After the Purge, Part 3 (and Bonus Dog Pictures)

Well, the before and after pictures for this side of the room aren't all that different, so here is an after picture.

After

On the left of the picture is my cutting and scoring station and a white basket to hold finished cards. Behind the basket is an electric pencil sharpener used by the whole family, which means it doesn't count as a craft expense, right? Of course I'm right. Also on the side table are an old Fiskar's 12" paper trimmer that has served me very well for at least 15 years and a first-generation Scor-Pal.

There are two paper folders on the Scor-Pal: one regular and one teflon. I score with the regular folder and use the teflon folder to press the fold down. (The teflon folders tend to wear out oddly if used to score on the scoring board, and they are so expensive!) The teflon folders don't make the paper shiny where they rub and are a critical tool when using heavy-weight cardstock. Learned about them from the fabulous Julie Ebersole. She's a genius!

The white drawers under the table hold embellishments (sorted by color), StampinUp and Brilliance inks, heat embossing supplies, and adhesives. There's also a larger drawer of surplus adhesives and rarely used adhesives in the unfinished area of the basement.

How does a stamper function without a bazillion kinds of adhesive? It's a mystery.

Now let's explore the desk.

After

The artwork on the wall includes three paintings by my mom. Mom derisively called them "sketches" and was going to throw them away...but the colors are too fun to trash! She also painted the darling owls on the right. The Celtic cross hanging on the left was a gift from my aunt, and the trivet with leaves in relief on the right was a gift from my friend Liz. The framed cork board in the middle holds a bird calendar, my color wheel, a list of birthday cards I need to make, and other miscellaneous things that don't have another place to live.

On top of the left drawer tower rests a CD storage basket full of sentiment sets and an adorable little owl stuffie that is so-soft-I'm-gonna-die! Whenever I get stressed, I look at the cute little guy or hold him in my hand. Instant blood pressure control! The top five drawers hold dye inks (mostly Archival, Memento, and Hero Arts). The bottom drawer holds white cardstock scraps because I have so many of them and need them to be handy.

Tucked against the tower is a pencil cup with Tombow mono adhesive and Scotch tacky glue, both of which are my primary glues for gluing papers. I store the Scotch bottle upside down so it's always ready to go. Behind the glue are squirt bottles of Glimmer Mist, Hero Arts stamp cleaner, and distilled water.

There are two Ott lights on my desk, and yes it bothers me that one is black and the other is green. They don't match. Ugh. But they both work great. It's so nice to have good light, even when I'm stamping at midnight, which doesn't happen as often now as it used to.

In between the Ott lights are pencil cups that hold, well, pencils, pens, and other tools (scissors, extra bone folders, pop-up white erasers, needle-nose pliers, etc.). The stationery organizer holds acrylic blocks, the stamps I use on the backs of cards, a CD case holding stamps to use on envelopes, post-it notes, and an adorable decorated clipboard made for me by my friend Lisa...whose craft room is miles ahead of mine. Having all these frequently-used tools front and center is so convenient.

The small, 6-drawer tower holds Copics and my embossing buddy and embossing ink (don't ask why they aren't in the drawer with the rest of my heat embossing supplies because I don't have a good answer for that). Stamp cleaning supplies are on top. I use an old Huggies travel case with a damp washcloth for regular cleaning, and a stamp scrubber sprayed with Hero Arts stamp cleaner for dye inks that stain stamps. I have an extra stamp scrubber across the room in a drawer with extra washcloths. Because. You know. Extras.

Tucked between the small drawer tower and the larger one on the right are my Omni-Grid quilting rulers and MISTI, along with the ink index I created because the colors on ink-pad cases often bear only a passing resemblance to the actual color of the ink inside them. The 6"x6" quilting ruler and my craft knife are the most used tools in my arsenal. A word of caution: if you've never used a craft knife and quilting ruler to cut paper, BE CAREFUL. Just sayin'.

The large tower on the right holds ink: pigment inks of the fast-drying kind (Fresh Ink, among others), Hero Arts ombre pads, and Kaleidacolor pads. On top of the tower is a coffee cup my sister bought me in Ireland. It's too small for coffee (I like big cups, and I cannot lie) but perfect for looking pretty and holding Tim Holtz watercolor brushes.

And there you have the full craft room. Up next, the hidden area in the unfinished basement, the birthday card organizer, and a few more of my favorite products.

And now what you really wanted to see....

It's much easier to photograph them when they are tired, LOL!

Mercy, grace, peace, love, and pups,
Susan