Blogging Friends Blog Hop!

Oh my gosh!  I am SO excited to be participating in my second blog hop with my Blogging Friends Blog Hop! 

Our theme, this month, is to share a little bit about who we are and show our crafting space!  This is the first time I am sharing my crafting space on my blog and, I have to confess, I am a wee bit nervous about it! 

First, let me tell you a bit about me......I have been enjoying paper crafting for about 10 years and scrapbooking is my first love.  I became a Stampin'UP! demonstrator 5 years ago when my neighbor introduced me to the wonderful world of Stampin'UP!  I host card classes in my home twice a month and I am a very lucky demonstrator who appears on Daytime TV with my local Roger's TV station several times a year showcasing Stampin'UP!, it's fabulous products and the creations I have made with them.  I have to tell  you - it is TONES of fun! 

I am the wife to my wonderful husband and the mother to 3 very active and fun loving boys.  My family is my pride and joy!  We are a really busy family, spending A LOT of time in hockey arenas and, this year, at the ski hill as well.  I also have a day job as a Human Resources professional at one of our local school boards.   (Warning - proud mom moment next.)  Here is a pictures of each of my boys doing what they love best.....

my oldest..

 

My middle....

...and my baby...

Now, onto what you really want to see - my crafting space!  I will start by saying it is VERY modest - tucked into the space at the bottom of the stairs in our basement.  It is a work in progress with little bits done here and there. 

The first picture is what you see as you come down the stairs.  The cabinets on the left were hand-me-downs from my mom's sewing room and provide lots of great storage.  I have paper storage on the right in some wonderful racks I bought from a scrapbooking store that was going out of business.  I store my scraps in these racks as well.  I place them in plastic sleeves and keep them with the full sheets so they are all together - it saves me from wasting paper! 

I use my Grandma's old table as a Big Shot station.  The tote bag on top of the table I use to gather my card class supplies and carry them upstairs - I host my classes in my living room where I can accommodate up to 12 ladies.  The blue tote under the table is what I use to bring my projects and tools when I visit my friends at Roger's TV.  The other bags under the table house my scrapbooking projects.

And this blue armoire is where I do all of my creating - it is literally tucked under the stairs.  (I try not to feel like Harry Potter lol)  Anyway, I bought this second hand and my wonderful hubby retro-fit it to turn it from a TV cabinet to a crafting space. 

Here is a picture of the inside.  Hubby added the pull out work table and moved the drawer up from the bottom of the cabinet.

I use this big space for my light, my inkpads, my markers, blocks and scrubbers.

My pull out work table always has my work mat and my trimmer and usually my latest project. 

The drawer under my table looks like quite a mess here in this picture, but houses my punches, ribbons, adhesive and twine.

Here is the inside of the tall white cabinet.  The top shelf has all of my punch boards, picture frames I use for Roger's TV and my embossing folders are in the center photo box.  Second shelf has my second Big Shot and all of my bigz dies and specialty platforms.  Third shelf has bulky ribbon and framelits in the basket.  Forth shelf has all of my business supplies.  Finally, the last shelf has all of my reference books and magazines. 

The second white cabinet is dedicated to all of my stampsets.  I try to keep them organized but I have to be honest and say that I don't always put them back where they belong. 

On top of my stampset cabinet are my embellishments and my bulky tools. 

Whew!  I think that is my longest post, ever!  Thanks for sticking with me!  Now hop on through to the rest of my hopping friends and see their wonderful craft spaces.  I am hoping to learn a few things and get some great ideas!

1. Crystal Komara
2. Anna Masciovecchio
3. Libby Fens
4. Anne Power
5. Mary Blocher
6. Danica Ferrante
7. Deborah Smart
8. Jessica Mink
9. Jodi Horsley
10. Leanne Johnson
11. Michelle Clark
12. Lorene Yoshimura-Tanigawa
13. Mary Ann Rossiter
14. Tammy Gill - You are here!
15. Susan Timchack
16. Rick Adkins