Transformation Tuesday!

My craft room began as a junk closet off the upstairs guest/exercise room.  It's a huge walk in closet that we initially threw everything into that we didn't know what else to do with when we moved into this house nearly 14 years ago.  It has always stored two computer desks and two large book cases. Some time ago when I decided I wanted to start scrapbooking, I decided to make it a craft room.  The two desks worked out perfectly for the little bit of scrapbooking I did.  Then I got a Cricut.  There was no room in the "craft room" for it because it was still a junk closet as well, so it got set up in the dining room.  Little by little as I used the Cricut more, I began moving my craft supplies to the dining room. This did not make my husband very happy! So I started cleaning out the craft closet and moved the Cricut upstairs.  A few years later, I got a Silhouette Cameo and began crafting more.  I have been planning a room makeover ever since.

I researched craft rooms, looked at hundreds of pictures on Pinterest and numerous blogs and YouTube videos. I decided that I loved the IKEA furniture that so many of the rooms had.  The only problem was that the nearest IKEA stores were hours away.  Last October, on a yearly trip to Pittsburgh, Lauren and I made our first trip to IKEA, and I made my first purchase, the tall Alex drawer unit.  I LOVE it.  I got serious about planning my room makeover and was eagerly awaiting our annual Pittsburgh trip.  Then a friend on facebook "checked in" at IKEA in Cincinnati...I didn't know there was an IKEA in Cincinnati! We were going to be there in a few weeks! It was only a two day trip though so I asked if it was possible to make a detour. I knew exactly what I wanted and it wouldn't take 30 minutes to get it and get out. My sweet sweet hubby said we could! Unfortunately, they didn't have the corner piece I wanted, so I thought I was going to have to wait until October to finish it out after all.  In the meantime, I was still looking around at IKEA online.  A week later, the Cincinnati store now had the corner unit in stock. We were on our way to Columbus and I mentioned to my husband that I wished the trips had been reversed, since the piece I needed was now in stock in Cincinnati. Turns out, we were going to be only about 40 miles away (geography is NOT my strong suite), so we made another detour, I got my remaining pieces and now my craft closet transformation has been completed! I still have some organizing to do, but the main setup is finished.  Here are some before and after pictures.

This is the view looking straight into the room from the door.  (Yes, I've got a lottttt of stuff!!) To the right are the tall bookcases.  Straight ahead is the tall Alex unit and a paper holder I made from wire cubes.

This was the latest transformation and it worked much better than the original setup.  The smaller desk holding the computer used to be side by side with the big desk.

Here's a view of both desks. I had been crafting a lot and it's a mess.  Also, I seem to have a leak in the roof, thus the plastic sheeting which I was using to cover and protect my investments!

The beginning! The huge desk is out (half of it is in the upstairs hallway and half is in the garage!) 

All the new desks are in place!

The finished setup, main craft area.

Computer and cutting area. I have some cubes from A.C. Moore in the far right corner and they are taller than the IKEA desks, so my surfaces here are uneven until I figure out where else I can put them.  :P

A panoramic view of the main (clean!) part of the room.

I'm in love with my new craft closet and may never leave!  And has anyone else noticed how IKEA furniture smells?  I love it!  Thanks for stopping by and checking out my new craft room!

4th of July wreath

My friend gave me back all the deco mesh used to decorate the graduation party, so I made simple 4th of July wreaths for my front door.

It all started with a wreath...

When my friend called me in early May, stressed out about the graduation party she was planning for her daughter, I had no intention of offering to help. It was the day before my birthday, I was trying to finish up my library duties at my kids' school, and I had plenty of other projects in the works.  She mentioned that her daughter wanted a "wreath with a graduation hat in the center," something she had seen on Pinterest.  I hung up the phone and instead of getting on the treadmill like I had planned, I found myself on Pinterest, searching "graduation wreaths."  I could at least possibly make a wreath.  A short while later, she texted me and asked (begged? LOL) me to be her "decorator." How could I say no? We went shopping for supplies and the ideas began to take shape.

Her party theme was "elegant" and her colors were royal blue and silver, which made NO sense to me since our school colors are red and white! But it turned out to be a lovely choice. We decided to add a touch of red here and there and that really made things pop. The wreath is deco mesh and the decorations were made with my Silhouette Cameo using blue and silver glitter paper (I love glitter paper!) and red "shimmer" paper. These cut beautifully in the Silhouette.

I saw this card box in the Silhouette store and just had to make it. My black cardstock was kind of flimsy so I added a piece of cardboard to the bottom to make it a little more sturdy.

We can't have a party without a banner. I used blue and silver shimmer paper and small paper doilies.

 

I wanted it to be 2-sided because there were a lot of hanging options in the room where it could be seen from either side. I hung it on blue satin ribbon, and tied silver ribbon in between each pennant.

 

When I saw these shadowboxes in the Silhouette store, I knew I had to make them too. I thought the red frames were so pretty, and when we decided to add a little red to the party decorations, it was perfect.

The graduate made her mom buy a sash from the Dollar Store that said "Grad Princess." The only problem was that the sash was pink and black and mom hated it! She asked if I could make one that would match the theme. She found a blank sash at a party store, and I ironed on the words with silver sparkle heat transfer vinyl, glued silver ribbon on both sides, and added some "bling" at the bottom.

 

They were planning a photo booth so I bought a cheap wedding arch and talked them into using it for the background.  Deco mesh, blue plastic tablecloths and silver streamers made a simple, but elegant background!

And we can't forget mom! I saw this during one of my internet searches and told her I would make her a shirt too. It was perfectly fitting! I used silver glitter heat transfer vinyl, and rhinestones for the crown.

I wasn't able to attend the party because my daughter's ballet recital was the same night so I didn't get any actual pictures from the party. I heard that everyone had a fantastic time, and mom and grad princess were both happy!


I had a minute for one picture after helping to set up the decorations. :)