Well as an avid scrapbooker I can sure relate to your problem. I splurged on a nice Ikea desk and drawers for myself for my main work area and then improvised as you have. I scoured $2 shops for storage ideas - particularly in the kitchen area and got small baskets, jars and containers to hold things, even used a cutlery holder to stack rolls of ribbons in. I found a desk organiser for pens and scissors that holds other odds and ends too. Plastic storage bins for on the floor under the desk for things I need frequently, pretty covered boxes for other storage on shelving, basically, you are limited by your imagination. I found many things came in a pretty green so tried to keep to the green as much as possible but made sure anything else co-ordinated to make it look like it was all meant to be.

You seem to have a lot of sensible storage there, now you just need to decide how you work, what you need closest to you to avoid jumping up and down all the time and plan a sitting and working area and a planning/layout area, that would probably include your Cricut. I have a Sizzex and have a cupboard with baskets I stand all my dies in to easily access them. I also created a folder with the photos of each die and an actual size shape to make it easy to refer to when I am planning. I think with what you have a U shape would be good with your main work area at the base of the U.

I really don't think it is possible to be 100% neat with the amount of product you would have, it is more a matter of making it look organised and efficient. Would you feel like painting all your furniture one colour, that would be a good start to bringing it together. Looks like you have an ideas board already, this could be above your main area to easily access.

It takes time and effort to find little things that will work for you and to bring it all together, but once you start, it does get easier.

Have you seen these ideas books?

https://www.houzz.com/magazine/fresh-start-organizing-your-craft-room-stsetivw-vs~1083872

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/159730/list/Ask-Santa-for-a-Craft-Room

thank you. painting everything uniform and fun colors sounds really good. I think i am going to pick pink and green (love this color combo) I found a tutorial on how to paint laminate furniture, so now I can't wait to get going! i never really thought about creating the u shape with that desk that is against the wall that is holding my baby cricut (and beer cans LOL that is funny! those are for crafting, my husband contributes too) but maybe I will move that desk to the other side of the u. getting ideas now:)

Thank you so much!

Oh, yes pink and green, nice rich pink and leafy spring green, really fresh and clean together. Girly, but hey it is YOUR area so perfect. Check photos here, I've seen some great pink, green and white rooms. Actually I just entered pink and green rooms and 25000 came up!!!

Laminate furniture is really easy to do, I just did my bathroom vanity. Bought a special undercoat that does laminate, plastic, metal, etc, painted it on and then just did 2 coats of semi gloss paint. Everything was water based so no clean up problems. The only thing I would suggest with shelving or bench areas, paint a coat or two of clear polyurethane over the top of the paint, sometimes things can stick to paint if left a while and will then lift the paint. Poly is just as easy to wipe over too.

You shouldn't have mentioned the beer cans - I wouldn't have picked them - lol!

Good luck, have fun and please post the finished result.

[houzz=]

what undercoat did you use? do you remember? I was just doing some research and it seems that rustoleum seems to have a product i could use... and yes, I will definitely post photos when i am done:) and probably during.

this is actually what my craft room looked like before I tore it all apart, its functional, but just uninspiring.

I'm impressed, you certainly have it well organised, once you have it all painted it is going to look great. I would take a photo of mine except we are renovating at the moment - presently have 3 bedrooms totally emptied for painting so house looks like a bomb site. I'm in Australia, so can't talk brands but it was a special undercoat for metal, formica, plastic - all sorts of things. I don't know rustoleum but I have heard good reports on it. I know someone on here who has used it, I will get a message to her to come over and talk to you. She will probably be in bed now but she is an early riser.

Ok, so I guess I'm the early riser olldroo mentioned! I painted my kitchen countertops with Rustoleum hammered copper and first I used Rustoleum clear topcoat and then switched to Minwax topcoat. Minwax gave me a much harder more durable finish. Unfortunately I don't know anything about Rustoleum undercoat as I didn't use it, my countertops were tile and not laminate.

Thanks bobbi, I knew you would come through for me. The product I used was for any surface not normally suitable for painting, and did include tiles, so it could well be that what you used would be suitable for any surface too. Hard to tell from here of course, Sassy probably staff at Home Depot or similar would be able to help and advise you further.

Well you're welcome of course but I don't think I was much help!

okay, i went ahead and bit the bullet and today I sanded and primed most pieces, including the counter top. that being said, i'm starting to rethink my pink/green theme... any other suggestions. i was thinking about a grey/yellow/hottish pink. But i just don't know. Remember, its a rental and i can't paint the walls... oh it took me so long cuz i caught the crud;( blah, feeling better now though!

oh also thinking blue and yellow, anyhow i'm really leaning towards yellow...

Sassy, I think I would just stick to plain white. You will have enough colour in your stash that is on display in jars. Look at that photo above from the Ask Santa idea book, if you put colour with that you can see how jumbled it could end up with all the colours in the stash. Does the room have a lot of light?? If it doesn't the white would help there too.

If you really wanted to have some fun, you could paint the middle of the doors in bright colours, pink, blue, green, or stick some coloured pattern papers on, but that is extra work and I think it would busy up the area too much.

Sorry to hear you have been ill, glad you are ok now.

Call california Closets!

Yellow is nice, not too bright, but it is a nice cheerful colour. My favourite is like a custard colour - cheery enough to be a colour but soft enough to be neutral. I definitely think just one colour though, like I said, let your stash do the rest.

good on you for your work today!
I think painting most of your pieces one colour will make them all look unified--whatever colour you love: white, yellow, or hot pink, etc; and then add your accent colour: orange, teal, or green, etc on a chair, idea boards, artwork.

I like this idea
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sugexp=les%3B&gs_rn=5&gs_ri=psy-ab&pq=red+sheveld+sewing+rooms&cp=10&gs_id=9&xhr=t&q=red+shelved+sewing+rooms&rlz=1C1CHMD_enCA371CA371&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.43148975,d.aWc&biw=1517&bih=725&bs=1&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=MJ4yUZSOEez_yQG5ioEo#imgrc=xM1AeQb2bqPt4M%3A%3B4qwixpVvCGRcYM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F4.bp.blogspot.com%252F-cKc4Da08ZjI%252FTX9V4t60nAI%252FAAAAAAAAFXY%252FhNVLRCuofPQ%252Fs1600%252Ftrendy%25252Btree%25252Bhouse%25252Bred%25252Bsewing%25252Broom.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fbeautifulminiblessings.blogspot.com%252F2011%252F03%252Fgrandmas-sewing-room.html%3B400%3B400

Wow, what a choice. Which one did you have in mind?

oohhhh thats nice genevieve! okay i figured out what i am going to do with the back of the shelves, its kind of cardboard, so it will easily warp, BUT I am going to use acrylic paint and paint it white, and then do black polka dots (this is instead of contact paper) and it wont warp because acrylic dries so quickly and is a "dry" (for lack of a better phrase) paint. So that is what i am gonna do for the backs of the shelving units... probably yellow shelves, like the custard color droo was talking about :) so super excited to get this project DONE! thanks all for your input!

Go, girl, I feel you are on fire. Good luck with the dots - are you painting them or using stickons.

why would I call california closets? I think I put them to shame, and i am much more affordable! LOL :) thank you all for your support... do you think they have "houzz" green? teeehee:) so super happy to have a vision!

olldroo... I will be using acrylics.... white background with black polka dots... I actually do paintings like this often, on smaller things like boxes and what nots... but if I can do it on the smaller things, i am sure I can do it on a background. photos to follow as soon as I get it done! so super happy

I'm excited to see what you do.

@Genevieve. Why do you always do that? I can't figure out why you would pull that same old trick on Houzzers who are simply hoping to get a few helpful suggestions to vexing design problems.

You sound too talented for me Sassy. I don't have a problem with ideas and then I hit a brick wall. Good luck and don't forget to post photos.

droo, i hit a brick wall often as well, that is why I'm super excited that I have a final vision for my room. :)

Sassy, do you often find that what you want is staring you in the face, it is not until you talk to someone else it all becomes clear................ a "why didn't I think of that" moment. I call it brain overload.

olldroo-I don't know if Sassy does or not--but I sure do :)

Ahhhhhhh, another kindred spirit. I love this website, I don't feel such a nutter anymore.

http://houzz.com/photos/45837