Kate's Craft Space

We head to New Jersey to go behind the scenes of Scathingly Brilliant and tour Kate's craft space which is as pretty as can be.

"I love the colors and how bright and cheerful it is! I'm also proud of how well I've organized all of my supplies. I use a lot of closed storage so that things are neat and tidy but still pleasant to look at."

Tell us about your space?

My craft space is actually located in my bedroom. The room is 11' x 11' and my craft space takes up one wall. I also have a little office in what used to be my closet and I often use that when I'm crafting as well. It's definitely an all-purpose space! I use it for pretty much everything from painting to sewing to packing orders and taking product photos for my shops. It's my bedroom, my office, my craft space, my shipping station when I pack orders and it's also kind of my living room since I do most of my eating and tv watching in there as well. I'm the only person that uses my room but at any given time there are usually 1 or 2 cats hanging around keeping me company. The crafts I do the most are probably drawing, painting and jewelry-making. I also love to sew although sometimes that can be tricky with my cats around… lately I've been doing that at the kitchen table away from curious paws ;)

What have you done to make your space cosy, beautiful or inspiring?

I painted the walls a really pretty aqua color and I put up artwork from some of my favorite artists. I love being surrounded by so many pretty, happy works of art! Since my bed takes up a big chunk of the space I probably have more cosiness than any craft room should have! It's definitely tempting to just curl up in bed sometimes with all my soft comfy pillows..

How do you keep organized?

I'm VERY messy! I have to spend a good half hour or more each night cleaning up whatever mess I made that day. But luckily I am pretty well organized and everything has a designated spot, so tidying up is just a matter of putting things back where they belong. As for works in progress, I have a bin where I keep them stashed away, but all of the supplies I need to make them still get put-away and then taken out again when it's time to resume work. I don't like going to sleep with a messy craft space (especially since I also sleep in there, it can be daunting to see all the work waiting for you in the morning!)

Luckily the things I make don't require very bulky supplies. I keep my paints in a plastic swan that was made for holding potted plants. I keep my fabric supplies stashed away under my desk and my jewelry pieces all fit in five little plastic bins in my closet. I also keep foam board and canvases laying flat under my mattress! Small spaces require a lot of unconventional storage solutions, lol!

Any tips & tricks for organising supplies?

If you have a small space, putting your bed on risers is one of the best things you can ever do. I keep all of the things I don't use very often under my bed, and then I have shelving running along the sides of the bed where I keep supplies that I use on a daily basis. I also like utilizing the walls in my room to get things off the floor. I have a vertical record player that's hanging on the wall, and I also have a large white shelf where I keep knick knacks and supplies.

Which are your favourite possessions and are there any of your own creations on display?

I have a wall of artwork I commissioned of my cat who passed away earlier this year.. those pieces are all very important to me. I also have a lot of my favorite vintage dresses hanging up too. As far as tools or supplies, I love my Xyron sticker maker. It's seriously the most useful tool I've ever purchased, I use it for so many things! I like to display art from other artists that I admire, but I do have a few of my own things sprinkled around my room. A couple embroideries, a painting of my grandmother and a self-portrait holding one of my cats.

How do you organise your inspiration and ideas?

I have a couple notebooks where I am constantly writing down ideas, but most of them are written on little slips of paper or post-it notes. If an idea hits me while I'm out I'll usually e-mail it to myself and then write it down later. I'm very forgetful so I'm paranoid about writing things down and making sure I'll remember them later!

Where do you look for inspiration?

I get most of my inspiration for drawings and paintings from classic movies or old family photos. A lot of my jewelry or accessory ideas come from childhood memories and nostalgia.

If you had three wishes, what would you do to make it the dream space?

Honestly I love the craft space I have.. if it was a little bit bigger that would be nice, but otherwise it actually is my dream craft space! Well, maybe if it was attached to an art supply store where all of the products were free of charge that would be ideal ;) haha!