From sToRagE RoOm" to CraFt RooM!

Woot! I've been super busy the last two weeks.

First of all I've been doing some specialty props for a local theatre company. I love theatre and have worked backstage in some capacity for years on a few different stages. I've done some stage managing, set building, faux painting, specialty props, special effects, lighting operator, sound.. blah, blah. I love it!

So, I made this lovely chicken (I named her Betsy after my childhood hurricane experience because she is fast like the wind) for a production of Into The Woods. She has to remotely make her way onto the stage where "Jack" steals her from the Giant when he realizes she lays golden eggs.

From the start to the finished hen

Giant's eye glasses

I made her from paper mache and then attached her to a remote car. I gave her a hole with some netting in her bottom to keep her golden egg safe and attainable to Jack.. all in all she was fun to create. I made a few other items as well, including these giant 6 foot wide eye glasses. ----->

With all the props out of the way and my sweet better half (Gord) away for the weekend, I figure I can play in my art/scrap room 

all day Saturday, 

uninterrupted..

but, no.

Instead, I went into my "Art / Scrap Room" which is a gross storage room full of boxes... behind the furnace... that I carved a hole into and added a table. I even refer to it as "The Hole."

Ew.

Did I mention there are no windows? When I went down there, for my day of scrapping, I realized it was a huge creative problem. It's dark. It's not inspiring or pretty or even comfortable. It's ugly and I really don't like going there. So, I decided to tackle it and make it better. I know there are more than a few scrappers in the basement. Hopefully, you can snag some ideas and I'll even post some mechanical instructions in future posts. 

Thirteen hours later and a few instances of "Oh no, what have I done??" moments while moving boxes over to one end and my stuff to the other end, plus getting two big rugs under it all (see scary photos below) I have something I can live with. 

Much later all the boxes
at the end wall. Getting there..
and coffee time!

Every things in the middle, sigh.

Yikes! Where's my table?

Finally shaping up with some DIY closet components

This too, shall come..
I found this unused hutch top in my storage pile

Yay! I can no longer see the furnace.

Ok. Not perfect yet, but soooo much better. Now that it looks like it should be a room, Gord has promised to give me some wall boards.. right now it's just plastic covered insulation. Still border line yukky but it's a work in progress. :)

I can no longer see the boxes
on the end wall..
kid at his new spot :)

I also added some curtains I found packed in some of the boxes I was moving around. With some aircraft cable and turnbuckles to string them up I now have draped walls to hide the junk on the back wall and the furnace on the other end. I even gave my college kid his own desk to use, now he won't clutter mine with his homework and snacks. A little more embellishment organizing and maybe some swag lights to brighten up the space and I'm happy.   

Ok, maybe a fake window is in my future. Thats what I'd do on a stage and I can look at whatever I want to put outside of it... a mountain view, the ocean, a patio, oh my.. yes, unlimited possibilities. <grin>

Hmmm. Creepy.