Workspace Wednesday | Kelsey McEvoy

My home “office”/workspace is nothing fancy – it’s in my kitchen and comprises about 2 square feet of space, and is in a constant state of chaos at all times, mostly because: kids. But also because the main workspace of my home "office" is the dining table, which is already teeny tiny to begin with.

I keep all my memory keeping supplies (a very small collection of stuff) in an Ikea Kallax unit that's laid on it's side and set just beneath the double windows. What you see there is legit all I have. I love memory keeping but it's expensive, which means the vast majority of my collection are papers from Michaels and bits that I hoard from my monthly Studio Calico Documenter kits. The far left cubby of the Kallax shelf holds the kids' craft supplies and the other three cubbies hold mine. My paper cutter, random page protectors and scraps of card stock hang out in one cubby, sheets of paper and card stock hang out in another, and a stack of stickers and small container full of ephemera and embellishments hang out in the other. My main Project Life® album sits on top of the Kallax shelf, as do a random collection of scraps and embellishments.

To the right of the Kallax shelf is my desk, also Ikea (go figure). It's also in a perpetual state of chaos and is nothing fancy. I don't have a huge desk because I really only need it to be big enough to hold my computer.

Because I work at my kitchen table, I don't have the luxury of leaving projects out and working on them at a leisurely pace. Sometimes this really bothers me, but in the end I think it's the best setup for me. If I had a dedicated space to leave half-finished projects open, I'd probably never finish anything! Having a limited workspace that has more than one purpose/use means that I have to be really intentional about whatever I'm working on. I HATE having to pack up a single project a million times just to clear space for dinner or homework (or whatever), so I do my best to only start working on projects when I have the time to occupy the space, and to dedicate wholly to working on that project. That doesn't mean my projects are always completed in one sitting. Ha! Yeah, right. That definitely doesn't usually happen. Usually I have to put away and break out a project at least twice. Having a smaller, dual-use workspace doesn't mean I get everything done at once; it just means I batch together my "project-making time" more efficiently.

So that’s it. Not huge. Not fancy. Not even really “full.” Just tiny, “real,” and messy. Sure, I’d love to have a bigger craft space and stash, but this setup is all I’ve ever known and has worked for me for the last three (going on four) years, so I’m not overly concerned with having my own dedicated crafting space, or a huge stash of supplies. It'd be nice, sure, but having a smaller space and stash has helped me learn to be creative with my time and with my projects. And anyone who knows me knows I'm always up for a good challenge.

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14 comments

  1. Joelaw says…
    04/27/2016

    Where do you keep your Ali Edward's Story kits?

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  2. Roberta says…
    04/27/2016

    Love this! The white and light is great. Your chalkboard wall is so family friendly! What is so super is how you utilize what you have and make limited space work for you! Inspiring!

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  3. kelseyespecially says…
    04/27/2016

    @Roberta, thank you! The chalkboard wall is SO FUN! When the kids want to get crazy with it we just move the table out of the way and let them have at it. And believe me, it's been a struggle to learn how to make limited space and supplies work, but I've found a rhythm and am kind of set in my ways now.

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  4. juliee says…
    04/27/2016

    This is great - and so inspirational. Even though I keep shopping (All the sales lately here and other places aren't helping), I keep thinking about reducing my stash substantially.

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  5. kelseyespecially says…
    04/27/2016

    @Joelaw, hmm I commented earlier but it's not here anymore! Aside from the "Tough" Story Kit™, for which I was a guest storyteller and shipped the physical kit, all my Story Kit™ items are digital. In fact, a lot of the stuff I use in my weekly layouts are digital, and then I just dress up a bit using my small stash :)

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  6. kelseyespecially says…
    04/27/2016

    @juliee, if I could afford more I'd be buying more, believe me! And I love your idea for such a class – it'd be a challenge to create something like that but maybe there could be a few scrappers that put it together, to offer a more robust perspective. Let me know if that idea gets any momentum!!

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  7. Jackie_Davis says…
    04/27/2016

    As the saying goes "less is more". Well done

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  8. kelseyespecially says…
    04/28/2016

    Thanks, @Jackie_Davis!

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  9. penny says…
    04/28/2016

    I love this beautiful, white space! We are getting our house interior painted next month, and I am going white! I just need more light and bright in my world. Your photos are confirming to me that I'm making a good choice.

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  10. kelseyespecially says…
    04/29/2016

    @penny yay for new paint! We rent, so these walls are whatever color they were when we moved in, which is cheap builder-grade off white (like REALLLLLLLY light khaki-ish). We painted the chalkboard wall ourselves, though. Perks of having a chill landlord. We also painted the main living space, Benjamin Moore's Light Pewter, and LOVE it. Only reason I didn't paint the kitchen/eat-in dining room is because I'm lazy and there are WAY too many tiny spaces to tape off and giant cabinets to worry about accidentally dripping paint on and just...UGH. Too much work. LOL.

    I'm a firm believer that light and bright is always the way to go :)

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  11. amyscalze says…
    04/29/2016

    @kelseyespecially I love your space! Thanks for all you shared here!

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  12. ATXmom says…
    04/29/2016

    What a bright, cheerful spot to in which to create! I'm inspired by how you make your space work for you. I love seeing your example of how big creativity can happen in a small space.

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  13. kelseyespecially says…
    05/01/2016

    @amyscalze, thanks! I love it too – I just don't always love sharing it with things like homework time and dinner, LOL!

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  14. kelseyespecially says…
    05/01/2016

    @ATXmom, I love that phrase – "big creativity...in a small space." I'd never thought of it like that before :) Glad you enjoyed!

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