blemon
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by blemon on Oct 18, 2023 17:55:43 GMT
So some of you may know that we bought a fixer upper earlier this year. Like a real fixer upper. It's not a complete gut job as we're keeping some of the walls and the floors only need to be refinished.
I'm getting my own craft room on the 2nd floor. It's a 1/2 story so the ceilings are slanty but I'll have some good storage space under the eaves that I'm going to ask my husband to finish (not with drywall but at least cover the insulation with something).
I'm going to have shelves from Ikea and there will be a midcentury modern day bed so it will double as a guest room.
It's not a big space at all but I'm excited about it.
I plan to do most of my crafting downstairs while watching TV but I'll finally have room for everything to have its place.
My plan is to start moving stuff there as soon as the space is done. We're having an addition built off the back so the main house will be done mostly before we move in. So I'll have time to do this right.
I'm thinking I'll start by putting stuff on shelves (albums will have a home!!). Then I'll go through everything and bring it up there one load at a time in my car. During this time I will not be actively crafting.
It's only a couple of blocks away from our current house. We will live here until that's done then do some minor work so we can put it on the market.
So how would you go about this?
Has anyone done something similar? Any tips?
We might go up to IKEA this weekend so I'm going to take some measurements tomorrow after work. Kallax I'm coming for you.
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Post by Linda on Oct 18, 2023 18:53:02 GMT
congratulations!
I gained a craft room when we moved in early 2021 and like you, it was a local DIY move. I have a mix of Kallax (and the BH&G version) and Michaels cubes (mine are the old style but they have a newer version now) plus I built a desk with two Alex drawer units and a tabletop but that was done later not when we moved.
I packed like with like and went through everything as I packed - got rid of things I knew I was unlikely to use or that was past it's prime (dried out pens/inkpads, no longer sticky stickers , too small scraps).
Albums are heavy - you'll want small boxes for those. Paper is also heavy. If you have stuff already organised into containers - you can move in the containers for the most part (for a local move). Have a plan for where everything is going (and label your boxes) so you can unpack into their new homes - you can always rearrange later but a pile of unlabelled and/or misc boxes is daunting at best.
My craft room was the first area set up in our house - we had several contractors doing work (but none in the craft room) and I spent many a day hanging out waiting on a contractor or being there while they worked and it was nice to be able to craft. It wasn't completely set up and still had a wishlist of furniture from IKEA that took time to acquire but it was nice to have at least the basics available - we didn't have internet right away at the new house so it also gave me something to do.
In your case - esp. since you're planning your active crafting space and your crafting storage space to be separate, I would pack the items for that active crafting space separately and perhaps plan for a mini-storage spot in the living room for the basics and the current project.
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scrapnnana
Drama Llama
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Post by scrapnnana on Oct 18, 2023 19:08:53 GMT
We did a DIY move in 2016, but we loaded our things into PackRat containers. Instead of a local move, we moved halfway across the country. I wish I had bought Ikea cube shelves for my new craft area (a loft), but I didn’t because I felt that we couldn’t afford them. The cheaper storage hasn’t held up well, and needs to be replaced, so now I feel like I need to do a big overhaul.
It sounds like you are doing things right, IMO. I hope you’ll eventually post photos of your new space when it’s finished!
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Post by joblackford on Oct 18, 2023 19:54:06 GMT
Put the stuff you love most in first if there might not be room for everything  |
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blemon
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Post by blemon on Oct 18, 2023 21:18:19 GMT
I have a mix of Kallax (and the BH&G version) and Michaels cubes (mine are the old style but they have a newer version now) Can you tell me which ones you like better? We aren't far from an IKEA. And I had a craft room before I had the kid (and now it's her room). So I have a table top already. I think we even still have the legs for it. I also have the wooden Norden table that I am using now. Since the room will double as a guest room, we'll probably just keep the Norden in the craft room since I can fold it up if someone visits. I'll keep my sewing machine out ALL THE TIME!!! and just put it in a closet if we have guests. I think the former table will just go in the basement. It sounds like you are doing things right, IMO. I hope you’ll eventually post photos of your new space when it’s finished! I will! I already know the paint color I want to use. My husband wants to wait to finish the walls until the construction is done just in case there's any settling. So that's what I have to wait for. In your case - esp. since you're planning your active crafting space and your crafting storage space to be separate, I would pack the items for that active crafting space separately and perhaps plan for a mini-storage spot in the living room for the basics and the current project. This is a great idea. |
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Post by Linda on Oct 19, 2023 1:03:22 GMT
Can you tell me which ones you like better? We aren't far from an IKEA. I think the IKEA and BH&G are pretty comparable - there is a small difference in height (mine are 8x2 vertical) between my oldest BH&G, newer BG&G, and my Kallax - it doesn't bother me enough to replace any but if you're close to IKEA (I wasn't when I bought the older ones), I would probably just stick with Kallax. My Michaels cubes are smaller than the Kallax cubes and have built-in (sliding) shelves -they fit 12x12 paper fine but not my albums. My albums are for 8.5x11 and they fit fine in the Kallax or BH&G and 12x12 does also (at least the couple I've tried) I'll keep my sewing machine out ALL THE TIME!!! I absolutely love being able to leave a sewing machine and my Cricut out and ready to use. |
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blemon
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Post by blemon on Oct 19, 2023 1:27:48 GMT
I absolutely love being able to leave a sewing machine and my Cricut out and ready to use. Yes! That too!! And thanks for the tip on the Kallax. I will go with those if I can. I also found some metal locker-like cabinets on Amazon I want to get because they have doors. |
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Post by Neisey on Oct 19, 2023 2:50:20 GMT
I’m nearing the end of my move. It was a serious craft room downsize and I got rid of some big pieces of storage and tables. I used graph paper to draw out my room and cut shapes to size representing all the pieces I had kept and used these to see what design would suit me best. I like my desk to face into the room with a table/desk behind it against the wall for my laptop/silhouette workspace. Knowing this I used my shapes to try out different set ups and added in the other large pieces as they could only be accommodated on some walls. TV viewing was also a priority from my main desk so I paid attention to that as well. My DSO does dome model building so I also wanted to have a spot for him.
Decide on your priority functions and build your design around those. Have fun!
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Deleted
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Nov 2, 2024 12:34:16 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2023 4:44:07 GMT
I’m nearing the end of my move. It was a serious craft room downsize and I got rid of some big pieces of storage and tables. I used graph paper to draw out my room and cut shapes to size representing all the pieces I had kept and used these to see what design would suit me best. I like my desk to face into the room with a table/desk behind it against the wall for my laptop/silhouette workspace. Knowing this I used my shapes to try out different set ups and added in the other large pieces as they could only be accommodated on some walls. TV viewing was also a priority from my main desk so I paid attention to that as well. My DSO does dome model building so I also wanted to have a spot for him. Decide on your priority functions and build your design around those. Have fun! When I moved I also had a substantial downsize from a room to a shared space. I did the same thing except I used an online room planner instead of graph paper and templates. It worked well. I found with limited space it was also important to measure what I want to store and consider how I scrap. For instance, I knew I stored my patterned paper upright. After purging my paper I measured what I had left so I had a rough estimate of how much space I needed to store it. I also considered that I forget what supplies I have if I haven’t used them in awhile. I have labeled drawer cubes but you can add label holders to anything. |
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blemon
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Post by blemon on Oct 19, 2023 15:02:42 GMT
I used graph paper to draw out my room and cut shapes to size representing all the pieces I had kept and used these to see what design would suit me best. When I moved I also had a substantial downsize from a room to a shared space. I did the same thing except I used an online room planner instead of graph paper and templates. It worked well. This is the best part. I have measurements now and will play around. I usually use graph paper but I've never used an online room planner. Which site did you use? I have to plan out a bathroom too and I'm finding that a bit of a challenge. |
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Post by mom on Oct 19, 2023 15:54:56 GMT
This is the best part. I have measurements now and will play around. I usually use graph paper but I've never used an online room planner. Which site did you use?
I have to plan out a bathroom too and I'm finding that a bit of a challenge. Target has one that's really user friendly one. www.target.com/room-planner/home |
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blemon
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Post by blemon on Oct 19, 2023 16:24:00 GMT
That's awesome. I'll have to do my living room. And get the dimensions of the sofa I want from Macy's so that I can put something similar in the space. |
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Post by joblackford on Oct 19, 2023 17:07:11 GMT
I absolutely love being able to leave a sewing machine and my Cricut out and ready to use. Yes! That too!! And thanks for the tip on the Kallax. I will go with those if I can. I also found some metal locker-like cabinets on Amazon I want to get because they have doors. If you like closed storage you might want to take a look at Victoria Marie’s YT room tours/reorg- she has IKEA cabinets, maybe Billy? with doors on them. |
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blemon
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Post by blemon on Oct 19, 2023 19:26:14 GMT
If you like closed storage you might want to take a look at Victoria Marie’s YT room tours/reorg- she has IKEA cabinets, maybe Billy? with doors on them. I will. I really like her. I think I watched it once before but now that I have a space, I'll watch again. |
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Deleted
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Nov 2, 2024 12:34:16 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2023 9:59:33 GMT
I used graph paper to draw out my room and cut shapes to size representing all the pieces I had kept and used these to see what design would suit me best. When I moved I also had a substantial downsize from a room to a shared space. I did the same thing except I used an online room planner instead of graph paper and templates. It worked well. This is the best part. I have measurements now and will play around. I usually use graph paper but I've never used an online room planner. Which site did you use? I have to plan out a bathroom too and I'm finding that a bit of a challenge. I think I used plan my room. I created an account and saved a couple of layouts. |
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Post by hoopsfn on Oct 20, 2023 13:38:13 GMT
Exciting that you get to set up your new craft room blemon. Just a suggestion for covering the insulation. What about slatwall? I had this in a former room and it was so handy! I got mine from a store that was closing but I think they probably sell it in home improvement stores like Home Depot & Lowes. Have fun setting everything up. |
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blemon
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Post by blemon on Oct 20, 2023 19:04:33 GMT
Just a suggestion for covering the insulation. What about slatwall? I had this in a former room and it was so handy! I got mine from a store that was closing but I think they probably sell it in home improvement stores like Home Depot & Lowes. Have fun setting everything up. Thank you! I am thinking of using something like that on the ceiling (If I am understanding slatwall). My husband is going to have to repair so much plaster, I think it would be cool to use beadboard or something on the ceiling of that room so it will be a little less for him to do. |
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Post by 950nancy on Oct 20, 2023 22:59:25 GMT
We moved 2 years ago. I went from craft room to craft room. I didn't have to do anything to the new room, thankfully. I got some big apple boxes from Safeway (like 75 of them). Those suckers hold a lot of weight and stack. I packed about half of my room and that included 6 Kallaxes. Once those were in place, I started moving paper and some of my bigger furniture, I planned out the whole move and color coordinated the boxes. Once boxes were emptied, I went back for more. It took almost 4 weeks to get it done and I did finish the rest of the house before I let myself finish the craft room.
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PaperAngel
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Jun 27, 2014 23:04:06 GMT
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Post by PaperAngel on Oct 21, 2023 4:52:20 GMT
... And thanks for the tip on the Kallax. I will go with those if I can. I also found some metal locker-like cabinets on Amazon I want to get because they have doors. Note doors (or drawers, shelves, dividers - see insert options HERE) can be added to the Ikea Kallax. HTH, & best wishes with your new craft room! |
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Post by dewryce on Oct 22, 2023 21:40:00 GMT
First and foremost I agree with those that say to purge before you pack, be ruthless! You didn’t mention how organized your craft room is now, but if it’s not I’d decide how you want to store and access everything before you buy your furniture, and only do that after you purged. There are lots of individual threads for organizing different types of items. I use 12 x 12 snap envelopes and the Sterlite 3-drawer containers for most of my items so everything was already ‘packed’ I just had to transfer to the baskets below. Definitely get your furniture in place before you bring things over. And I put everything away as I unpacked it, made it a lot easier than doing it all at once, because I didn’t make decisions to just “get it done.” We moved into our new home over a period of a couple of weeks to a month. The best thing I did was purchase these Sterlite laundry baskets in 2 sizes (only a couple in the smaller size) and use them for things we didn’t pack in cardboard boxes, including much of my craft room. Each day we’d take a load in the car to the house and I’d unpack while DH worked, as it was a new house in the small town where DH worked. Then the empty laundry baskets would come home with us and we’d do it again the next day. Worked out so well! We moved summer of 2008 and still use them frequently to this day. They’re super sturdy, I think we’ve had one crack on an upper corner when it got dropped on its side with really heavy stuff in it. And we use them for everything, not laundry so they’ve gotten a real work out. You could use the smaller ones when you bring stuff downstairs to craft. I keep them clean with Clorox wipes, even the bottom which are often scraped along the garage floor. If the light discoloration bothers me I just wipe a little bit of bleach and let it sit for a while. Many of them are usually in use at a time, those that aren’t get stacked and stored. eta: I love Linda’s suggestion to have some basics set up permanently downstairs. |
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blemon
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Post by blemon on Oct 23, 2023 1:27:14 GMT
Each day we’d take a load in the car to the house and I’d unpack while DH worked, as it was a new house in the small town where DH worked. This is what I plan to do. And the craft room will likely be finished before most of the rest of the house because it's in the old part, not the addition. There's very little work that needs to be done to it (other rooms have plaster with issues, this is just the ceiling that think we're covering with something). So I think when there are days when I can't do other things, I will work on the craft room. My stuff is mostly organized. I need to do a purge of some old craft projects that I won't finish but the scrapbooking stuff I've been organizing and it's almost done. I hit a wall with my travel supplies but now it's just the die cuts/tiny stuff/stickers that need a bit of a sort. I spent a lot of time on that this Summer. |
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Post by Linda on Oct 23, 2023 13:00:25 GMT
we picked up a half dozen round laundry baskets at the $tree and used similarly - and like yours, they are still in use
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Post by hoopsfn on Oct 23, 2023 13:58:22 GMT
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blemon
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by blemon on Oct 23, 2023 14:48:42 GMT
Hope you find something that is just perfect for you. Thank you! This is very cool. I had never heard of it before. Yeah, definitely couldn't use this on a ceiling. |
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Post by janamke on Oct 23, 2023 16:59:20 GMT
My dream is to buy an old fixer upper. Instead of a job, I fix. Someday…
Several years ago I went from a 10x16 room with a large walk in closet to a 7x7 craft room. I ruthlessly purged everything…paper, tools, embellishments, etc. I knew going in I would have 5x5 Kallax, Alex drawer units, and two rolling carts. I drew up diagrams to scale off all those pieces and filled them up with what I was keeping. Made moving in pretty easy.
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blemon
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Post by blemon on Oct 23, 2023 17:40:44 GMT
My dream is to buy an old fixer upper. Instead of a job, I fix. Someday… Several years ago I went from a 10x16 room with a large walk in closet to a 7x7 craft room. I ruthlessly purged everything…paper, tools, embellishments, etc. I knew going in I would have 5x5 Kallax, Alex drawer units, and two rolling carts. I drew up diagrams to scale off all those pieces and filled them up with what I was keeping. Made moving in pretty easy. I have to tell you this has been more of a nightmare. We knew it needed a lot of work when we bought it, but as we started to fix, we kept finding more and more problems that were hidden. There's only so much an inspector can see. Luckily the roof will be replaced in November so we're going to start to see some actual change. We couldn't move forward on a lot of projects until that was done. My husband tried to patch the roof but it was so bad he could only do so much. So a there's been a puddle here, a puddle there. Love your idea to map out what goes in the Kallax. Unfortunately, with the sloped ceilings and this one stupid door that I can't move, I don't think I can make any of the Kallax work. I've found some metal cabinets on Amazon that will be cute. But I've got to make a drawing that shows the exact slope to see how high I can get a cabinet on the taller walls. They just did not build old houses very symmetrical. |
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Post by Linda on Oct 23, 2023 23:06:49 GMT
Unfortunately, with the sloped ceilings and this one stupid door that I can't move, I don't think I can make any of the Kallax work. How tall are the shorter walls? You can get Kallax that are only one or two cubes high |
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blemon
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Post by blemon on Oct 24, 2023 0:47:21 GMT
How tall are the shorter walls? You can get Kallax that are only one or two cubes high I need more storage than that. My husband did quick measurements so I need to go back and do a proper drawing. I think I can do a 3X4. |
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angel97701
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Jun 26, 2014 2:04:25 GMT
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Post by angel97701 on Oct 29, 2023 2:19:41 GMT
Still moving . . . another huge downsize in craft room, that also must double as a guest room. DH asked why I didn't get such and so here in MN if it was so important? We ran out of room in the DIY move, and didn't bring a lot of other things that came on his last trip. All of my stamp/die matching sets are still half way across the country. Paper, inks, and most tools are here.
I was blessed to be able to afford a Dream Box 2, along with a dream cart and cubbies. I've unpacked about 1/4 of what is in boxes. Still have not crafted since last December. But soon! Good luck OP on setting up your space!
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