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"  Two years ago, I participated in the Red Cross Designer Showhouse in Fort Lauderdale. I designed a craft space in a modest-sized room that was a former junky kind of uninspired storage area. Then I junked it up in my own special way.   Before: dreary glossy battleship green walls and a work area that looks like a repurposed ping-pong table.   During: Two coats of primer immediately give the room a lift, followed by Benjamin Moore&amp;#039;s Apples and Pears in alternating bands of semi gloss and eggshell. The washer was not part of my decorating scheme but during the initial phases was convenient for my daily Bucks.  I wanted the sensation of moulding without the hassle and so I used Graham &amp;amp;amp; Brown&amp;#039;s textured border...   and ceiling medallion. I just dunked it in a bucket of water, removed the excess liquid and stuck it in place with as firm and straight a hand as possible. I am beyond crazy about Kevin Patrick McCarthy&amp;#039;s lanyard pendant lamp. When the light was on, the shadows from the lanyard were quite groovy.   After: Cheery walls and comfortable seating make this space one you&amp;#039;ll want to stay in and play in. Wrought iron table, white stool, velvet seat chair, wood side table: Eastside Antique Market and Architectural Depot, (954) 523-3202; Slipcovered settee: Lee Industries.  Canvas Baskets (on shelves): Peddlers Home Design.  I got lucky during the installation. My friend Margo came to visit. She had a silly notion (that maybe lasted 10 minutes) that we might get to the beach-- HA! We spent most of our time at the house -- drilling and gluing. We did take a few quick field trips to a few of my favorite thrift shops and vintage haunts where we scored props for the room and souvenirs for Margo. Two mismatched but similar iron bases from Eastside Antique Market and Architectural Depot (954.523.3202) made great table bases for the craft centers that Margo and I put together with wood that we had cut-to-size at Home Depot. On that day, Margo gave me my power tool education. We sandwiched the Kohler utility sink inbetween the two work stations. Moda green stripe toweling hides a minifridge which fit perfectly under the sink.   The moment i saw this sailfish at Eastside, I knew I would incorporate it into my design. I can&amp;#039;t tell you the number of people who wanted to buy this fish. I could have sold it 25 times over and it almost got me into trouble.   Each work surface was wrapped via staple gun with easy to clean oilcloth from Oilcloth International. One side was stocked with supplies for cardmaking and scrapbooking. Vintage lucite towel bars from Eastside Antique Market made great hangers for Midori decorative wrap. (rubber stamps: Magnetic Poetry)    The other side stored paints and glitter and such. Clip-on lamps from Target take up minimal surface area. The $5 chrome-front bread bin on the little side table beside the window (left) was one of my favorite finds. It made an excellent place to store construction paper. (Paper cutter, cutting mat: Fiskars; woven plastic purse: Nahui Ollin)   My goalwas to create a space where a couple of friends could hang out, drink some wine, do some crafts, and even watch a movie. Lamp: Peddlers Home Design; Insignia television: Best Buy. Drop Leaf table: Eastside Antique Market, Fort Lauderdale.   I stashed ribbons and books in Moda&amp;#039;s wire storage rack. And maximized the light coming in to this ground floor room by dressing window with a beaded curtain from Wild Things. A few of my other favorite details:  1. A transformed bandage box that lets one know that first aid is essential in a room filled with lots of cutting instruments and hot glue.  2. A 50 cent old jewelry organizer stows my itty bitty scraps so i can see them.  3. Nayral bristle brushes from Ace Educational are handsome enough to frame. They look kind of cool, dont&amp;#039;cha think?  4. Found this hurricane tracking map magnet board (very fitting for a Red Cross showhouse in tropical Ft. Lauderdale) at the Salvation Army.  And a picture for my scrapbook: Me and Red Cross Honorary Chairperson design tv personality Michael Payne on opening night, "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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