MFT Creative Chat - my desk area

It's time for the MFT Creative Chat. The My Favorite Things Design Team Creative Chat is a monthly feature, where we are challenged to explore our creative spaces and share valuable organizational methods, tools, and shopping strategies with you. You'll be able to peek into our creative spaces, ask questions, and share your own ideas in the MFT forum.  This month, we were asked the following questions:  

Show us your desk.  How do you have things set up, and why?  

What are your "go-to" tools?  Tell us what you can't live without.

Visit Kim's Blog for a full list of designers that have taken up the challenge and get ready to delve into the minds of our creative team.

Here's an overall shot of my desk area. I'm lucky to have a rather large solid wood table to work on (which I affectionately refer to as "the heirloom table", although it's really not and I don't freak out if I get glue on it). Yes, that's a bright pink desk chair...isn't it fabulous! And so comfy too!!! 

I like to work on my scorpal, and when it's time for me to score a piece of card stock I simply slide the mat down to reveal the score lines. Once I'm done scoring I slide the mat back up and continue creating. My computer is always on my desk too, and when it's time to type a blog post or reply to an email, I just move the scorpal and slide the computer forward. You can also see my paper trimer to the right of the scorpal, copic markers at the back, my ott light, a tv for entertainment and my adhesives on the right. 

My die-namics are always out on my desk and I don't even bother closing the case anymore because I reach for them for just about everything I make. 

My Big Shot is just to the left of my desk, on top of some white cubes. It's the perfect height for me and I like to think of it as a little exercise, having to get up to cut once I've chosen my shape. 

The revolving cube holds things like extra scissors, my crop-a-dile, small hole punches, my corner chomped, a roll of foam tape and a spray bottle of water (for crinkling up seam binding). You can also see my nesties in their case. 

Another "can't live without it tool" is my phone, WITH headset. That way I keep my hands free for creating while I chat with friends.  :-)

My beloved copic markers and various other small items like Twinkles rhinestones, brads and buttons, Stickles, etc. 

The right side of my desk is my adhesives and the basket of tools that I reach into all the time. My clear blocks are in this basket, along with various scissors, inks, bow easy, foam boosters, glue dots, stamp cleaner spray, etc. 

To the right of my desk (I can swivel my chair to get at these things so I consider them part of my desk) is my tool turnabout with all kinds of brushes, cutting pens, bottled adhesives, pliers, rulers, and yes, knitting needles. I have no idea why those are there...I don't knit and I've never used them. My copic chart is in the background and I reach for it every time I colour an image. There's also a little stack of previously released sets that haven't seen ink yet (shame on me). 

To the right of the turnabout I have a bunch of pens and pencils (this is an office after all...wink) and a glass of water (must remain hydrated...yes, it's an ugly green plastic cup but it was the first cup I unpacked when we moved in and it's become my go to cup for water), along with my iPhone for being distracted playing games.  The blue container in the back holds my neutral card stocks for stamping images and making card bases, along with a stack of sketches waiting to be turned into cards. I also use the top drawer of this cube all the time...let me show you what's in it...

My stamp cleaner, stamp positioner, sanding blocks, more adhesives, etc. 

So that's a glimpse into my work space. I know I have a lot of things "at hand" in my stamp room but frankly, if you asked me to choose just a couple of items I couldn't live without, I wouldn't be able to. I use all of these things just about every time I create something. And I don't even have my sewing machine on my desk...but I use that a ton too! 

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen