Chelsea’s Lair is going to be the perfect place to calm down and get crafty. Being the wild, chaotic and disorganized individual that I am, I can’t even begin to tell you how much it means to at last have a space in which I can truly unwind (and hide)! A colorful, calming and creative space . . . I can finally escape Life’s daily duties and comfortably update my Etsy Shop, Blog Space then go on to attempt every bat-shit-crazy Pinterest idea I can get my dirty little hands on. #ADreamComeTrue!

But seriously, this Lair will ultimately offer a space that Paige and I can bond in a creative environment time and again. Whether it’s painting on her easel or playing with play-dough. . . this home office/craft room will provide the perfect opportunity for playful discovery! Capturing a space that’s been so idle over the years, it’s nice to have the extra room while also finding affordability in a makeover.  So without further introduction, I present you- How To: Create Your Craft Room On a Budget!  

So it’s probably important that I first address my obsession with Pinterest and all the un-realistic “home office” pins you can find on that succubus. Practical? No. Visually appealing? F Yes. I am literally entranced. Crisp white counters with perfectly paired rugs . . . invisible wires (seriously though, how is your computer not dead yet?) and lamps that twinkle with glitter complimented by the vague scent of rubber cement and lavender. It’s seriously a joke right? Nobody can keep a room this organized, pretty AND productive. It’s just not possible.

And seriously with the white. Why does EVERY craft room have to be white?? Did I miss the memo? Not only is white furniture a pain in the ass to come by, it’s incapable of staying true to color in the presence of my toddler. #TrueStory. Talk about a blank canvas, my daughter would eagerly color the shit out of a white desk. It looks like paper . . . I can’t even be mad. Oh and white walls? #DontEvenGoThere. I can’t handle it. Needless to say, I decided on black espresso, as I do everything in our house. While I enjoy the calming effects of lighter colors, I also appreciate the resale value in our home, thus leading me to a uniform design and flow through out our house. . . espresso everything. It started small and has now resulted in a domino like effect through the entire place. . . every room. It just works.

So to start, this project came about when I stumbled across one hell of a good deal on Craigslist. Once my wedding was over, the spare room sat empty. With the initial intent of creating another guest room, I quickly switched gears towards a more productive space once I spotted this posting. $100 for 4 (gently used) Ikea “cube” shelves. I’m pretty sure they are called Expedit Shelves at the actual Ikea store, but since our entire house is filled with “cube” shelves from Target, Ikea and probably Walmart; I continue to just refer to them as cubes. Ok, so this couple was moving to Atlanta and couldn’t fathom moving such a boat-load of shelving, thus- I score. #BigTime. One 8 Unit “cube” shelf is $89.99 alone at Ikea. PLUS it’s over an hour drive to Ikea. Ferndale is maybe 20 minutes. With that being said, I purchased them all. 2- 8 unit shelves and 2- 4 unit shelves. That would typically run a person $279.96 plus tax. I scored them for $85- (Talked the husband down over the phone.) #GoMe. They seriously are brand new with the exception of a few minor scratches that are on the floor end only. I couldn’t be happier. I get home and rearrange them alongside a few dressers we already owned with my hubby. Below was the layout we came up with.

Ok so this is when things start to get exciting (If you’re not excited yet, stop reading. . . seriously, we can’t be friends). I have the space and the furniture, now it’s up to me to fill in the blanks! That is right, a blank canvas left all to my devices. Lets get decorating. . .  dollar store time is upon us people! #IFingLoveDollarTree.

Ok so first lets start with this little shelving unit. The shelf was something we had lying around already, probably from Ikea as well. You can pick one up for like $15 or less. Anyhow, I decided it would be best suited above the desk end of my random layout and could be used as a decorative focal point. I decided that by picking up a few randoms to throw atop this little beauty I could really get a great vibe going. First was the random ceramic blue bird (adorned with inappropriate and slightly humorous crown): Picked him up at HobbyLobby for $1.50. His beak was chipped- normally $15.99. The Pink Bird Cage you see: $3.50 – Also from Hobby Lobby. Normally $7.00 but was marked 50% off the day I was shopping. Blue frame: Free – I’ll explain further down in the post. The blue bowl and Green mini bucket: $.25 – DollarTree. Picked them up a few birthdays back for candy dishes. 4 for $1. The Purple Clothes Pin: $1.00 in the Michael’s Craft Store $1 Bins. The A-R-T Letters – leather wrapped – $1.00 each – Also in the Michael’s Craft Store $1 Bins. I’m telling you people, THIS is where it’s at. I can’t stop at any craft store without checking out the clearance sections, $1.00 bins or markdowns. It’s always a gold mine!

Next comes the top of the bookshelf. I decided to spruce this up with a few things I already had lying around. It was ok at first but was lacking that “grab factor”. I decided to pick up a wall decal at Jo-Anne Fabrics last weekend to finish it off. The Decal was only $9.99 normally – A great price. I got it for $6.36 with a 40% off Coupon. #Winning. The Paige frame was a gift I got from my husband a year or so back and fit the bill so it stays. The blue frames, well: I hosted a black-market trade with my sister-in-law. She gave me 9 aqua, mint and teal frames in exchange for one pair of moccasins. You think I’m joking? I’m not. I initially ordered them for myself, the 5 was too small (this typically NEVER happens). Alexa, being the only human on earth to wear a smaller shoe size than myself, was my logical recipient for a free pair of Mint Green Mocs. Something I was truly in love with. . . . Don’t worry. I still ordered myself another pair (they were on clearance + free shipping = DUH). She called and told me she had some un-used frames she was getting rid of and thought I might be interested, I told her I had some brand new Mocs that wouldn’t see the likes of my foot. . . we rendezvoused that night. BAM! Trade. (I guess I will consider the frames costing me $12.99- the total for these AEO Mocs). The chair – already owned. The “Live What You Love” sign was a random purchase at Hobby Lobby for 40% off at $6.50 and that awkward vintage desert tray in the back? $2 from a Craigslist spree back in 2012. . . Yes I’m crazy.

This little cubed in portion of my desk was another area I planned for appearance, not storage (although the apple obsession had to be stored somewhere- it’s a little of both). The bottom shelf was an excellent place to store all our old apple boxes, some needed-some not . . . but I seriously just love their packaging. The other side was a perfect fit for Paige’s first scrapbook. It’s basically an exact fit. Above are just fabric remnants, thrift store vases and some fake floral. All in all I would say totaling $8. It wasn’t much of a find as I just pick things up when I’m out and about . . . I figure out what to do with the stuff months down the road.

I seriously just LOVE these letters. Fun Fact – If you switch the A with the R it spells RAT (a nickname my husband often uses on Paige when she’s being a “brat”). . . the fact that these letters were placed directly below her photos is however, a total coincidence. #ThatsWhatWeTellOurselves.

This wall art was picked up at Hobby Lobby for $12.50. Originally $25.00, it was marked at 50% off- along with everything else made of wood in the store. I couldn’t help myself. . . . I Love The Sales!

The desktop is probably my favorite part of the room. . . So much color, so many helpful storage ideas. It’s seriously just so FUN! On the left, I picked up a little file organizer probably 8 years ago while I was in college and never put it to use. It’s black, files away all my Etsy receipts. It’s pretty much a NEED now. I remember picking it up on clearance for like $6.00. The large vase/hurricane glass in the corner was a wedding shower gift that cost us nothing and the flowers inside were all different clearance finds (and no I haven’t removed the tags yet). I think all in all probably $12.00 in the vase. The lamp I found at Meijer a few months ago for $15.00 and it even holds an iPad and has a USB dock. Love that lamp. The dry-erase board was a clearance find at Target last week for $6.95 and the stationary was a gift many years ago. The green, blue and pink containers were all from Dollar Tree – 2 for $1.00 and the golf ball bowl was a purchased a few years back for Paige’s Golf party on Amazon. $8.99 plus shipping. The purple desktop storage you see was a clearance find at Office Max last month for $7.00 and the blue vases and frame were additional trades with my sister-in-law. I also picked up the fun “Wish it. Dream it. Do it” decal at Dollar Tree for $1.00. I seriously just love love love this desk, I can’t wait to finish this never-ending post at it tonight!

*Fun Floral To Add A Little Color – Each Daisy was on sale for $.99 at Michael’s yesterday. . . I just had to have them.

So if you’re wondering, yes you’re seeing a lot of empty frames. The one thing I’ve yet to do is print our photos, prints and quotes for all these wonderful frames I’ve come to own. #OneStepAtATime!

More empty frames. . . .I also even managed to sneak my College Graduation Tassel on to the floor lamp I picked up at Meijer last month. . . a quick $17.00 buy. The black frame across the wall is also something I had purchased back in the day, but I’m pretty sure it was a BigLots purchase of $15 or less.

Finally getting around to the storage, I picked up all the green canvas bins you see at my local Meijer. After a TON of research, measuring, indecisiveness and immense frustration; I finally settled on these obnoxious bright green bins. A close-to-perfect fit, these canvas cubes can store all my crafting gear while also tying into the colorful theme. They were initially $12.99 a piece but I snatched 8 of them up for a quick $6.95 per cube – Last 8 in the store! Other storage was found at Dollar Tree – per usual. I also picked up the fun frames at Michael’s for $1 a piece – Great photo booth props, and the wooden basket was a Christmas Tree Shop find for $7.00 at christmas. It’s perfect for storing all my extra fabric strips!

Finally, my absolute FAVORITE part of Chelsea’s Lair. . . . the Paige Art! Something I added just moments before finishing up: Photographed some random pictures of my daughter, printed 3 12×12 photos for $2.99 each at Costco and found frames at 65% off for only $2.83 at Jo Ann Fabrics on Sunday! These were the perfect addition to the space and added that artsy, yet personal look I so enjoy.

So all in all this room cost me around $300!! Totally worth it! I can’t wait to put it to good use and I hope to spend many an afternoon enjoying the organized chaos that is my life!

Have any of you created a home office? I would LOVE to hear about it! Also, check out the crazy link-ups over at the 36th avenue for great ideas on DIY EVERYTHING!

Whew, that was a long one. Happy Monday!

Cheers,

♥ – C