The World Within our Walls. Kelley's Inspiration Station.

Last week we saw how Kelsey had moved into the ranch and managed to add a woman touch and create for herself some areas to write, sew and have quiet time.  She took what she had and made it so lovely!

Today we are having a tour of Kelley's craft room. She calls it her Inspiration Station.
My craft room is my downfall.  I have cluttered myself out of it.  Most of my house is in pretty good shape but not this room.  When I don't know where to put something I put it in there.  And so I have made my own room unusable and it is certainly not inspirational.  Doing this also means the quiet and peace I should have from escaping into the craft room is ruined and it can't be doing my actual creativity any good either!   So I am currently working hard to make it over.

Kelley has created herself a very personal place to work.  Like Kelsey this obviously is a success as the things she makes are beautiful!
Kelley has explained what she did to make this room and her set up, the things she makes and how she uses them. I am sure you will find this inspiring...

#1 ABOVE

- Spray paint the frame of a folding table, recover the top with pretty fabric, and top it with glass.

USE:  I love to craft, cut, glue, decoupage, hand-sew, sketch and draw at this table.

- Make slipcovers for ottomans using thrifted tablecloths.

USE:  Ottomans are great because they can be easily moved anywhere else in the house.  Even better, the slipcovers are washable!

- A floral tablecloth cut in half and thumb tacks make instant valances.

STORY:  This beautiful 1950s linen tablecloth was still in the package when I bought it.  The previous owner must’ve had a “someday” frame of mind, only “someday” never came.

#2  ABOVE

- Pad an old bulletin board with a piece of embroidery.

USE:  This bulletin board has served two other family members and been in our household for nearly two decades.  It has cork and batting under my DIBBLE embroidery, making it a great place to pin ideas I rip out of magazines, or drawings of my ideas for future projects.

- Hang an old ceramic scissors holder as a flower vase.

USE:  It’s just too cute to put scissors in, wouldn’t you agree?

- Fill shoes with flowers as wall art.

USE:  I have a thing about shoes, antique shoes.  I love to use shoes as wall art!  Perhaps some very special feet walked in those shoes.  When I see them on the wall, my heart smiles!

#3 ABOVE

- Display your handmaidens in a pretty, organized way.

USE:  (a) I nearly pitched this old thread spool holder, and instead, padded and covered it with fabric.  Since the tropical sun fades any thread I display, instead, this piece holds measuring tapes and embroidery hoops.  (b)  My broom and dust pan match my Inspiration Station!  (c)  A wicker basket holds felt rolls.

#4 ABOVE

- Rip off an old lamp shade cover and stitch a piece of lace to it.

USE:  It shows a great deal more light with this prettier lamp shade.  I also decoupaged the stand because the old finish was faded.

- Turn a floral-beaded dress into a sewing machine cover.

I bought the dress at a thrift store, knowing it would make a darling sewing machine cover.  All the flowers are beaded!  It’s precious!

- Spray the wrought iron base of an old Singer machine and top it with a slab of marble, glass or wood.

USE:  I saw this idea in a magazine more than two decades ago.  I bought the old sewing machine for $35 and before you could say “sewing machine,” I had it unscrewed off of there!  Makes a great desk, too!  

- Fold a poster board into a dress as wall art.  Trim it with lace, buttons and pattern tissue ruffles.

HOW:  Look online at ideas for paper folding.

#5 ABOVE

- Spray paint a desk lamp's base the right color.

HOW:  Tape off everything well before spraying.  Light sprayed layers, and several layers— that is the way to spray paint for a professional finish!

- Bookoupage a desk— decoupage using book pages.  Top the desk with doilies and a piece of glass.

HOW:  The more yellowed the pages, the better I think for decoupage!  I especially love to bookoupage with maps!

#6  Park a desk in front of a window-reflecting mirror or by the light of a sunny window.

ME:  I especially love to work during daylight.  At my desk is where I love to savor Wednesdays (“Quiet Day”), write, read, plan my embroidered greeting cards other projects, and all our beautiful days.

It hasn’t cost a lot to surround myself with pretty, useful handmaidens in my Inspiration Station.  Mostly, I have shopped my own house!  The “rubbish" one has could be repurposed into useful, dependable handmaidens.  Look again at it with fresh eyes!  

Thank you so much Kelley!  There are a  LOT of ideas in this post. I am pinching a lot!  The doilies under the glass on the desk and the recovered lamp are two I will use. 

Most of all I am just motivated that I need to keep going and get my own room into ship shape.  I made quite a bit of progress in the last couple of weeks.  A room like this is my dream.

Now I know a whole room is not possible for everyone.  But maybe a desk is in the way that Kelsey used a small space for her desk and made it a little retreat in itself.  Wall space can be used with very little floor space!   But to get these lovely spaces both ladies created them.  And we can too.  Even if it is your bedside drawers you can create something lovely, just for you.

To do this we might have to have a big clean out, clear clutter,  re organise... and this is where The World Within our Walls is heading next.... cleaning and organisation!

Have a wonderful week!  xxx