Cheap n' Chic: Tips for Setting up a Quick Craft Room

I just spent a few hours to start putting together my craft room, since i've picked up the new hobby of "stamping" and I need to put all that stuff somewhere! I did manage to step away from the Stampin' Up catalogue from Genevieve (I can hear my friends and family laughing here), and put up some shelving and did some re-organizing. I know a few of you have asked me advice on how to create your own craft space on a very limited budget, so here are some tips that I hope will help!

Organizing a craft room is all about keeping things you need in efficient reach, without having to see everything on your table.

TIP 1: Invest in inexpensive boxes (you can find them at Ikea or Homesense) to file away your papers and tools. You dont necessarily need a big working space if it's kept clean. Next to the desk I created a makeshift shelf to hold my ink pads and punches which I regularly use.
TIP 2: Bulletin boards covered with fabric are also inexpensive and add colour to the room (since I haven't gotten around to painting). I also stuck two cork sheets on the wall from the Dollar Store for extra space.

 Here's a standard shelf from Ikea that the previous owners left. I hold all my floral, craft, drawing/painting and rental supplies here.

 TIP 3: Here i've used old chocolate box dividers and tackle box trays as an inexpensive way to organize your little buttons, ribbons, and tags.

 TIP 4: Use picture rails to display things like paper, stamps, etc. I like to see what i've got on hand, so I can figure out what to create. I scored on two of these for $2, but you can find them at Ikea as well.

 TIP 5: Floating shelves add an extra dimension to your room as well as display space for your collections. Here are some (ahem... yes, I have more, i'm an addict) of my ribbons... I'm on the lookout for a better option here because it's clearly not big enough but it'll do for now! For my trimming collection, I use old cardboard and wrap it around.

 TIP 6: Use gift or chocolate boxes to store extra ribbon ends or papers

 TIP 7: Use every inch of space! I use this closet to house part of my floral stems (if you're into that, use large heavy bottomed vases). I also used the closet rails as a gift wrap/ tissue paper rack for now :)

TIP 8: My favourite tip of the day is to use your crafts as a part of your artwork! Have old scissors that are dull, or pencils that are too stubby? Try framing them in a shadow box and hang it in your craft room. Above, I stamped a simple image of a bunny and scribbled my initials. Instant art!

Need help putting together your craft room? Call Creative Design Therapy and we'll put together a plan for you or implement a design that will make your crafts and tools shine.

Customer Appreciation Night Gets Creative Therapy

I couldnt wait to share these pics of the snack baskes I prepared for the customer appreciation night for my friend's company, Auto Niche. A women friendly, and woman own and operated auto shop, I created a whimsical snack basket with her company colours in mind of red and black.

 Each lucky guest received a chocolate dipped strawberry, red and black berries, nori sprinkled popcorn and a package of cookies.

 Inside the custom cookie wrappers were homemade white and chocolate chip cookies...

 and ginger molasses cookies. I had a great time making it!

Sold! Our Last Staging Project's Before & After

I just wanted to post some of the before and after pictures of the last project I worked on, which was close to downtown Toronto. I'm so blessed to have had the chance to work on this house and very happy to announce that it was sold in just a little over a week!
Below: The door was repainted with the classic designer favourite, "Million Dollar Red". We re-opened a previous opening from the foyer to the living room and capped it with trim..

The Living Room Before

 After: The walls were refreshed and replastered with a few fresh coats of Benjamin Moore paint (Grey Cashmere 2138-60). The wood burning fireplace is accented and highlighted with architectural pictures of Paris.

Flanking the entrance of the living room:  I picked up these two rounded spindle back antique chairs from the Roncesvalles antique area, which happened to be the exact same chairs that the owner of the house grew up with!

 The Dining Room After: I reupholstered the window bench with French striped cloth from Designer Fabrics. The linen curtains are from Ikea. The gorgeous domed ceiling was painted Dove White (OC-18).

 Kitchen Before

After: I used one of my favourite paint colours of all time, Ocean Air (2123-50) by Benjamin Moore. The fresh new eat-in kitchen area now feels breezy and refreshed.

 Bedroom Before...

 After: All three bedrooms on the third floor received new trim, paint and new carpet. The gorgeous beamed ceiling's height was now a lot more evident thanks to the trim paint (Cloud White - OC-130). The room was decorated as an office with just the right amount of whimsy.

Guest Bedroom Before: My favourite feature of this bedroom before was the large "Swollen Members" sticker that was stuck on one of the beams. Kidding aside, this room had great light and great bones to be a wonderful guest bedroom.

 After: The room is now bright, cozy and a very comfortable spot to enjoy the views! I especially love these black and white bird curtains I scored from Ikea.

 Master Bedroom Before... This was certainly the most interesting bedroom floor that I had ever seen, but let's just say that the new cut berber carpet fits better.

 After: Somehow, the copper pipes used as drapery rods didn't make the cut (although it's an ingenious idea that could be used in another space!). Now the master bedroom is a large retreat away that's reminiscent of the nearby Beach neighbourhood. I love the client's painted dresser from the first bedroom that ended up being the perfect accent to this room.
*Tip: By switching the light fixtures around from room to room, I was able to save the clients hundreds of dollars!

Basement Redesign and Reno Project: From Dark and Dingy to Bright and Cheerful!

This renovation project has quickly become one of my favourite designs of all time. As a basement of a bungalow, the new owner of this home wanted it to feel as much as it was a living space as it was upstairs.

Much of the the huge 1700 sq. ft. space was wasted as it was a poorly designed layout. Everything about the dark, dingy, and patchy space seemed like an afterthought or a bargain shop purchase.

With the help of our construction crew and some wise design choices, the space has now a crowd favourite and has already hosted many gatherings to the delight of the home owner! 

The basement stairs now: solid stained oak with iron pickets. A grand entrance to the large, white bright space! The star of the show is definitely this new Torly's saw cut Lexington white laminate.

One of my favourite features of this basement is this custom kitchenette and bar area we built complete with white Corian countertops to ward off any stains from wine or juice from parties.

The laundry room before



The laundry room now: double doors open to reveal a brand new pair of washer and dryer (we can get you excellent deals on appliances if you renovate with us)



Another photo of what the rooms looked like before

We constructed 3 generous sized bedrooms with plenty of room for the main area to spare.

Another bedroom gets a cheery outlook for hosting grandkids

 

The rec room has been designed with many versatility in mind. The rooms are able to host card games, ball hockey games, video game tournaments (with a mounted large screen tv), and sophisticated parties. We try our best to give you the best out of every inch!

The future 2nd washroom

A brand new washroom was installed compete with custom tiling in the shower stall.

 

My House- More Progress

The accessorized living room awaits window dressings. I'll share more details soon, but I achieved this look with a lot of cheap art!

 Foyer and stairwell - i've installed this new chrome lantern light fixture (that I got from Homesense for $99!) to give it some polish.

I scored this awesome dresser from Homesense for only $299. I always look for pieces that have carvings, mouldings or details in the front and the back, which is a sign of quality.

My New Home Preview

Some people have been asking to see progress on my new home so I decided to post the progress photos. It's still under renovations (as you can see from the mess!!) but it's definitely coming together. More to come!

I saved this little guy from the junk yard  from my client's house. Unfortunately his ear chipped when I was driving :P He keeps a close eye on the front of the house for me :)
 The previous owner's furniture is in this "before" picture for the living room.

 I had the walls repainted and added 4 potlights. I have yet to sew the pillows (i'm going to add special trim) and put up photos.

 Family room "before"...

 There isn't much progress here yet, except I had a new light fixture installed. As much as I admire the previous home owner's devotion to saving energy, having flourescent lightbulbs everywhere makes the house very cold! The kitchen Island I bought is currently being used as my tv stand.

 The kitchen "before"...

So far, it's still a mess, but the kitchen has had the extra pantry removed, received new appliances, and a fresh coat of paint... well, more like 4... or 6... Hard work but it is saving me tons of money in the interim until I can save up to do what I really want to do!

Rental Property Leased in 2 Days!

I heard great news from my clients that the rental property I designed last month was leased within 2 days (with 2 offers, and at full asking price!). Give us a call to get a free consultation today, and see how your we can help you with a hassle free, on budget and on-time renovation!

Current Project!

It's a stormy night out there but here's a small peek at what's been going on at my current project. I've been working on designing a full renovation project on a multi-million dollar bungalow for the past 2 1/2 months, and it's almost coming to a close. I'll be posting photos when it's all done but here's a taste:

 Get our team in before you even own the house so you know exactly what you're getting into! Here we are taking a look at a wall for removal during the pre-inspection.

 After possession (of course!), here's the wall removed. Remember, for every wall you take out, you must finish all sides! It's not as simple as you may think :)

 Since it's a bungalow, the basement became a crucial part of the living space. Since the laminate was installed poorly and was of bad quality, we planned to remove all of it, as well as the suspended ceiling.

 An old, outdated laundry room was also removed and stripped to the studs.

 The laundry room and storage rooms were all stripped down. Luckily since it was down to the studs, we were able to find a water leak easily and patch it up when it rained heavily. We also discovered the flooring was sagging upstairs but it is now all taken care of! These are great examples why good renovations can save you money in the long run. 

A dark faux wood panelled bedroom with mouldy carpet.

 The same room stripped down to the studs, and reinsulated.

 Another room is given new insulation and drywall, complete with potlights. The room is now bright, clean and welcoming!

 A scary and gloomy hallway leads to an existing washroom.

Everything was ripped out and has been replaced.