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Each post and photo have been so helpful. I am always on a quest to recover my stamping space. I was afraid I liked sorting and organizing more than I did stamping and scrapbooking so I want to get my "Design Studio" in good shape because I do want to stamp and make projects.
My husband noticed that I make obsticle courses for myself in all of my spaces. So I took a step back and looked, sure enough I was doing that. :eek: SO, in an effort to not complicate my spaces, I am limiting my extra flat surfaces. Folding tables are always my "sorting" place. Then extra boxes of samples, paperwork to file or new stamping supplies are under the table waiting to be sorted. Then the boxes multiply and stretch out taking more room than the table that has "layers' of stamping projects waiting for me. Now I have cleared and sorted the tables. I also did a lot of donatations and tossing things in the trash. The folding table is put away and not coming out for awhile. I need to break the bad habits and start new ones like, putting things away as I buy them, only buy what I need and put things away as I use them.
I don't think I will ever be done organizing my stamp room. Things change all of the time or I find a better way to do something. I am excited to work on the projects that I uncovered but that will wait until I .... finish my taxes.:rolleyes: I know that is another post all together. Thanks for all the tips and photos.
__________________ Susan Miller
Avatar is from a Cruise to Mexico. Fun and free, a bonus from DH's employer.
I'm at a stalled stage in my craftroom makeover. I knew from the outset that my new organizing plans would have to fit in with my lifestyle, and that means sometimes I have no time to work on it. But thats okay. This month has been a write off for me getting anything done around here. Next month, or next week, could be different. We'll see.
Same here. It's not for lack of time, but lack of motivation. I was going gang busters and then I got to a point where I couldn't finish what I wanted to finish (punch storage) and everything came to a screeching halt. I could have moved on to other things but instead, I just stopped.
Now, I have my Bygel Rails and still nothing is getting done. Putting stuff up on the walls is kind of a hassle since it takes two people. My son will help, but my motivation doesn't seem to fit around his school schedule. Maybe this weekend we'll at least hang the pegboard with the rails.
I posted photos of my messy room. I have done a lot of organization since then, but it doesn't look much better than it did before. At least now, I know where things are located.
I need to get back to work on it. I had hoped it would all be complete before April 1. Maybe I'll have it finished by my birthday in June -- or not. :-)
i am in the process of bringing all the stuff I actually "need" back into the craft room! I got rid of 5 giant boxes of craft stuff I totally didn't need. It's a great feeling! I have had an extended hiatus from crafting due to some personal issues. This has given me time to determine what I really need and what I really DON'T need. Someone mentioned about clearance.. I am a clearance queen. Works for clothes but for crafts? Like was said, usually means it's crappy anyway! Much of the stuff I gave away was poor quality and ribbon I don't even see myself using on cards! The family I gave it to was VERY appreciative! 4 young kids who are all into crafting!
Anyway, I've gotten all my stamps and ink organized. Now I just have to figure out the rest.. completely easier said than done. I have a lot of alterables- how do you guys store these random things? That's what I'm stuck with. i also have a lot of card fronts that I plan on donating. hoping to go through stuff this weekend! If my 2 boys allow me to!
__________________ Kelley- Mom to 2 beautiful boys and a princess! My blog: returning from a deep sleep!
I decided to organize mine when I purchased a storage unit to store my 12x12 paper which was in a desk drawer. So once you start you cant stop, because you have taken something from one place and you have to find another for it that you think will work better......right. Then after you move a few other things, that "original" thing seems to be not quite in the right place,so you have to move it again.
I did decide to put extra things like tape, adhesive and blades etc ,up on the top shelf in other words things that I do not use on a daily basis or will need in the future.In the desk where the paper used to be, I moved the types of things that you would put in a desk caddy into little compartments that fit in the drawer, like tape bone folder,black and brown ink, sponges etc etc. These are the tools I will need at hand to make a card.I also have a little caddy that hold scissors and a few other items that should be in my line of sight.
Craft cupboard is more spacious and I moved my bug onto a shelf so I dont have to keep getting it out of the box. For heaven sakes the thing is 5 years old ,and I was still putting it in the box along with the plates...slow learner lol.Then I organized my stamped images from swaps into two piles, those that were colored and those that were not and a separate section for stamped sentiments.I also have all my ready to go cards together if I need one. Sounds like things are about right ...now to try it out next time I make a card, and try to find what I used to be able to in my organized Chaos of the past.
GREAT room!!!
I wish I had cupboards like yours. And I wish I were as organized!
I stopped working on my craft room and KaBOOM! There was a giant mess explosion. All the STUFF that I'd move out of the way to make room for organizing got in the way. So I stacked it up and STUFF got piled on top of STUFF to make room for other STUFF that needed to be temporarily stored in my craft room. I am beginning to hate STUFF!
Monday I'm going to get back to work on organizing. Maybe this weekend I will finally get another pegboard and my shelf mounted over my computer desk. My room is about 1/3 office, 1/3 craft room, 1/3 storage space.
I am in the middle of 'organising' and decorating at the point of 'why the #&^ did I start this' ...I am slowly getting there but I have 'acquired' 4 Jeep tires in the middle of my room (I am about to get my winter tires taken off) and OH bought me a Wii for my Birthday, which meant that the 55 inch plasma screen and the unit had to be accomodated in the room...you get the idea, 2 steps forward 15 backward! I can see where I am headed, but as has been said before, I think I have found a good place for something, I move it there, then I move something else and the thing I moved originally now does work where I moved it....ahh!
But I am having lots of 'Oh, I forgot I had this'
List of things I don't need for at least the next 200 years:-
Glitter - Ok I know I love bling bling, but really, I just didnt realise how much I had, and much as I love to look at - when is the last time I used it???
Designer Paper - I am going to confess, if I piled all my 12 x12 8x8 6x6 and every other size I have ontop of each other it would go from floor to ceiling:eek:
I started out with a scrapping corner in the bedroom ... that led me to take over the tiny spare guest room a few years ago (sorry guests, there's a motel down the road).
I have rearranged the room for the third time about a month ago and I still have stuff in the hallway as well as the original bedroom. YIKES.
For the most part the "mess" is "currently" under control (semi organized), however, I have been teetering on the fence for years about how to store my stamps (yes, I know there are plenty of threads just for that).
Lacking a budget to buy fancy furniture, and no Ikea within 300+ miles from me, I have to make due with what I have -- and that's needing to be really creative.
I had wanted to purge a bunch of my stuff even a few years ago. So, I got a bunch of PM boxes from the PO. Well, I did not sell as much as I had anticipated and they've been out in the garage since 2008 (stored in protective bags). So I used the boxes for 12x12 (& 8.5 x 11) paper storage (and as I continue empty them - I've promised myself no more NEW paper until 75% is GONE), they will go back into the garage to be used for shipping things again or returned to the PO). Oh, when I had all my paper / cs stacked before re-sorting, I had 4 piles 3-1/2 feet tall and I still have 4 Iris scrapbook cases to sort through ... sigh ...
I saw a video where a lady had cut her boxes to make it look like a magazine / paper holder - nope, not me, I just used packing tape to hold them together - that way they can be used for shipping in the future. To keep the light, pet fur and die cutting dust off my paper / cs, I just jimmy-rigged some chipboard together like lift-up doors (w/ packing tape).
I did take off the closet doors to allow a better work flow. It's not perfect, but it will have to do in my tiny little craft space.
I kind of had my furniture in an "F" shape which left me no room to move, now my furniture is against all of the walls (boring, I know), but it flows better and now I have a large space on the floor when I want to sit there and sort stuff or use my Vagabond (I don't like to use it on my glass desk / crafting area).
My die cutting center (GrandeMark on a dresser) is much more accessible now since the furniture has been moved and stuff no longer falls off my glass desk now that it's up against a wall.
I am still going to have to purge a LOT of stuff in the next few months. If I can't sell it on eBay after 2 tries, I'll just donate it to charity - just to be rid of it.
My die wall is organized, but needs some tweaking and some weeding / purging.
I just need to really tackle my stamps now (I've only been saying that since 2007). At least I am not buying as many as I used to in the past.
I have a giant pile of boxes and bags (semi-sorted by theme) that measure 24" x 28" x 56" high jam-packed with 95% of my stamps - finding them is a dreaded chore (so, I'm not stamping & scrapping as much as I would like). I have looked over all the methods and I have difficulty committing to a solution (finding one in my budget it difficult as well). I have read and re-read many of the stamp storing threads and looked at countless youtube videos over and over again for several years.
I keep my clear stamps on top of all the others, I have put them (clear only) in a big pile on the floor so you can see (most, not all of them) - it's shameful. It's just the tip of the ice burg and the pix do **NOT** include my wood mounted stamps, my cling mounted stamps, my foam stamps, or my loose rubber (awaiting cling mount) stamps. ... sigh ...
I started out with a scrapping corner in the bedroom ... that led me to take over the tiny spare guest room a few years ago (sorry guests, there's a motel down the road).
I have rearranged the room for the third time about a month ago and I still have stuff in the hallway as well as the original bedroom. YIKES.
For the most part the "mess" is "currently" under control (semi organized), however, I have been teetering on the fence for years about how to store my stamps (yes, I know there are plenty of threads just for that).
Lacking a budget to buy fancy furniture, and no Ikea within 300+ miles from me, I have to make due with what I have -- and that's needing to be really creative.
I had wanted to purge a bunch of my stuff even a few years ago. So, I got a bunch of PM boxes from the PO. Well, I did not sell as much as I had anticipated and they've been out in the garage since 2008 (stored in protective bags). So I used the boxes for 12x12 (& 8.5 x 11) paper storage (and as I continue empty them - I've promised myself no more NEW paper until 75% is GONE), they will go back into the garage to be used for shipping things again or returned to the PO). Oh, when I had all my paper / cs stacked before re-sorting, I had 4 piles 3-1/2 feet tall and I still have 4 Iris scrapbook cases to sort through ... sigh ...
I saw a video where a lady had cut her boxes to make it look like a magazine / paper holder - nope, not me, I just used packing tape to hold them together - that way they can be used for shipping in the future. To keep the light, pet fur and die cutting dust off my paper / cs, I just jimmy-rigged some chipboard together like lift-up doors (w/ packing tape).
I did take off the closet doors to allow a better work flow. It's not perfect, but it will have to do in my tiny little craft space.
I kind of had my furniture in an "F" shape which left me no room to move, now my furniture is against all of the walls (boring, I know), but it flows better and now I have a large space on the floor when I want to sit there and sort stuff or use my Vagabond (I don't like to use it on my glass desk / crafting area).
My die cutting center (GrandeMark on a dresser) is much more accessible now since the furniture has been moved and stuff no longer falls off my glass desk now that it's up against a wall.
I am still going to have to purge a LOT of stuff in the next few months. If I can't sell it on eBay after 2 tries, I'll just donate it to charity - just to be rid of it.
My die wall is organized, but needs some tweaking and some weeding / purging.
I just need to really tackle my stamps now (I've only been saying that since 2007). At least I am not buying as many as I used to in the past.
I have a giant pile of boxes and bags (semi-sorted by theme) that measure 24" x 28" x 56" high jam-packed with 95% of my stamps - finding them is a dreaded chore (so, I'm not stamping & scrapping as much as I would like). I have looked over all the methods and I have difficulty committing to a solution (finding one in my budget it difficult as well). I have read and re-read many of the stamp storing threads and looked at countless youtube videos over and over again for several years.
I keep my clear stamps on top of all the others, I have put them (clear only) in a big pile on the floor so you can see (most, not all of them) - it's shameful. It's just the tip of the ice burg and the pix do **NOT** include my wood mounted stamps, my cling mounted stamps, my foam stamps, or my loose rubber (awaiting cling mount) stamps. ... sigh ...
:oops:
My stamp collection used to look a lot like yours. Then I moved on to shoe boxes but had to go though my entire collection before finding the right stamp. Now I use these:
They are only $2 each and I buy a few every now and then...as I can afford it. I also have started a stamp catalogue of all my stamps. I wrote down a bunch of categories and used plain computer paper to stamp the images on. So, if I am looking for a cat stamp I just need to go to the animal section, look for the cat I want, and see what container they are in. I have each container labelled (they have a tab on top for a label) and each stamped image in my catalogue has the container label wrote next to them. I have been doing this in the evening while I sit down to watch tv!
These containers also come in a thicker version which are great for putting wood mount stamps in. Then they can all be stored on a bookshelf.
__________________ Patricia Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy craft supplies, and that's close enough!
Hello all,
I am laughing, sitting at my desk at work, taking a late lunch, reading SCS forums. My craft room is messy, and I always thought everyone else's was nice and neat. Guess I was wrong. I am blessed to have a space to put my stamping goodies- It is the guest room- oops. No guests have stayed recently. I told my DH that if he wants me to get rid of some of my stuff, he will need to give me uninterrupted time to make a zillion cards... and therefore use up all the supplies.
Back to work, lunch over!
My stamp collection used to look a lot like yours. Then I moved on to shoe boxes but had to go though my entire collection before finding the right stamp. Now I use these:
They are only $2 each and I buy a few every now and then...as I can afford it. I also have started a stamp catalogue of all my stamps. I wrote down a bunch of categories and used plain computer paper to stamp the images on. So, if I am looking for a cat stamp I just need to go to the animal section, look for the cat I want, and see what container they are in. I have each container labelled (they have a tab on top for a label) and each stamped image in my catalogue has the container label wrote next to them. I have been doing this in the evening while I sit down to watch tv!
These containers also come in a thicker version which are great for putting wood mount stamps in. Then they can all be stored on a bookshelf.
Thank you - Yes, that has been on my list to try these for a couple of years, but I just don't have the shelf space. I was thinking about using milk crates from the organizational stores ... but still on the fence.
I think even though my wood block stamps are segregated in boxes by theme, I need really get a grasp on what I have and how much I will really need and the upfront cost. I do like to buy in bulk as it will reduce the price per unit.
There was someone I saw (oh my goodness, I can not remember where on the net, maybe here) that used TH binder pages in a bin. I really like that idea too, but not dust free. Which is why I like the Stuftainers. I am thinking about Cardinal pockets, but they are a little tight, but the Poly thickness is really nice.
flat surfaces and uncovering projects...
