Take a Virtual Tour of My New Craft Room & Get some ideas for Your Hobby Room!

Afternoon! So having posted my 'craft room mood board blog' this is it! I've finally got mine together! Let's see how I got on and how close to my mood board I came?!?

I wanted to keep to a pastel pink, teal, cream, white colour palette with some rustic additions. The hardest part was getting the perfect storage solutions as my new craft room is quite teeny tiny - so I need to be organised in there to be able to keep it looking nice and tidy and lovely at all times!
I've tried to make sure every corner has pretty touches ...

Ths corner is dedicated to Tilda mainly .. with the drawers in the units filled with gorgeous Tilda fabrics, and using some of the fabulous Tilda fat quarter storage boxes and tins, I've managed to fit everything in perfectly .....beautiful Tilda Fat quarters, ribbons, buttons etc plus I've hidden odd bits away in the pretty tins so that none of the 'mess' is on show! You will also spot my trusty Big Shot which I love it's great for die cutting papers, felt and even gets through the Tilda fabrics if you send it back and forward a few times - perfect for applique details etc.

The corner to the left of my sewing table has all my everyday bits and bobs, pretty silk ribbons, and hidden in the Tilda tins and storage boxes are zips, charms, more themed ribbons, trimmings and more! In the unit drawers beside my workstation are all the practicals - glue guns, threads, things to make things in to (following that?!? ....... bags of lavender etc) and all my craft books. All hidden away keeping the overall look consistent and of course rather lovely and inspiring! Here's my workstation from another angle to get perspective of how all the everyday bits sit together and provide me with everything I need in easy reach while still looking nice!

I have an awkward space in my craft room too but by getting some clever storage units I have been able to hide away more bits and pieces and make good use of the space. I've added my little tree to the space that I take to craft fairs with some mini bunting displayed to add a little finishing touch!

So now for the fun bit all the pretty details that I have used - hopefully some of you reading this will find some inspiration with ideas for your own hobby rooms!

Ribbon Holders & Storage boxes and tins to hide all the messy bits leaving you with everything neat and tidy, looking good & easy to find ...

I had a couple of storage hampers and some pretty baskets - I have used the hampers to keep all the bits for my Big Shot - lots of dies etc + other felt pieces. All my felt rolls are easy to see in the basket with my little project basket hidden in to the crate.

 Here's that awkward corner I was mentioning! It really is a pain of a space but hopefully with these wicker units I've managed to utilise it to best advantage!

 Buttons & beads have been placed in sweetie jars and placed on these cute rustic heart shelves just above my sewing table for easy access & they also add some much needed colour to the walls! so pretty much practically perfect in every way!

 Tilda fat quarters, ribbons & lace are all kept neatly in some of the Tilda storage display boxes, and I found this super cute little sign that says 'Fairies sleep here' and I think the perfect place for them to get all cosy would be amongst the beautiful fat quarters! I bet they go to sleep with a smile on their face every night !!

 My lovely patchwork picture I made for myself ...... made from all of my fave Tilda fabrics so I can see them everyday for an inspired sigh!

Close up of the Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting Machine - jolly decent of them to make it in colours that fit in perfectly with my craft room theme don't you think?!

 I always use the pin cushion sewing kit jar for my every day pin cushion it's so convenient to use. (Want one of your own? - check out the website!) It's filled with my beautiful Tilda pins in teal and pink hearts! You HAVE to have pretty pins it's the RULE! tee hee!

 Hidden amongst the pretty storage tins and boxes are odd themed ribbons, zips, trimmings etc - all the bits that get really messy now looking nice and tidy!

 Ribbons!! - My name is Sarah and I'm addicted to ribbons (if you hadn't noticed) !!

 Got lots of little small things? in these smaller tins are hidden away charms, key fobs, jump rings and all the little bits that get lost .... not any more!

 I love my Tilda ribbon holders ..... that is all! X

 I bought this memo board from Next ages ago and love it .... brings a touch of the rustic with the perfect amount of practical, once I get back in to full swing hopefully it will be refilled with all your orders as I work through them again!

 Of course my Tilda Sewing Box takes pride of place on my sewing table and to leave me with as much sewing place - only this and my sewing machine make it on to the actual sewing table!

 Co-ordinating tins, jars for all the little pretty bits of trimmings and lace...

 This picture appeared in one of Tilda's earlier books and I loved it so I had it blown up and made in to a poster, I've framed it in a plain wooden frame and added it as a little finishing touch to that awkward corner of mine!

 So that's it ....... I hope you like what I've done to the place and taken some ideas that you can use in your own hobby rooms along the way. All that's left to do is get back in there and back to work sewing my little heart out! And when I open the door this is what I will see - it really does bring a smile - little things keep me happy I'm afraid! LOL

 And once I'm sat down here with my faithful 'Brother' in front of me surrounded by loveliness I am sure it will help me make only beautiful and lovely things for all my customers!

Right ........ I better crack on then! thanks for taking a look around ......but now it's time to get making again ....... You can't keep me from sewing for too long ...... ! 

Sarah X

Creating the Perfect Planner ......... Organise Your Life the Fun Way!

Planners are the the new craze coming over from America and it is pretty much a cross between scrapbooking and a filofax! Sounds perfect hey?!? Well I think so ... I have loved pretty stationery ever since I was a little girl always wanting funky pens, rubbers, notebooks etc and to be quite honest with you not much has changed! LOL

With my life now changing slightly I am going to have to juggle a part time job in marketing with my business 'Sarah's Simply Handmade' and that means being organised as we are about to go in to 'silly season' for us crafters leading up to Christmas so I have been looking at these planners for ages and I think I have found the perfect one for me! And here it is ......

Complete gorgeousness - right?? I found this amazing page on Facebook by 'Hearts by Emma' and pretty much landed in stationery heaven! So having spent an absurd amount of time on her Etsy page https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Heartsbyemma this beautiful little parcel of loveliness arrived in the post and today I have spent a wonderful couple of hours getting it ready to use!

If you are thinking about getting one here's what I have done to personalise mine and give it a little bit of Tilda magic too! Let's face it if I didn't add Tilda to my planner I don't think anyone would believe it was mine!

First up - gather all your goodies together, all the pretties and stickers you can think of, some Tilda papers, labels and embellishments, plus any extras - I needed contact sheets, to do lists and extra note paper in pretty pastel shades of course & some essential tools to help make it all happen! 

Start by organising your layout .... how you will use your diary/planner/organiser and don't forget to always add the 'smile' factor wherever you can! Most planners will come with a set of 'pretties' so it's up to you how you use them and embellish them. I wanted to smile every time I opened my planner so I cut to size the 'hello' velum that came with the planner and changed the original backing to one of my favourite Tilda designs ...

I then started putting in all the 'dashboards' (dividers) for all the categories I wanted in my planner beginning with the calender section. I want to feel inspired and motivated when I open my diary so I chose one of the velums that came with the planner, some Tilda paper cut to size, one of the pretty glitter crowns paper clips I also bought from 'Hearts by Emma'.

Next up the to do lists! There's bound to be plenty of those!! - the planner already has a main divider for this entitled 'Lists to Love' and some gorgeous papers for daily to do's etc but I needed an extra section to divide my two lives ...  Again I chose Tilda papers, one of the 'To Do' Stickers and a perfect quote card from my 'Hearts by Emma' bundle and because the Tilda papers are double sided I have 'fancied' up the back by adding a Winter Memories angel and some cute stickers I already had.

I'm sure I am going to need to write down lot of notes and ideas, the planner comes with a section called 'Write it Down', there's also another with beautiful papers for 'Memory Keeping'. Among these I have added an extra notes section. Using Tilda  papers, a delightful glittered pink crown paper clip (can paper clips be delghtful!??! ..... probably!) and another quote card saying 'Here's the Story' ..

Everyone needs good contacts in business and in life! Whether it be friends, family, business contacts, stockists, suppliers - you name it we need them all in our lives ..... but only good ones! which is why I have purposely added the perfect quote card at the beginning of my contacts dashboard that says 'Don't let anyone ever dull your sparkle' that way I won't let any dull people make it in to my contacts section! I also included a pretty rose paper clip, more Tilda papers and on the reverse one of the Tilda angel dolls with a 'truly happy' post it - all our contacts should make us truly happy - right? 

With all the main sections now having their own personalised features I was able to work my way through the planner adding some more fun bits. Most planners will come with a new month section for your diaries - the ones in my planner were already gold foiled with the month but then just a plain white sheet which obviously just isn't good enough for us crafty planner types so I have added a little bit of Tilda paper craft embellishment on to each one to liven them up and get me in the mood for the month ahead!

For emergencies I have a spare paper clip, a Tilda paper dashboard card, a birdcage post it note and notepaper all adding to the general prettiness! 

And the big question .... did it actually close when I had added all my bits ??? ............ of course it did! LOL with it's beautiful pale pink leather tassle winking out of the bottom and the wonderful little tag that says 'Be Yourself' and my pretty sparkly pen neatly placed in the pen holder! 

And that is it! All I need to do now is 'add my life' whether that will be quite as perfect as my beautiful planner is another thing ..... but you know what? ...... it's a new start & new beginning for me that starts on September 1st and I'm going to give it a good go! ............ if you want to create your own perfect planner here's a few links that you might find useful ...... Good luck, Happy Planning & Enjoy!

Sarah X

Hearts by Emma: https://www.facebook.com/Heartsbyemma?fref=ts

                                           https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Heartsbyemma

Tilda Paper Crafts: http://www.sarahssimplyhandmade.co.uk/ourshop/cat_907725-Tilda-Paper-Craft.html

The Happy Planner: http://www.thehomemakery.co.uk/stationery/mambi-happy-planner

                                                      http://www.meandmybigideas.com/create365-thehappyplanner/

Simple Stories: http://www.simplestories.com/