MOVING!!!??? Craft room stage one...

3 years ago, after almost 2 years after separating from 

the father of my daughters I found myself divorced. 

Over the next several months, I found myself having to part with many things that hurt to let go. 

I found myself watching my girls part with family pets, an abundance of personal belongings and a life we had built together. In so many ways, as hard as it was, I found myself. 

I had also found my Superman during this time. 

We dug deep, we packed up our favorites and left the rest behind. We took with us our love, our faith and our memories and moved to a small duplex waiting for the next phase in our lives together. 

We quickly unpacked and tried to settle in to that house and a week after we moved in I was feeling very proud that I was stacking empty boxes in my new little garage and 

feeling like we could move forward here. 

Little did I know. 

Just over a week after we moved there Superman got a sudden boost of something and asked me to marry him! 

Some doubted our quick engagement, 

but when it's right, there is no denying it! 

We knew it was right,

our kids knew it was right, 

and we knew we had the blessing 

of our Father in Heaven to help us out. 

Two weeks after leaving my old home behind and moving 

into the duplex I was packing and moving my family once more into an older home that would fit 9 of us! 

After settling in there and spending a year of healing and loving, and growing, and unpacking again, 

we were blessed with an opportunity we couldn't pass up. 

We moved one more time just a mile or so away to an amazing home, in an amazing neighborhood, with so much to offer us. 

WE ARE DONE MOVING! 

I'm finally starting to feel like I'm almost unpacked! Which brings me to the project I'm sharing today. 

It's not hard to guess I am a crafter. Over the years I have built up quite a supply of crafty, scrap-book-y, sewing-y stuff. I had it all organized for the most part before all of my moving around. 

I have had the "nag" to get it all in it's place, 

but it had no place, so I have created one. 

We are at the point where kids are leaving home and moving upwards and onward so we had this extra bedroom....

Isn't it cute how I didn't bother cleaning it up for the picture? I just couldn't disturb the cat on the bed. Yeah, that's it.

So that's the space I had to work with, and I needed to keep the bed available for kids or guests, so it got moved to the other side of the room. I had some old cabinets from a church building that were being thrown out. 

They seemed to fit the need, although I didn't love them...

They were free.

I decided they needed some love and attention. 

After all, if me and my girls were going to spend 

creative time in here I think it should be an inspiring place. 

Not feeling inspired at this point.

First decision was to take the doors off the cabinets. 

Open them up, so things were easily accessible.

BIG improvement right off the bat.

Here is where I learned to appreciate Chalk Paint, again. 

I decided to save money I would use some latex I had already. It was a good quality paint that works as a primer/paint in one.

 I painted the inside a nice white.

THREE coats, and hours later (because of lengthy dry times in between coats) I was really wishing I had used chalk paint. I would have been done way sooner. On top of it, although you can't see really well, I could still see through the paint and 

it just wasn't feeling right. 

I painted my shelves to match the paint in the room, and then I really got crazy!

After searching for contact paper, wrapping paper, 

or anything else that would look how I wanted it to look 

I finally ended up at the fabric store.

Using spray adhesive sprayed both to the fabric 

and the cabinet, I stuck the fabric over my ugly white paint. 

Here is a little sneak peak... with and without.

 Definitely looking better, feeling a little more inspired...

Next, I had an issue with the icky pressboard 

sides along with the fact that they were broken on the back corners...

 Not inspiring to look at that now is it?

Then I got to thinking, and went to the hardware store...

Had the nice young man cut me some metal flashing tin stuff 

(that's how you ask for it when you go to the store.)

It was about $1.50 a foot and came in 3 different widths. 

Just so happened that they had the size I needed to fit the 

sides of my cabinets.

Some liquid nails, and some finish nails and I was much happier!

(the fumes from the liquid nails MAY or MAY NOT have had anything to do with my improved mood!?)

Now we are getting somewhere. Just a couple of steps left...

Stain the wood, and UNPACK all my craft stuff!!!

Thanks to my sweet assistant/daughter who did such a great job unpacking and organizing while I was out working in my studio, here is where we are today!

I've got a few more ideas up my sleeve to make it a little more inspiring, and I'm going to be doing something about the U-G-L-Y table, but for now, at least our little treasures are out of their boxes!

It feels so nice to have a space like this again! Especially now that my girls are old enough to share in the creativity this should be a room we can all enjoy!

I'll keep you posted on the next phases of this craft room, 

but I just couldn't wait to give you a little look!

I started out this post talking a little about my past, and my journey.

I am humbled to my knees regularly for the abundance that has been brought back into my life. I always knew that if I had faith, my Savior would help me to heal, and my Father would take care of my needs. I had no idea to what degree, just that it would suffice.

I could never had imagined.

It's been such a short time.

His plan is so much more amazing than I could have come up with.

His plan is always better.

Anyway...

I mentioned that I was working in my studio.

I'm soooo excited to show the things I've got going on in there. 

Some of the things involved include

Plastered Walls, Painted and Distressed Floors, 

Annie Sloan Vanity with a custom counter top,

and I think I'm gonna recycle some leftover tin from the exterior of the building...

Gotta get to work!

I'd love to see some of your craft room ideas! 

Any suggestions on mine?  

Thanks for stopping, I really LOVE hearing what you think!