etsy Shop inventory.
Tip: Re-purpose, Reuse, Restore: You probably have items in your home that you can adapt for use in your studio. Think outside the scrapbooking box, and look for creative ways to use items that you already have on hand.
This is the wall opposite the window and closets. I store all my mixed media supplies here, so they are handy to my workspace. My woodblock stamps are on display in this CD rack that I picked up at a yard sale for $2. The cubbies are from Target, bought on clearance along with the cloth bins. These hold all my bits of ephemera, tags, larger embellishments, tools, adhesives, and 6×6 paper pads.
Tip: Create Groupings for Easy Organization
I love to work in an organized space. Nothing frustrates me more than not being able to find a tool or item that I need. So I have grouped similar items together. I know, for instance, that all my mixed media goodies can be found on top of my file cabinet.
I am also a labeler. No matter how organized I am, I forget where I’ve put stuff. So I’ve tied little tags onto each cloth bin with a list of the items stored inside. Instead of rifling through the bins, I can just read the tags and know what is within.
Tip: Look beyond the scrapbooking aisle for usable tools! My tool turnaround holds loads of mixed media goodies like embossing powders, texture pastes and specialty paints. You can get this from Harbor Freight for a fraction of the cost for the same item in a scrapbooking store. A mini colander is a great place to store baker’s twine wrapped around vintage style clothespins. And I’ve used a Tupperware Spice Packet Storage Rack (picked up at a yard sale for a quarter!) to hold my DecoArt Paints. There’s a whole world of tools you can use if you look beyond the scrapbooking aisle!
In this photo, you can see the cutting area on my workspace. I keep my die cutting machine out because I use it all the time. When I stored it in the closet, I never used it.
Tip: Out of Sight, Out of Mind
I like to keep items out where I can see them because then I use them. The printer’s tray on the wall holds all my alcohol inks and Distress Re-inkers. I have the bottles arranged in color families so I can find them quickly. It also looks like art on my wall, which I love.
I really have a “thing” for vintage buttons. And cute jars. Instead of tossing jars, I wash them out and use them to sort my buttons by color. This way, I can easily match my buttons to whatever project I’m working on. I also love the happy rainbow of color these glass jars add to my room decor.
Ribbon plays a huge role in my creations. This is how I have my ribbons organized. I cut waste chipboard into 1.5” x 3.25” planks. Then I wrap my ribbon around it and secure with a straight pin. The ribbons are then stored by color. Plain ribbon in one cubby and printed ribbon of the same color right beside it. This system makes quick work of color matching ribbon to paper.
Now I’d love to invite you to walk through my studio with me. I share lots more tips for storage and organization in this YouTube video.
Kathy's Studio Tour with Storage Tips for Graphic 45
I hope I’ve shared some ideas that you can use to spruce up and organize your own crafty space. It was fun to have you visit me today!” ~Kathy
Graphic 45 Supplies:
Kathy’s 3 Featured Projects:
Four Fold Folio Tutorial
By Kathy Clement
“This folio is a “one sheet wonder” meaning that the entire folio base can be made using just one sheet of 12×12 cardstock. I find it amazing that you can fit pockets, tags, and a waterfall feature into a folio made from one sheet of cardstock! The best thing about this sort of album is that you can easily complete it in a day or less.” See full post here…
Graphic 45 Supplies:
Get Well Pop-Up Card
By Kathy Clement
"Winter brings with it a flurry of colds, flus and viruses. You might not be able to send chicken soup to a friend who’s knocked out with a nasty bug, but you can let them know that you care and lift spirits with a handmade get well card.” See full post here…
Graphic 45 Supplies:
#SimplyG45 Thanks Cards
By Kathy Clement
“One day I realized that project scraps are really just cards in the making! Instead of cramming my scraps into a box or a drawer where they would languish (and multiply!) I started using them to create small note cards, thank you cards, and tags.” See more here…
Cafe Parisian Quick and Easy Thank you Notes Video Tutorial
Graphic 45 Supplies:
Thanks for joining us for this in-depth and educational craft studio tour and of course thanks to Kathy for welcoming us into her space! She even shared a few tips we might incorporate into our design studio and office! We hope you have picked up some useful tips as well. We'd love to hear any other tips you may have in the comment section below! See you back here next week with more creative exploration!
Happy Papercrafting!
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