Where Bloggers Create 2012

Hello there and welcome to Twigs and Tulle!  I'm so glad you dropped by to visit my creative space, and am very appreciative that Karen Valentine of My Desert Cottage created this wonderful blog-hopping event for creative souls.

My name is Michaele ("My-kul," yes, "like the boy's name") and in addition to all of the things I've described myself as in my bio, I'm a crafter.  Having always been surrounded by people who make and do, from traditional arts and crafts such as needlework, knitting, crocheting, baking and cooking, it was only a matter of time before I tried working with new materials and tools, though initially I was more inclined to use them in my classroom with my kindergarten students.

Like my interests, my creative space has changed significantly over the years.  Being a military family, we've relocated from Alaska to New Mexico, Kansas and Texas with a return trip to Oz.  We've lived in military housing and in rentals, with the possibility of having a little extra space for my "hobbies" unpredictable with each move we made.  My first crafty nook consisted of a desk and set of bookshelves where I could read, sort through small materials, and introduce myself to the world of blogging.  I still had to take over the dining room table for any sizable project, and had to have it all cleaned and put away by dinnertime.

The next incarnation of my crafty nook was a space in front of the only two windows in the daylight basement of a rental property we moved into once we returned to Kansas.  Gifted with an old bedroom dresser and chest of drawers for storage, I tracked down a small table and chair, and was able to keep my mess away from my family and my family away from my mess, which worked wonders for me as I began to craft with paper.  Unfortunately, I was unable to keep Mother Nature's flood waters away from my creative space.

You read that correctly: our house flooded.  While my husband was deployed.  Oy.  Grateful we were safe, and thankful for the friends, volunteers and Army family who helped us, I tearfully bid my crafty nook and almost everything in it goodbye as we worked through salvage and clean up.  Though only material and replaceable items were lost, there was a part of me that mourned the items that I had created.  It was fellow crafters who reached out to me with their understanding, support and kindness, and with their help, my crafty nook was reborn.

You'll notice it's not really a nook but rather a room now (we've bought our dream home) and it's an assemblage of repurposed storage and furniture, gifted items and materials, each unmatched piece having its own story:

Somerset publications fill my bookcase, and paper punches, art paper and fabric are stored in little bins below display boards:

I can sit and relax with some coffee or tea:

Next to my chair is a crafty tote filled with ribbon, lace, trim and buttons, materials I use regularly:

My desktop certainly needs an upgrade now that I'm creating altered art with adopted ancestors!  I love to visit antique stores and sort through boxes of vintage photographs.

I covered our tall metal file cabinet with Christmas wrapping paper to gussy up its surface.  It's an inspiration and reminder board all in one with knick knacks, cards and cd's stored above:

My view from the file cabinet includes my craft table, stool, and desk organizer.  I love that so many of us have the same one... seriously, I should keep a tally of how many white wooden lazy Susan-type jobbies I find as I visit your studios!  My table sits in the middle of the room:

...while many of my craft materials are stored in fabric totes and cubbies along the wall:

What's in my repurposed card catalog?  Ribbon and glitter of course!

I decorate pre-seasonally as it takes me time to make gifts and Etsy shop items, and I enjoy displaying ornaments and gifts received in swaps.  Who else is ready for Halloween in July?

Keeping little treasures sorted yet accessible is easy with my cupcake holder, tea cups and votives:

I tend to find interesting-to-me little items here and there, thimbles, toys, ornaments, etc., but it was Dear Husband who gave me the starts of my own Eskimo army:

Bars keep my paper bunting neatly displayed until they're packaged and sent off to recipients:

... and photo boxes and repurposed containers keep small bits of paper neatly sorted for projects:

After a long week at work, my crafty nook is my retreat.  Instead of resembling a frothy confection, it's more, well, twigs and tulle.  It's filled with reminders of friends and family, visual and tactile inspiration, and the tools I use to capture happy sentiment full of color.  My collections keep me company, music sets my pace, and my hands and imagination are anything but idle.

Thank you for visiting, and do let me know where I can come to visit your creative space~

Michaele