Studio Showcase: Debra
We’re so excited to showcase another beautiful craft room, this time from our longtime customer, Debra! Debra started her crafty journey doing scrapbooking and has expanded her creative outlet to include card making, painting, vinyl art, and more!
“Currently, I create cards, engage in watercolor painting, make shirts (using vinyl or sublimation), and I have just started sewing and embroidering. I began crafting after being asked to create a scrapbook for a retiring teacher decades ago. I loved the process and transformed it into cardmaking. Crafting lets me make unique and original pieces, and that never gets boring. ”
A cluttered space is a cluttered mind, so Debra’s main goal for her craft room was to create a clean and inspiring atmosphere that supported her creativity instead of distracting her.
“I am inspired to create in a clean and clutter-free workspace, so it is helpful to have a place for everything and put everything in its place when it is not being used. I would love to say there was a master design plan for my craft room, but instead it has been devised little by little based on the space available and what I could afford at the time through 3 moves in 15 years. The one thing I always try to do is to position my desk under a window. That gives me the most natural light, and looking out a window is more inspiring than looking at a wall.”
With the variety of crafts that Debra enjoys making, it made sense to set up her space with dedicated stations for each artistic medium. Separating her various crafting materials allows her to focus on one craft at a time without getting overwhelmed by the materials she isn’t using.
“Most of my furniture is from IKEA, so I try to put it against the walls to add some stability. I also try to get the most use from every square inch, so I typically locate like things together, like all of my stamps and dies. That gives me “stations” like a sewing station, a card-making station, etc…”
One of the most essential steps in setting up your craft room is considering how you craft. Your unique creative process should dictate how you lay out your room, sort your supplies, and organize your space. Considering her craft organization style and creative process allowed Debra to create a flow in her space that makes her crafting experience more streamlined and enjoyable.
“Most people who know me think I’m an organization control-freak. And they are right! I love to have things organized by color, type, size, use, etc…. Having an organized craft room lets my brain focus not on the mess, but on the creative process and creating becomes very enjoyable. And there is usually a reason I locate things in a certain space. For example, my die-cutting machines, my stamps and dies/paper cutter and my desk create a triangle, much like a productive triangle in your kitchen between the sink, stove and fridge. Walking between them forces me to get up once in a while also, which is good for an arthritic body. That said, I do have a small paper trimmer and mini-die cutter on/in my desk also.”
Decor is also an important part of making your craft space unique. Debra designed and created a round wall sign to match her creative aesthetic and remind her to keep crafting.
“I really didn’t need a sign in my craft room, but I wanted something to 'break up' all the stuff in the room and give the eyes a break. But more than that, it is meant to remind me to create something every day.”
Many craft rooms have multiple purposes, from guest rooms to home offices. For Debra, it was important to keep her room multi-functional as a space for endless creativity and guests.
“It can be used for so many purposes. I have a cutting table on wheels that folds down, which is stored in the closet. If I need more working space, I can bring that out and set it up like an island. Putting that away makes the space open and easy to move around. And it leaves space for a twin rollaway bed when we have guests. So my favorite feature is its multi-functionality.”
The secret to Debra’s beautiful craft room? Time, patience, and flexibility.
“ It doesn’t all have to be done in one day. Take your time and get pieces that you really love that will last forever—like Stamp & Storage pieces—and that can be reorganized if you have to move to a new space.”
Stamp-n-Storage Products Featured in Debra's Craft Room:
Thank you so much, Debra for showing us your space and sharing your tips for organization and creativity!
Want to join our Studio Showcase series and win $75 in-store credit? Follow these tips:
1. Clean your space.
2. Take at least four photos from different angles.
3. Share what you love about your area and your Stamp-n-Storage products.
Then, we will enter you into our monthly drawing. Email your entry to: contact@stampnstorage.com.