Hello everyone, today I wanted to talk about something that is near and dear to alot of scrappers and artists I know. How to organize all the stuff we have so that we can buy more! I have been hard at work doing some spring cleaning in my home and what better place to start but the room we all love our studio. Now I can't take credit for all the ideas and I will try to give credit where credit is do. So I hope you enjoy and can use some of my tricks.
1) Stickles. We all love them, we all use them and some of us struggle with how to store them. What I did here what take an old frame that I bought at Goodwill (not just helping the community ladies, you are also getting stuff really cheap) . I took the glass off (it will of course be recycled into something fabulous, stay tuned) I covered the insert with black velvet and added elastic going horizontially across the board. I used brads to secure it, sorry no measurements, I just eyeballed it. I then was able to store 20 bottles in this 8 X 10 frame and as an added bonus I can secure to the only free space in my room , the WALL!
2)My next problem product to store is lace and trimmings. Well, I like alot of you ladies, I say I am going to recycle everything. Since I have been hoarding (choke, choke) cardboard boxes hoping and praying that I find a use for them before my husband calls that network and I have to go on TV because I don't want to throw anything out. Ta Da, I have a use. I cut pieces to fit inside some boxes (that I recycled from my sons lego collection) and I wrap all my beads, lace, and other do dads on to the cardboard pieces. I was able to secure the pieces with rubber bands (yet another, "I know I can find a use for this somewhere" product. The result is fabulous. Not only are my pieces individually wrapped so that I don't have to spend hours unraveling but they are wrinkle free.
3) I used this same concept for other products such as Items 3 Tissue paper and Fabric that I use to make lovely things out of (such as flowers). I now can see all the fabric that I have collected and since I only allow so much room for these items I don't overbuy.
4) Now this idea was totally scaplifted from Leann at
http://luvleescrappin.blogspot.com/. She came up with a brilliant way to make foam stampers for her Tim Holtz distressed inks (sorry Tim but I love this idea and since I cannot justify buying one of your stamp holders for every color I am passing it on) She came up with a way to take a 2X2 (actually it measures 1.5 X 1.5) and cutting it down into 1.75 blocks and adding velcro and wa la you have a perfectly fitted block for each color of distress inks that you own all you have to buy are the replacement foam pads. I love, love, love this and can't thank Leann enough. She also came up with a cool idea to take doll pins clothes pins and by simply adding a makeup sponge to the rounded head with a rubber band a perfect sponge dauber to use when you are doing a smaller section. I labled all mine with the color and name and have them sitting out so they are always in reach.
5) Since I have been getting into using embroidery on my pages I was really struggling with how to have all my threads neatly stored. I found this one on Scrapbook.com forum and Pinterest. I bought some clothes pins at Micheal's. They have some in the dollar bins and you get 4 for a dollar and they come in really pretty colors. I simply wrapped the clothes pins with the individual colors of floss and here they are. Now not only are they out and accessible but I can see what colors I have so no more overbuying (Thank God, because there is some new Tim Holtz Idea-ology pieces I need to make room for)
7) Last (for today) but certainly not least, a place for brads. I used the same technique for my brads that I did my stickles. I took an old frame added some ribbon and brads and placed all my brads and grommets into test tubes that I bought fom my local science and suplus store and make this attractive little piece that is always within reach.
I hope you all found something that you can use in your space and would love to see how you made it your own. Please leave a comment I would love to hear you. Thanks for stopping by.
Jennifer
