Sunday, October 30, 2011

Sharing Some Storage Solutions

Before this nasty virus caught up with me (yes, still sick but feeling better every day), I did a little revamping in the stamping studio. I had clear stamps and cling stamps and markers everywhere. My paper cutter and scoring board were fighting for real estate with the Cuttlebug and all of the die-cutting accessories.

It was a mess and not a creative one.

First, my talented hubby came to my rescue with a solution to the paper cutting and scoring dilemma. He used some heavy duty shelf/drawer guides to add a large pull out shelf right below my work space.

It sits at the perfect height, just below my counter-height work area, pulls out when I need it and disappears out of sight when not in use.





I love this shelf, it has revolutionized my crafting time and freed up space on my counter for my Cuttlebug.


Command Central

Next I tackled the stamp storage issue. I used to keep my clear stamps in a binder, but I hated having to flip through, wrestle them out and put them back. Who has time for that? I wanted them on my desk and easily accessible. My solution was fabric covered boxes and labeled dividers. I put the Hero Arts sets in one by themselves as I have the most of these.


Hero Arts Clear Stamp Storage Box

I trim the cards that back the acetate folder so it fits in the box, but I keep it attached to retain the name of the set. The co-branded sets are in the front of the box.

For my Hero Arts cling stamps I used a standard photo box and made dividers: Large Background, Small Background, Silhouette, Flowers, Sets etc. I try to keep them in their original packaging that I modify to make them easier to remove. Some are in zip top plastic bags but it's not the best. This box lives on a shelf to the left of my work area, within reach when I'm working.


Hero Arts Cling Stamp Storage Box

I used another box for Lawn Fawn stamps, my rapidly growing collection, with dividers specific to these sets. My most used sets from other companies are stored here as well.


 Lawn Fawn Stamp Set storage box: I made dividers that relate to the Lawn Fawn stamp categories.

 These boxes make it so easy to flip through the sets and find exactly what I'm looking for. How handy!


There are dividers for other frequently used stamp companies: The Craft's Meow, Sweet Stamp Shop, Flourishes etc.

I also reworked my Copic Marker storage. The Art Supply Warehouse had a sale on Copics and I added to my stash. Since they no longer fit in the 3 drawers I had been using, I moved them to my other storage drawer units, separated by color family.


 Copics were kept in the green drawers. I had them separated by Warm, Cool and Neutral. This worked when my collection was still pretty limited but the expanded storage is wonderful now that I have a few more.


This works much better, it's much easier to see what I have now too. On top of the drawer units are my buckets of embossing powder. The tags identify the color. Above that are my button and flower jars, an eclectic collection of repurposed jars.

The best part of this organization blitz is that I didn't spend any money, I reused what I had. Al even used materials he had in the garage for the shelf; and from my first plea for help to done project took under 2 hours. (Sorry, ladies, I'm keeping him.) I hope some of these solutions help you to get your supplies and tools organized in time for your holiday crafting.

~ Lamentations 3:22-24 ~
The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is His faithfulness;
His mercies begin afresh each morning.
I say to myself, "The Lord is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in Him!"
blessings,
nancy





17 comments:

  1. Love love love your room Nancy, there are some really great storage ideas..thanks for sharing...hope you are feeling better with each day..hugs!

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  2. I love your craft room!!! I use a computer desk with pull-out keyboard tray which works similar to your setup - I love it! I have to set my stamps up the way you have here. I love being able to flip through and see what I want. Thanks for sharing, you've given me some great ideas! Feel better! :)

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  3. Hi Nancy! Thank you for sharing your craft room set up. Love that new pull out shelf--your hubby's a gem! Sending you warm hugs and hope you're on your way to a speedy recovery. Take care!

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  4. Great ideas, Nancy - guess we all have to find what works for us. I am constantly reorganizing. You husband is such a creative guy - and and enabler! Ha! Thanks for sharing.

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  5. Beautifully organized, Nancy! And pretty, too! I'm beginning to bulge out of my space - this gives me food for thought.

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  6. Boy, is this a timely post. I was just thinking how messy and unorganized my space is, and your second sentence describes it perfectly - "I had clear stamps and cling stamps and markers everywhere." That is my space right now! Thank you so much for these wonderful ideas, Nanc! It's gotten so bad, that I don't know where to begin, and you've really helped! Your space looks so neat, tidy and cute! I can only imagine the creativity that will be going on there now. Have fun! :)

    P.S. Good to hear you're feeling better each day. Hugs!

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  7. AWESOME! What an unbelievably wonderful crafting area Nancy. Love the idea of the pull out shelf.

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  8. This looks brilliant Nancy - I have one of those gems that God gave me (aka husband). Your storage for the score board & guillotine looks super - I too work on a counter so it's given me some food for thought.
    Paula (PEP)

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  9. Fantastic storage solutions Nancy....your space looks so well organized, neat and tidy....no wonder you do such beautiful work!

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  10. What a great post. Thanks for sharing your work space. I always love seeing how other people are dealing with the clutter :-)

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  11. Fantastic idea with the pull out shelf..just genius. My paper trimmer is always in the way. I never know what to do with it or where to put it. Now to buy a place that I can install one. :D

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  12. Thanks for sharing Nancy! That pull out shelf under the desk top is a super idea (clever hubby)! You've definitely given me some ideas!

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  13. Nancy you are one lucky lady, your work space is fabulous and your husband a genius.. Love all your storage solutions, I really must tidy my space!!

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  14. love your creative space! one day, i was fed up w/ taking my clear stamps out of the packages so i spent a whole day taking out ALL my hero arts AND lawn fawn stamps out of the acetate bags and the cards that backed them up. for the hero arts ones, most didn't have the # printed on the plastic so i used a sharpie & 'tagged' them all.

    i put each brand in clear shoebox containers and flip through. i haven't been as organized as to categorize them like you but then again, i don't have quite as many stamps!

    now---what shall we do with all those cards that backed the stamps up?!

    TFS!

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  15. hi Nancy, i really love your room and how you store everything!!!really great.may be i will once have space like this..
    sending hugs, always love to see what you create.
    Franziska

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  16. Wow Nancy - fantastic storage. Love how you organise your space.

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  17. Found via Pinterest. Excellent ideas. I have a computer desk as my work area and I use the keyboard drawer/shelf for my cutting and scoring board, more for storage as the runners aren't very strong but it's useful to have them close to hand. I may just need to replace the runners for stronger ones :)

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Thanks for your comments, I love hearing from you!