Friday, November 4, 2011

Show Me Your Craft Room Blog Hop - 11/5/11

If you've come for the "Christmas Is for Kids" Banner Hop, please click HERE.

Welcome to the "Show Me Your Craft Room Blog Hop."  If you've come from Liz's fun blog, you're on the right path. If you'd rather start from the beginning, please go to Susan, our hostess's blog, at http://itsmesusanp.blogspot.com.  Now, to get the "business of the Hop" right up front, here are two things you need to know:

1)  YES, I have blog candy. You can skip my post and scroll to the bottom to find out what luscious things I have from TWO sponsors, or you can read on and be inspired to organize your room.

2)  The next place to visit on this hop is Deb's blog.  CLICK HERE for the link.  

Getting those two pieces of business out of the way is my way of trying to stay organized ... for at least these 5 minutes.  Now on to my "show", and a little tell:

It's my (occasional) pleasure to clean up my craft room and get it organized. It makes finding the "stuff" I have so much easier. However, whenever I sit down to clean/organize, I wind up finding so many goodies that I must sit down and craft right away. As a result, my craft room usually looks like this:

That's right -- a whirlwind.  Much as some of us can't work when the table is not immaculate, there are others of us who can't work when it is immaculate!  There must be a happy middle ground somewhere. Imagine, then, when you look at my table's "before" picture (above) how Erin felt at our last crop ... Sue sat her next to me, and I spread out. Turns out, Erin has O.C.D. and was practically shaking by the end of the day. Erin, I'm sorry! This cat's for you:
But I wouldn't have volunteered to be in this organizational hop if I didn't have some decent ideas for organizing your craft supplies.  First, here is the wall unit that I inherited from my old living room, filled to the brim with crafting supplies:


It may look a bit messy (errrr, creative), but I think I've made good use of drawers and baskets and shelves to group similar items together, and to have a place for everything. Getting it to "...and everything in its place" may take a bit more doing, however.

Seldom-used storage boxes (save the boxes!!) and items are atop the wall unit.
My craft room is in the 2nd floor loft of my home ... if you haven't figured it out by now, I call it the "PaperJungle."  It is a junior one-bedroom apartment where my daughter Emily and her hubby Josh used to live, before they bought their own place.  It has a full bathroom (YAY! For clean-ups and big messes!!), a mini-fridge and a microwave -- all of which I've used in crafting!  And it's mine. With a door. That I can close after a messy creative day. And lots of steps up to it ... which means Hubby (with not-great knees) rarely intrudes upon. YAY!!

General Layout:
 
I have several work stations: The primary one is the PaperJungle itself, which includes my layout laptop (highly portable, WI-FI enabled) computer (for MTC, SCAL, Fairy Cut, Design Studio) that is linked to my Cricut; my Copic markers and my paper.  Let's take a look:

I keep my 12x12" paper organized in Plexiglas paper holders, suspended from a slat-wall directly over my Cricut.  I bought the slat-wall at Home Depot for $23.95.  It came in a sheet that was 8'w x 3'h.  I had Home Depot cut it in half so I have two pieces, 4'w x 3'h; there was no charge for this splitting.  I got the Plexiglas paper holders -- 30 of them! -- for free from a local scrapbooking store that was closing. I got the tan shelves (one for my pins and pencils, to the left) and the larger one for my Cricut mats, from another store that was closing, for free.    

In the cubbies atop the dresser, I keep my scraps of paper, organized by color in 12"x12" snapping plastic folders.  It looks like this:

Each folder has color-sorted scraps that have been trimmed down to useable pieces. You'll note that I store my paper (both scraps and on the wall) in the old ROYGBV pattern of colors -- Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet. Precede the ROYGBV with white/tan, end it with brown and grey/black and that's my system.

Before the paper's trimmed and sorted ... just to clean up and get the paper off my work table ... I have one drawer in the dresser where scraps are collected pre-sorting. Once a month, I sit and trim/sort into these scrap holders.

I keep a stack of Iris cases with other collections of paper. These need to be marked. Only *I* know that one is for Christmas paper, one is for Halloween, one is for new baby, one is for my favorite Nikki Sivils Paper, another is for Close To My Heart paper, and so on.  Yes, there is one case for loose papers I've purchased, and there are many more cases under the tables. YES, I have a LOT of paper!!!

Markers:  I ♥ Copic markers, and have a small collection of them.  I purchased this tool holder (Lowes) where I can sort my pens:

When my collection grew a bit, and I noticed that I was pulling out more shades for skin tones very often, I bought this hanging pot from Ikea, and now keep the skin tone markers separate: 


You may also have noted that I keep a handy sheet that I can color-in the markers I have. I keep this chart pinned to my wall ... except when I am shopping for new markers, and then it comes with me to the store or online shop, so I don't duplicate colors. If you'd like a copy of this (blank) chart for your personal use, drop me an e-mail or leave a comment here. FREE!

Cricut Station:  Just around the corner from my Cricut Expression is an alcove where I store my Cricut cartridges.  Here is how I have them stored:


Again, the tool box was purchased at Lowe's. The photo storage boxes (above) were purchased at Michael's; I made the small file tabs using Cricut's "From My Kitchen" cartridge and a Brother P-Touch labeler.  


Embossing/Die Cutting Station:  Next to the Cricut area is where I do my embossing and die cutting. That station looks like this:




Embellishments Storage:  Like most papercrafters (I suspect), I have a lot of embellishments. While many of them are in the drawers of my wall unit:


... still others of them are stored in a small, plastic 3 drawer storage unit, tucked into carefully-identified envelopes for quick access:




I found I was going to my gradient gems and pearls envelopes a lot, and weeding through them was time consuming. So I created a separate album for these, sorted by color (ROYGBV, of course) and size:




I keep my Stickles lying flat in a tackle box, like this:


Stamps:  I also keep some of my stamps in albums as well.  I have one poinsettia-decorated album (a book designed for holiday recipes) that is dedicated to only Christmas acrylic and rubber unmounted stamps.

I also have an album for miscellaneous stamps that I use often. These include some of my more cherished stamps by Unity Stamps, Magnolia Stamps, Peachy Keen, and Waltzing Mouse Stamps.  


For miscellaneous acrylics and rubber unmounted stamps, I also have two plastic drawers. For the wood-mounted stamps, I have one drawer:
I try to keep these sorted, with the holiday ones on the right, sentiments on the left.
Here is how I keep my stamp pads, for now. I suspect this may be changing in the future, as I acquire more stamp pads. I'm thinking about getting a stamp pad storage rack from OrganizeMore!  (See their DISCOUNT code below!!)



 


Sewing:  Most of my sewing is on paper, but I still do some fabric sewing and embroidery as well. Here is my Sewing Station:




That lazy susan can hold a lot of threads:


Computer:  I have a separate computer (desktop) and printer for creating sentiments on cards and for doing my blogging. I'm lucky -- hubby is "into" computers so I also have a full work desktop downstairs in my office, for my business-related work.  This one's just for crafting!  It's in addition to the large laptop I use with my Cricut.


To keep my files organized, I use "thumb drives" or flash drives.  Even they get their own place in this cute "mugger hugger" by Nicolette Simpson:

Flash drives come in various sizes, so I keep one for my digi-stamps, one for my completed digital layouts, one for my photographs, etc.  They're great to carry to crops with you even for projects that inspire you that you've saved and can scroll through on a slide show.  Here's a really cute flash drive I got recently at Staples:

Finally, here are a few other miscellaneous storage solutions I've come up with over the years:


In one of my drawers, I keep this organizer for my Clear Card Bags of various sizes.
Again, by keeping the "like" things together, crafting is fun!
Bed Bath & Beyond sell these cute bottles for buttons.
Keep your ideas and magazines, books, etc. in what I call "Inspiration Station"


Wonder what specialty papers you have by a manufacturer? Make a swatch  pack on a binder ring, and carry it with you to buy complimenting papers later.  You could do the same thing if you want to group together the papers you used in a layout.
In the PaperJungle, everyday ribbon is hung from drapery rods. Specialty ribbons/colors are grouped.
This is a work-in-progress. When I've collected names/addresses of my fellow crafters, I simply gather them up and put them in a storage box. Eventually, they'll make it into a computerized address book. But until then, at least I saved them!
Again, group everything. Here, baker's twine, with metallic threads. The pretty two-tone jute (far right) came from Ikea.


Well, I hope I've given you a few ideas for your craft room. You'll note that I didn't show you any "AFTER" pictures of my work table, as it NEVER gets clean enough to show off.  Maybe one day .....


SO as your reward for reading all the way through this, I've got a SUPER prize:


My good friend Marlo Letterle owns ContainYa Crafts. She developed "Scrap 'N Tote" and "Scrap 'N Easel" for your papercrafting needs. Scrap 'N Tote is a remarkable binder for your Cricut cartridges. She has donated ONE Scrap 'N Tote, in the color (green or pink) of the winner's choosing, to a randomly chosen (by me!) FOLLOWER of the CardMonkey blog who leaves a comment about this posting!!


In addition (WOW!!), Mike and Chrissi at OrganizeMore! have generously provided a DISCOUNT CODE to any one who reads this message, that provides 10% off your order of any of their unique crafters' handmade storage products, like this one for Copic markers that I COVET!!  WHEN YOU PLACE YOUR ORDER, use this exclusive code to get an automatic 10% discount for participating in this hop:  PJUNGLE11 . The storage units make GREAT Christmas gifts -- for even yourself. Note: All orders to arrive by Christmas must be placed by Nov. 15!


Again, don't forget to continue on this hop. I know I've kept you a VERY long time, but Deb is waiting!

41 comments:

THERESA said...

I am so glad it's not only my desk looking like this , lol, was thinking last night about how i messed up the 'clean' space again........hehehehe
Love your storage ideas, you are organized, i am impressed!!!
TFS
lotsa luv
ps: not in for the candy, thanks but too expensive to send to South Africa..............:))

Happyscrapin said...

You have shown me some great ideas to keep organized in my craft room! TFS!!!!!

plese.cathy@yahoo dot com

Linda said...

Wow! I thought I was into organizing...I need to be your friend!! LOL Thank you for sharing your wonderful room!! :)

Jill Angel said...

Ugggh wish I would have waited to get that discount on the Copic organizer!!! Love your Paper Jungle!!! Please tell your friend that I have the Craft n easel and it is one of the best inventions ever!!!
Jill
http://craftwithanangel.blogspot.com/

Tammy said...

I got some great ideas today, thank you. I am creating my sizzix station as we speak, very excited. TFS

Tammy
thecricutcraftchamber@hotmail.com

liz at liz's paper loft said...

wow you have a TON of stuff! great ideas for storage! thanks!

Susan said...

Ellen...
I'm so glad you joined us. You have great ideas for organizing. Thank you so much for participating in my first hop.
Susan

ladydi47 said...

I absolutely LOVE your beautiful cabinet...everything is stored so neatly! I love how you have your stamps in the albums..I might have to "borrow" that idea!
Thanks for sharing your beautiful room with us and also a big THANKS for the soothing background music!
Diana B.
mogardener47 at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

Great storage ideas! Thanks for the inspiration.

Marissa said...

Thank you for sharing your awesome room! You are very lucky to have all that space! No wonder you can create all the wonderful things you do! I share one half of a room with my hubby - I'd love it if I had my own! Thank you for all the great storage ideas! BTW- your banner is so cute!!!

rissaflor atyahoo dotcom

Lori Comeau said...

Wow you have a great space and some fantastic organizing tips. Thanks so much for sharing. I just got inspired to go and clean and re organize my room.
http://lorisartsyobsession.blogspot.com/

Sukie said...

Wow you have so many crafty goodies, thanks for the ideas for storage. I will using some of your tips for sure!

scrappindhilly at gmail dot com
www.scrappindhilly.blogspot.com

scrappinlil said...

Wow you have a great scrap room....lots of organization....I hate being messy..can't function. LOL. I just organized mine about 2 wks ago..hung more shelves. Love all of your ideas. Thanks so much for sharing.

B~T said...

Ellen: Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!

My daughter & I have been discussing what we want to do with our room & you didn't just give us a few ideas you gave us a LOT of ideas!!

Like many others, I'm sure I wish I could just have your room ready made. Thanks again, for sharing!!

Unknown said...

Love the room!!!! You have it very organized. Love your copic holder. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. :)

My Happy Place by Vanessa said...

Loved the music but had to turn off the sound...there was so much to concentrate on! LOL! Loved how organized you are and how helpful of you to jot notes of 'what's stored in here and there'! I loved it! Great place to have FUN! sigh...I'm exhausted! Excitement does that to me:) hehehe;)

~Vanessa W
baboo7192 @gmail dot com

Jeanine said...

Wow you just gave me a lot ideas lol
Great space TFS

Anna said...

Great room and great ideas!!! Thanks for sharing. I've been a follower.
Thanks for the chance to win. annadowdy at gmail dot com

Patti B said...

Your room is great you are so organizedand have a place for everything. But you are like me in many ways. I need it there when I am working and not always in it place.

Thanks for sharing.

pattispaperfun.blogspot.com

Edwina said...

Incredable!!!I love your storage system. I am like you my table is always a mess. Thanks for showing your room and telling about it. Edwina Brown edwinabrown@comcast.net

Nitasha said...

Love your crafty space! I just walked away with a ton of new organizational tips to implement in my craft space! Thanks so much! Happy to be a new follower of your blog!

Gaylynn said...

Your space is fabulous and completely organized. So many great ideas for space saving. Thanks.
http://blog.neatthings-boutique.com

jd designs said...

Wow! I am in awe... We have an in-law suite in the back of our house; I may have to think about relocating. :-)

~ JD ~
jdscricuteering{at}gmail{dot}com

Debra said...

Gorgeous craft room! I am so lifting some of your orgainization ideas :)I just moved and I am "creating" my new craft space so thanks for sharing :)

Chel Ayala said...

What a great ideas to storage, THanks for sharing.


http://itzel-principiantecrap.blogspot.com
hajetzup@gmail.com

Darlene said...

What a great creative space. definitely gave me a few ideas. TFS

Darlene
desaucier at bellsouth dot net

K Clark said...

wow... love your space and you are so organized!!!! thanks for sharing your ideas... I love the button holders in the little jars sorted by colour... I am going to have to do that one for sure

Amanda said...

Your post was awesome!!! You have so many great ideas. My work table looks similar to yours...a disaster! I try to clean it off but it's always messy. Thank you so much for all of your great ideas.

Jennie Garcia said...

Is hard not to make a mess. Whenever I do just a card it looks like I've made 20 :/ I love your lazy Susan ans you are super organized!! Awesome Space!! TFS!! Take Care!!
Jennie @ http://earthyscrap.blogspot.com/

Scrappin' Sista said...

OMGoodness. I love your space! The organizers are cool and you are FULL of ideas. TFS and allowing us to intrude!

Christel
http://onescrappinsista.blogspot.com

Bernie said...

Wow what a lovely craft room! I have a 5 X 5 closet but it's all mine and I feel blessed to have it. Of course a small space means I need to really be organized and I've gleaned a few helpful ideas here. Thanks for the opportunity to win.
Blessings Bernie

joydee1963 said...

You have great storage ideas,great space,I am a follower,joydee1963 at yahoo dot com

jengd said...

What a great space! I'm wowed by your Cricut and die cut area!

julesfink said...

lots of great ideas!! i love the way you store your gradient gems and pearls!! i think i need to borrow that idea from you! :)

jules
julesandjono@yahoo.com

Amy E said...

Wow! Thank you for all the great organizational tips!! And thanks for a peek into your scrap room too! I'm a new follower!

I'm having a giveaway over on my blog too if you're interested...I just hope you like paper!! Haha!

amyis300 AT hotmail DOT com
scrapthissavethat.blogspot.com

Holly said...

I love your space. You are so organized! Love the paper holder above your computer! Love all your ideas!

Holly

hollyshobbie at gmail dot com

kim.scrapper said...

What a great organized space. I love the idea of keeping all the addresses in one container until you have time to record them, tfs...Kim (Kim.scrapper@yahoo.ca)

Jessica Kubit said...

Oops i think I sent you an email instead of commenting! Oh well, I love your space! I want to come over and create!
Jessica
Creativestamperspot@gmail.com

yonascraps said...

those are some neat storage ideas. i really like the idea with the photo boxes with the book and over overlays.

MiBez said...

I just received a cricut from my husband for vatentines day and already looking fo bigger and better ideas, but I keep looking at my family room table where my craft items are being stored (YIKES). I don't have alot, but I I got some great ideas from this blog. I definately plan to look into the handmade storage company OrganizeMore! Thank you, I really enjoyed looking through your work areas and ideas :0)

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