Planner & Craft Room Inspiration Ahead!

Can you relate?

Years ago, I watched craft shows on tv. I read crafting magazines. I always had a project going. Then I began having children. Those craft projects became art projects in our homeschool days. I put away all of my craft supplies in favor of construction paper, glue sticks, glitter, and the like.

Too many years have gone by, with no real crafting for me. I’ve always been an office supply and school supply addict. Our homeschool years have provided me with plenty of opportunities to add to my supplies, thus feeding my addiction. Add in my planner supplies, and I now have boxes of pens, papers, washi tape, clips, and more to use.

I forget which products I already own and buy more. I even have both a Cricut and a Silhouette machine that are never used, due to lack of space and being boxed up. My laminator doesn’t get used as often as I’d like because using it requires me to clear off a section of the table, unbox it, find an electrical outlet, use it, then put it back.

My “work area” is uninspiring. I typically pull a few items out and go to the kitchen table to use them. This means I have to complete any project before meal time and that doesn’t always happen. Since I don’t always have enough time to complete a project, I put off even beginning it. It’s a vicious cycle, I tell you!

How much more creative would I be with all of my tools and supplies readily available for use? My problem is that I don’t have a work area to use all of these goodies. See what I mean?

Planner & Craft Room Inspiration Ahead!

 

I visited Lowe’s for inspiration one day while shopping (also shopping for more of those supplies that day!) and saw the “wall of color” with the Olympic paint displays. Oh, my. I grabbed a rainbow of paint sample cards. I looked at all of the painting supplies. I dreamed of the projects that I could build (or, rather, have my hubby build with me!)

I came home inspired. I want to be crafty again. I want to use all of those cute planner goodies!

My children are getting older and it’s time for me to have a creative area again. It’s time for me to create again. It’s time to organize my goodies and actually use those goodies!

 

And, so, we have begun the great adventure of figuring out the best use of our space. Like all good homemakers, I began with a Pinterest search and created a board to save (and share!) all of the inspiring and interesting ideas others have shared. Since I’m not a person that possesses “vision,” I need photos to share my ideas with my husband. He can build a bookcase with no plans and it turns out beautiful and well-built. Me? I need great visuals and instructions to build anything.

 

Our plan is to collaborate on this project and build it together. The fun part will come when I get to choose paint colors for my planning area. I’ve already narrowed it down to a few of these. Those paint sample cards are wonderful, aren’t they? Once I narrow it down a bit more, I’ll head back to Lowe’s to purchase a few sample containers of paint. This is such an ingenious idea! Before I invest in quarts and gallons of paint, I can bring home a small sample of the actual color to be sure I’m happy with it in my home, on my project. This is especially good for me. I’m impressed with others’ use of color but tend to shy away from it myself. (Case in point? The only rooms in our home that have been painted are the kitchen, bathroom, and our children’s bedrooms- the rest are still the white they were when we moved in 12 years ago!)

If you’re looking for inspiration, be sure to visit the Olympic Paint site. Careful, you may get lost in the gorgeous colors! There’s plenty of beautiful colors and fun project ideas for you. Looking to save a bit of money on your purchase? There’s a coupon waiting there for you as well! And, be sure to check out the Paint Visualizer! For a person like me that seems to lack “vision,” this is an EXCELLENT way to decide on paint colors! This is ingenious!

Won’t you join me on this journey! I’d LOVE for you to share your organizational ideas! How do you store your planning goodies? What’s the best way to store your pens & markers for ease of use? Photos would be great, remember that I’m a visual person! Leave your comments here or on the Facebook page. I’m sure there are plenty more ladies in the same boat as me and we’d all love for you to share!