Sewing Room REveal!!!

TADA!!!

Here is what Emily and I came up with to turn our tiny and awkward space in the basement into her new sewing room!

Emily chose a white for her walls, so the fabrics could "POP" and her art could be seen...thanks Becky Ortyl!

She chose this funky light fixture from Lowe's...it is perfect for over the newly REpainted craft table!

Just some of Emily's fabrics that are displayed by attaching them with a magnet to an oil drip pan that I bought for only $10!  We have 3 of these REpurposed drip pans hung on the walls in this space and they provide great visual impact and inspiration for her.

You can see that the "nook" is now well utilized as Emily's sewing station and is surrounded by everything she loves...including her CREATE letters she bedazzled and her new chair that we REcovered together in a cheerful chevron fabric.

Emily's VERA WANG doll that she sewed by hand in fourth grade as part of a Biography Report she was assigned.  It was a labor of LOVE, for sure!

Labeled file folders with pattern ideas...

Here is her button collection...Emily's Grandy helped her find all the jars at local antique shops and flea markets.  She also has her American Girl and Teen Vogue magazines displayed in clear magazine containers we found at The Container Store.

Her favorite color thread (for now)...

Emily bought this funny yellow parrot lamp with her own hard-earned money from the cutest little shop in downtown Webster Groves, Seven Gray.  She has accessorized it with scraps of bright colored fabric to give it a little "zshuzsh"--I'm so proud!!!

We purchased this darling turquoise bookshelf at The White Rabbit and Emily filled it with all things gorgeous---including ribbon, felt, buttons, glitter, fabric, leather, etc...!

Here is an overhead picture that shows where Emily cuts and irons her creations.  Here she has a skirt with a zipper AND button that her made in her Spools class, a baby dress that she bought for the pattern, and a pair of baby bloomers that she embellished with ribbon and a silk heart!

Here is a turtle pin cushion that the owner of The Fabric Nosherie, Shannon Robinson, made with love and gave to Emily for her birthday...she loves it!

Here you can see the shelving piece of furniture that I bought at HomeGoods.  The damaged top can not be seen, as it has been covered with an old door that I painted and REpurposed as the table top for the sewing station.  The six baskets provide great storage for her scraps of fabric. 

My girl is in her element!

Emily bought this bright yellow fabric at Mood Fabrics in NYC because it was just too "gorgeous" to pass by.  It was pricey, so she is still waiting for the perfect idea to come to her as to what to do with it...

In this photo you can see Emily "teaching" her friend, Tate, the basics of how to use a sewing machine...

By the smile on his face, you can tell he was pretty pleased with himself!  

A special thanks to my friend, amazing photographer, and Tate's mom, Heidi Drexler, for taking all of the photos and capturing the feeling of Emily's sewing new room!  Here's to many more years of creating...!

It's Time for a Big Girl OFFICE!

I have a client (who's really my FRIEND) that is an AMAZING PHOTOGRAPHER.

You've probably heard me talk about her...A LOT.

Heidi Drexler...and she is AWESOME!

Heidi has grown her photography business, Heidi Drexler Photography, over the past 10 years and has become incredibly successful.

However, she has NOT grown her home office into a BIG GIRL (aka ADULT) space...YET.  

She has tried, but has not been able to give her office a true makeover due to her busy schedule as a mom of two (very energetic) boys, a wife (of a giant), and her thriving business...not to mention the guilt of spending money on herself.  

So....after a bit of prodding from me...she decided to take the plunge and focus on her HERSELF and HER work space.  (YAY Heidi!)

She needed this space to be just hers...a place that screams HEIDI...a space full of color and creativity...a place to inspire her while she works editing photographs that are going create memories that will last a lifetime for her clients.

Here are some BEFORE photos:

Notice her "desk" is an old console table...not super functional.  

Her plastic file cabinet was a fail.

Her photography almost masks the ugliness of what lies below... and she hates to see clutter.

This dresser is functional, but needed a little zshuzsh...mostly so she could forget that it was originally purchased as a changing table for her boys.

The colors of the rug did help brighten the room and gave a glimmer of her love for pattern and texture.  Her valance was fine, but she wanted a change...something lighter and more airy.

So there you have it...the BEFORE photos of Heidi's office.  

Stay tuned for the first installment of her office REdo...

Think a new and improved and FUNCTIONAL desk...DUH!