With every Wednesday comes a peek at the current week’s Pals Paper Arts Design Team card. I had a wonderful time creating this card…and it is pretty simple…for me. It features three products from the Holiday Mini, as well as one of my favorite Designer Series Papers, Mocha Morning! Please join me for the reveal on Thursday! This Card Can Be Yours….
…simply by leaving me a comment on today’s and Thursday’s post! It’s that easy! I will randomly select one of you to receive this card. I love to share my creations!
Where I Stamp and Store…The Stampin’ Pantry
I have been asked so many times to share pictures of my stamping space. The fact is, I don’t have a studio, or even a dedicated room for stamping. I actually stamp on the kitchen island or the dining table. Many of my supplies are stored in my pantry, where they share space with the Crock Pots and bread machine, or in the kitchen. I would love to have a beautiful room some day, but for now, I will share pictures of how I make my space work for me.
With a room this small, there has to be a place for everything, and everything must be in its place.
The paper rack works better for storing things like cutting mats and pads of designer paper.
My inks, refills, and daubers share space on an old antique desk.
Ribbons are stored by style in the ribbon keepers that Stampin’ Up! retired. I would love to have the rods like so many people have, but I don’t have the place to put them.
Paper is stored in two sizes of simple paper holders, and was once organized by color family.
My apron and demonstrator bag hang from the end of an old wardrobe.
Older stamps are stored on the shelves of the wardrobe which has had the doors removed.
New releases and “mini” stamp sets are stored in a clock case in the dining room.
Stamps from the Holiday Mini are stored on the top shelf, while sets from the 2011 – 2012 Idea Book and Catalog are on the bottom shelf.
Dies are stored in the kitchen next to the refrigerator. My husband and son have learned to accept this.
I move my paper cutter and Big Shot out from the pantry and onto the kitchen counter when it is time to create.
My one big concession was removing the gorgeous light fixture which actually went with the kitchen decor and replacing it with this modern fixture complete with special bulbs for less color distortion. The end result is that it makes the kitchen look like an operating room. Arghhh!
The lights are positioned right above my island, where I do the bulk of my creating.
And so there you have it. I took what I had, and made it work for me. Remember, your comments are important to me. I do read each and every one! Of course, if you have questions, remember I am only an email away! Until next time…
Wow you are so organized…it is wonderful thanks for all the ideas.
I love your stampin space!!! I love your organization goodies. Fabulous! Hugs,
Wow, you may not have a designated work room, but you are incredibly organized and make it work! I have taken over our Dining Room and now I don’t have to have company for supper!! LOL — I hate to cook!
Anxious to see the card! You do great work. Thanks for sharing your stamping space with us. It gives me ideas to use.
Jennifer
Who would have thought that the Stampin’ Schach works in the Stampin’ Pantry? Not me. Was sure that your fabulous creations came out of a top of the line, state of the art – Stampin’ Studio. Anxious to see the card you reveal tomorrow!
Ann, I really enjoy looking at your creations. i am eager to see the holiday-mini. Thanks for sharing.
Kathy
You sure don’t need a top of the line workspace in order to create the beautiful cards that you do. I love the sneak peek but am anxious as always for the full reveal. Kathy in AZ
You’ve made me feel so much better about my “space”. I have also been creating on our kitchen island since I started making cards. Just this summer my husband built me a “desk” as well as a standing work area both with shelves above them. He just finished them so I haven’t even finished reorganizing all of my supplies yet. We decided since we never have company that my “work area” will reside on one side of the dining room! eeek!! Not great for the decor, but I’d rather be making cards anyway! LOL!! Now I have to ask… is there any room for food in your kitchen? LOL!! I’m sure the reason my husband decided to build me a new work area is because I was slowly but surely taking up more and more of the kitchen cabinet space!!! LOL!!
You’ve done a great job with your little space – it’s LOVELY!!! And I can’t WAIT to see your latest creation!
The card looks pretty java jivin’ to me! That looks like the new quilted ribbon too. But, not sure what else is in store for us with this card. It reminds me of some chocolate delight for sure!
Now, I am amazed at how much stuff you have and how organized you are! I don’t have very many stamp pads though but I am thinking I need a tower but not sure the tower is really what I want. Maybe that is why I don’t stamp too often – my stuff is strung all over the house. I keep saying one of these days! Anyway, you organization is just amazing! thanks for showing us.
Chris R. from Iowa
It doesn’t matter what size space or room you have. When I’m working on cards, I am not aware of my surroundings anyway. I don’t think if you had a spacious, fancy room that your cards could get any better than they are. So I’m for you keeping the status quo. Oh yeah, looking forward to the full peak tomorrow.
Ann…I am in love with Mocha Morning…and can’t wait to see the full reveal of your card. I know it will be a beauty!
I’m a former dining room stamper. With 5 kids living in a 3 bedroom house, I had to make do with what space I had. I stored all my “stuff” in a circa 1940 Philippine Mahogany buffet. Once the kids moved out, my husband and I moved our office space into one of the bedrooms, so now I have loads of room. I love how my studio space greets me when I come in here to work.
It was fun to see your crafting place;I was scared when you said it was a pantry that I would feel very guilty because my new (to me) house does have a room I used just for crafting, but I don’t have very organized or useful yet. I pictured my “pantry” which is just a kitchen cupboard. It’s fun to imagine you stamping in your kitchen. Loved hearing from The Twins yesterday, and would love to win your sure-to-be-gorgeous card using Mocha Morning!
I love your cozy stampin’ pantry, Ann! HOW FUN to see where you create all your magic! XOXO
Ann, you have created a space that works for you given your space constraints. I am sure that you would continue to create beautiful cards no matter what kind of space you had. We do whatever it takes to create.
Really looking forward to your card tomorrow. Can’t wait to see what products you used. Hopefully I already have them so I won’t be tempted to buy more! Man you are organized! I do have a separate room but it isn’t all that big. If I were more organized it would appear to be bigger! Love how you have everything. Goes to show, if you want to stamp you can find room to do it. See you tomorrow!
I really appreciate you sharing your stamping space with us. It is wonderful to have a mental picture of you at work there!You’ve surely made the most of your space and in a beautiful way.
LOVE THE CARD PEEK!
I HAVE TO SAY THAT I FEEL YOUR PAIN! SOME OF MY STUFF IS UPSTAIRS SHARING A ROOM WITH MY 4 YEAR OLD AND SOME OF IT IS DOWNSTAIRS. MOST TIMES I’M CUTTING ON THE PIANO BENCH IN MY LIVING ROOM SO THAT I CAN BE NEAR MY FAMILY IN THE EVENING AND GET SOME WORK DONE. ๐
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE HOW YOU INCORPORATED THINGS TO GO INTO THE REST OF YOUR HOUSE, ALL LOOKING AS IF THEY WERE MEANT TO BE THE DECOR ALL ALONG!! ๐
The card looks interesting and as always on reveal day, will be gorgeous. You are so organized regardless of the space. I do have a room for crafting but share it with the kitty box. Someday I’ll get everything cleared out, shelves put up to line all the stamp sets and punches up, etc. nice to dream!!!!
I completely understand about “using what you have and making it work”. I really enjoyed seeing your space. They do vary from blogger to blogger. Is the large basket on the wall in the first and sixth pictures, the one with stars on it, an old cotton ginning basket? It sure looks like it.
Ann can’t wait to see your sneek revealed! LOVE the Morning Mocha DSP… I have lots of ideas floating around in my head.
Thanks for sharing your working space. I used to work in my kitchen too, but then slowly migrated downstairs to the basement (which is STILL a work in progress) and eeked out a small space to make my own. It is really odds and ends and make shift tops, but it is coming together and works for me too. I finally broke down and bought a couple tables at Costco and now my classes held there and all the gals think it’s a FABULOUS new space, so I won’t spoil that thought for them! Hugs.
oops…I forgot to say you need to convert your wood sets to cling mounted it would really free up stamp set space. I converted mine a couple years ago. If I hadn’t done that I probably couldn’t walk into my stamp room! lol
Ann you are very good storing your stamping items. I would give it up if I had to put things away & keep things neat. I started out on the kitchen table until the kids moved. I have converted the smallest bedroom to a very full stamp room. But, I also miss being around my hubby when he is watching tv…but oh well got to stamp.lol
Love your cards and twins articles.
Thanks for your inspirations. (still havn’t used my sense of time set yet maybe today)
I love this paper… Can’t wait to see the reveal tomorrow. I am kinda envious of you that you can stamp in your kitchen. I do have a craft room a very tiny one but it is the perfect size. I also have to keep things super organzied. Mine use to be a bedroom on the second floor of our house. Although I love and appreciate it… I would love it if I could have it in my kitchen. I love being around my family and sometimes in the evening I get creative and I don’t want to go upstairs away from them. If you can make these beautiful cards from your kitchen, I am just wondering are you just as creative cooking? lol
hugs
Darlene-Joy
Can’t wait to see what you have done with the Mocha Morning. I, too, am undecided about it. It shows off so much better in a card. Your crafting space is so organized! Wow! Thanks for sharing as it gives us all good ideas for storing. I love the inside the clock idea! LOL! I have “my room” for crafting and it usually looks like a tornado has run through it…but I can always close the door! I am currently working on converting my wood stamps into cling mount. It really reduces the space they require to store. I can get 2 or 3 sets in one clear mount case. See you tomorrow. Pet the boxer twins for me!
Thanks for sharing your work space with us, Ann. I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who has NO craft room! LOL
OMG, I wish I was as organized as you are. I can only dream. ๐ I love the sneak peek for tomorrow’s card.
Love that you make your space work for you…we don’t all have the luxury of a “special” room..can’t wait to see the rest of this card
You are so organized, I’m jealous! Thank you so much for sharing your space with us!
Not only do you make PERFECT cards…you are a PERFECT organizer. Is there anything you can’t do? Can’t wait for the reveal…see you in the AM!
You are not only creative with designing your cards but also with designing your creative space! That’s amazing! Can’t wait to see the card!
Ann,
Love all of your cards. You do such beautiful work. Thank you for sharing your stamping space with us. I love that you make what you have work.
Can’t wait to see your card!!!
Thanks for sharing your stampin’ pantry! Sorry you had to give up your kitchen light for an operating room light, but your creative output is so worth it!!!
Looking forward to what you have created for tomorrow.
Enjoyed seeing your stampin’ space. Have a great day.
Well it just goes to show you don’t need a big fancy room to create works of art! I stamp in our spare bedroom and there’s not a lot of extra space in there to stamp so like you, I have to be really organized and put everything away when I’m done with it. One day I’d love to have a big room with all kinds of cabinets for storage but for now this works for me.
Can’t wait to see your card tomorrow, I’m not sure how much I like that Mocha Morning paper but I know you will do something so fantastic with it that I’ll just have to have it! LOL
1st I want to say that I can’t wait to see that card tomorrow! I am “on the fence” about that Mocha Morning paper…Flocking and Metallic Ink scared me away but I love the patterns.
2nd I love that you make such gorgeous designs in a “make do with what you have space”. It just goes to show that you don’t have to have a designer room, dedicated to our paper crafts, to create beautiful things!
3rd, I just have to say, LOVE the Ducks Unlimited clock ๐ That’s my kinda house!
-Mary
Can’t wait to see this card….can already tell it is going to be a beauty!
I am one of those lucky people who have a big room dedicated to my craft! The downside of that is that I buy so much more stuff and I don’t tend to keep it as neat as I would like to. Where as you have to keep your small area neat to make it work. Before we fixed up my room in the basement, I used the dining room table. That was when I was only scrapbooking and it sure was hard to keep it neat and clean because you use so much more stuff for scrapbooking. Thanks for showing your stamping space!
WOW you are super organized!
I also dream of a room someday but
for now I use my bedroom. I have a desk at the foot of my bed. I usually cut, put away, stamp, put away, emboss, put away, Big Shot, put away…. You get the idea.
I LOVE your dogs and the stories.
I have 2 beautiful little yorkies that I TOTALLY LOVE.
Thanks for sharing with us.
I see the new quilted ribbon! I can’t wait to see tomorrows card.
Wow you really are very organized.I love looking at other stamper’s rooms or storage areas. You really know how to make a small space work! Thanks for sharing your pictures.
I can’t wait to see which Holiday Mini products you used! I like how you have made use of your space. I am dreaming of a craft room someday! But for now…I keep all my stuff in a small closet and stamp on my kitchen counter. I like your way of organizing your stamps by catalog. It’s a great idea that would really help me to find what I want in my small space. Thanks for sharing!
Can’t wait to see what you came up with tomorrow. Thanks for sharing your stamping space with us. Always helps to see how others make it work when you don’t have a dedicated stamping spot.
Who needs a fancy room to make super fancy cards? Not you! I have a dedicated room, but it is mainly to keep the cats away from my ribbon. It’s small, but it works. ๐ I’d rather have a space in the heart of the house as I’d probably create more on the days/nights that the hubby is home. I feel guilty slipping off to my room when he’s here.
Can’t wait to see your card tomorrow!