17 November 2011

my home office & craft studio tour / oh so aqua


this is my new home office / craft studio. am a happy girl that i have my very own space to create, work, blog, make stuff and more. (if you don't have a whole room to spread out in, see how i stuffed all my stuff within a craft studio in a corner of our apartment!)

with my new place, the first thing we did was remove the door. now it has an airy, friendly feeling; i don't feel trapped in a dungeon. the space is open to all and luckily my three year old knows what is off limits and what is not (my printer–perched on a shelf attached underneath my desk– is his favorite place to park cars). dan pumped me up for painting the walls something bright–and with only one window–i'm so glad i did. (thanks to my sidekick, miss painterly herself; whitney.) it looks seafoam green in the mornings, tiffany blue at nights. i work late, so this room feels cheerful no matter what the hour. dan also opened up my eyes to all the different ways to position the furniture too; he helped me with the layout of the space (and built all the ikea expedit shelves too). this room is finally functioning quite nicely, so allow me to give you a little tour.

most of the items shown have been around for a long time or have been gifted to me as hand-me-downs (such as that amazing lamp. thanks dad!). the rest of the resources are listed below (if i missed something, i'll be glad to answer questions in the comment section).

my main goals //
have a functioning space with clear access for creative work (including floorspace!)
to keep my computer desk clear of unessentials
plenty of visual inspiration
have a 'home' for all my supplies for quick clean-up (labels help!)
to feature artwork i love and be flexible to switching it up
make double stick tape, pens, ribbon and washi tape close at hand


this is my mailing center / inspiration board. i was happy to discover rubbermaid bins fit brilliantly in the expedit shelves for storing kraft mailers, ribbon, mini diaries and other goodies from my shop, cellophane bags and more to make my shipping and handling process go oh so smoothly.


literally pinning a few things i love // concert tickets, christmas fabrics, gorgeous lady hue art print by my friend, caitlin of hue and hum, home is where your heart is print by sugar fresh, mini clipboards for ever-changing to do lists, snapshots and note cards i can't possibly tuck away (one in which i'm wearing a crazy yellow wig in my high school musical, pippin). remember how this bulletin board used to look?


my favorite yellow chairs came from my grandma, the awesome drop-leaf table from my sister-in-law amy, the letterpress prints by tag team tompkins. (i'll have you know, hanging those pretties was no easy feat for an un-math wiz like me. but so worthwhile. i used this method.) other necessities: three hole punch, two types of tape, washable markers for benji projects (and sometimes mine), usps postage scale. and tucked back there awaiting addressing; our christmas cards printed at moo! i created a mini over-the-closet collage of favorite design work i've done for clients; a mini montage to celebrate my ideas in print.


left: here's a peek inside the closet; bursting with paper (remind me never to buy stationery. my obsession is overwhelming.), punches, notebooks, supplies and a little nook devoted to vintage postage stamps.
right: another expedit ikea shelf to hold inspiration binders, baskets (from target) to house cds, digital custom design work, family home evening ideas, photographs and love letters (and letters i love). i spray painted a wooden teacup holder and like to hang spools of twine and washi tape on it. a touch of dazzle.


these are four favorite items in the office. i purchased these shadowboxes on clearance from the martha crafts line at michaels a hundred years ago and just barely created collages within them. why it took me so long, i'll never know. one is dedicated to lovely penmanship from a few beloved ladies in my life, the other to my dad's european adventures, another to new york city, van gogh (and general passion for following your dreams) and finally, one to my lover and best friend.


the jutted beam seemed a perfect place to perch these babies, all in a row. they are the first thing i see when i walk in. they make me happy to be home. as do the aqua walls; i love the color, but i love the happy memories of painting them ourselves even more.

resources 
wall color / jamaican aqua by benjamin moore
wooden @ sign / edies lab
desk and slim alex drawer unit (perfect for oversized papers) / ikea
paper cutter / rototrim brand
b&w portrait of mom & me / justin hackworth
manhattan unfurled book / by matteo percoli

crafty books on my shelves (highly recommended!)
craft inc. by mateo ilasco
if you want to write by brenda ueland
writer mama by christina katz
illustrator 101 by alma loveland
photoshop 101 by mike loveland
crane's blue book of stationery
the handmade marketplace by kari chapin

on a side note // lots of things are coming down the pipe, as they always do mid-november. it's a graphic designer's version of tax season. i'm working on a book layout project; scanning vintage seventies photos makes me smile. blogging may come to a slow pedaling action. am gearing up to host family pie night this weekend. i hope my family fits in our house! i'm especially excited to make my family (and dan's too, eventually) play my holiday edition of $25,000 pyramid. it's a little known fact that i really love to make up games (and make my family play along. they are good sports). tune in tomorrow, i'll be featuring my mom's amazing recipe for apple cake (because you need it this thanksgiving / you won't be sorry). wishing you all a productive and happy week. anyone have their christmas binder out yet? mine is laying across the couch at the moment; bursting with ideas. ready or not, the holidays are a-coming.

28 comments:

Hannah said...

Hi Marta, thank you for sharing your amazing organizational ideas. I love the order you have created in your brand new space. You have definitely inspired me to go and make my creative space a much happier place to work in. I adore your shadow boxes - especially the one with your friends' penmanship - each one perfectly beautiful in their uniqueness. I love to read letters from friends in their very own handwritten script, and always feel sad when it comes to tucking them away in my box of letters - having them on display is the perfect solution!
I have a head full of Christmas craft activity ideas for my Nursery class children, but need to make a little space for thinking about Christmas in my own home.
Thanks, as always, for sharing. Your blog is always so inspiring, and such a fun & joyful place to visit : )

Cecilia said...

I can't believe how quickly this came together. So orderly and inspiring all at once.

...and LOVE how the paint color turned out :)

CraveCute said...

Great job! What a bright and cheerful space!

Monika Wright | I Love It All said...

You have such great qualities...creativity, spunk and organization! This is always such a good place to be for me.

Michelle said...

What a fabulous space! LOVE the aqua walls!!

I just purchased an expedit shelf/desk and still working on organizing my craft supplies. Happy to hear the rubbermaid tubs fit perfectly :)

quilter5706 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
quilter5706 said...

This is certainly a great space. You are so creative and have done a great job making this room "Your own". I need to have you come and organize my quilt room. I have been cleaning out some of the "junk". It looks a little better, but still a long way to go.
We miss you guys and that little one. Give him a big hug for us.
Love ya--The Eskelsons

[eeny] said...

Love the wall color. It's so awesome.
Actually I love everything about your office.

The shadow boxes are my favorite. I definitely have to fill some of my frames I just got at ikea with personal collages. So pretty.

Great job putting everything together so neatly, Marta.

chloe said...

your office looks amazing! i can't wait to get around to finish up mine- its a challenge! the blue walls are lovely.

black tag diaries said...

marta!!! love, love, love seeing your new creative space! the blue walls look amazing, and those shadow boxes are brillinat. might just have to copy that idea! thanks for sharing, as always!

Amy said...

so, so awesome. this makes me want to really buckle down and get to work on my "studio" (which at the moment is the catch all room).

looks so fun and cheerful. must be a dream.

oh, and one more thing...never buy stationery. you're obsession is overwhelming...so i hear. :)

LMT said...

I love it all. And, when your space is all set, I know you're going to be dishing out many more awesome things!

Anonymous said...

Oh Mart, it's perfect! I adore every nook and cranny from the wall color to the white Ikea storage solutions to the shadow boxes to even the tea cup holder! What a cheery and happy spot you now have to design, write and create in. Congrats on making your space so sublime!

{natalie} said...

i love it. i love seeing where other people create and how they put all the odds and ends together. it looks so awesome. and this just makes me want to paint my sewing/craft/art/etc room stat.

have a great weekend.

{natalie} said...

ps, where do you find the postal scale?

Jill said...

a cheery space indeed! love the colors, love the organization and love the visual aspect. lots of happy memories and inspiration to look at! my kind of room!

well done.


:)

marta said...

thank you! all such nice words. i appreciate them. natalie, the postal scale came from staples. they are so handy to have on hand! i think any office supply store would have them in stock.

Travelin'Oma said...

You make work look totally fun!

Brittany said...

marta, thank you so much for offering us a glimpse inside your studio. i am so inspired by your organization and beautiful space. i want to pin every single picture and have my very own studio! i love inspiration boards and it's so fun to see what inspires other people. i see you too are an audrey fan; may i ask where you got that print? it's a beautiful photo and i don't think i've seen it before.

Eva said...

Wow Martha, I love your space!!! It's so inspiring and creative!

marta said...

@brittany, that picture of audrey hepburn is actually just a postcard i've saved for years. the title of it is called 'profile portrait'.

Miranda said...

So, as you know, we have been in our house for a year and I haven't even TOUCHED my office. I can't help but be incredibly impressed by your amazing workspace and speediness!

Jen Holtkamp said...

this looks so amazing! i am jealous of your ability to organize!

Claire said...

I'm dying for a workspace like yours. Someday...

And just so you know, I've definitely had last year's Christmas binder out a few times already. Can't wait to add to it this year!

Ann said...

What a lovely job you've done. It looks like a peaceful yet inspiring space. I really liked your clipboards and wondered if they were adhered permanently to the board or if they are removable?

*Dream Weaver* said...

Congrats on your new work space. It looks lovely. Here's to more exciting and crafty creative things to come!

Anca Pandrea said...

I am in the process in repainting the walls and hanging some stuff and getting rid of other stuff and I really get inspired by the way creative people put their spaces together. And I also love Expedit range, bought some for my empty walls.
Have a great week ahead!

Christie said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE the new space. Please fly out here as soon as Josh gets my new cabinets done. I want you to create the same magic for me!!!

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