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
