Search the Community

I am in dire need of a hug, some tissues and a huge bar of chocolate! My current setup is as follows: 2nd floor has our master bedroom and a smaller room, currently my scrapbook/sewing/computer room. 3rd floor has the kids in the identical master bedroom and a smaller room, currently my miniatures workshop. The kids used to live in the two rooms on the 3rd floor, but they wanted to share, and the second room became a playroom. After that was ignored for months, I moved my miniatures from the dining room into that space. Now, 18 months later, the kids want their own rooms again. My husband thinks it is a good idea, saying I'm taking up too much space in the house with my "stuff". I cannot help it if recyclable items want to become miniatures and gravitate towards me; or if dollhouses ask me to adopt them. I shall have to graciously concede defeat, but the bigger problem is that I have huge pieces of furniture in the two work rooms that need to fit into the master bedroom upstairs. I guess my only option is graphic squared paper and cutting out all the little pieces of furniture to scale, to get an idea of a workable arrangement before we start carrying things upstairs and across the landing. Unless someone can recommend a free online program that can do that? I have a few Billy book cases from Ikea, some drawer cabinets, a huge desk, two work tables, a revolving shop display stand with hooks on all 6 sides, more shelves and more shelves, kits, stackable cabinets and tubs. It just feels so overwhelming at the moment! The master bedroom upstairs is also a difficult shape, with the long wall being an exterior wall with sliding doors to cramp my space and a bathroom tucked in one corner, jutting into the room. The kids still need to use that bathroom, as well. I need some creative ideas for furniture placement, because I'm using every surface at the moment and don't want to throw anything out. Do you think it's silly if I put shelves back to back, with their side facing a sliding door? Then I can create little "nooks" or cubicles to access the items, without totally blocking out the light. Or would it be better to have them next to the interior wall, and put the work tables nearer to the light? One of my work tables will have to stand in the middle of the room to leave 360 degree space to work on the project. Sigh, I have to combine furniture from two rooms with a total of 312 square foot down into a space of 195 square foot. I know I love Tetris, but this is a bit too much. And I am already so mathematically challenged!

Wednesday January 22nd 2014 Today I have a cold. I think my son brought it home from school. My head is congested, I can't sleep and I desperately want to get into the studio to create. I spent some time the other day setting things up. I have to take pictures and add them in tomorrow. I have a new table, a dedicated sewing area, a clay area work storage, a place to paint and sculpt and an area for the Orchid. If only it would warm up out, I could work in comfort in there. I'm thinking of getting a space heater to get me through the cold months. The new area is great, I can store everything there. No more toting things all around this house. I like that. So pictures tomorrow of the new area of creativity.

1/5/14 Our home is a huge, old and rambling 18 room Colonial built in 1900. It has three floors and three complete apartments. I don't rent because I love my privacy. The second floor area is my work studio. It has a self contained kitchen and full bath and 4 rooms. Two of the rooms will become studio area for my sewing, modeling and miniature building. These are some shots of the studio. The first and second are the kitchen, the purple room will become my craft area. The only think I really would change is the wall to wall in the craft area. I may rip the carpeting out and just keep the floor as hardwood. But that's for another day.