Creative Home Office: Driven by Color

I call myself an Architect of Delight. I look for beauty in everyday life and am thrilled by the intersection of things that are beautiful and interesting. When we were moving to Seattle, I kept saying that I wanted the office we set up to be overwhelming. I wanted to be able to see what I have and to look at what I love. I needed my huge stash of fabrics, ribbons, beads, threads, buttons, tapes, paint etc. to be clean and organized in a dustfree environment, but I also wanted to be able to arrange an area into a little color story if the mood struck. 

I thought that I would make a creative hive - and that it would be a mess. In truth, it looks great because I found the right wall unit that allowed me to contain and display.

I was hoping I could find something at IKEA and the BESTA cabinet with glass doors turned out to be perfect. They are like a giant Lego wall unit with spring hinge doors. The sections with glass doors also have glass shelves to enhance viewing. 

(Note: We paid to have a professional IKEA installer put this Besta unit together because it came during a hectic week for us. It took him more than 6 hours and he is proficient with IKEA instructions. If you buy this marvelous unit, you may want to budget that kind of professional help into your office project too.)

My home office is working well for me. I can be creative and handle my business all out of one room, depending on which half I'm focusing on. When I'm really making, everything explodes everywhere and consumes much of the first floor. For this post, though, it was important to me to show everything in order so that you could see these fabulous cabinets and get a sense of how they might work for you.

One of my favorite elements inside the cabinets is my bead and bobble storage in empty Bonne Maman jam jars. My best friend in Michigan gave me a steady supply there for a while and it set me up for a remarkable system. Isn't it pretty?

On the other side of the room is where I can write, print, sew and think. This is where my next book is percolating. I'd really like to write a modern coffee table book about Finding Delight in the Pacific Northwest. Someone asked me what my favorite word was recently and I immediately thought: potential. Stay tuned.

P.S. Do you like my watercolor palette? Would you believe it is a panel of fabric by Hoffman Fabrics? I loved it so much I had mounted on foam core as art. 

#homeoffice #creativespace #ikea #craftspace #beautyofeverydaylife #wherewomencreate

Jewelry Management: Snapware

I am organizing this weekend and when I was in Joann Fabric, I noticed that all of their Snapware storage containers for "ribbon" are half off.  

These clear Snapware containers are the ones that I use for my Jewelry Management (click the link to read more). I highly recommend buying yourself a few to organize your necklaces, bracelets and baubles, oh my. They are great when you want to take your jewelry on the road on vacation, or when you need a system to keep off season pieces under control in your closet.  I absolutely love them.

Travel Jewelry Pouches

Do I have to make everything myself? Apparently yes.
I have been looking for inexpensive travel pouches to protect my necklaces when I pack, and there aren't any to be found.

Like so many people, I move around a lot in the Summertime. I go to the cottage. I go to family reunions. Sometimes I go on a big adventure that I will blog about here (yea!).

And when I travel hither and yon, I need to look super cute, right? Which means lots of jewelry options. I've figured out how we both can make travel jewelry pouches in under 5 minutes.

You'll need a roll of bubble wrap and a roll of patterned duct tape, often displayed near the check out counter of craft stores.

Cut the bubble wrap into a rectangle (6" x 14" or whatever size you need), fold it in half and tape two of the sides together using the duct tape (I find that the easiest way to cut duct tape is with a rotary cutter on a self-healing mat). This will leave one side as the opening. You're done.

Make as many as you need and travel with them in a hard-sided box. I like the white lidded cardboard boxes at Michael's craft store or you could get my favorite container by Snapware. You can see more of my jewelry management tips here.

This should help to keep your necklaces safe and your Summer outfits fabulous.

Jewelry Management

I have seen the future and it requires jewelry management.

I make all of my own jewelry and for a while it seemed my motto was "365 days/365 necklaces." And why not? I can make each piece to be exactly what I need. But when you travel like I do, jewelry transport can be an issue.

I have created the perfect system and it is time to share it with you.

First you will need a Snapware Craft Organizer Box. (Also available in Target in the laundry section) Each unit has several levels that snap together - but the fun thing is you can snap multiple sets together to create a jewelry tower (perfect for car trip). Or if you are flying, one unit will pack in a suitcase nicely.

Next is the containers inside - I use Lookers hinged vinyl cases (shown in green) to keep necklaces safe and untangled. I have found some at a Michael's craft store (in the gift wrap section) and at The Container Store.

Squares of bubble wrap are perfect to cushion bracelets and watches. You can even buy pretty colored bubble wrap at the post office if you are so inclined - just cut to the size you need.

The best and most unusual item I organize with is the round lidded plastic box that protects a roll of electrical tape (Home Depot!). They are perfect for my earrings, pins and pendants.

So there you have it...Anne Reeves' guide to jewelry management. Helping you to stay super cute, wherever you are.