Thursday, July 11, 2013

Welcome To Where Bloggers Create 2013

 Welcome to Where Bloggers Create 2013!  Many thanks to Karen at My Desert Cottage for hosting this event for yet another year.  I am looking forward to visiting everyone, getting some new ideas for my art room and being inspired by all the creative bloggers.  Click on the link to Karen's blog and you will find links to all of the participants on her sidebar.
Many of you have visited before during Where Bloggers Create 2012, 2011 and 2010. There haven't been any dramatic changes to my room so I threw open the drawers and boxes and took a LOT of close-ups this year so you can dive in and rummage around.  For any of you visiting for the first time, welcome and please buckle your seat for the loooong ride through my own personal amusement park!
Since I took so many photos I will try to keep my blabbering to a minimum, although we all know I am mostly made of lace and dust and blab and buttons!  If you make it to the end I have a special surprise for you.  If you see something you like, please feel free to pin and I would love it if you would follow me on Pinterest so I can follow you and we can share the inspiration.
 I am starting of the left side as you enter the room and will work my way around, more or less.  I painted the pictures above the closet about 25 years ago.  My folk art period.  8+)
 One door is a bulletin board, as if you could find anything classified as a bulletin in that jumble. The door behind it is a chalkboard.  The dresser holds Etsy inventory.
 The shelf on the other side of the closet holds most of my collection of vintage jewelry boxes.  Some hold buttons and others are used for bits and pieces I use in my inspiration kits, sorted by color.

 This is Mona, one of my art room companions and an alter-ego who wears that artsy stuff for me.

 The shoe organizer holds every sort of thing that I don't want to forget I have.  I adore little baby shoes whether there is a pair or a single.
 This cabinet is new for this year.  My son custom made it to hold my collection of vintage satin hankie and glove boxes.  You can read more about that project here. The boxes are filled with lace and trims I use in my inspiration kits.  Each shelf holds a different color.
 The top of the cabinet gave me a flat spot where I can display a few pretties and collections.
 This vintage trash can sits behind Mona and holds wallpaper rolls.  Modern wallpaper isn't that well-suited to using in artwork because of the coasting but it works great to cover boxes and make tags to wrap my vintage trims on.  I even use it as shelf liner in my kitchen.  The pre-pasted kind sticks just enough and the washable coating holds up very well.  So much more fun that shelf paper.
 My hankie collection started with my Grandmothers hankies and grew from there.  I store them in her hankie box ever though it is overflowing.  I always have room for one more.
 Apothecary jars hold two-piece buttons, colored glass buttons and vegetable ivory buttons.
 An old lens sitting atop a very tiny copy of Dante's Inferno.
 A little art piece I made and lyrics to one of my favorite songs.  Lyrics and quotes are a mainstay of my artwork and my altered book project.
 The contents of the pink shelf.


 More buttons and a jar of thimbles.  I don't collect thimbles but I buy "poke sacks" of vintage sewing notions and they are a frequent find.
 Vintage cabinet and post cards, bone buttons, china buttons, plastics and pearly ones.  The matching boxes behind them hold beads and embroidery floss.
 Contents of the white shelf.
 This jewelry box holds wooden buttons.

 The large white basket holds the accumulation of buttons I sell in my Etsy shop.

 Contents of the red shelf.
 This jewelry box hold white, cream, brown and gold bling.
 A vintage wire basket filled with colorful crochet thread.  The thread is used on the bookmarks I include with each Etsy purchase.
 Vintage mercury glass Christmas beads.

 A little suitcase holds my personal collection of my favorite laces and trims.  

 My "Husky" girl.
 Vintage delicates.
 Plastic buttons, transparent glass buttons, and glass rhinestone buttons sit atop the tool chest.
 A little artwork with my favorite quote and a very vintage dried flower picture above it.  You can read more about the quote picture here.
 The black shelf.
 Plastic buttons and a stack of vintage satin lingerie bags.
 You can read more about the round assemblage here.
 This shelf is actually the top tray from a vintage steamer trunk.  I fell in love with the blue print on the interior and just had to bring it home.  Click to read more about Kathy's Folly.  In front of it hangs a mobile I made using those credit cards that used to show up the mailbox daily.  I call it "Extra Credit".
 The cute pink canister is filled [stuffed] with rick-rack.
 A little collection of vintage cookie cutters.
 The wooden box holds my collection of vintage carded buttons.  The apothecary holds china buttons, including a few calicos.
 The top shelf in the trunk tray holds some of my favorite vintage postcards.
 My little collection of oil cans.  I don't know why I love them but I do!
 One of the quotes hanging on the "Extra Credit" mobile.


 The black and silver bling.

The top of the oak buffet that serves as my workbench. 

 The vintage millinery bouquet is surrounded at the base by a vintage hair wreath and the Eiffel Tower is filled with MOP buttons..
 Lace wound on vintage wooden bobbins.  They are such a pretty color!
 Contents of the green shelf.
 Shelves above my workbench.
 The top of the workbench from another angle.
 A little collection of cloth measuring tapes.  They stopped making them from cloth and switched to plastic because the cloth stretched over time and they were no longer accurate.  Love it when I find the old cloth ones!
 The front of the workbench.  The two side cupboards hold Etsy stock.  The drawers hold supplies.
 The shelf above the window.  The ceilings are high in this room so I store less frequently used items up there.
 A gauzy blouse decorates the window.
 The other end of the top shelf filled with things that are just waiting to be something.


 Red, pink and copper bling.
 My sewing machine sits in front of the window along with the box that holds my scrapbooking paper.

 Peek-a-boo!
 I don't have much display space in my room so any flat surface, including the printer/scanner, is fair game.
 This corner holds my collection of religious items.
 
 The orange and peach shelf.
 My other two art room companions, Calliope and Harmony.  They are a work in progress and will eventually become my little steampunk time-travelers.

 They say it takes a village.


 My son built this custom desk to fit the corner space in the room.  The ceilings in here are 9 feet high and the desk stands a full 8 feet. SO perfect!
 There are those girls again...
 Blue, green and purple bling. 

 My collection of fancy mother of pearl buttons.
 I don't join in on many swaps because I don't have the time but I did participate in a Bird Song swap hosted by Karla Nathan.  Her tag is the one in the front and mine is the one sticking out from the back.
 My collection of fancy metal buttons.
 More buttons, my altered book project and random clutter that hasn't found a home yet.
 The contents of the blue shelf.
 Two little party birds made by the one and only Magpie Ethel.
 The cream, tan and brown shelf.
 I use tags on strings to mark articles I want to be able to easily find again.
 One of my very favorite things, my vintage Corona typewriter.

 The yellow shelf.


 The silver box.
 A collection of vintage needle books. 


 The purple shelf.
 A loooong row of clear glass salt and pepper shakers.

 The gold shelf.
A collection of tomato pincushions.
 This workbench drawer hold all the random metal junk that makes it's way home with me.
 Once again we have wound our way around and around and up and down and arrived in the center of the room where my vintage suitcases end the tour under the table.  Sort of how I feel after a full day putting this post together- LOL!
 If you have hung with me all the way to the end just leave me a comment and you will be entered to win this altered bottle inspiration kit.  You will receive everything shown on both sides of the card plus the square glass bottle it is propped against.

Stop back a week from Saturday, on July 20th and I will peer into my crystal ball and see who the random number generator has selected.
Thank you so much for visiting my little world.  Now I'm off to start making the rounds myself.

51 comments:

laurie -magpie ethel said...

It always amazes me how much can be crammed in a room. Super organized with yours and loves the tour. Needle book collection and glove boxes are my favorite. Holy cow, you have a bunch of buttons!

Tammy said...

I hung with you all the way to the end! It was fun to see all your collections. Too bad I can't really dig around in them! I especially love the color-themed shelves. So much fun stuff!

so many memories said...

It's always a treat to see your art room. I'm inspired by the creative ways you come up with storing, organizing and displaying everything. It gives me hope that I can make everything fit! I clicked and went through all the photos and you got some fantastic shots!

Chrislyn said...

Your room looks so neat. I'm amazed at how you have fit in all your collections! I'm jealous of your button collection--I have been moving around some that I have had since I was a little girl-and now I can't find them. Love the eiffel tower bottle and I especially love what you did with your "Husky".

rush said...

and i thought i had alot of stuffs! it's really funny, but i do have certain collections like yours, but i have so many fewer items. i love buttons, too. mine are separated into color. i love sifting through them to find the perfect one for my project. i also love how you have everything contained and how you can find what you need. thank you for a peek! i always enjoy going through others' art rooms.

CATHY said...

Kathy you did an AWESOME job showing your studio - but tell us the truth - this is really an entire house not just one room - right? I see all the stuff you buy in your posts but to see it all together - AMAZING! and your color coordination - love. I really hope we can one day meet in person and I can play in your room!!!! ps - I like showing this post to the hubby because you make me look like an amateur collector - hee hee!!!

Maureen said...

All hail the Queen Of Buttons!

Oh my goodness Kathy! What a great studio; I am amazed at your colour-coded boxes of wonderful tresures; love the needlebook collection and all the birds! I see you have some of Magpie Ethel's Party Birds! I have five too (well I gave two to my daughter so three still live in my Studio!). I just had to ask; in behind your books is an "Idiot's Guide"... is it an "Idiot's Guide to Buttons"? ;) Because that's the book I'd need... my gosh but you have such a wonderful collection! Great tour, thank you so much!

Doni said...

Kathy! What a treat! I of course love all your goodies, but your fun comments here and there had me bustin out laughing!! I showed my hubs a few pics of your laces and lovelies and he knew I had found a "kindred spirit"!! You did a great job with your photos! So much fun to see your stash and oh how much I wish I could come over and play!!!
Loved the tour, and thanks for making such a bright spot in the party!
Blessings,
Doni

Betsy@My Salvaged Treasures said...

Oh my goodness! A place for everything and everything in its place. You are so organized! I love the way you have all the pretties separated by color and your buttons always put a smile on my face. Love the idea of using a shoe organizer. Thanks for giving us the grand tour Kathy.

Blessed Serendipity said...

WOW Kathy - Your studio is AMAZING!!!! I had to enlarge the photos so I could stare at every little detail. I love your studio. It's gorgeous and your crystal ball looks great there too.

xo Danielle

Andy's Attic said...

Oh, Kathy, this is a wonderland of stuff. I am amazed at the organization but you are still able to see things. Love it all. My kind of place to get lost in!

Celestina Marie said...

Hi Kathy, your creative space is incredible. You are so organized and your collections are amazing. I love how you have displayed your treasures. Lots of inspiration here and a place to dream and design.
Thank you for stopping by and your kind comment. Have a great weekend.
Hugs, Celestina Marie

Unknown said...

Love your boxes of "Bling"! Love all your goodies....
Thank you for letting us have a peek inside such a treasured work space.

Happy Crafting
Tracie
http://homeofthepurskey.blogspot.com

Lutka And Co. said...

What an amazing studio! So much crafting possibilities - nice!

The Polka Dot Closet said...

OMG! Someone with more treasures than me..Oh, I want your lace and I love your long ribbon holder, and your pink hamper, yep I peeked in your closet lOL!

Carol

The Junque Seeker said...

You have an astounding collection, and I love it all! My favorite photos were of the various shelves from your lingerie box cabinet. Thanks for letting us tour!

vintage grey said...

An awesome creative space you have!!! Love absolutely everything and all your lace, doilies, buttons, and treasures, oh my!! ;) Happy weekend Kathy! xo Heather

Carmen said...

Kathy, your "extra credit" mobile cracked me up! :-) I like how you have a shelf for every color... Thank you for sharing your creative space! :-)

Unknown said...

Wow Kathy, such a wonderland of beauty and inspiration. I love your credit card mobile - you are truly a creative genius.
Betty

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

I am in awe of all of your beautiful vintage items. I keep going back to look again! You've given me some great ideas for getting organized. I made myself a project shelf...now I need one shelf just to display things. I also need a shelf above my window! I can't wait to make some changes! Sweet hugs!

Cassie said...

Your space looks like so much fun! Thanks for sharing it and for the chance to win the bottle kit.

Beansieleigh said...

Hi Kathy! What a beautiful set up you have here! I collect dolls, so amongst everything, I enjoyed meeting Calliopy and Harmony!.. And I loved your collection of vintage needle books too!.. Thanks for sharing your creative space, and I really enjoyed stopping by today! ~tina

~Damita's Pretty Wrap~ said...

Wow! What a lovely space! Love all your pretties!! There are sooo many treasures in one room! So much fun looking at your photos! :) Thanks for sharing! xo Holly

melanie said...

Oh my gosh... If I came over, I'm afraid I would want to open every single thing... The hankie and glove boxes are my favorite!!!

suziqu's thread works said...

WOW Kathy I'm overwhelmed really! I wonder how you get time to even create with all the filing of your absolutely eye popping collections!
Love how you have shelves for holding all of your embellishments in similar colours. That looks amazing!
Need to go back and look again but I could easily spend another 24 hrs looking here I think.
Don't forget to come and enter in my Giveaway too!
Thanks for all!
Suzy

Lily's Lace said...

Holy moly, you have the goods my dear! And you collect glove boxes, so do I! It looks like so many of our collections are alike. I wish we could have a big part......at your house and meet everyone and talk about how we killed ourselves to get ready for this party. You've out done yourself my dear!!-xoxoxo-cindy

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I'm incredibly impressed. You have a ton of stuff in your beautiful and well appointed space. Your bookcase, made by your son, is to DIE for. Gorgeous.

I would love to learn more about your AB project, too. Thanks for inviting me into your lovely and creative space.

Sugar Lump Studios said...

Wow! I just love all your vintage and antique treasures! Your collections are AMAZING! what a fun and wonderful place to create! Thanks for sharing with us!

Nancy
www.sugarlumpstudios.com

Vicki Boster said...

Oh.My.Gosh.
If there is a prize for having the most stuff-- the most beautiful stuff---- you WIN!! You have an amazing collection of Everything!!! I love how you have things on your shelves grouped by colors. You are organized girlfriend-- I could take lessons from you!

Your craft room is a crafters dream come true---

Thank you for taking the time to visit my little yarn room-- I'm so grateful for your visit :)

Vicki

Art and Sand said...

I am in LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.

What wonderful treasures for displaying all your amazing trinkets and gewgaws for creating.

I love your space and I can see we have many loves in common. I went hunting through my parents' garage recently looking for an oil can, but had no luck.

Have a creative day!

Michelle said...

Wow, I amazed at how much you have stored in your space. Very well organized too. Love your space!

Laurie said...

OMG, so much loveliness I can't even begin to gush enough! Thank you for all the closeups! You are SO organized!! I will now be on the lookout for an Eiffel Tower to fill with MOP buttons!!!!

Rita Barakat said...

Gorgeous! I love the shelves separated by color! I love your collections!

Connie said...

Wow!!! May I come and play with you, LOL. Your space is amazing . . . No, that doesn't do it justice. Your space totally blows my mind, there is so much to see. I'm going back after I type this and view all of your photos again. Gorgeous!!!

I am your newest follower . . . how can I visit and not want to be a little part of the fun! I'm going to add you to my front page blog-list so that I never miss a single post. If you lived closer I would include an invitation for lunch, I just know that you are a sweet and very interesting lady.

Please accept my invitation to visit my blog and to get your name in the hat for my Give-A-Way, a $25 Amazon.com gift card. All you have to do is leave a comment and follow me back.
Your newest blogging sister, Connie :)

Boxwood Cottage said...

Wow what a lot of great stuff you have gathered Kathy, you are a true magpie! Love how organised you have it all stored! Thank you also for your visit and your kind comment :)

Judi said...

Pheww I love every little tiny inch! Where do I start to tell you each thing I adore? All the hankie boxes, the buttons, the lace, the selection of inspiring items is endless ~ It's taking some time to visit all of these fabulous craft rooms and I'm so glad I didn't miss yours!! Judi

Elizabeth Johnson said...

What an amazing creative space you have, Kathy. I think I could stay there for weeks without even coming out -- just bring me chocolate and tea and I'd be fine. : )
Thank you for stopping by my studio and for giving some suggestions. I appreciate it.
~Elizabeth

bobbie said...

As always, your room is a colorful, joyful space! Being a SP fan myself, I can't wait to see how Calliope & Harmony turn out!

Becky @ Vintage 541 said...

Wow, what a wonderful collection of supplies and vintage goodies you have! So much fun, thanks for sharing it all!

Becky @ Vintage 541

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

Love the close up shots, Kathy! Thank you for sharing those! I like to get ideas for storage and organization and sometimes others have ideas I never would have thought of. I've already got better button organization {by color} scheduled to have done by next year's party!

Lovey said...

So colorful and full of goodies!!! WOW!!! I like it!!!!

thyflo said...

je viens de visiter une vraie caverne d'Ali Baba , le rêve de toute personne qui aime à bricoler ; comme il me plairait de venir farfouiller dans ces pots de boutons ou d'admirer ces plateaux si bien ordonnés par couleur !
douce fin de journée

Anonymous said...

Lovely studio! Lots of eye candy and inspiration :)
Thank you for the generous giveaway and the chance to participate.
Have a great weekend!

Gail said...

WOW woman!!! Are you kidding me?!!!! Your space is so amazing and the next time my dh tells me that I have soooooooooooo much 'stuff' in my studio I'll gladly show him yours....hahahaha!
Of course maybe the difference is that your's is organized and mine isn't? Well, I'm gonna go with that!

Fabulous, over the top space....plus I got some great organization ideas which I can always use. I can tell that we'd have fun creating together since we love so many of the same things.......well done!


Thanks for sharing!

Karen Valentine said...

It was so great to visit your studio this year Kathy!! I adore all the wonderful vintage goodies you have to play with!! I also really think your "husky" girl is darling!! Unfortunately hubby would never give his up!!! LOL!! Hope you had a great time at the party. As you can see, I am still working my way through the list!!
xo,Karen

cindy-stitches-n-stuff.blogspot.com said...

Wow, I've never seen so much eye candy in one place.

I want the silver and black jewlry.

hugs
cindy@stitches

Unknown said...

You have the most wonderful treasures and so many of them. I love the hanky and glove boxes and everything in them. I love your lace and bling and how you have everything so well organized but still out where you can see it. I am amazed-thanks so much for sharing your wonderful space. Mary

Nanna said...

how do you get anything done with all that eyecandy all around lol! your studio is fantastic!
Helen

fairyrocks said...

Thanks so much for popping by. I am still working through the list. Wow I would love to see your room in real time. So full of all the things I would love too. A feast for my magpie eye's for sure. I was reading about your little elf doll. I don't know any thing, but it does look like Germany would be a good starting place. Terrific rescue. Keep smiling and creating, thanks for sharing.

hula-la said...

Totally diggin' your creative space! Can you come over and help me organize my stashes of creative stuff? Great inspiration here! LOVE IT! Aloha

Patty Antle said...

Hi Kathy! I'm just now seeing your creative space. It was a blast seeing everything. I love how you sorted the colors and interspersed them throughout the tour. Where do you get the wallpaper? Thanks for the tour. I loved it!