YOU CAN DO THIS! MY Craft Room Makeover

I admit it, Peeps. I'm a very messy crafter. Very messy. I do have a wonderful room that I can devote to my hobbies, and boy, do I ever take advantage of it. 

A few months ago, I tried the 20 min. a day thingy- where you set a timer (I mean, who would EVER want to commit to any more time than that) and you work for only that amount of time. Every day. 

Here's what I accomplished in three sessions. The first session was about 20 min. of work. I just picked a section to work in.

This second section only took me about 8 min. I had LOTS of other things to do that day (like shop, eat out, surf the internet...).

And the next day, I only worked on this section for about 20 min.

Not bad, eh? Well, fast forward a few months.

Yes, my craft room was a total mess. There was stuff everywhere. And I mean everywhere. A few weeks ago, I went to a girly craft weekend, and I swore that nothing was going back into my room until everything else was cleaned, put away, thrown out, or burned at the stake. Well, maybe not the burning part. Now, keep in mind that this took me about 2 weeks. Yes, you heard right. But, I wanted it to be cleaned and organized well, and I didn't want to lose heart halfway through. So, I broke it down into sections again. The goal is to keep it straightened, but I AM 54 and I haven't really done that. Ever.

So, this is what I started with.

And this is the before and after split. Hubby thought I had blown up the room and replaced it with a new one.

Here's the before and after split of the table. 

Now, I do have a lot of crap, but I'm delighted when I look around the room and see how I put this together with items from yard sales and such. The main table was given to me by someone who didn't want it anymore. It's solid, and quite a heavy bugger. Since I didn't pay anything for it, I don't mind that it gets be-spattered with paint, inked, or colored with gesso.

The big unit is from Ikea, as are the white bins and canvas boxes (set of 4). 

This thing holds GOBS of stuff. The plan is to re-organize the decorative stuff on the top, but one step at a time! Sheesh, Peeps!

The table that my cutting machine (Black Cat Cougar) is on was procured at a yard sale for $3. Yups. I grabbed that as soon as I saw it, and another customer almost beat me to it. I REALLY didn't have a fist fight. I promise. The chair was on the side of the road for $5. 

Here's another view of the CLEAN table. 

My dad made me three of these carts, and I use every single drawer and cubby.

And here is the monster cutter. This machine is the reason Howsewears was started. I started out with a smaller personal die cut machine, but Hubby encouraged me to buy this industrial beaut. And am I ever glad he did. She can really cut a rug. Seriously.

And yes, behind those closet doors is a very ORGANIZED closet, complete with a bookshelf for all of my books waiting to be altered. You can see a sample here.

My dog can frequently be seen with me in my room. :)

I just think having my brushes, pens, and tools at my fingertips is essential.

And one of the best parts is the view out the window. Every time I think of changing my room around, I re-think it, because if I do, I might lose my wonderful view. This was today, which was a very thick ice storm here in PA.

And these following pics were NOT today, although it does look pretty, huh?

So, that's my little tour, Folks.
Be encouraged! Pick a section. Work on it for 20 min. a day. Or even 8. Or 10. You'll see a big change very soon!

Fondly, Tami