Friday, November 23, 2012

41 UHeart Organizing: A Cozy Craft Corner!

We have been doing a lot of holiday talking lately, so let's get back to organizing shall we?  Cassie from Hi Sugarplum is back again today to share the most sweet and stylish crafting corner yet!  Ready to be in loooove?


Hello fellow organizational enthusiasts! {That's the polite version of 'OCD Whacks'! But I don't care, it's a label I wear proudly!}  I'm thrilled to be hanging out with you again, and I hope you're having a fabulous holiday weekend! One of my favorite things about this time of year, is having the kids home from school. But that doesn't mean mama wants them glued to my side the entire time! It's nice when they play by themselves some, too {can I get an Amen!?}.

My daughter loves to draw and read, so to encourage self-play and creativity, I carved out an Art Center space just for her. It doesn't have to be big...just a little corner or blank wall.


I created a small Art Center for her last year, but her needs have changed, so it was time for a little overhaul. Like Jen always says, organizational spaces need to be revisited and tweaked until perfect!

First I painted our Ikea chalkboard with leftover paint from her dresser, and hung some magnetic rails we weren't using. If you don't have an Ikea nearby, you can use small curtain rods or magnetic strips. But always search your house for supplies first, you'd be amazed at how useful those random items can be!


I'm a sucker for personalization, so I spray painted wooden letters and glued them to the chalkboard. These are from Hobby Lobby, but most craft store sell them. My penmanship rivals a serial killer doctor's, or else I'd have just drawn her name.


The chalkboard pulls double-duty since it's magnetic, too. We don't have a large house, so I try to squeeze every usable space out of it!


Every artist needs supplies to create their masterpieces....so we hung several buckets on the rails to corral colored pencils, markers, scissors, stencils and crayons. I'll label the buckets {duh!} once I see how she likes to keep them. I left extra room in the buckets and rails, so she can add little touches of her own.


You can read how to create these cute monogrammed buckets here {they were part of the original space}.


Along with being an "organizational enthusiast," comes just a teeny-tiny bit of neat-freakness....which means I don't like things laying around on the floor. A small rack provides enough storage for the coloring and reading books she uses most. This one is from Container Store, but any wall mount rack will do. Or even a small basket to place nearby.


We clipped her stickers to the basket as well....you know, that whole double-duty thing!


Everything she needs to create, read and relax...all in one cute and colorful spot!






Happy girl means happy me!


I took the Art Center one step further, by adding no-sew throw pillows, a cozy throw and a lapdesk.



This sweet corner gets a lot of action! You can check out the rest of her room here.


I could totally spend the afternoon here, napping coloring and reading with my favorite girl. Do you have a little space for yourself or your kids, totally dedicated to crafting and creating? I think I need to find another corner in the house for me!


"Hi, I'm Cassie, a DIY and design-obsessed Texas girl, and lover of travel, fashion, sarcasm and Mexican food. When I'm not hanging with my sweet and funny family, you can find me kicking the '80s out of our home, one budget project at a time, on my blog Hi Sugarplum!"





41 comments:

  1. You are a genius at using all the space in your home in such a great way! She is seriously adorable! Such a sweet spot!

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  2. I love this chalkboard do you have a link or a tutorial?

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    1. Hey Meghan -- I used this one from Ikea, but hacked it a bit. :)

      http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50089231/

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  3. I LOVE this! I NEED to know where you found those pink buckets where the handles fit ever so PERFECT in the rail? Please share!

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  4. Very cute, Cassie! I'm sure Sloan makes some seriously great art in her little corner :)

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  5. I love all of your organization posts! It would be amazing if you did a vanity organization post!

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    1. Hi Thania!

      Thank you! You can find my vanity post here: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2012/08/a-pretty-organized-vanity-promo-and.html

      xo,
      Jen

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  6. Very cute idea but please tell me I'm not the only one who noticed the backwards "l" in Sloan's name? I keep looking at it and seeing "Sjoan".

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    1. So funny. I read it that way too, then thought that it was just me vs. the curly-q letters!

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    2. I was thinking the same thing! I've worked at that store and put those letters away, and I'm pretty sure it's a "J"...but I could be wrong, some of those curly letters play eye tricks!

      I love the rug / lapdesk addition...it's the perfect finishing touch to that space! I bet she loves her corner, great job!

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  7. It looks fantastic! How fun for her!

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  8. So super cute!! My daughter is a writer and illustrator (always writing and illustrating stories!!) She is also always pulling our white board into her room to make signs and play school. This would be perfect!! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  9. Fabulous space! I just love the hanging buckets.

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  10. So cute!! I would had loved a space like this when I was little!! Great work!
    xx

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  11. This is very cute and cozy feeling with the little rug. I would love to know where you got your lap desk! Thanks!

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    1. It is from Ikea too...$10! But you can find them in most office supply stores, Target, etc. Trays meant for breakfast-in-bed are great as lap desks too!

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  12. What a wonderful space! I know she enjoys it very much!!

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  13. I thought you were on an IKEA strike? Looks fabolous anyway!

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    1. Yep, still on the strike! This post was written by one of my fantastic contributors!
      xo,
      Jen

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  14. Any girl or boy would be thrilled with this useful space. Another excellent idea, Jen.

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  15. This is a dream-corner for any little girl's room! Adorable. :)

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  16. So inspiring that she turned that little unused corner into such a cute and functional space!

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  17. I love all our organizational tips!

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  18. Love your blog, here is my crafty area, u would have a great time organising me! http://www.readersheds.co.uk/share.cfm?SHARESHED=4109

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  19. I love this! My dad built my daughter a stand alone easel last year for Christmas and although it's wonderful and provides lots of space (two sided two - one chalkboard, one with a paper roll and clips, both sides with large trays), it takes up a lot of floor space! This may be something to create in my daughter's "big girl room" when I get around to it. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Wonder if you could take the easel apart and mount one side to the wall? Lucky you to have such a handy dad! :) And love your name...ours is a family name, too! xo

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  20. Great Corner
    J
    http://lifelovesand.blogspot.ie/

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  21. Wow - this is very similar to the area I want to make my daughter...just waiting for our IKEA to open up this Wednesday ! Although I don't think I'll be going soon as it will be SUPER busy!
    I want to use the hanging pots for markers/crayons etc and the wall mount magazine display for colouring books/paper. I won't add a chalkboard, but right under this area will be her table and 2 chairs. I can TOTALLY picture it and she will LOVE it!

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  22. I agree with Megan...you really do use space so well. This area is fantastic. My Riley would never leave this corner!!!

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  24. Awesome!! Can I share this entry with my blog readers?

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  25. Super cute! But where can I find that book rack? I clicked the link which led me to target, then searched the container store and only found wall mounted hooks... then I gave up :) We desperately need some of these!

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  26. So cute, but what really caught my attention was your daughter's name...my daughter is also a Sloan! (Her initials are also SFG!) Great blog btw, thanks for all your great ideas.

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