Craft Room Creation

For the first time ever - I own a house and I can do anything I want - I can paint, I can install shelves - I can even install a pegboard!  The pic below shows my basement, which was my blank canvas for my craft room.  

Here's where I'm at right now - it took a lot of work to get to this point!  And I have a feeling this space will evolve a bit more before I feel like it's "done".  But for now - I'm loving it!  I'll take you through the steps of how I got to this point.

First, I got the two end cabinets from Habitat for Humanity ReStore - which was great - they're really well priced and my purchase helps their organization.  And they're really nice quality cabinets - they have soft close drawers and the one that's closed has pullout shelves.

Then I obsessively searched for a "countertop" that would be the exact right length between those two walls.  After considering all options, I found a "prefinished shelf" at Menards (I think this is what I ended up with).  Once I got it home and placed on top of my two cabinets, I realized it was long/heavy enough that it needed a center support.  The cabinet in this pic, topped with books was a temporary solution.

Then I started installing shelves.  Then I uninstalled them after realizing I needed wall anchors to support the weight and then I reinstalled them.

Then I installed the two pegboards.  When you buy a pegboard, you also need a "pegboard mounting kit" because when you think about it - the pegboard can't be right up against the wall, you need some space, so the peg hooks will fit in.  

Steel/Plastic Pegboard Mounting & Spacer Kit for DuraBoard or 1/8 In. and 1/4 In. Pegboard, 15 Sets

I bought a thread rack like this:

And it was SO FUN to put it on my pegboard and put my thread up there.

Everything I added to the pegboard was really fun - I definitely recommend getting one!  Also I paid $6.99 for each one and it has a huge visual impact.

I searched online for a any type of cabinet that had the same height as my two end cabinets and found only a few and they were all at least $200.00, so I went back to ReStore a few more times and found one for the center.  It's not exact, but pretty close.

Then I bought (expensive) "one step" chalk paint, because that sounded easier than sanding, priming and painting.  I hadn't used chalk paint before but I understood the concept.

The first coat on the first cabinet...I was not happy.  Terrible brush strokes and terrible coverage.

But I kept going.

After two coats and a round of touch-ups I'm finally ok with the paint coverage and it was nice not to worry about sanding or priming.  At this point I was able to hook up my computer and sewing machine and start unpacking boxes.  I wanted a bunch of unique storage containers on the shelves, so I got something from Menards (wire basket holding yarn), Homegoods (gray wicker basket holding ribbon), Target (gray plastic basket holding punches), Michaels (wooden pen organizer below pegboard AND I already had the black photo boxes) and Joanns (cute tool box holding spraypaint).  I also got the little wire baskets holding paint on the pegboard from Hobby Lobby and I love them so much - they're on sale this week and they're only $2.50.  #ItsTheLittleThings

Like I said - I'm VERY happy to be at this point and I think it's still a work in progress.

I think it'd be fun to store something in an oversized mason jar.

And I'm trying to figure out lighting.

          

          

What do you think?

The Iron Giant Costume

A couple months back, my adorable nephew Henry

woke up one morning wishing he could dress as his favorite character - The Iron Giant

which apparently is a film from 1999 that is available on Netflix

Since it's a movie from the 90s - there aren't a lot of costume options out there, so I decided to construct one from scratch!

I looked at a pic online, drew out a sketch and went shopping for supplies.

I cut up and sewed a metallic table runner onto a black T-shirt.

Then I freehand drew the shape of the shoulder piece, and cut out strips of cardboard where I needed dimension.  I used hot glue to add all the strips.

Then I spray painted the shoulder piece with a hammered metallic spray paint. 

I cut this piece out of the metallic fabric and added rivets.

I added a bunch of rivets and screws to give it a realistic robot look.

I sewed arm and leg pieces, stuffed like pillows. with Velcro straps.

I decided to attempt a helmet.

I used a balloon and a piece of poster board as the base for paper mâché.

I was pretty happy with how it turned out

And it was ADORABLE to see Henry giving me his best Iron Giant stare!

The mask wasn't that comfortable/wearable, but pretty cute on Henry.

♥♥♥

This was a really fun project for me.  Problem-solving is one of my favorite things and I loved starting from a picture - with no instructions or blog posts and figuring out how I could replicate it.  With Halloween coming up - you might have an opportunity to do the same thing!