Craftroom Office Clean Up Part II

Mish Volonino
by Mish Volonino
Medium
I posted recently that I did a major clean up of my office/craftroom. Everything was super clean and organized but I felt it was cold. I didn't really want to be in that room except to get the job done.
I decided to add a little color and some decorations. I'm still in the process but almost done.
I wanted to share how changing a few details of this room on a relatively small budget made all the difference.
I had these letters (the word SEW) in my room but they were white just like most everything else in the room. So I decided to paint them, stencil some paisley designs, doodle with a sharpie, and finished them off with some Swarovski crystals. I fixed them to an old shutter I had. Now it's a really cute piece of artwork. You will see in photos below.


This was the before pic
In the photo above you can see the room was clean, and organized but not inviting at all.


First thing I decided to do was change the light fixture. I really don't like those nipple builder grade lights.


I snagged a nice brass chandelier on a local website "VarageSale" for $20. I spray painted it white and added vintage crystals that I had leftover from another project. That light alone gave my room the girlie, princess feel I was going for.
We have wood shutters on the Windows, which are great, but I knew I had to soften the windows with curtains. I went to all the discount stores, and shopped all over the net. I didn't want to send a lot and didn't really see any patterns I liked in my price range.


I finally found reduced Ralph Lauren flat sheets. I decided to sew tab top curtains. The curtain rod I had purchased at a garage sale a while back but it didn't fit any windows in my home so it sat in my project pile for some time. I took two poles and made them into one longer pole, spray painted white and there was my rod.


I will admit, having never made curtains, it was time consuming. Those darn tab tops took forever but I do love the pattern.
Just adding a new light fixture and curtains softened up the room dramatically. I knew I wanted to add more color so I started searching Pinterest for ideas.
I decided to purchase some Krylon spray paint in colors that matched the curtains. I painted several pieces in my room, one being this lamp. It just adds that little pop of color to the room.
This is the "SEW" sign I created. Very simple, really just throwing together stuff I already own. I'm sure all crafters and DIY queens have lots of stuff waiting for a better day. That's where creativity comes into play for some great artwork.
This was the next project I took on. Now honestly, I am a self taught sew enthusiast. I sometimes amaze myself with the things I sew.


First let me say, I am a yogawear designer. I had a seamstress who worked for me but I was very annoyed because I had a time schedule to meet for my clients but my seamstress would work on her own timeline. This is when the went to the store, purchased my first sewing machine and started watching online videos. Before I knew it, I was sewing.


I know it's very intimidating but I promise you, it's not nearly as hard as it looks. The more you sew, the better you are at navigating through the fabric. I only wish I learned earlier in my life.


Anyway, this slipcover was an idea I saw on Pinterest. I knew I wanted to cover my chairs with patchwork style fabric. This came out so much better than I thought. For a beginner sew job, this is a little difficult. But for a sew enthusiast, this was a 6.5 hour job from start to finish.


I purchase many patterns of new flat King and Queen sheets from HomeGoods. Honestly, it was so much cheaper to purchase flat sheets than buying a yard of 10 different patterns with a 40% off coupon from Joanne or Hobby Lobby. I just started experimenting and making the necessary nip and tucks as I went.


I just love the look.
You can see already the pop of color is bringing character and warmth into the room. (See those color swatches on the wall next to the curtains? One of those colors will be the back wall accent in the room. Soon I will paint that wall for more warmth in the room).


If you can see above the desk, there is a pink pendant light......that is an easy DIY project. That is a basic clamp workshop light. I spray painted it pink, drilled holes around the rim and added drop crystals, and I took pieces of the fabric and made a cord cover. I hung the lamp from the ceiling with a U hook. Basic and simple and adds a little bling while having the necessary lighting for my workspace.
I decided I wanted a lumber pillow for my work chairs. Pillows are the easiest project to sew. This pillow was easy to make.


I sized up my wording and picked my font in Adobe Photoshop (any editing program will work). I printed it out and used my stencil burner to cut out a stencil on an acetate sheet. (Stencil burner is a must for any crafter).


I spray the back of the stencil with a temporary adhesive and applied to my pillow front. I painted it with fabric paints. Once the design was dried, I apply swarovski crystals (I just love bling).


The gathered ruffle is an old gauze skirt I never wore. I cut it up and added the ends to soften the white pillow. Wallaal......a cute little decorative lumber pillow,
Here's a couple more pics of this space. Still need to do a little more in here but already I'm enjoying working in here.


It's amazing what a little color and creativity can do to a space.


Go have fun with your space and share all your craftiness with us when you are done.


Hope you enjoyed this little tour/tutorial.


Please forgive my typos. My auto correct and my iPad act whacky. I'll eventually go back in and correct mistakes. Thanks for stopping in to check out my room. Be happy crafters.
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