Happy Wednesday, friends! Today we’re bringing you a new workspace Wednesday post—one of our most popular topics here on the blog! We spied the creative space of Keisha Charles on Instagram and immediately messaged her to feature her here, and you’ll soon find out why! Her space is happy, colourful, and ultra-organized, and we think that we can all gain a few tips from the gorgeous space that she is sharing with us today!

Hello, lovelies! It’s Keisha Charles from ThePapermint.com and I am thrilled that you stopped by to spend some time with me in my happy place! My craft room is 9 years old this year and I’m even happier in the room now than when I first moved in. I’ve learned a lot about myself as a crafter and what works for me, and today, I hope this inspires you as you enjoy your space!

I’ve been motivated by so many crafters with great ideas, and this has changed the way I’ve used my space. I’ve kept true to the following “principles” as I’ve changed things over the years:

  • The room is a blank canvas on which the supplies, tools, and artwork add the color to make it a happy place
  • The space is modular and can easily be updated as my interests evolve
  • Storage is clear and concealed (and mobile). Reveal the pretty things and keep the mundane out of sight
  • A place for everything, with your faves nearby
  • Take it personally, don’t lose your individuality and whimsy, these things fuel creativity

One of my favorite things in the room is my rainbow wall of paper and inks.

The paper wall is eye-catching and functional for me, but there are more space-conscious options that I love just as much.  I also place paper in magazine folders with dividers to label and organize the colors.

The organizer in the middle section holds my Distress inks, oxides, re-inkers, markers, and crayons; many of which are within arm’s length of my crafting stool.

The drawers on the far left and right of the unit, hold more inks and inking tools.

The paper wall may be my favorite area to look at, but all the crafting fun happens here in this little nook at the island.  Though I started with a drawer here, I replaced it recently with two slim open shelves that hold my core crafting tools: MISTIs, paper cutters, scoring boards, foam tape, wipes, etc.  I can bring them out and then quickly tuck them away throughout my crafting, keeping my workspace somewhat free of clutter.

Above the desk, very little happens without my glass craft mats, my tool carousel, and my blending brushes. My carousel is packed to the gills, but every inch is lovingly organized.

My happy place is generally organized into zones. This marker station is behind the island against the wall, with racks of clear shelves where I can rainbow alcohol ink and water-based markers that I’ve collected over the years. Beneath that desk-top, I keep some alcohol inks, pastes, and mediums on the left and large paper-cutters, adhesive tools, and die-cutting machines.

At the far end of the room, to the left of the marker station is my color wall, which is stuffed with glitter, coloring mediums, and some small embellishments in clear acrylic containers. Previously, everything just sat on the shelves but now with the container, my goodies are more portable, accessible, and easily organized!

I am a book nerd, and this also extends to my crafting.  Art and craft books are tucked into and above the open shelves in the corner, where the endcaps double as a canvas to display some of my cards and remind me of times when I’m giddy about something I’ve made.  Keep space in your room for mementos and things that bring you joy.

I used to store my punch collection on these shelves but as my crafting interests change, they now hold some of my non-cardmaking interests, ink, paint, and gel pens for journaling, fountain pen inks, fabrics, and fibers.  I love the large colorful ceramics at the base of these shelves which hold rulers, scissors, and several props that I use when taking card photos.  I love having many things on display as they prompt me to use them, explore and try new things!

More journaling and planning supplies line the edges of this desk space directly in front of a window, where I can take a moment to reflect, dream, doodle, and make plans for world domination or just getting my teeth cleaned. I adore stationery and clearly have dropped down some pen rabbit hole in recent years! P.S. I used acrylic chairs so they would “disappear” visually and not add to the clutter in the space.

I always keep a card from a crafty friend here and knick-knacks that have special meaning for me.  Like a little yellow nostalgic glue pot, a rainbow puzzle my hubby gave me, and my fearless Frida figurine that somehow reminds me that I can be imperfect and fabulous at the same time.

Taking over an entire wall is a floor-to-ceiling bookcase with open shelving on top and drawers along the bottom.  Most of my stamps, dies and embossing folders live on the shelves.  Two rows of shallow drawers hold a variety of crafting supplies from envelopes to stencils.  The deep drawers at the bottom hold my scrapbooking supplies.  Though I don’t get a chance to scrap as much as I used to, I still love to explore it whenever I can.

You might say that I am all in on carts!  If I bring one more into the house, my husband will put me outside!  These are three of my favorite, my ink cube tower, blending tools cart, and Copic marker cart.  I wheel the carts over to the island when I need them for crafting and return them to this space when done.  I repurposed my square acrylic trays from my Create Room to house my mini inks, making it easy to grab a full palette of color and keep it on my desktop when working on a project.

We’d be here for ages if I took you through all the nooks and crannies of The PaperMint Studio, but I hope this quick tour, was a fun diversion and maybe a little inspiration as you create your own happy place!

 Find more from Keisha at these links: Website | Blog | Instagram