Over the July 4th holiday weekend, I "lost" myself in my basement, where my scrap area is set up. When the store where I worked closed last month, I purchased some slat wall and grid panels for "home organization". Well, with the kids mostly out and about over the weekend, that left The Hubs and me home to our own devices. And we planned a weekend of getting two areas organized: my scrap room and his tool room.
Now, one friend out there in cyberland is always telling me to take before and after photos. Well, I didn't take ANY photos of The Hubs tool room because a) he would have glared at me, b) I was busy fussing around in my scrap area and c) I actively chose not to because really... who wants to see a little 3-foot by 4-foot area of tools and dirty stuff? Not I! (Although I will say it looks pretty spiffy, even if he's not quite done yet.)
Then, because I got so busy fussing around in my own room, there were pieces I missed photographing, but I'll just fill that in with my words. For those of you who missed my scrap room renovation about a year or so ago, you may wish to start reading some of these other posts, just to see where it ALL truly originated:
The Beginning
Part Deux
The Finale
As with any true project, it's always in motion; always changing, adapting... re-organizing. Well, the slat wall was exciting because it gave me a new "space" to have organized.
As a reminder, for those not willing to bop around to the older posts... when I was done renovating the space in the basement, I had a blank wall in front of my scrappin' table... looked blank and blah and so uninspiring - see?
What a perfect blank canvas... perfect for a piece of slat wall? I think so too!
After The Hubs wounded me viciously (not really, but I like the guilt sometimes) by causing a "brace" of boards to fall over and crack me on the top of the foot, he had the lightbulb moment of using the TV trays to hold up the wall while he got things lined up with the studs in the walls.
And here is The Hubs in all his glory (yes, his face is still hidden, purposely), playing with power tools. I wish I could spell that animal-grunt that Tim-the-toolman-Taylor used to make from the TV show Home Improvement. Oh well, if you know what I'm talking about, imagine that here.
Okay... HERE IT IS! The slat wall UP! Doesn't it just give you shivers with its potential? A friend who also got slat wall texted me earlier in the weekend, "is it wrong 2 b turned on by a piece of slat wall hanging in my scrap room?" I laughed at the time... but here... here... I totally know what she meant!
Immediately, I started messing around with shelving. As short as I am and with the extended distance of needing to lean over the table, I knew the top of the slat wall would be inaccessible to me, so I figured it should just have inspirational knick knacks and goodies... let's test it out a little...
... oh yes, that is Tim Holtz in that frame up there. A friend of mine gave that to me as a birthday present this year. He's supposed to help trigger my scrapbook mojo!
As I was putzing around, it just was missing something. It was so..... white. White on a grey-blue wall. Bleah. Then I remembered....
Butterflies and lots of them! That helped. A lot! And yet, I still felt... it was...a little... lacking. So... I grabbed my color wash inks and start spritzing.
This is the last photo I took before I started putting things on the wall, but this wasn't the end of my spritzing. I messed with it for an entire afternoon and another almost whole day spraying it with a fixative because it wouldn't all dry completely. That was a conundrum to me. Some areas that looked wet were perfectly dry. Others looked dry and smudged immediately upon my touch. Regardless, I love the outcome, despite the headache.
And then the loading up and organization began...
Then this furry miss kitty came by, quite irritated that no one had a lap available, and then - horror of all horrors - when she got on my table, her bed was missing!
And toward the end, after moving and re-doing, here's what it looks like. Sorry for the darker pics... it was night time by then...
I LOVE IT!
I do believe I've been "found"!
That is fantastic! I hope to see it in person one of these days!
ReplyDeletewow you have been a busy bee and that storage is "to die for". I did giggle at your friends text. Love the butterflies and what you did to put your own touch to the wall.
ReplyDeleteW. O. W. Thank you for all the photos. I hope you don't feel I was nagging but you're there and I'm way over here. Thank you. I think your space is A-MAZ-ING
ReplyDeletegood job Kai - hopefully being organized will bring back some MOJO!
ReplyDeleteI never saw the spritz coming...it was such an amazing plot twist!!! Seriously, that looks like a scrapbooking cockpit with butterflies, like you are going to be TAKING FLIGHT into the great unknown. Awesome.
ReplyDeleteKai, way to go girl! Organized and full of inspiration...this space and you were made for each other <3
ReplyDeleteLove it!
Awesome job!!! Great inspiration for me to get all of my things organized and cleaned up in the basement. Thankyou for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWow!!! That is so awesome, Kai. I enjoyed this post so much - all the photos, the look into your craft space, and your clever writing style.
ReplyDeleteLOVE the butterflies and sprays of colors on your organization board. And I LOVE your furry friend coming to visit at the end. :o)