Journaling, Stamping, and Rub-On Storage

Wow that's a record for me, 5 blog posts in one day.  Can't you tell I'm bored at work.  Well actually, I just have a bunch of drafts with pics that i needed to posts.   So on to this post.....

I am the "out of site, out of mind" type of scrapbooker.  If i don't see the product out, then it never gets used.  And forgive me cause i can't remember where i found this idea from but i think its the Organized and Inspired Scrapbooker book by Wendy Smedley.  So during the black friday rush i purchased three black square baskets with handles from hobbly lobby really cheap.

The first one holds all my rub-ons, well the generic ones at least.  This is mainly letter, phrases and swirls. 

The second one holds journaling items..... blocks, tags, scrap pieces and pens.

The third one, which isn't pictured, holds basic stamp supplies.  Acrylic blocks, stamp pads, cleaner and the SC stamp binder mentioned in the previous posts.

Craft Room Organization - Cardstock and Scraps

Ok guys this is the last Craft Room Storage post.  Today's topic is cardstock and scraps.  My cardstock selection isn't extensive.  Manily I have the handful that come in my Studio Calico kits and packs of black, grey, and white.  I used the white cubes that are divided into four paper sections.  I have mixed sizes, 12 x 12 and 8.5 x 11.  As for scraps, for now they are stored in that green, black and white, 12 x 12 paper box that fits nicely on a shelf.  Anything smaller than 8.x5 x 11 is housed here.  One day I would like to have drawers for each color separated.  I am also thinking about re-organizing everything by color.  I will wait to do this and see how the current set up works.  I am waiting for BPC to offer the Organization for Scrapbookers class before I make any more major changes.

Thats all for now, thanks for reading along on my journey to organization.

Craft Room Organization - Markers, Pen, etc.

I have numerous types and colors of pens, markers, pencils, etc......what creative person doesn't.  I am the out of sight out of mind type of person, so I had to come up with a way to have all my pens visible and within reach.  I have of the rotating carousel that holds all my essential tools and such but it hold everything vertical.  As an artist I own various expensive art markers which i use a lot even in my paper projects.  They have to be stored vertical.  So I had the idea to use coffee mugs on a mug rack.  Would you believe that when i went looking for a mug rack, it was the hardest thing to find.  The above mug rack was found at my local Ross.  To my surprise the mugs were colored and perfect to keep my rainbow of a collection separated.

Craft Room Organization - Card Making and Machines

Cardmaking is the reason I got back into my scrapbook obsession.  When I joined the Big Buddy Program about a year ago, I was having trouble reaching my little buddy by phone.  So I started sending weekly cards with just upbeat "hello" messages of encouragement.  Then as our activities picked up with the program, the layouts started flowing.  The obsession picked back up.

Enough ranting.....

My basic cardmaking supplies, ie: pre-folded cards and envelopes, are stored in the 4 drawer cube.  Broken down by manufactor.  The first drawer on the top left is all American Crafts.  The second drawer on the top right is basic Paper Studio kraft cards and evenlopes, for when i want a vintage feel or black canvas.  The bottom left drawer is a mixture of Martha Stewart card packs and misc stationary.  And finally the bottom right drawer holds embossing heat gun and rubber mounted stamps.

One of the issues I had before with the way the room was set up is my machines were either out of reach or too much of pain to take in and out of storage.  So the main goal of the re-org was to get my machines in clear view and have them permantly set up.  Now all I have to do is simply turn my stool and either die cut using the slice, sew using the sewing machine or cut using my fiskars rotary cutter.  Everything is out, plugged if in needed and ready to go.  Needed accesories are stored on the pegboard above the machine.  So far the system is working out really well.

Craft Room Organization - Punches, Chipboard, and Templates

Punches, Chipboard and Templates, Oh My!

Previously my punches were stored in the two-tiered baskets, then on the wired shelving unit hung on the wall.  The weight was causing major issues and even caused the shelf to fall off the wall at one point.  Now they are simple stored in a drawer, design side up, of my white cubes.  As my collection grows, cause you know it will, the plan is too use more drawers and separate by theme. 

Chipboard is something I don't have much of.  The jars below of chipboard letters and numbers and a few packs of raw chipboard 12x12 sheets are all I own.  The jars use to reside on the wired shelving unit but now are housed in a single drawer of the white cubes.  Raw chipboard sheets are stacked on another shelf.

These templates are for my fiskars circle cutter.  I rarely use them as I never need shapes that big.  My slice machine cuts up to 4 inches and i use that all the time.  They are neatly stacked in the drawer until i find a better use for them.  Any ideas?

Craft Room Organization - Pegboard

What do you do with all those items that are either too bulky to store in drawers or if you store them, you forget about them?

Now granted the pegboard by far isn't a new invention.  Most of the time you see it in a tool workroom or a garage.  The hooks and baskets are made primarly to hold things.  One great thing is they are heavy duty!

My pegboard was purchased at my local hardware store: Home Depot.  The hooks and baskets were actually found in the hardwared section of Walmart.  Home Depot just didn't have wire looking baskets, they were plastic instead.

As you see below in the picture, I have hooks holding buckets (found in the $ aisle of target), different size baskets, along with long hooks.

Buckets:  The buckets hold my decorative edge scissor collection and long thin books of rub-ons (Making Memories Font Collection).

Hooks: My prior storage system had embellishment collections bagged in jewerly bags and clasped together with binder rings.  These rings now are held on the hooks.  This give me a visual of what I have so they don't get filed in a drawer and never seen again.

Baskets:  My baskets in a variety of sizes holds many items. The first larger basket (looking from left to right) has large cans and bottles of specialty adhesives and spray paint. Most of this stuff was what was on the supply list from BPC's 52 Card Pickup class.  The middle large basket holds all my clear stamp accessores and a few clear stamps that haven't been filed.  My acrylic blocks, ink pads and stamp cleaner are in this basket.  The third large basket holds adhesives.  From tape runners, to 3D dots, to basic packing tape, Its all in this basket.

There are one medium basket and three small baskets on the pegboard.  The medium basket currently hold the cardstock and misc supplies to finish up the 52 Card Pickup class.  I fell behind and have a few cards left to finish. The first small basket (again left to right) holds the accesories to my Bind It All Machine.  The second baskets has Making Memories paint and a few canisters of glitter.  The final small basket holds the thread and accesories from my sewing machine.

Long Hooks: The long hooks are there to hold misc items.  Two the same size hung side by side create a shelf, like the ones up top that are holding my Making Memories eyelet setter kit and Pebbles chalk container.

This pegboard tends to get messy quickly as most things don't have "a place", but I like to re-arrange the stuff often.  The hooks and baskets allow me to make these changes without having to put additional holes in the wall.

Stay tuned, I have four more days of storage solutions.  Coming up is punches, chipboard and stencils.

Craft Room Organization - Ribbon & Online "steals" sites

I have recently started buying spools of ribbon.  Of course I will have to blame this on American Crafts and Hobby Lobby.  When I noticed that Hobby Lobby carried American Crafts brand, I went from aisle to aisle looking for it.  I noticed in the ribbon aisle that there packs of 5 spools of ribbon.  The first pack i picked up was the Teen "BFF" line.  Oh how cute, when i turned it over to look at the price, I though ouch $4.99 for ribbon.  Well i bought the one package and that was it i was hooked.  The very next week, Hobby Lobby ran and 40% special on all ribbon.  I went back and bought a bunch more.  So needless to say I have a lot of American Crafts ribbon.  And thanks to sites like Craftysteals.com, Scrapbooksteals.com and Peachycheap.com, my American Crafts addiction is thriving greatly.  More on these sites later.

I also found a bunch of Martha Stewart adhesive ribbon at Tj Maxx and Marshalls.  Even though these packages only give you a small length, they are adhesive on the back and make create quick boarders on pictures or a way to secured velumn and clear accents.


So on to storage solutions.  Since I store my American Crafts products by collections in clear envelopes, the ribbon makes it very bulky.     So In the above picture you will see a two tier fruit basket I found in the home decor section of TJ Maxx.  I got this right when the dorm room season started.  My small (dollar rolls and 5 spool packeged) rolls are stored in the top tier and in the bottom holds larger AC spools (their stationary and wrapping paper collection - i find these at Tuesday morning) and Martha Stewart ribbon cards.

Below you will see another two tier smaller fruit basket.  This one holds all of the American Crafts solid "Haute"  & "Essentials" ribbon.

This storage solution works for now as I am able to see what I have and makes pretty decor.  I have noticed that once I remove the plastic strip holding the ribbon tight that the spools start to unroll and get tangled.  I might have to consider another storage option for this.   These baskets can always be used for punches which was the original thought.  

"Steals" sites

I recently discovered a handfull of sites that offer "one deal a day" on scrapbooking and crafty supplies and a discounted price.  Everything is at least 50% off most time in the higher 60%'s.  These sites are a great way to get your hands on complete collections or bulk lots.

Craftysteals.com and Stitchsteals.com

They offer one new deal a day each but also have a past steals page that in case you missed a steal.  Combined shipping is offer on today's steal and past steals.  Combined shipping is not offered on the two sites together, they are independent of each other. Beware that craftysteals deal sells out quickly, espically when they offer current issues of "Cards" and  "Scrapbook Trends"  magazines.  Unity stamps are also a hot item on this site.    If you have a family member or fried who is a sewer or knitter, then Stitchsteals.com is a great site.   If you are a sewer and scrapbooker, most time the two sites compliment each other.  Craftysteals will offer a scrapbooking collection and stitchsteals will offer the coordinating fabric.

New deals get posted somewhere between 1:00 am and 3:00 am my time (Louisiana).

Peachcheap.com

This is another site that offers great scrapbooking supplies.  There site has a deal a day and i have not been able to find a past deal page.  They do have a sister site, sideofpeaches.com that offers more trendy hair accessories, purses, belts, etc.

New deals get posted around midnight my time (Louisiana)

Scrapbooksteals.com, Babysteals.com, Kidsteals.com

This group of sites is very similar to craftysteals.com, offering the same type of deals and also have an archive page of past deals.  There is no main link on the site for the archives you just have to know the address: scrapbooksteals.com/archives.  Babysteals and Kidsteals are great sites if you have young ones in the house.  Mainly speciality products and popular musthaves.

New deals get posted 10:00 am my time (Louisiana)

I do recomened all the sites above, but just a word of warning.  THEY ARE ADDICTIVE!  Last months credit card bill was a lot more than i normally spend.  I will say popular deals tend to repeat on all the sites once the company gets more products in stock, so don't be too disappointed if you don't get it right away.

Now that I am offically and "enabler", I hope that at least you got some great ideas.  Stay tuned for my next post on using a pegboard to store bulky items.

Craft Room Organization - American Crafts Collection

I HEART AMERICAN CRAFTS!  Sorry I just had to start with that.  This is a recent obsession.  About a year and a half ago, I found AC's Metropolation Paper Pack at Tuesday Moring.  Up until then the last time I had created a scrapbook layout was back in college (nearly 6 yrs ago).  I guess I just got bored with it and had moved my focus( and money) more to Art Work.  But something about that paper struck my creativity.  I was in awe at how much scrapbooking supplies had changed.  It was no longer cutesy character themed papers.  It was grownup, more versitale! I felt with that paper i could create home decor and many projects. 

That was the start of it all.  I started noticeing AC paper packs at Tuesday Morning, TJ Maxx, and Marshalls.  (If you haven't figured it out, I am a bargain shopper, nothing at full price, always have a coupon kinda girl).  So I took a trip to my local Hobby Lobby to see what else this AC had.  Oh and I found THICKERS.  That was it for me......   For the next couple of weeks, I shopped Hobby Lobby's sales and bought all I could in the current AC lines: "Travel", "Craft Fair" (one of my all time favorites), "Teen", etc.  I will admit my collection grew quite quickly.  That jumpstarted my scrapbooking again.  I was producing 5 to 10 layouts a week plus home decor and gifts.  Unheard of in my world.

So now how to store this extensive obsession.

Well you may have already read my previous post about AC Thickers, Remarks and Stamps.  If you haven't its located here: http://moleskineadventures.blogspot.com/2010/10/craft-room-organization-thickers.html

So for the rest here we go.....

I currently keep the AC lines together in Paper Studio clear envelopes.  All loose patterned papers (not the ones in paper packs), remarks, mini-marks, dimensional stickers, flair, ribbon, etc are stored this way.  That way when it comes time for a layout, everything is all together.  Thickers are included in the envelopes if they are specific to that line.  These envelopes are then stored in a second basket (from TJ Maxx) just like the one that holds my SC kits.

Now about those patterned paper packs.  Hobby Lobby doesn't sell the individual papers, so the only way I get those is through my SC kit subscription.  But they do sell the patterned paper packs.  These are great because you get the entire line (single-sided,  loose come with coordinating solid on other side) priced at under $20.  For me I always have at least a 40% coupon when purchasing these.  You also get at least two sheets of each design.  My storage solution for this collection is simply one white cube units for Micheals/Hobby Lobby.  I purchased the 4-divider paper cube but left out the dividers and turned it on its side.  For now they all fit on one shelf, but I will need a second one soon.

I also own a lot of AC's Remarks books.  These are sticker letters similar to the thickers but they are not dimensional and you get more in one package.  So to store these, I purchased a wired shelving unit in the home decor section of TJ Maxx a couple of months back.  I also store misc letter sticker sheets (non-AC), some minimark books, one stamp binder and my extra paper studio envelopes (so they don't get bent or crushed).  One thing I love about this shelving unit is the 5 hooks on the bottom.  I am assuming this was made to hold dishes and mugs in a kitchen.   I use the hooks to hang my extra studio calico crop bags and two buckets with misc rub-ons.

I hope you enjoyed this part of my Craft room.   The patterned paper cube is one of my favorite areas.

Craft Room Organization - Studio Calico Kit Club

If you are like me you belong to at least one Kit Club.  I love my Studio Calico kits.  They give me a chance to get a few of the new released products all coordinating together.  SC also gives you the option to purchase add-ons, extra cardstock, and extra patterned paper.  The cardstock is American Crafts and Bazzil, so I always order extra.  I don't normally buy cardstock in bulk unless I need it for a particular project and that is normally neutral colors.  I do a lot of double page layouts so I always order the extra patterned paper.  Plus they are usually double sided so even if I don't make a double layout, I have a different piece on the opposite side.   I don't always buy the add-ons unless there is a specific product I like in it.   So on any given month, there is usally the main kit, one or two add-ons, extra cardstock and patterned paper in my box.  It's like christmas at the beginning of each month.   Because I use SC Kits I tend to not shop for scrapbooking supplies unless its something specific I need.

With all this coming in each month, How do you store it you ask?  Well Studio Calico also has Crop Bags in their store.  FYI....Anything bought between the 27th(if you are a subscriber) and the 2nd of the following month all ship together.  These bags are very sturdy and come in a pack of 6 for $8.95.  I keep my kits together in the crop bags, till I have used up majority of the contents.  I tend to crop on the go or in random places.  So its basically grab and go.  This works great for weekend or friday night crops.

Also, this takes the guess work out of choosing coordinating supplies.  When I find time(which has been a great challenge lately) to create a layout, I usually pick a kit and find the coordinating pictures.  I use to spend hours trying to find paper then embellishments for a layout.  By that time, I am tired and frustrated and have lost the creativity.

My crop bags are stored in a basket (found at TJ Maxx) with the newest kit in the front. 

I am a huge fan of American Crafts and Studio Calico includes many of their products in their kits.  I do remove the AC contents once I feel they have been used enough with the kit.  They are then stored on their own by AC Line (papers) and by type.  More on this to come in a later post.

Craft Room Organization - Thickers, Thickers, and More Thickers! - DIY Clip It Up System

Ok, so lets talk American Crafts Thickers.   I have a ton.  Its an obsession.  I first had them stored in a basket on a shelf.  This worked for a while till, I collected way to many and out-grew the basket.   I love the idea of the clip-up system, but just don't see paying that much money and have it taking up couter space.   I researched, DIY clip up systems and found many options.  Here are links to a couple of my favorites:

http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/gallery/member/98374-sweetiepie-pea/1216913-diy-spinning-towerrack/?c=t

http://outtathisfunk.blogspot.com/2008/01/sticker-gripper.html

http://pinkpaislee.wordpress.com/2009/03/16/alphabet-storage/

The third one was my inspiration.   They used kitchen rails and hooks from Ikea.  The closest Ikea to me is in Dallas, TX.   Not going to happen.   So i modified it a bit.  I used a basic white curtain rod and drapery hooks from Target.  The rod is adustable which will help with my ever-growing collection.  The rings come in a pack of ten are priced at $4.99 a pack.  Now this can get expensive, espically if you need 100 rings, like I did.  But you will still come out cheaper than buying the clip it up system and all the extra clips.  The curtain rod runs around $9.  The rings come in three differnt colors: white, brown, and black.  My aunt owns a custom drapery workroom, So I asked her if she could get something similar.  And that she did!  She happen to have a fresh bag from her wholesaler with 100 rings and clips.  I wasn't too picky on the color considering they can be painted with basic acrylic paint or spray paint.  I will eventually paint mine white to match the rod, but I wanted to test out the system before I got that far.  Now the rings from target are actually lighter in weight then the one's my aunt got me.  As you can notice in the picture, the weight is significant and i will be added two to three more brackets. 

I have been using this system for a couple of weeks now and i have no complaints.  I color coded my thickers and it is so easy to just browse through looking for the perfect one.  I am also using this system to store American Crafts stamps and remarks in their original packaging.

Well I hope this gives ya'll another option for Thicker storage.  Stay tuned for more organization options.

Craft Room Organization-Backstory and Overview

YAY! I have finally finished my Craft Room Organization project ( well almost, craft side is done, saving wrapping paper organization for another day).  Over the next couple of days/weeks I will share with all of you my storage solutions in detail.


Lets get started with a little background and before pictures.


Originally when i moved in 5 yrs ago, it was a spare bedroom.  I have a three bedroom house all to my self.  So the front bedroom which opens off the living room was my office.  I work from home one day a week so this was a need.    The middle bedroom off the kitchen is my actuall bedroom and the third became the guest room.  Then a two years ago I got tired of producing artwork on the kitchen table so it became an Art Room.   I pushed the bed and dresser to one side and took up the other 2/3 of the room for creativity.   Well the bed never go used so it go donated to a family member.  

In July of this year my cousin came to live with me for her last two semesters of college.  So i had to give up a bedroom.   Which should it be .... my office or art room..   Well there is only on bathroom in the house which connects the office and my bedroom so i had to give up my office.  Gasp!  Then came the decision to combine my office with the art room into a full functional office, crafts, scrapbooking, art, holdiay decoration storage room.  

So here is the first attempt.

It worked for a while.  Art Stuff in white cubes and shelf.   Scrapbooking office stuff in brown cube unit.   I even used the peg board to hold all my embellishment collections.  The white decorative shelf held chipboard letters in jars.   My aunt had recently moved into her new house at this point and she needed a place to house her black desk.   Well i jumped to it, its so roomie and i love how the legs allow for extra storage.  I placed the desk in the middle of the room to allow access to both sides of storage.  Well this didn't work out as planned.  Over the next two months i realized that i was not using any of the stuff stored on the pegboard and in white cubes.   I guess it was because it wan't in arms reach.

Even my roomate noticed it wasn't functional.  So reorg was set.  I needed to have all the scrapbooking supplies in one storage unit.  I re-arranged the white cubes and purchased four more.   All scapbooking supplies will be stored her.  All art supplies, office supplies and kids crafts will be stored in the black shelving unit.  

To accomplish this i had to removed everything from the room and de-stash.  I literally took over the kitchen!

So here is an overview of what the room looks like now:

More to come on individual storage solutions....


FYI.....In the process of re-organizing I did some stash minimizing.  All extra, unused supplies are available for sale on ebay.  My username is agtsnowflake.   I do offer combined shipping in cheapest flat rate box.