James Calloway
For years, I've dreamed of showcasing producer Linda Watson's craft room—her ultimate creative hub brimming with supplies. A heartfelt letter from viewer Linda Gholson-Hoffine in Palm Harbor, Florida, gave me the ideal opportunity. She shared photos of her overwhelmed workspace, crying out: "Help! My room is breaking down!" As a devoted crafter and sewer deeply immersed in her passions, she hoped our Showcase segment on storage and organization would transform her space.
The stars aligned perfectly. Both Lindas are powerhouse crafters operating from their bedrooms—Florida Linda shares hers with her husband, while California Linda coexists with two large dogs. Having seen countless setups, I can attest Linda Watson's system is among the most organized I've encountered. Here, we're sharing her battle-tested ideas to help not only Florida Linda, but countless others turning bedrooms into workshops.
Linda lines her room with custom shelves built from elbow braces and boards, painted or wrapped in adhesive paper. Mounted high, they store or display rarely used materials. Wall options include flat-backed handled baskets and tape-supported hanging shelves.
Ribbons feature heavily in her projects—enough to stock her own store. Many spool onto horizontal pegs inside cabinets, while others dangle from knotted ropes to prevent slippage. Offray® even offers a dedicated hanging ribbon holder for closet rails.
Metal shelving gets an elegant upgrade when covered; Linda transformed hers with black-and-white check Con-Tact® paper for a professional finish.
Brushes, scissors, tweezers, sponge brushes, and similar tools stay impeccably sorted in baskets, boxes, and containers. Custom dividers keep items separated: upright toilet paper tubes for simplicity, or interlocking foam board pieces cut to fit containers—slotted halfway up lengthwise and across the top for a snug assembly.
For 2-inch wide-tip felt markers, Linda punches holes in 1/2-inch foam board, inserts them from the top, and hangs the entire board on the wall.
Plastic shoe boxes and other containers perch atop her bed alongside tool holders, all on a large tray for effortless relocation.
Favorite rubber stamps live in a wall-mounted divided box; most others stack securely in plastic frames. To build these, cut 1-inch squares from 1/8-inch plastic, glue one per corner (1/8-inch inset from edges) using Loctite's Plastix® adhesive.
For seamless bed-based creating, Linda relies on Eagle's CraftSpace® work surface and a June Tailor® board for cutting and pressing.
