Carving out a little creative space

Living in an old house is full of challenges. Making modern sized things fit into not modern spaces is no fun! There are all sorts of weird little nooks and crannies. (Dang it! now I am hungry for an English muffin).

Case in point--I would love to have a craft room. But seeing as how we only have a 2 bedroom house, I am not left with many options. Space is at a premium. I guess my girly spare bedroom sorta becomes the craft space by default. And if you click back on that link you will see there is a list of things to do in there. Which I haven't done one stinkin' thing!  Ok--not true. I have done a few things on the list. I just haven't finished them. Don't judge me...

The room needs to function as a bedroom,craft room and study/office. That's a whole lotta function for a little room. The office closet nook I had downstairs was bumped for storage practicality.  Additionally  I am going back to college in a few short weeks and needed a better suited study environment than the living room or dining room.

Well I had a little awkward space behind the door of the bedroom. Originally it was stacked up with totes and what not. Not very pleasant to look at from my guest's perspective and definitely not conducive to creativity.

The area is not big enough to work on crafts but enough space to be creative and inspiring! A nice little nook to stash the my gift wrap and pick out a  special occasion card. Not to shabby for some found space and using stuff I already had lying around. The "table top" is actually 2 shelves from an old pantry cabinet. I used L brackets to connect them. They were a perfect match in to height to the scrap-booking/ craft organizer cabinets. (Which I bought for 50% of Michael's last year). The opening isn't wide enough for a chair but I can stash my tools and craft box there.

Now when you are in the room it definitely feels more serene.

Unless you look in the closet (which I don't recommend) because it is a hot mess.  
Don't say you weren't warned...

Don't judge me! haha
I know- I know--it is bad! However, this is on my list of to do next. No seriously! This is where the office/ desk area / craft supplies storage is going to be situated. That way when I am finished studying, paying bills, crafting, blogging or facebooking I can close the curtains. If I am in the middle of stuff and  someone is staying overnight (which in reality happens maybe 1 or 2x per year) I can just pull the curtains--outta sight outta mind!  So stay tuned!

I have a kitchen gadget habit

Not just electronic kitchen appliances. Gadgets in every shape, size, color and for every function..

Nutmeg grater? Got it!

Citrus juicer? Got it!

Strawberry huller, meatball-er, can strainer, apple wedge/ corer, egg slicer, cup shredder, mortar & pestle, pasta serving portion-er,  turkey lifters, garlic mincer, etc...got it, Got It, GOT IT!!

And I have lots of other gadgets...Mixer, blender, food processor, food dehydrator, coffee grinder, and a griddle.

How many ladles (6), graters (4) and vegetable peelers (3) does one person need?  I found stuff  that I don't remember how they ended up there and some not sure what purpose they serve. I think I found what might be a burger press but I am not sure.

Why am I taking inventory of all my gadgetry? Because when planning my kitchen to make use of all the space you should inventory all of your stuff. And I am sure they mean for you to get rid of some of it.

Good intentions right?

Yet I ended up buying these...

And as I continue my organizing it isn't just gadgets. It is any  kitchen related item. Baking sheets (12) stockpots of varying sizes (4), frying pans (6), muffin pans (5), bread pans (3), pie pans (2), bundt pans (2), etc...

And I haven't even gone through my cast iron cookware. Or my dishes. Or my glasses. I can't believe I have so much stuff! When did I stop seeing it? Why am I holding on to it? I dunno. All I do know is I really like cooking. It makes me feel happy and creative. But I am pretty sure I don't need ALL of this stuff. Except the stuff I just bought because I am using it for food preservation, haha.

So the next time I am lamenting the lack of space/ storage in my kitchen you have my permission to tell me shut up!  In the nicest way possible of course.

We are more redneck than I care to admit

Now I know y'all are asking why I would make a statement like that.

You see my washer broke on me Thursday--which is no surprise because it has been acting up for months. The drain sensor switch thingy wouldn't engage automatically and you would have to go in and push down on the lid of the washer. Ok sometimes you had to slam it real hard. Or maybe it was just me slamming it real hard.

Then it happened. The washer stopped. Filled with dirty  water and load of my hubby's work clothes. Which are always delightful to try and clean. Considering you never know one day from the next if he is digging ditches, painting or crawling around in the trash of an industrial garbage compacter. Um yeah...

So I pioneer roughed it and pull the clothes out (without even wearing gloves), wrung them out and waited for the hubbs to give the washer once over. And the entire time I am daydreaming of my fantasy laundry room. All shiny and new. With fancy schmancy appliances. And not in the same room with the toilet. 

You know-something like this...

Well he said could rig it. Um yes because that is a phrase that makes me comfortable. Especially on equipment that involves lots of water. And electricity. He explained to me what was wrong. All I heard was "blah, blah, sensor, blah, blah, wire, blah, blah, by-pass, self tapping screw, blah, blah, will work just fine, blah, blah. "   

Which actually translated to "Sucka! You don't get that shiny new washer and dryer now" ...Thanks. Thanks a lot.

He did his best to reassure me it would be fine. You won't even be able to tell he says.

REALLY?! Do YOU notice anything?

Although maybe we are not completely redneck because at least there isn't any Duck tape...

And the really crappy part? It REALLY does work just fine...DAMN IT!