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We go behind the scenes at Mayholic in Crafts, to tour May's craft room in West L.A. where she makes handmade cards.
My favorite thing about the space is a full long wall of windows. That makes me enjoy the views while crafting. I also love that my craft space is located in the living room so that I’m so close to all the action that goes on in my place.
Tell us about your space
My craft space is technically part of the living room in our apartment. I placed a white book shelf to separate the living room area from the rest of the space. It solves as my craft space, my husband’s place to work, and as our living room. So naturally it’s the room where we spend the most time in, be it to work, craft, sit with friends. It's about 10 feet by 13 feet and it faces a full long wall of windows. It is where I do everything from cardmaking, sewing, blogging, and taking photos of my creations. Oh, I currently moved my sewing table to the bedroom so that I have plenty of space for only paper crafting. This is my main work spot! My computer is in here, as well as my printer/scanner, cutting machine, and wrapping supplies. Picture editing and blogging happens here, too, as long as the desk isn’t flooded with all kinds of craft supplies.
What have you done to make your space cosy, beautiful or inspiring?
Even though my furniture is mostly white/light, I like to add a bit of spice with colors. I fill the space with colorful craft supplies on display here and there. I just let the supplies decorate the space for the most part. They are a great source of inspiration and it makes me happy just to look at them.
I also keep my space with inspiration on the walls, and hang my cards as well. This gives the room a personal touch and gives me the opportunity to be delighted by my creations. I also change things around every now and then to keep it fresh and interesting.
How do you keep organized?
I’m definitely a messy crafter. I usually go through cycles of being messy and organized. I start with a very organized space so I can find everything I need and be inspired by my crafting supplies. If I’m in the middle of a project, there is some creative chaos. I don’t even bother trying clean up after myself until it’s finished. So often you can’t even see the table tops for the giant tangle of craft supplies. Once I’m finished though, I try my best to tidy up in order to make space for the new project. I have a lot of plastic baskets to keep finished projects in.
Any tips & tricks for organising supplies?
I have a system that works for me: drawers and open shelves. I store most of my supplies on open shelves and in drawers. If things aren’t easily accessibly, I’m less likely to use them. I also try to recycle things I already have such as baby food jars, food tins, and cardboard boxes. A little paint and fabric/paper can make them pretty and practical as well. And they work perfectly for storing all the little things crafty.
I keep certain supplies in the same spaces so I don’t have to dig through things to find that one piece I need. Just have a definite place for everything and once you’re done using it, put it away. If you have pretty ways of storing things, you’ll be happy to clean things up and you’ll like the way things look when it’s tidy.
Which are your favourite possessions and are there any of your own creations on display?
I must have stamps, papers, and dies. Besides that, my favorite possession is a rolling kitchen cart from IKEA. I keep my most used supplies storing in it, so they are easily accessible. It makes my crafty life so much easier.
My creations are everywhere. Especially I have some of my cards on display on the wall, called May’s Card Gallery.
How do you organise your inspiration and ideas?
I have a few mini notebooks for scribbling down ideas and making small sketches. I love looking back into the notebooks and being inspired all over again. I also use my iPhone to collect the ideas as soon as they come to my mind. I use my wall to keep inspiration on display, and everything I find on the internet goes onto one of my Pinterest boards.
Where do you look for inspiration?
Inspiration comes from everywhere. But I have to admit that the internet is an endless resources such as Pinterest, craftgawker, Etsy, and designer websites. I also really love looking at Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, and Free People as well. Sometimes new ideas come to me by just looking around my home.
If you had three wishes, what would you do to make it the dream space?
I really couldn’t wish for more in my space, because I’m already very lucky with my craft space. However, if I had to wish for three things it would be…1. That we owned the space instead of renting. 2. I’d love to have a big crafting table that I could stand and create. 3. Bigger room(I guess I can never have too much space), it would have gorgeous clean white walls with lots of storage spaces.
Whose craft room would you love to explore? Send us a message!
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