My Scrapbook Room - The Beginning

It is a dream of every scrapbooker (I believe) to have their very own "scrapbook room".  A place with space to create and make a mess and just get things done.  I am green with envy for those scrappers who have four walls and a door and S - P - A - C - E. 

Not that I am without my own little corner.  I do have my own little itty bitty creation station.  It's in my bedroom, and it is a little drop-leaf, green formica kitchen table surrounded by Store-in-Style cubes.  Don't get me wrong, I loved my space when I first got it.  It was perfect... and organized.  It looked like this (only better - I can't find my "just set up" photo):

Yes, this photo shows that it is a little disorganized... I'm terrible at putting things away when I buy something new... any tips would be super appreciated, by the way.  After a while, I bought a few more cubes and moved things around and got more and more scrapping supplies, and still didn't learn how to put things away, and now things sorta look like this:

and this:

Yikes!  Anyone want to come over and help me clean this up?  I'll pay you in excess scrapbooking supplies! 

Actually, my solution is that I just need MORE space.  I have too much stuff.  Well, not too much stuff as in I have more than I "need"... but too much stuff as in I have more than what the space I'm using will allow for.

So, early on in summer 2009, the hubs and I started talking about how we are always on separate levels of the house.  He spends much of his free time on his computer playing games, in our computer room downstairs.  I spend much of my time in the bedroom, staring at my scrapbooking mess and wishing I was Samantha from Bewitched and could just wiggle my nose to get it all cleaned up and organized.  But I digress.

We really don't spend a lot of time together now that I have mostly given up computer gaming.  When I did game, I'd be in the same room as he is, our backs facing each other as we played together on the same game (World of Warcraft and before that, Asheron's Call - any closet gamers out there reading this?)  He offered up the suggestion that my scrapbooking stuff could come downstairs into his "man cave" and then we'd be together more.  (Aaaaawwwwww... isn't that sweet?).

So I looked around and almost cried.  Because, you see, his "man cave" is overrun by crap.  Mostly my crap, I will admit, but he has his share.  Take a look see:

The silhouette of the hubs.  He was looking a little grungy that day so I just cut him out...

The walls in this room are unfinished.  When we first moved into the house in 2000, they walls were covered with 1970's-green paisley wallpaper.  One of my sisters and I ripped it down quickly, but it was wallpaper on untreated drywall, so chunks of the wall came out as well.  My dad came out later and 'mudded' the walls for us so that we could paint. 

Uhm.  I'm embarrassed to say that this was in 2002.

But the hubs and I... we tried to gussy it up a little.  We hung beautiful artwork:

I wish I had a close up of this gorgeous artwork so you could you appreciate the talents of the artists.

Aside from the unfinished walls, this room was my computer room, my file room, my pay the bills space, the place where I "stored" projects I would get to later, and also where I kept my candles (I used to sell Partylite and I have a huge addiction to candles... almost as bad as my scrapbook supplies addiction).  On the other hand, my husband kept several computers in various states of repair (or disrepair) among other pieces and parts "just in case".  Oh yeah, and lots and lots of computer game CDs, books and whatnot.  Much of this was in the closet.

Because of the lovely state of constant mess, I didn't take many photos down here (obviously as I'm using the same one over and over to demonstrate the area). 

After my mini meltdown about what needed to happen to move downstairs with all my scrappy goodness, I began to plan... and buy more stuff!  I'd have to fill the space, of course! 

Wait 'til you see the transformation.  It's still "in progress", but I wanted to share the various steps that are completed and then give you a Grand Reveal.  Once I'm downstairs, watch out!  I'll be creating left and right!  I'll finally use my Wishblade!  I'll be able to view all of my stamps!  You won't be able to stop me!  You won't believe how productive I'll be! You'll get sick of the projects I post!

For now, though... until I get the rest of the pictures posted... someone PLEASE come over and help me organize!  Pretty please?  I'll buy you pizza! 

Hello?  Anyone out there?  All I can hear is crickets...

*sigh*