Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Closet turned Wrapping Paper/Crafting Space

My little crafting corner is complete! This room was once just a game room and the closet just a place to store costumes, CD's, and other random stuff.  After I lost my craft room to my son's new space, I turned this little corner into the crafting/gift wrapping area. I think it's just perfect! I can also sew here too.  Here is sort of the BEFORE, but really it was more "during" when I had to put craft supplies in here during the transition. But you get the idea that it was really just a closet that had I painted earlier and had a plastic clothing rod. 

The first thing I did was unbolt this shelf and remove it.  It left pretty big gaping holes in the wall so I used my Patch N' Paint and filled in the holes. Luckily I also had some touch up paint to cover the holes. After that it was ready.


AFTER!

We sawed off the legs of the brown table top that was in the garage and it fit perfectly in here at exactly 24" deep. We did have to remove the inside door trim to make it fit though. We placed it at Counter Height just above the storage cabinets below. This height of the table makes wrapping gifts way easier on your back.


It's also hardly noticeable but I lined both sides of the closet with wallpaper that I already had left over from the laundry room makeover. Then I added four 2' Rubbermaid shelves with black brackets to either side just above the table top. And additional larger 4' shelf above the wrapping paper holder. Up there I fit a large wrapping paper storage bag that holds Christmas wrapping paper (link below.)


On either side of the table, holding up the table, are these black Halifax cabinets. They were pretty easy to put together and hold tons of gift bags and party supplies.



For some hidden storage underneath the counter I installed some simple bike hooks to hold additional wrapping paper.

I found super cute baskets with wooden hooks to hold additional fabric and crafting materials.


The gray felt bin is my favorite. The simple leather ties are so adorable.


The light fixture is a simple linen shade attached to a light kit you can get online. It plugs in and has an on/off switch. The extra lighting in here was a must.


Because I removed the doors for ease in using this space, I installed a single curtain rod above the door and these pretty drapes. The rod installation didn't go as smoothly as I hoped because I hit something hard behind the wall with my drill about half way into the wall. Only one of my pilot holes was deep enough for the 6 screws that came with the rod. In order to compensate I clipped the dry wall studs with a wire cutter about half way down and used shorter screws. Sometimes you have to improvise and this adds time to any DIY project. 


It was a happy accident too that the drapes play really nicely with the chairs I reupholstered with Scott Living Fabric collection a while back. I must have already known that in my head! 

 

My grandfather built this beautiful hutch and my Grandmother painted it. It works really nicely to hold even more craft supplies and sewing supplies. I think the muted green works nicely with the wall color as well.

I'm so happy to have my upstairs functioning once again and have a place for the kids to spread out and use this space for their "homeschooling" art projects.  Maybe I should sew a mask or 5 when I have a free minute. :)

Stay well friends,

xoxo
Cathleen

Sources:
Rubbermaid Shelves
Shelf Brackets
Larger Shelf Brackets
Curtain Rod
Curtains
Polka Dot Bins
Gift Wrap Bag
Felt Bin
Chair fabric
Bike Rack Hooks
Black Storage Cabinets

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Boy's room makeover

I wish I could blame the Quarantine (and all the closeness) but I really can't. Separating my two boys was long overdue. Having a son in their early teen years was proving too much for my younger son who could no longer deal with all the teen angst. The pediatrician advised us to give the teen his own room (if we were able.) I guess I didn't really *need* my own craft room/gift wrapping room so I turned it into a room for my son.  Now my teen has a HUGE room all to himself and he is loving his own space. They both in fact love that they can be apart in their quiet spaces and come together to play when they're in the mood. It was emotional for me to see them want to split up, but in the end it was the right decision. And now that they are being home schooled they are finding their quiet rooms even more useful. 

Here is an idea of what the craft room looked like at one point. Although under the window once lived a bunny cage, and then an office space for my husband.  Because of this room change, you can imagine, most every other room also changed. I had to move my husband into my office space, the older son's room needed some reorganization, the game room also became the craft room (and also the work out room.)  So many changes!

BEFORE

NOW

The first major change was giving the walls a new color. I used the Benjamin Moore Paper White that I had left over from the downstairs. It was a perfect way to save some money and not have to go to the Hardware store unnecessarily. My son's initial wants were a "Green" room. Instead of going all green, I added Emerald Green velvet drapes and painted the closet door and the backside of his main door Green.


BEFORE

NOW

These built in counter tops at first seemed like too much storage for one kid, but it turns out having all this workspace during homeschooling time has been really beneficial. He has already made several art projects here and even has his own space for his laptop and an entire workspace for Legos. I was glad not to have to purchase a dresser and desk for him.






BEFORE 

A while back the light fixture broke in this room. The glass behind the metal frame cracked so we put in the light fixture that I originally bought for my office. It's a bit feminine but my son doesn't seem to mind at all. In fact he has found that the metal outside provides the perfect place to tuck old rubber WWE characters. 
NOW

BEFORE

NOW

The metal futon was already in the game room and to make room for my craft supplies in there I decided it was best to give him this bed. And it has a nice trundle for sleep over friends. His old bed remains in his old room so my older son can also host sleepovers. The beehive black and white rug is from Amazon. At first I had ordered a gray one from Overstock, but they sent the wrong color so I had to return it. 






A few of his favorite things: a dream catcher, his initial, and his most recent award, The Cub Scout Arrow of Light. I was on top of the ball and had this made for him before all this Coronavirus stuff hit, so I was able to present it to him this month. His pillow cases are from Restoration Hardware and the dog sheets are from Eddie Bauer Home.



The round gray table was something that came from his old room, a Habitat for Humanity find years ago.


Let me give a shout out to the store The Purple Painted Lady in NY.  That is where I purchased the Annie Sloan chalk paint for the doors. The customer service is extraordinary and she shipped it really fast.  The color is called "Amsterdam Green." And really was exactly the shade he wanted.  I used two coats and a final coat of Annie Sloan Wax to seal it in.


 BEFORE

I took down my wrapping paper rack and moved it into the game room (stay tuned for this makeover!) And we added Rubber Maid laminate Gray shelves and black metal brackets from the Home Depot. 
 NOW 



The closet also got some touch ups. The kids painted the walls a light aqua blue color (the ceiling color of their shared room.) 
 BEFORE

AFTER 

I put up a little robe hook and added some artwork (it's always fun to have unexpected things like art in a closet.)


It's not classy, but old record crates hold some of his clothes for now.



We hope everyone is well and finding ways to beat the boredom. We hope your kids didn't have to break up over this. Be safe everyone.

xo
Cathleen

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