Thursday 6 September 2012

It's Thursday

..and you know what that means. For this week again, anyway. I said I'd do totally random this time round by answering a question you set for me; and several of you asked about my workspace.

Here we go - 

My room for making things is on the fourth floor of our house. That is, of course, why I'm High in the Sky. So that's (hold on, I'll check..) 42 steps along several landings and up six sets of stairs. This is good because it's peaceful (unless I'm in a Morrissey mood). This is bad because I don't always hear the doorbell. And, of course, if I do catch it, I run the risk of permanent injury racing back down all the stairs in time to see my new supplies driving away again in the postman's red van. Same goes for the phone. There is no phone on the top floor, due to my own money saving nature. I'll admit it. I can answer The (not So) small One's hamburger (helpfully supplied by Uncle Dave last Christmas); but the line is bad and the goldfish in the tank on her desk give me the evil eye unless I feed them as I talk. Tell you what, leave me a message and I'll get back to you..


So, what would you see if you cam scrapping with me? Stop to get your breath back at the top of the stairs and you'll see my photography spot. I have to be careful about what time of day I use for my shots because the light comes from a skylight; but I like it here. I bought the small Ikea unit recently, and the plan was to keep my photo props and tripod and so on in the shelves. Of course I'm already filling them up with books and magazines instead..

Through the door and you'll find my desk


Two desks actually, though one is only a wallpaper pasting table (when we wallpaper, I'm allowed tp paste. Glue I can do). Let's try and ignore it. My big desk belongs to my sister, but I borrowed it when she moved. That would be, um, about five years ago.It's a great size, big enough to keep the sewing machine up on. But I do have a habit of piling stuff up around me. You can see on the left my "I'm in the middle of this" pile; and on the right the "you're next on my list" pile. 

I don't have any glamorous containers: it's mostly old takeaway tubs stuffed with things-I-might-need-sometime-in-the-future. I have bits from Studio Calico's Pop off the Page class in one at the minute.

Swivel to the right and you'll see - mmm, more storage. That's a work in progress. The unattractive gold trimmed shelf? I bought that from the bargain corner in TK Maxx and I'm planning on painting it. Hasn't happened yet. It holds kits. Beside that you can see the makeshift cardstock holders I cut down from mailing boxes. There's some coloured cardstock I bought from the States when the exchange rate was in our favour; and a couple of packs of Basic Grey Basics I'm loving right now. And there's my spray ink collection.

if you swivel round a bit more, still ignoring the pasting table, you'll see the unit which holds punches, stamps, inks and all my spare paper. It all fits in there - paper filed by colour, punches in one tray and inks in another. I don't buy often but stamps - these ones came with kits - and I don't often but ink. I have a few favourite Jenni Bowlin ones because they give a good result with acrylic stamps. Grey and navy are my current favourites. Then, less than a dozen punches and that's it.

It's only a corner, but it's filled right up. The room's a big one (we could really turn it into two, but we would have to add windows); so if I'm in a mood to be easily distracted I could play with some of the other stuff we have crammed in here. I could have a ride on the Wii bike, but that would be unlikely. I could decide to sort out the guest bed, but that's probably not going to happen. I could play some Smiths on the old stereo..ahh, now that's more like it...play loud music, make more pages faster works for me.

What works for you? It is Thursday after all: let's hear how you work. Or play. Away from the main action in the house? on your own? in a crowd? What makes you want to make? Over to you!

29 comments:

Jimjams said...

Nice to peak inside your eyrie!

Ruth said...

Lovely to see your space again, especially as I've been lucky enough to climb all those stairs and actually set foot in High in the Sky. I like the unit at the top of the final stairs

Susanne said...

Well, it is just as I expected, I have to say. I just described your style as light and airy to my CKCC friends and that's exactly the surroundings you seem to create in. And any gal who loves wallpaper is tops in my book too - I myself love it, but can't do it. I have a dedicated space which has gradually filled up over the last couple of years. I need to work on whittling it down in bigger chunks . . .um, next year. But I am blessed that it has a sink, fridge and microwave nearby, as well as a Bose system for tunes and a TV and chairs for snack breaks.

Maria Ontiveros said...

Thanks sooo much for showing us around! I have a table in the bedroom and storage all about the bedroom, closet and bathroom. When it's tidy, it's unobtrusive. Right now, it's a disaster down there!!! If it's tidy, I create there. Otherwise, I bring what I need upstairs to a tidy spot.
Rinda

Ladkyis said...

As we have five bedrooms for just the two of us I should be spoilt for choice. We have two guest rooms, a fornow room, our bedroom and my craft room is the second smallest room. When my parents were living with us it was my editorial room as well because I am Editor of the local Family History Society Journal. Now I do that downstairs and my craft room is where I go to sit and think and make pages and think and make cards for charity and think. it is about 9feet square so not too big but not too small either.

Karen said...

Loved the peek into your space. It took me two years to be convinced by my dear husband to move into a slightly larger room at the front of our second floor. I have lots of room here which I have managed to fill right up, and I often wonder why it took me so long to make the move!

Lisa-Jane said...

Do you have two sewing machines or is the same desk in different lights / angles? We have a funny layout in our house - its a converted bungalow so the front of the house has bedrooms and the middle has the lounge and the back has the dining room but its not next to the kitchen so was useless... until I claimed it! I can scrap and see the kids in the garden one way, see the hubs and the TV in the lounge or shut the French doors and pretend the rest of the them are not there!

Jennifer Grace said...

How nice to see a glimpse of your space. I love that your sewing machine remains in situ. And that you've been filling up that Ikea unit with magazines!

I am still re-arranging my space after moving everything to my dining room, so baby boy could have his own room. We bought a 4x4 expedit unit and just put it in today so I've been filling it up! Will share it at some point on my blog.

I like it being near the kids when they play, but I don't like packing everything away for dinnertime! x

Unknown said...

It looks lovely and peaceful up there. I have a corner of my bedroom, desk, five small storage units, printer on one, eclips on another, piles of stuff on others . I love it, I have a fairly uninspiring view which is mitigated by a lovely tree out of a nice big window to the left of me and I take my photos on the sill.

Irene said...

Good to see your creative wheelhouse. So many interesting bits and pieces to gaze at and fiddle with. I like your anglepoise lamp. It gives off a lovely glow.
And, I am in true admiration of all those stairs...

humel said...

Yes, like Ruth, this brought back happy memories of visiting your lovely space! *happy sigh* :)

Me, I mostly craft on the floor in the living room.... A lot of my craft supplies are in here (though I've got a fair bit in the dining room too, including all my 12x12 cardstock and paper, so a fair amount of trekking between rooms tends to occur!) Sometimes I use the coffee table, but I like to spread out more than that allows so more often I just use the floor....

Amy said...

Because I started scrapping when my children were really small I always scrapped at the dining table - it was easy to supervise if I needed and it enforced a good tidy up after each session. Through the renovation, we have an extra room that could be devoted to be a scrap room, if I wanted, but now that I am digi and used to always being around everyone, it will never be used that way. I am an in amongst it type of scrapper!

Sue Althouse said...

Thanks for sharing your wonderful space! It looks so light and airy, worth climbing all those stairs. Since mine is in the basement, I'm a bit envious. And due to my husband's fax machine, our phone only rings twice before the answering machine kicks in, so I never get to the phone in time!

Ginger said...

aha, so this is what it looks like high in the sky :) Your workspace looks very comfortable and cozy.

I work in my art room (the smallest bedroom in our home) and I just recently did some reorganizing which included turning my table around so I could actually look outside. I prefer to be up there on my own, listening to music too!

Carmen said...

Oh I loved this little glimpse into your world! And I am very jealous of that light and airy and what sounds like HUGE space. Though at the moment... after all those stairs, I'd likely just crash on the guest bed and snooze, never mind create :D

My area's are a bit spread about at the moment. I have a little corner of our dining room which houses my (increasingly wobbly) bureau style IKEA desk which we bought when we moved in here with the notion that I would shut it up at the end of the day and thus keep this room looking kind of tidy - yeah that never happens. I really, really, really want an OLD proper bureau, all us girls had one in our bedrooms as we were growing up and I don't know what happened to them. Mum used to pick them up dirt cheap in this warehouse place that used to do house clearances... of course you look for one now and you're talking mega bucks! *sigh* This is where I sit and do all my computery type stuff and it was supposed to be where I sat and did all my online workshops, but everyone keeps throwing me off so I never get a chance and it's why I'm now saving up for a tablet!

Next to my desk is my shelves, bit like the ones at the top of your stairs but taller. On there is my sketchbooks, RUB's and stuff. In front of that is the dinner table where I occasionally sit and draw or paint if someone else is hogging my PC. I'm set up there today as Craig keeps flitting in to watch American political stuff while he waits for deliveries.

I also have my 6' long and two step back 'messy room' out in the garage. It's a garage witha bit of extra space taked on - I think our landlord had it as a little workshop/garage when they lived here. When we moved in Craig put fake walls up out there to segment it into his office and bird room. Then for my birthday last year he segmented it a bit more to try and give me a space of my own. I can't really get out there at the moment as he is revamping his aviary to give his birds more room to fly and is overspilling a bit but when he's done that's where I sit and do the majority of my painting. I'll have to do a post on this like you have, then you can come have a nosey too if you like ;)

Sian said...

It's onlt one sewing machine - one picture with the light off and one with the light on because it looked cosier!

laurie said...

so fun to take a look at where your creative works come from! there must be something magic up there on the fourth floor... :-)

Abi said...

What a lovely sneak peak into your room high in the sky! Wow, I wish my craft room was like that! My craft room is my bedroom for now. It works fine, it's just the craft often spreads to the bed..sleeping becomes an issue then! ha ha!

Clare said...

Your crafting space looks very light and airy and I like the idea of being able to shut yourself away up there if you want peace and quiet!

My craft space is in our spare bedroom, depending on who's staying I do tidy some of it away when someone's coming to stay. I have an IKEA desk and Expedit storage unit so I can tidy away if I have to!

Lou said...

quite the workout you have climbing all those stairs...I like the idea of a room out of everyone's way! There'd be times i wouldn't want to come out lol!

It looks like a lovely space to create in x

Scrappi Sandi said...

Thanks for the peek into your creative space! I love your 'top of the stairs' set-up...good ol' Ikea Expedit!! I always think it was designed by a scrapbooker!! :D

Barbara Eads said...

I love peeking into the scrap spaces of my friends! Thanks for letting us in.

If you ever make it to Nashville, I can arrange a private introduction to Jenni Bowlin. We go way back. Plus, you can stay with me! I have plenty of room!

alexa said...

I remember some peeks from right at the start, I think? Lovely to see it now. Your photography space is such a good idea, and looks very cool. Nice to see where you 'dress' your pages so prettily for photographing.

Beverly said...

A lovely, calming space just what I'd expect for you, Sian. I have one of our bedrooms as my studio. It is totally my creative area, no possibility of anyone sleeping in there other than the cat as there is no bed.

Missus Wookie said...

Lovely light and airy space - i too am coveting the ability to leave the sewing machine out. Mind you I do have the ability to leave a page out at least.

I have posted photos of my space several times. Do need to post the new storage and organizing I suppose... hmm perhaps after the LSNED & Scavenger Hunt are finished.

Melissa said...

What a lovely space - thanks for the tour! I am enjoying my new craft room, although scrapping with friends is fun, too (I've just returned from a 4 day crop with BPC friends!).

Alison said...

Thanks for letting us have a peek! My scraping area is our dining area at the front of the house..you have to walk through it to get in to the house...I have a large storage unit and really only have to pack thongs away when I have houseguests
Alison xx

Nathalie said...

I am feeling pretty jealous of your space right now... So many advantages: a work out every time you go up there (no need to feel guilty for scrapbooking instead of exercising like I sometimes do), away from the phone and the front door (meaning no interruption from DS2's neighborhood friends constantly asking if he can come and play outside)... and all the room you need to spread out! I'm really green with envy right now!

Anonymous said...

Oh it looks so nice and light yet cozy. Looks like it suits you to a t. My space is in one of our spare bedrooms and is still in transition with some stuff in another room - i need to get it all in one room. :). Once its done I'll post some pictures.

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