asking for trouble

My Home Studio – New Photos

It’s been over two years since I last blogged some photos of my home studio! I just finished decluttering and reorganising so it feels like a good time for an update.

home studio

I did share some photos last month as part of Meet The Maker and it may look like nothing has changed. You would be wrong! I did the full KonMari and went through every single drawer and box and pile of paper. I even tested every pen I own to check they still work. I got rid of a lot of stuff and also made some fun changes.

home studio

I think my studio looks a lot bigger in photos than it really is. To take the top photo, I have to squeeze right into the far corner and hold the camera above my shoulder. From outside the door you can see that the sofa bed almost fills half the space. Luckily, I am also very small so it’s fine.

home studio

Let’s start with my desk, as it’s changed the most. So much more colourful and organised!

home studio

My corkboard was quite sun-damaged (it is VERY sunny in this room) so I decided to paint it. I just used a couple of coats of acrylic paint. It was also nice to rearrange everything and make some space for new things.

home studio

The shelves on the left are made of cardboard and were looking a bit tatty so I covered them with my own designs. I can’t believe how cute this is and wish I’d done it years ago. It looks like the whole drawer is patterned but I just stuck paper on the front with double-sided tape and folded it around the sides for a neat finish – you can see that better below.

home studio

These drawers had so much random stuff inside so it’s more organised now. Clockwise from top left: grip seal bags of various sizes (mostly reused ones), coloured mini cards, all my stickers (for gift wrap sets) + some gift wrap/stamp photo props at the back, enamel pin seconds and fastenings.

home studio

The mini drawers with faces are from Paperchase’s new Kawaii Kool collection. They’re really too small but I had to have them so I’ve made them useful as fun mail drawers! There’s washi tape samples, stickers and memo pads that are great for making letters and parcels more cute. Take part in my Surprise Mail Swap and you will receive some of this!

home studio

Next to my desk are more drawers and some boxes that hold my shop stock. I’ve really managed to whittle this down to take up as little space as possible. This is enough to have on hand for order packing and then there’s more in the hall cupboard that isn’t packaged.

home studio

Most of these drawers are pretty boring (there is one just for cello bags). The top one has my most-used tools (and a lot of magnetic tape for fridge pads) but I’m thinking of getting one of those IKEA peg boards so I can grab things more quickly. The badges on top are misprints, discontinued designs or logos that I put in orders when I remember.

home studio

My stamps now have a whole drawer to themselves. One of the stunningly obvious things I learned from KonMari is to store similar items together, duh! These stamps were all in completely different places and now it’s much easier to find what I need. The ones on the left are testers I use myself and the extra ones in the bag are the pretty ones for when I need to take photos. I’m really hoping I remember to use my Pusheen holiday stamps this year.

home studio

I also have a sticker drawer! These are ones I’m not sharing. The very best ones go in my Ghost Party sticker book.

home studio

And finally, the corner with no plan. Wrapping paper and birthday calendars on the floor because they don’t fit anywhere else. A new unit for my printers that I’m not making the best use of. I am definitely buying some drawers or something to add to it.

home studio

I also cleared out the hall cupboard. I can’t believe how much tidier this is. The top shelf has pre-folded boxes and cardboard stiffeners and bubble wrap. The middle shelf is unpackaged products – notepads, cards, enamel pins, acrylic brooch bits, shopper bags etc. The boxes at the bottom are all envelopes.

I hope that was slightly interesting and might give you some ideas for organising your own space. I will try to share the other rooms as I declutter them, especially since my sewing stuff is in the living room.

marceline

Hello! I’m Marceline Smith, the designer and owner of Asking For Trouble. I create illustrated stationery, accessories and gifts using my cute characters inspired by Japanese kawaii. This is my business and personal blog where I write about my creative doings, inspirations, travels, Japan trips and daily life. Read more »


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