It all started one day when I sacrificed a curtain for a costume. Or maybe before that when I couldn’t see the guest bed for the big pile of costumes draped all over it. Whichever, it was time to convert this guest bedroom to a craft room. The conversion took about 6 months to get the furniture I wanted (hello, ScrapBox WorkBox 3.0!) and to get settled into an organized system with my craft supplies and costumes (2018 costume progress update at the very bottom).
After the curtain died, those purple walls needed to die too, so I brightened up the space with grey walls and cool day bulbs. We got rid of one guest bed and moved the sleigh bed that was in this room to the other guest bedroom. Some furniture pieces stayed in the room, as they were antique hand-me-downs that I loved. Some pieces were taken straight out to the curb.
Firstly, I needed to make room for my new ScrapBox WorkBox 3.0 (Chocolate Knotty Alder with Crown), a large armoire specifically made for craft supplies. This thing is a BEAST. It took several days to assemble, and several hours to add the shelves and bins in the arrangement that I wanted. I LOVE this piece and think it is worth every penny.
Secondly, I didn’t want to lose a functional guest bedroom, which is a hot commodity around the holidays. So I bought a twin bed sleeper sofa. It’s not a sexy or trendy room, but it sure is a functional one. It’s my she-cave. I can work on the computer, work on crafts, read a book, or just drink wine and plan my next costume build. And if my guests don’t find the dress forms creepy, they can sleep in here too.
And lastly, it took several months and several projects to move around the supplies where they’d be the most functional and make the most organizational sense. I probably won’t make labels since I continue to move things around as I use supplies and purchase more. I do want to replace the right door with the WorkBox Door Upgrade Kit since I don’t use the hanging bags in the right door. For me, it’s wasted space and I need more little shelves like the door on the far left.
2018 Costume Progress Update
In true Sheila fashion, I have a busy year planned with a ridiculously ambitious costume list. I started a few new costumes after DragonCon last year and will probably be working on a few right up until DragonCon this year. In the short term, I’m working on Miranda Barlow from Black Sails (season 1) and hoping to wear it in Nassau next month. And if I can finish Claire’s red shoes from Outlander (season 2) before then, I could bring that dress as well (not likely to finish though). For AllCon in Dallas next month, I will have a Senator from Wonder Woman finished, and maybe even a Warrior as well. For DragonCon later this year, I’d like to wear Jafar from Aladdin, Dame Vaako from Chronicles of Riddick, and Vanessa Ives from Penny Dreadful. I have patterns, materials, and some accessories already gathered for these three costumes, but I haven’t started cutting anything yet. And finally for a British Isles cruise in September, I’d like to wear a Viking apron dress in Orkney and Claire’s “Bat Suit” from Outlander (season 3) in Edinburgh, both in Scotland. That’s not too much, is it??
My muse Amelia approves of the new craft room. Do you?
More costumes made and worn by me here: