Monday, March 7, 2016

In My Studio: Pam Baldwin

Happy Monday friends!! This is Pam here to give you a peek at my crafty space and how I get ready to use my Pocket Life kit every month. When I started thinking about this post, I thought "this is fantastic!! Just the motivation I need to get my crafty space finished up!" But the first week of March has not been kind to my little family, and after a week full of fevers and boogers and sleepless nights, you get a front row ticket to the real deal instead.
My crafty space feels a lot like me...not super organized and always "in progress". I've got a little 8 x 8 foot section in the basement where my craft tables are set up, overlooking the rest of the family room/play area.


My computer and printer are at the top of my list of "must have" items for my projects. I print all my photos at home (instant gratification) and can't imagine doing it any other way.


My second favourite item is that white rolly chair (also an Ikea purchase) that I find super comfy and zips across the floor from my printer to my work table and back again on a frequent basis.


We recently put up a "batten board" wall in our dining room and have lots of trim leftover (that pile of stiff on the bottom right). I'm thinking about adding it to this one wall behind my computer as well. Thoughts? Bonus: It might make it easier to hide that internet cable coming out of the wall.
One table holds my computer and projects "in progress" (or "soon to be in progress"....or "one day it will be in progress") and little bits and pieces I hope to one day put up on the wall. The other table is pretty much a blank canvas to get down to work with a  few of my "essential" supplies. UNDER the table...there's a bin holding probably 4 years worth of ephemera and memorabilia that really has to get sorted out one day, (I think I need like a kid-free dedicated week to do that), a trash can and my sewing machine. Love having my sewing machine super handy because it's really easy to just pop it up on the table whenever I need it.
I've got 2 Ikea Alex drawers in my space. This particular one holds my "stash" and it's pretty much a hot mess. But it does the trick!
The other one holds my basics like adhesive refills, ink for stamping, printer paper, printer ink...all that kind of stuff.
I definitely like to keep my "essentials" close and handy while I'm working on a project. I've got a variety of pens, pencils rulers and scissors in a repurposed mason jar sitting on my table. My third favourite item is a little desktop tray I found at HomeSense (the Canadian version of Home Goods) because it works perfectly for holding my monthly Pocket Life kit!!
It's got 5 sections that hold pretty much everything I need.
Top right: the monthly stamp set along with my go to ink pads (they're probably 5 years old but still going strong!), acrylic stamping block and date stamps.
Bottom right: rolling adhesive, tiny attacher, corner rounder and foam tabs.
Bottom middle: 3x4 journaling cards (this month I added the wood veneer speech bubbles and cork pieces to this section as well because I LOOOOOVE them, and with so many diecut paper embellishments to choose from, I wanted to make sure I could get to these guys easily :)
Bottom left: this section is usually reserved for all the embellishments, but there were so many this month, they overflowed to the next block! One day I read that the first thing Emma does with her kits is cut up her "cut-aparts" and I think that's brilliant :) I've been doing it ever since so they're ready to go at all times.
 Top left: 6x6 papers, 4x6 journaling cards, alphas and any oversized packages of ephemera like these adorable pink fresh puffies :) When my new kit arrives, I empty the tray and start fresh.


So that's pretty much it! Hope you enjoyed the little peek inside my space :)


PS. In the time it's taken me to write up this post, a plastic t-rex, half eaten bag of star wars cookies and set of jingle bells have also appeared on my table :) Everyday moments I tell ya!



8 comments:

  1. Love the idea of cutting up the cut-apart sheet straight away. I never do that but I think I might start!

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    1. It's the perfect way to break into those glorious kits when you're dying to play but short on time :) and so handy!!

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  2. Ooh, do you live in an open plan house? Envious vibes coming your way, Pam! xx

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    1. Hey Suse :) It's a bungalow with a pretty traditional main level but the basement is the same size as the upper level and pretty wide open!

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  3. Thanks for sharing your space. i remember the days when I was in the basement near the playroom. These days it is a very quiet house and a room with a view.

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    1. I definitely appreciate being close to the action :) If I could just get more natural light in there, I'd be 👌🏻

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  4. Ooh, I really like that desktop tray! (Unfortunately we don't have either of those stores here, boo). Love your space Pam :)

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  5. Thanks for sharing your area where you are very creative. Love your tables.

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