Crafting space

[Red]

Do you have a separate space to make your candles/B&B/soap or do you do it in your kitchen? I see so many people get "squicked" out over making things in the kitchen but surely we all didn't start out with a crafting oasis? I know I didn't. Opinions?

[LuminousBoutique]

Some things I do in my kitchen because its easier, but I have two work spaces. One is a guest bedroom I have set up with tables, a microwave, a hot plate, and my presto. its mostly for pouring candles/tarts. It also has my stainless steel lotion/scrub cart.

I do soap in my kitchen. Its just easiest.

I also have a walk in closet thats 18' long by 4 feet wide... not good for anything but storage, but its nice to have. It has my curing racks and its where I keep all of my cases of wax and cases of jars.

What I really want is a "tiny house", one of the ones built on a utility trailer.. somewhere I can have all of my stuff, completely dedicated to my work, and not let kids, husbands, or pets into.. EVER.. lol:laugh2:and then I can tow it to long/big shows, out of state events, and even bring work with me when I do my yearly trip to Washington from Utah.

Edited September 14, 2010 by LuminousBoutique

[Abbiepql]

Depends how large of a kitchen you have - was never an option for me, way too small a kitchen and I could never imagine having to carry all that stuff in, setting it up, breaking it down and cleaning it up - I could never have grown my business if I had to do all that work!

[crazzie]

I have a room in our basement fixed up with cabinets and countertop all around. Number one on the list is having a TV and phone.

Have to use my stove upstairs in the kitchen.

[adillenal]

I have a mobile home behind our house that is my soap workshop. Big kitchen, living room is where I package, front bedroom is my office, other two bedrooms are storage for packaging and shipping supplies. LOVE not having to work in my house. A dedicated space is awesome.

[Kitn]

I have a soap kitchen in the basement. I would like to convert the single garage we don't use into a soap making shed. Someday..

[Candybee]

Still using my kitchen. At least I have enough space. Have been working on converting one of my bedrooms into a workroom. I might use it for candlemaking someday but right now the kitchen is working for me.

[Rae]

My basement is my workshop. My space is about 1500sf and I love it. Never did soap in my kitchen. DH would have killed me. I have a small refrigerator and hot plates when I need them. And it is heated and ac, which is a must.

[rebeccajo99]

I started in my kitchen and just converted a bedroom into my workroom just a few months ago.

[grama]

Started in kitchen but year later built shop onto our house. I would hate to have to work in kitchen again!!

Seen pictures of Rae's work area in basement, would love to have it.

Edited September 16, 2010 by grama

[Karen M]

I started out in the kitchen, but now am in the basement. Lots of room and I am still working on making it the right space. Have plenty of space, shelving, just need to get the bathroom finished. I hate having to run upstairs when I gotta go, LOL.

Also with the bathroom comes a large sink in my craft room, that will be a good thing!!

[annie123]

When we bought our house it already had a nice built in workshop. I think it is why I bought this house.

So I have a nice workshop with a separate entrance, a tile floor and lots of cabinets. Next to my workshop is another larger room I use for office and storage...and there is a 3rd room I could also use but use for storing house stuff.

The best part is that when I close the door to my office nobody sees the mess.

I would never go back to working in the kitchen.

[asheebeans]

My MP, conditioner and BB's I do in the kitchen, just because it is easier. I use a 10% bleach solution to wipe down my countertop before I work. My candles and CP soaps I do in my workshop, because I don't want to deal with lye or wax in my kitchen. I don't have an elaborate workshop, but it is in the works if we add on!

[deb426]

I have a workshop in my basement for the messy stuff but I have a work room upstairs for packaging and making some of my non-wax crafts.

[Blest2BAmerican]

I am so jealous for those of you who have basements and workshops. Still working in the kitchen of my 1100 sq foot house.

[jaxxcandles]

I have a mobile home behind our house that is my soap workshop. Big kitchen, living room is where I package, front bedroom is my office, other two bedrooms are storage for packaging and shipping supplies. LOVE not having to work in my house. A dedicated space is awesome.

Wow! Love the mobile home idea. A dedicated house for everything, how nice. I recently obtained a cabinet to store supplies upstairs for my current projects, but most of my supplies are in my unfinished basement. I am still using the kitchen for now and am envious of those with workshops. So awesome!

[Starr]

In our old place, I had a HUGE kitchen so half of it was craft-space. That worked pretty well. Now, I have a much smaller kitchen but I got lucky in that I had an extra room right next to the bathroom. So, I do everything in there now and wash stuff out in the bathroom and that's a tiny bit of a PITA but it's not too bad. The big stuff like my crock pot I bring downstairs cause it's easier and candle stuff I bring down to clean in the oven, but it is nice to have a space just for crafting.

[shessuchatart]

Depends on the craft! We make t-shirts and mouse pads, those have the spare room along with the packing supplies/printer/packing "station". We also sell vintage, that has our "den" and part of our camper (for now-it was a productive summer and we found more vintage than space to store it, lol). Candles, that is in the kitchen. We only have 2 bedrooms, no basement, detached unheated (and full) garage so not much choice. We need a place to heat and pour, and that's all that is left.

We were just at an estate sale over the weekend and they had an AWESOME canning kitchen in the basement, I was totally jealous. Ideally, I'd like a two family home, where we could live in half and use the other for the business (we did look at one last year, but it just wasn't right for us). Or at least a place with a basement! But if I had to I could just take over the camper, we don't actually have much time for camping anyway, lol.

[Catlover]

Wow, I'm also jealous of you lucky crafters with dedicated space! I'm all over our 1400 s.f. house; supplies stored in a closet in an office I share with DH and our other business, finished candles on shelves in our bedroom or wherever, I make the candles in the kitchen, where I cover the whole table with freshly-poured candles until they cool. I have to wag, wash & wipe the whole shebang every time. Which is why I'm procrastinating and looking at this forum instead of making candles right now....

I would love to turn our guest BR into my space; I'd have to get over the guilt of not having a room for any of our kids to stay in when they visit. (Yes, we have a blow-up mattress, but then their *stuff* would be slung all over the place instead of nicely hidden away in the guest room!) Nearest motel is about 20 minutes away....but that's what cars are for, right?

I love the mobile home or split house idea. DH is going to make a potting shed area for me in the shed of our (dirt floor, open eaves) barn; maybe I could make him build me an entire insulated, climate-contolled shop instead. (This is his reaction at my suggesting this.)

[shessuchatart]

Oooo..a REAL barn. I *LOVE* old post and beam barns. I'd even like that for now, lol. I am seriously considering taking over the kitchen in the camper now actually. The main advantage would be that whatever scent we pour wouldn't take over the whole house (we're only 800 sq ft, so a pour in the kitchen means the whole place gets to smell like the scent of the day). I'm wanting to do some testing of some new FOs and wonder what they will smell like when they all mingle together if I do them the same day...

[Catlover]

Oh, I do that all the time in my kitchen...it can be interesting! One candle each of six different scents. I just try to stay in the same fragrance family at least so they don't clash in a nauseating way! I love our barn too, but it sure isn't a place to make candles. It would be so nice to not have to lug everything back & forth from the kitchen, but that's life. Unless someone has a cheap and magical solution to a free-standing, climate-controlled facility a person could just put up in the backyard....the kitchen it will remain.

[shessuchatart]

Actually I would look into a camper...you can find a nice older one relatively cheap, at least here. It comes with a stove and sink even!

[Jenny]

Unfortunately, I make everything in my kitchen, and store supplies ALL over the place! I would LOVE to have ONE area for everything, but that isn't going to happen anytime soon, so until then, my house will be cluttered with all things crafty!!!

[Catlover]

I feel your pain. Thank God for understanding and supportive families who don't give a flip that candles are all over the place! At least we're not working on greasy car parts or something (been there, first marriage, not going back). :smiley2:

That is a very sweet baby in your avatar pic, by the way.

Edited September 30, 2010 by Catlover

[Jenny]

I feel your pain. Thank God for understanding and supportive families who don't give a flip that candles are all over the place! At least we're not working on greasy car parts or something (been there, first marriage, not going back). :smiley2:

That is a very sweet baby in your avatar pic, by the way.

Thanks! Yours is very cute too!!! Mine is a mess! She is not as tiny as she was then, that's for sure! November will be our one year anniversary! LOL. I got her at 3 months from a shelter. She was on "the list" THREE times, but the ladies there loved her so much that she was saved for me!!!!!!! Thank GOD! Now, her hair mysteriously ends up in all of my creations. LOL.