I've written for Creating Keepsakes for a few years now. I'm not even sure how many articles I've had published and I have no knowledge of which ones helped people most or if people really enjoyed them or not but I can clearly state that I have gotten more emails by far about my "objects in my office" article than in any other! I like to think it's because I explained myself so well in the other photography articles so people don't need to ask questions...right? That's the line my sister tried to comfort me with anyway.
I know exactly how many words I get for my photography articles and so I work very carefully to craft the most efficient use of them as I'm writing. But I wrote the office article without having asked how many words I could use and I way overwrote! Thus they had to edit quite a bit from it and in that editing a lot of the product sources were removed. So, I thought that I would post all the photographs and sources here so that anyone interested would be able to find what they are looking for! Plus, a lot of the photographs were cropped so it will be fun to show you the whole thing!
So here is a photograph of the boys in my office. Mark likes to call it my art supply closet because it's so small. It's literally 6x8 feet. It was listed as a third bedroom, because well... this is New York and a 6x8 bedroom is normal. If you missed the article, it was on how to transform a small space on a very small budget.
Looking at this room from the outside, you can see that it has a normal sized glass door that was cut in half to look like French doors. I think it's funny but I like them because I can see what is going on with the boys. As you can see, on the right hand side is the back of the couch in our main living area.
This is the view of my office from the doorway with my wide-angle lens. You can see the wood from the door frame on the sides of the photo. It's small but I love it!
The stars hanging from the light are from Candice Carpenter's online shop:
http://www.peacoatsandpartyhats.com/
She has some really cute items in her shop and at really great prices.
If you turn to the left this is what you see.
It's the main wall. I love, love how it turned out! The wall is painted with black chalk board paint, which they assured me I would be able to paint white again when we move. I'll let you know if that is true when and if we move. The desk was a birthday gift from my husband a few years ago. He picked it out himself! I know, amazing. He also got a great deal on it, he bought it at what was called T.J. Max home but I think it's now called Home Goods? Someone correct me if I'm wrong. The white magazine holder on top of the desk as well as the white library catalog looking drawers in another photo are from there too!
Starting from the top right:
The first box holding the rub-ons is a Chinese antique that I purchased years ago on a trip in California with my Grandmother. Next to those are some glass apothecary jars I got for a great price (12 dollars, I think) from a store in here in Brooklyn. The Simplify sign was from the mill at Garner Village in Utah. The star was a birthday gift from my sister.
The shelves are from Ikea. They're made to hang on their own, but I added cheap black brackets from Home Depot so that they could hold more weight.
The red bins with the black chalk board on the front are from the children's storage section at Target. I got them on clearance but I think they still carry them.
The red wood magazine holders are also from Ikea. They come in a plain Birch color but I taped off the labels and painted them red.
Here is another view.
The jars with the chalk board on them are from Costco. They actually come with Biscotti in them.
The jar below is from Taipan Trading Company, one of those stores that has great deals if you are good at looking through the bad stuff. It's based in Utah.
These suitcases are all over now, you can get them from a few places I got these from Paper Source. And the polka dot take-out box is from American Crafts.
This is one of my favorite things in the room:
The letters are vintage letter press letters that I collected in Ohio. The Frog Prince was from Mark on my birthday and it's from Sundance. One of my favorite things in the office is the letter press frame from Sycamore Street Press. My sister designed them for Eva. I had a lot of questions about these so if you want to order them you can go here:
http://shop.sycamorestreetpress.com/
Scroll down a bit, and yay! They have two new colors too!
Next up, If you turn right when you enter the room you see this:
The calendar is from Pottery Barn Outlet. My sister bought it for me when she saw it on clearance because she knew how much I wanted it and she is super awesome like that. The table is from Ikea. It is actually a kitchen island. You buy the shelves below separate from the top. It was perfect for me because I could get a really narrow top which I needed for my little room. As it is right now I can put one hand on this table and one hand on my desk in the last photo if I'm standing in the center of the room. You can also get different types table tops. I chose stainless steel, but you can get white, black,or wood instead.
Be forewarned - I'm sure you know Ikea and how great trying to put furniture together is! Here is the bag that came with all the boxes!
And I put it together all by myself! I don't recommend that though because some of the pieces were really heavy and I had a hard time positioning things while bolting them down and holding them all alone!
On the shelves are my paper storage trays from Display Dynamics. They are great! I'm not a fan of vertical storage for paper because I feel like the corners always get bent on the corners so I avoid it if I can. These trays are stackable and perfect!
On top of the table is the Making Memories desktop Carousel. I use it to store all my basic tools so they are right at hand. This would be great for quilters and other crafters too.
If you enter the room and turn around to face the door you will see this:
I knew that I wanted a lot of space to use as a inspiration board so I put up chicken wire across the whole wall. You can buy it at home depot and then just use wire clippers to cut it to size. With just a few strategically placed nails you have a perfect place to clip up photo's.
The Brooklyn Poster is from:
http://orkposters.com/brooklyn.html
They have a bunch of different cities.
And now we come to the most requested item in the room. The fruit and vegetable bin that I keep all my supplies in. It's from an independently owned furniture store called Red Tree, in Louisville, KY. I believe you can order a catalog from them on their site. I loved that store when I lived in Louisville and would visit often.
The best thing about it is that the tin bins inside the shelf come out so you can bring items with you to the work space.
This is the wall you see as you enter:
I have to give kudos to Cosmo Cricket for the top print with the camera that says It's Picture Time! I love it so much that I emailed them and they made a larger print for me but it is a tag in one of their recent lines. Love them!
http://cosmocricket.blogspot.com/
The letter basket below that is from Home Peddlers Design! I love that company!
Below that are these:
I bought these from Ikea in the kitchen section. They are plain white and then I asked my friend Emily of Emilykate designs to cut some vinyl for them. I've gotten a lot of questions about the fonts and I'm sorry I can't remember which ones that I used! I know that there were two, one for the letters and one for the numbers. If you order them from Emily I know that she kept a record of what they are. I need to ask her again because don't you think they would make for really cute house numbers?
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5231204
The black frames in the next row were just a few dollars from Robert's on sale. They were unfinished but I painted them black and then added metal to the inside. The square in the middle is from Making Memories.
I think that is it! If you have any questions about anything else leave them in the comments and I'll watch for them!
Okay, Candice, I think you thought of everything except....your printer. Is it a 12x12 printer? I've been searching for one--not readily available in retail stores that I have found. Love your creative, work of art room!!! Thanks!!!
Posted by: kat-in-texas | January 06, 2009 at 08:57 PM
Such a lovely room! I adore the chicken wire wall. So creative.
Posted by: AllisonK | January 06, 2009 at 10:37 PM
WOW! I love it!
Posted by: Elizabeth | January 07, 2009 at 09:34 AM
It is great!! Great use of a 6x8 room, if you ask me! And I love, love the chicken wire wall. I'd love to do that in my house, but I think my husband would flip (we share the office). I'll have to file that in my mind in case we ever move and I get my own room!! Thanks so much for sharing in such detail!
Posted by: Julie | January 07, 2009 at 10:54 AM
Loved the article on CK and even more here, with all details and better views.
TJMaxx is TJMaxx, but looks like they have other brands with the same products most of the time (Marshalls Home Goods). I got my carousel pen holder there, too http://carlacavelluccilandi.blogspot.com/2008/07/meu-canto-de-scrap.html, and as a tip, for the newbies: if you dsee something that you really like, grab it and think later (you can always return). As a type of close out store, some products are one of a kind there
Tks, Candice, for this post!
Posted by: Carla | January 07, 2009 at 01:00 PM
Oh, that was so nice of you to give all that detail! It has inspired me! Thanks so much for going to all that trouble.
Posted by: Irene | January 07, 2009 at 02:41 PM
I scrap in a 4x6 converted closet and found your room to be of amazing inspiration to make it more adorable and functional.
Posted by: LuannW | January 07, 2009 at 09:15 PM
Thanks for the information. Love the room!!! So much in one little place. :)
Posted by: Paulina | January 08, 2009 at 12:48 AM
I love the entire room. The two things I love the MOST though are that you don't have an over abundance of stuff (a problem I can't seem to kick myself) and the chicken wire. I totally going to steal that chicken wire idea! LOVE it!
Posted by: Alissa Hall | January 08, 2009 at 10:39 AM
Great room Candice, thanks so much for sharing!
Posted by: liz walker | January 08, 2009 at 05:49 PM
Thanks for sharing! My space is small and you have given me some great ideas. I love TJMaxx Home Goods, I don't shop there often enough.
Posted by: Jody M | January 08, 2009 at 08:53 PM
What a beautiful and functional use of space. These are great ideas.
I really like the idea of "vertical" storage so the wall solutions are really appealing. I also love those little 1-2-3 buckets. How creative. Happy new year.
Posted by: Lisa @celebrate CREATIVITY | January 09, 2009 at 04:37 PM
Absolutely love seeing others scrap/art space. This is so organized. Love what you've done with such a small room!
Posted by: Holly | January 09, 2009 at 09:40 PM
LOVE your space! I enjoyed reading about it in CK and also getting more details here on your blog. My question.....how do you feel about the 6 x 8 size? Do you think you could go any smaller? The reason I ask is that we're trying to have another baby and I think I would turn my craft room (which is HUGE) into another bedroom. It just makes sense that way.....but we don't have any other nooks or crannys or large closets! So, we've thought about adding a large "pantry" in the kitchen that would end up being my craft space, and could be a large pantry for the next people who live here. I think 4 feet wide is about as far as we could go. The length could be more like 8 feet. What do you think about those dimensions? Is that WAY too small and not even worth trying? Thanks for your advice!
Posted by: Betsy | January 10, 2009 at 08:22 AM
Everything is sharp and edited so nicely. Love the colors, organization and furniture/artwork you used. I can see why the fruit and vegetable bin was a hit. Not only looks good but the function is a plus. Thanks for explaining in detail your design. I saw it in the magazine and thought it just popped.
Posted by: Trudy | January 11, 2009 at 01:32 AM
Forgot to add that the frog prince was my favorite thing about the room. How cute coming from your Prince Charming.
Posted by: Trudy | January 11, 2009 at 01:34 AM
Hi Candice! I love reading your photography articles in CK and I loved taking your class at CKU-Orlando in 2007... You are awesome! :-)
Of all the rooms featured in CK, yours is most inspiring to me. Perhaps, it's because I love your color scheme and that you have modern elements mixed with a little vintage (just like I try to do) or just that you are so darn creative and organized. BUT whatever the reason, I love your space and what you've done. Thank you so much for this post and for sharing your finds with us. I have already ordered a couple of things based on your info. I do have one questions though... where did you find the oversized gold wooden letters? Love 'em!
Thx so much for the neverending inspiration,
Vanessa
Posted by: Vanessa | January 11, 2009 at 09:08 PM
Hi Candice! I am writing from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and I´ve been a Creating Keepsakes subscriber in a very big part because of your articles. I´ve also watched your videos on the magazine site, and they are also great. You are always very clear on your explanations, so I guess I have to agree with your sister this should be the reason people don't email about your articles so much. Your articles are great, your work is great and you tiny office is not different!
Posted by: Valeska ulm | January 13, 2009 at 11:47 AM
This has been so fantastic to read! My 'scraproom' is about the same size and I have a similar setup only nowhere near as organised! Youve done a fabulous job!!
x
Posted by: Siany | January 13, 2009 at 06:47 PM
Am a huge fan of yours. Love your articles in CK and try to find as much about photography from you as I can. Hoping to get in on your next photo class at JS site. Thank you for sharing your articles and the explanation here. Love your room. Where do you keep all your albums, etc. I never seem to be able to keep my room looking neat, but it has a mixture of everything in there - maybe that's why.
Thanks for sharing
Posted by: Martha - EP | January 14, 2009 at 12:23 PM
Thanks for sharing your ideas. A friend sent me here for some ideas for my new scrap room. I love the idea of the chicken wire. I am wondering if you could tell me what kind of clips you recommend using for hanging things on the wire.
You have great site. Thanks again for sharing!
Posted by: Scrappy | January 15, 2009 at 02:44 PM
Uh-Maize-ing! Seriously beautiful. I read about all of the details. It is so cute.
Posted by: Kelli Radmall | January 15, 2009 at 03:38 PM
Your space is great. Especially because you've shown all the great, amazing stuff you can do in a small space. I live in Mpls and don't have tons of space, and so making a creative area in a small room is very important to learn! I love the use of red and black, and I hope white paint will go right over the chalk board when moving time comes : )
Posted by: Creole Wisdom | January 18, 2009 at 04:55 PM
Oh my!!! I can never invite you to my house now! You are amazing!
Posted by: April Oaks | January 20, 2009 at 02:09 PM
Thank you so much for sharing more about your space! : ) I couldn't take my eyes off of the CK article when I saw it - I think your scrap room is the most beautiful one I've ever seen, large or small! All of the pretty details are just awesome.
May I ask where you found the fab colored pencil holder? : )
Posted by: Teressa | January 22, 2009 at 02:55 AM