My new black drawers

You checkin' out my black drawers?
Huh.
My drawers were grey and little rusty.
I bought them second hand
at a flea market.
Ever bought used drawers
at an open air trading post?
You'll need to wipe
or vacuum them out.


How's about some black spray paint?


Um, no.
Paint FAIL!
Look at the bubbling mess.


What's a crafting skitzo to do?
Paint that shit again.
Paint it again.
Layer the paint until the
bubbling texture looks smooth.

Slap some labels on it.
Be proud of your OCD.

Watch yo' shelf

While mapping out the room, I decided match the shelving depth to the 24" work surfaces for a more cohesive look.
Edsal shelves were on sale at Lowe's so two went home with me. Metal posts and shelves were spray painted ivory to coordinate with the purposely neutral walls and floor. The wood shelf inserts were black and not raw wood as shown online or on box. Woozy from spray paint fumes, I opted not to paint the shelves.


Word to the wise: have a buddy assist when assembling. The pieces aren't heavy but must be level.


The posts and supports are metal thus magnet backed glass top boxes are perfect storage for extra needles and such.

WooHoo! It's time to fold some fabric and sort and alphabetize it accordingly.

Easy fabric storage

Thanks to Eileen, I had a heap of silk fabric with no home and wondered how to store it. Sure, I could buy plastic lidded storage boxes but those are pain in the ass because they're heavy when stacked full of fabric and invariably it's the bottom box you want when searching for a specific item. Already had this metal shelving unit (that I had powder coated in metallic silver paint) so filled it up with fabric.

Filled that mammajamma and still needed MORE fabric storage space. Another visit to my favorite used office furniture store and found this cool unit for less than marked price of $49! WooHoo! I opted for the sturdy metal cabinet at the same price as four plastic storage containers. Cleaned it up and opted to place unit in closet so no powder coating necessary although, am now considering a powder coat finish to match the other unit and placing them in the same room.

Top two shelves have sliding doors removable for easy cleaning.

Sliding drawers on third and fourth levels.

All the sliding mechanisms are incredibly smooth. No, it isn't pretty but it is incredibly functional, dust-free and easy access storage. It is a joy, I tell ya, JOY for this anal retentive girl to squirrel away even more silk fabric!

Hoarder? Or Not?

I notice that I announce character flaws about myself like calling myself a "control freak" or "anal retentive" or "hoarder" then wonder if I do it to beat others to the punch although I don't really see anything wrong with the first two attributes but dang(!) watching that "Hoarders" series on A&E ~deep breath~~ it gives me the monkey nerves to begin immediately begin clearing stuff to reassure myself that I am NOT a hoarder because those folks are nuts.

NOT my house

Sometimes I think I am sliding into crazy lady territory, accepting all the loot from People Give Me Stuff bounties, stockpiling supplies for future projects and fastidiously ironing vintage trims and ribbon . . . sounds a little obsessive already, right? But the fact is, I enjoy rooting through the stuff, separating the wheat from the chaffe. It may look like a mess for time but while I am greedy with ribbons and notions, I am generous with the things I won't use or don't need. Last night I packed up 3 bags of things for other crafters/sewing chicks with stuff they (hopefully) want. If I thought for a second they were hoarders, the stuff would go to charity thrift stores.


Just because my stuff is organized and labelled doesn't mean it isn't hoarding

I hate waste, I hate when good stuff goes into the trash when it could go to Goodwill so that attitude could be my downhill slide to hoarding but no way do I want to bring it MY house. Someone once said that waste is a lack of creativity and guess that is why I am drawn to alternate use items and art made from found objects. Look at my blog for stuff made with neckties, wine corks, and repurposed things. Yikes, maybe I do have a touch of the hoard.

However, that's why you would want to know me if we were in prison together. I would be that person that knows where to get stuff. My brain stores inventory lists and not just my own, other people's too. My sis mentions that she would like to try a floor steamer? Brother has one. Mom needs to make a "fascinator" for 20's costume party? The supplies are in my craft stash. Friend needs a batch of high school class rings for a Grease skit? Got a dozen or so. Someone needs to borrow a few cake stands for a wedding reception? I know 4 people to ask.


Recently I asked an ice breaker question at a meeting: If you could cast yourself for a television show, which would it be? The answers were very interesting, everything from "Golden Girls" to reality shows to "The Real Housewives of Atlanta".

My revealing answer? "Sanford and Son".

1) I KNOW there is a treasure somewhere in Fred's piles

2) I would like to help Fred organize that mess

Bauble display

Instead of tossing my pins and brooches in a drawer,

they are displayed on the wall.

Old frame + linen over batting over foam core = easy

Sammy

at Icanhascheezburger.com

Craft room upgrade

When pressed for space, designers will tell you to look up for storage. My craft room is getting cramped what with all the stuff people give me and the 20 roll lot of serger thread I purchased from eBay. Found 2 aluminum shelves at IKEA and installed them above the closet doors.

Wanna see more pix of the Skitzo Leezra Studio? Click HERE and even more at Flickr.

Don't you wish you had room for this?

Me too!

Old school metal lockers for sale, less than $100.

Walking away from them. . .

I am,

SkitzoLeezra

Butt'n, oh no you di'nt!

The decorative appeal of a ton of buttons in one big glass jar looks cool but the first time I searched for specific size and color, I realized my anal retentive organization compulsion really did serve a purpose.

Now sorting buttons by color and happy to do it.

Embroidery floss, organized

The craftster.org folks were showing their embroidery floss organization or lack of it. Ya already know I am anal retentive so the above should not be much of a surprise.

My name is SkitzoLeezra and I am Anal Retentive

At work, looking for an envelope in the office supply closet, instead found Kleenex boxes on three different shelves (horrors!) and 4 opened boxes of rubberbands. Oooh, it gave me a case of the monkey nerves. Scratch, scratch.

The next thing you know, stuff is spread all over the floor to be organized and realigned. Like goes with like. (Found these clear plastic boxes at Office Depot.)

Sigh, I am happy now.

My name is SkitzoLeezra and I am a Ribbon Whore

It all started so innocently. Back in the day, I had preppy ribbon to match my headband to the watchband plus an interchangeable ribbon belt. (Heck, that was 20 years ago and I just recently sewed one of those old watchbands into a keyfob.) After my preppy phase passed, then began the ribbon obsession for gift wrapping. Ribbon on sale, clearance, post-holiday sell off, all of it gathered.

No nylon or this horrible shiny plastic ribbon for me. Yuck. Ugh! I just threw up in my mouth a little.

YUCK

Hemp, cotton cord, and waxed linen made the cut and serves as ribbon for men's gifts. Eventually, I began grading gift recipients on their ribbon worthiness. If I feel a recipient will reuse the ribbon, I am happy to share. Should I suspect that the ribbon will go in the trash, I'll retrieve it beforehand. My dad has actually pulled his pocketknife and CUT satin ribbon! No more, he now gets raffia. Then I moved and created the SkitzoLeezra Studio. 20 feet of gutter cut down to four 5' sections and I still needed more space! Added a shelf above gutters. Sorted ribbon in metal baskets and hung ribbon from shelf bars.

I am a ribbon whore. But not ashamed of it.

Much.

To craft or to organize?

Both make me happy but one must be done before I can enjoy the other.

Guess which?

Notion storage

Buttons and more buttons

Trim and more ribbons

Fabric sorting and vintage notions

Tools, pens and pastels

My brother tells me that my craft studio reveals a very sick person. And though is he is very judgmental, he lets me organize stuff at his house.

Super cheap organization

This is my favorite craft and sewing organizer. Flat cardboard boxes from canned drink cases.
I tote a stack of them from work when the Coca~Cola machine is refilled and use them for everything.

• Projects in progress can be tossed together and stashed away.
• Or sit the box on your lap while you watch television. Trim paper and let the scraps fall. Toss the whole thing when finished.
• If you stagger them in a Rubbermaid type storage box, you can keep your materials neat and separate.
• These boxes are great for painting small craft projects!
• Decoupage paper images are sorted by genre.
• A favorite for kitty lounging.
• Great transport for food.

Yeah, yeah, I know that the boxes aren't acid free but storage is not long term nor do I care. As my friend Chrysanthemum would say,

"If it is free, it's for me!"

Gift wrap station

~or~ Don't Hate Me Because I'm Anal (retentive)

A boyfriend from way back had a terrific grandmother with a gift wrap ROOM! Wall mounted gift wrap roll holders, open shelving along each wall with a large flat area for wrapping. I was inspired and aspired to have an area like that one day. Here is my homage to her.



A few more pix from my studio, specifically the closet that is the gift wrap station. Gift bags on left, sorted by size (of course) and tied to closet rod with random pieces of ribbon. S-hooks would be better, I just keep forgetting to get those while at the hardware store.



Ribbon, tags, tissue, tape, etc. on right. The unpainted wood hutch purchased from Lowe's. Tissue paper is sorted by color. The Coca-Cola six pack holder is great storage for those small scraps of paper. (Yes, I'm a hoarder! But an organized hoarder!) Gift stash below.



Gift wrap is stowed in metal box next to wrapping table.

Skitzo Leezra Studio

My decorating aesthetic is all about re-purposing things for other than their original or intended use.

Plus, I like shiny things!

And a craft room or studio should be in a color that makes you happy.

These photos were taken before I added more touches, like ribbon tubes covering the black electric cord of wall mounted light fixtures and large glass jars of buttons and yet more ribbon accumulation.

Walls: Laura Ashley Apple Green

Shelving units: Lowe's
Metal table: custom
Aluminum chair: vintage

(need 10 more for the dining room!)

Fabric storage box:
shipping crate + casters + paint + galvanized aluminum panels

Wall mounted wire display:
IKEA Diginet curtain wire

Wire baskets: restaurant supplier

Ribbon storage:
Lowe's, 20' galvanized aluminum gutters, cut into four 5' sections

(Yes, I AM a ribbon whore! AND anal retentive.)