my retreat

Even when I'm busy working, I love being in my office/craft room. It really is multi functional. There is a place to really work, a place to scrap book, a place to paint and a place to sew. When I saw this room as we looked at the house years ago I did that thing the realtor called 'mentally moving in'. The room was perfect and is almost what I had in mind. Especially more so after it flooded last year and I put cabinets on the walls to help get everything off the floor (altough there are still piles there once in awhile). I have a lot of people gush over how organized it is ~ I usually am organized, but this really looks like a mess to me. An inspiring creative mess, but a mess none the less - but, that's what doors are for. My favorite part is actually the door, although it's always open, but that I have a room off limits to the kids that I can leave stuff out mid thought (close the door if need be) and come back and pick up/ finish it when I get a few minutes. I can't imagine having to drag everything out, by the time I did that, I'd have to put it all back with out actually getting to create anything.

This is the view from the door of my side of the room. The room actually has another side that belongs to my husbands desk, oh and double closets, yeah!
One of my favorite things is this magnetic board - that you can't see. It was a piece of furnace duct sheet metal I got at home depot for something like $3.00. It's covered with tidbits of what I need to do, remember, and some pictures that inspire me - all held by magnets I created with my kids.

Another home depot gadget- a hardware organizer (3 actually) for all those small things like cat's eye ink pads, brads, eyelets, cross stitch floss, small rubber stamps, calligraphy pen ink and nibs, sealing waxes.
This paper organizer is also one of my fav's and it was free. I'm a bit embarrassed to say I rescued it with the help of my husband and brother from ending up in the city dump. A local copy store remodeled and had it sitting on their sidewalk until they got help getting it into the dumpster, so with permission, it ended up in our truck. And I often think I have no paper (it's no the right shade/color/tint - you know how you go to your closet and have 'nothing to wear' - it's like that).

I think this is why people think I'm organized or a bit obsessive maybe too. I have scrapped in chronological order with dates penned onto the outside on the binders, shelved in date order, with negatives (yes I'm old) and extra pics filed chronologically in the boxes above.

The sewing center, which holds my paints, sewing machines, and collects dust and odd things that don't fit on the table in the middle. Above it are shelves with baskets holding ribbon and other really odd things that don't fit in the cabinets~ which also hold my teddy bear collection up above.

Hopefully it inspires you, Enjoy!