My Craft Room

The day has finally arrived.  I can't tell you how excited I am to share this space with you.  Now that the baby showers are over and the space is ready for crafting, we can finally explore the wonderful world of before and after.   Here's before, just to remind you where we started:

Great space, not a lot going on- can you see the potential? Here's another:

And here it is as a WIP:

And finally... drumroll, please...

The after shot :)

The techy area...

and the crafty area.

You may notice a slight 'red' theme going on in the studio.  The photo series above is from the amazing Nichole Robertson of Little Brown Pen.  If you are looking to accent a room with a specific color, Nichole has a variety of "Paris in _____" photo series in a variety of colors in her Etsy shop.

I was thrilled to find this vintage doily stretcher in an antique shop in Bay City.  Essentially, it's an old blocking board- how cool is that?

And to think- the only reason I went with red accents was because of my Strauch ball winder- I wanted to make sure it fit in :)

And just for the sake of instant gratification and seeing the pictures back to back:

And finally- just because many of you have asked- here's a bonus picture:

That's right, the updated belly shot at a full nine months (39 weeks) of pregnancy. Feeling a little like a sausage, but not too uncomfortable. 

DIY IKEA Work Table

It's a far stretch from a "big reveal", but I just couldn't wait to share my new work table with you. A couple weeks ago I posted about a project table that I fell in love with. Thanks to the help of Ikea, I was able to create my own project table. The best part? It is bigger, cheaper, and (I believe) more functional then the original I fell in love with. With this I present my customized IKEA workspace:
Isn't she a beaut'? I've already spent a good amount of time just daydreaming of all the work that will be accomplished in this area. I can't wait to fill those drawers and get started.


Although the table wasn't the cheapest option I looked at, I do think it will be more functional than all the others I saw. Here's the breakdown:

2 Akurum 24"x12" base cabinets with Stat White Drawer Fronts: $175x2= $350

1 Akurum 36"x12" base caibinet with Stat White Doors= $160

Numerar 73"x39" slab butcherblock countertop= $195

My total for the piece came in around $700

This still may be a little out of price ranges for a simple craft table, and after spending a good amount on time on the IKEA website, I believe this concept can also be made for less. One thing I was really set on was drawer space, but let's face it, drawers cost money. Ikea has many other options that can be used as the base of a table like this. Here is another breakdown:

2 Smadal Bookcases: $70 x 2= $140

Numerar Countertop 73" x39"=$195

Here, you are looking at a cost of under $350

Unfortunately, only the Numerar countertop comes in this wide of a piece, but there may be yet another option. If you wanted more a a square table, you could purchase 2 slabs of Lagan counter top (still butcher's block, slightly thinner than Numerar) at $39 each. This would produce a square table (about 50" x50") and would come in at about $220.

For me, I am more than happy with how my custom piece turned out. Plenty of drawer space, a large work area, and a permanent home for these guys:

That's right- no more clearing the kitchen counter whenever I need to wind a ball of yarn!

As for the rest of the basement, it's still a work in progress(you may have noticed the painter's tape in the top picture... trim seems to never end). It also seems the more we do, the more the list grows. I thought it should be the other way around.

In the meantime, I have put myself on a knitting ban. No more knitting until I have a place for everything. I did sneak in a project a couple weeks ago that hasn't been posted, more on that later.

More Details

The new craft room is moving right along (hopefully all the construction will be finished by the end of today!) and I have been quite busy making decisions on how to furnish the very open space.

Have you ever seen the Pottery Barn Bedford Project Table?

I have always considered it an ideal workspace, but the price tag plus added shipping always stops me from purchasing. It seems others have the same issues as I do as I have found many other ideas for a similar table that people have suggested.

Here's one for $549 from AVthinginitsplace.com:

You can find details on how to make your own project table for under $150 here:

As for me, I will be trying to rig up somthing similar using cabinitry from Ikea. I'm trying to make final decisions now, and will hopefully be ordering by the end of the week.

How about you, what is your ideal workspace? Where do you currently do most of your artsy/crafty work?

On Swatch Watch... Take Two

Three new colors- I think we finally have some winners. After some of the new floor went down, it seemed to completely change the look of every swatch we had put on the wall. Here were the original 9:

The color that was my favorite (the beige around the outlet on the right) began to look 'fleshy' against the tone of the wood.

Here is an update of the actual craft room/knitting studio area:

Now the trouble is just deciding what color should go where... it never ends!

Crafting Space... The Little Details

My new studio is moving right along. No, I still haven't chosen a color, but I have bought 3 more samples to try... unbelievable! We have made the decision to get the floor down first, then see how the samples look.

There is a new folder at the top of my internet browser that reads "Craft Room Inspiration". Today I want to share a few items that I love, and if I haven't purchased them already, I plan to before project completion.

Thanks so Country Living, I am totally convinced I need a vintage tobacco cabinet. Why, you ask? Just look...

{-via Country Living-}

This Letterpress Poster is great. I have not yet decided on what color to order, I'll wait until the end for that.

{-via hijirik's Etsy shop-}

I already have this clipboard, but I very well may be purchasing a few more once colors have been decided on. So many more colors, its very hard to choose!

{-via box64studios Etsy shop-}

I love the look of an old card catalog. I'm not exactly sure where to find them (I have seen a couple on Craigslist- but they were a little out of my price range), or where I would even put it, but if the space is available, I may be on the lookout!

{-via Apartment Therapy-}

Although my folder is very full, I will save some items for later. Anything you can't live without in your home office/ craft room? I'd love to see it!

Crafting Space

Construction has begun! As you can see from the photo above, it may not look like much now, but give us a few months and we will have a fully functioning crafting area. That's right, French Press Knits headquarters will be moving from what should be our dining room, into its own designated space.

I'm excited about this area of the basement because there is so much natural light that comes in. We are not going to close in the craft room, but instead leave it open to the rest of the basement. There are many decisions to be made, but most of my time has been spent finding small bits of charming and cheerful decor. I've actually started a folder of bookmarked pages that are exclusively items I would like in the room. I don't want to give them all away before the reveal, but this one I must share.

This was designed by fellow knitter Derya Davenport and is available as a free PDF download on her blog, Laylock. I have big plans for blowing this up, printing it out, and framing it to go somewhere in our crafty realm. If you haven't stumbled upon her blog as of yet, it is a must for a knitter. It was one of the first knitting blogs I started reading and I fell in love with Derya's writing and designs as soon as I found it. The link to the PDF can be found here, and there are many colors to choose from. Derya, thank you so much for making this available to knitters everywhere!

HEMFXRZP7TXB

Craft Room Inspiration

There are many events in a girl's life that she dreams about for many years. Falling in love, her wedding day, buying her first home, starting a family. For me (and I assume many of my loyal readers), designing an ideal craft room has always topped the list.

I admit, in the past decade many a'pages were dog-eared and torn out of my personal collection of Martha Stewart Living and Better Homes and Gardens magazines. There are folders on my computer marked 'decorating ideas' that seem to only grow with time.

I don't know if its the soft colors or pristine organization that draws me in. Either way, it's always been a dream of mine to have a full-fledged craft studio and yesterday, my dream started to become a reality.

We will be starting to frame out our basement on Monday, and an 11' x 15' space will be completely dedicated to knitting. Granted, we will be working within a budget, but I've started looking for inspiration on the web. Get ready for a picture overload... these are just a few of rooms I love:

{via BHG}

{via BHG}

{via BHG}

{via Pottery Barn}

{via Country Living}

{via Apartment Therapy}

{via Apartment Therapy}

So here's where I enlist your help. Any wonderful craft room inspiration ideas? Throw up the links- I want see them all!