Hi blog friends! I guess you can say that my desperation took over and out of frustration comes order :-) I am serious though, I’m not showing you this so you can do it, I’m just showing you what I did; I get requests to show this all the time.
For the past year my studio has been in a constant state of chaos. I have a studio that’s detached from my house that is in need of repair and pretty much has to be emptied so I took over a space inside the house. Mine is a working studio that probably doesn’t really rate for prime time; it’s tidy, but I leave things out so that I can be inspired by them.
Slowly but surely I’m putting things into place, so in the only vertical space I have available in the room I employed these wonderful cubes from Michaels that I’ve seen everywhere.
Although not within arms reach, I can roll my chair over to sort through colors. I use a sharpie to write on the spine and sort by manufacturer. My solid cardstocks are in cubes on the left side and design paper in cubes on the right side and I put a red dot on Christmas papers. These are my current papers – my older papers are still in my other workspace waiting to be sorted so they can go to a local entity that will use them :-)
(Disclaimer: I can only take responsibility in my own environment and although this works in my environment with the anchors I’ve put in place, be safe and check with the manufacturer for safe stacking guidelines with your brand in your environment).
Are you in a space where you have to make every inch count? How are you storing your papers – inquiring minds want to know!
I have those same cubes, but I have them turned the other way so the papers lay flat. I also use them as a base for a counter top. Did you try to see if they would fit side-by-side laying the other way? Probably short by a fraction, huh! Looks great for now. Just keep telling yourself, “It’s only temporary. It’s only temporary!”
Oh to have such a space for papers. Mine are stacked on shelves and in boxes. My craft room is a total disaster but I can usually find most things, lol. I also “leave things scattered” so as to be inspired AND to be able to see them. In my case if it is out of sight it is out of mind and I sometimes forget what I have and upon finding something I have often wondered where and when I got it and for what!
So glad to hear you leave stuff out to be inspired. That’s it in a nutshell. I do better if I can see what I have, not put into closets where I have to open and close doors; that stuff will be left untouched! I have cubicles too, but turned sideways as I have room for them. But I would like to hear how you and others store clear stamps and such; again if I don’t see whats there I don’t use them. Thanks Becca for starting this ball a rollin’!
‘Love the organized look! Currently my paper is in a tower thing that my husband made. Some is horizontal, some vertical. I can’t decide which way I prefer. Vertical is easier to remove, but horizontal keeps the paper flat. My new craft room is just about finished, with the counter tops arriving tomorrow morning. The tower is still in another room and I think I just want to keep it there and maybe refurbish it a bit–not sure yet. It takes so much space for paper. But it would be great to have it within arms reach. I have a couple are areas not fully finished, that I still have to figure out my punch storage. So it will be a battle for space between paper and punches… how do you store your punches? I will search your blog–maybe you already have covered that. Thanks for putting your Neenah paper weight on your projects–I am thinking about trying it… :)
Looks great! I have some of those storage pieces from Michaels too. I got lucky a few years ago and found some magazine storage boxes at a really low cost and I have my papers sorted by color in those lined up under a table I use for Cricut cutting. It drives you crazy if you can’t keep your scrapping stuff sorted when you have an overabundance of supplies. Guess I am a scrapping addict which I am seriously trying to break. Happily, now I do more looking than buying.
Becca, I am inthe process of cleaning out my space also. I moved into the front porch with no intention of having full blown paper crafting take over my leather studio. Well, we all know where the best intentions lead! So now, after cleaning out the two upright, store bought closets we are ready to move them out and put in shelves where the closets were. I have looked all over and find I really like the Ikea Billy System shelves and corner unit. I believe that will be the new home for all my “paper people” goodies. I hope to take photos as I go along and will post as soon as my blog is set up! There is always something! ;)
Don’t forget to dream,
Melinda
I can but dream – if only I had this much space. As my space is so tight I am extremely organised with my goodies. My card stock is in a similar box to yours which I keep on my work bench thats where I keep the colours I use the most – the rest I keep in the TV unit, my wardrobe and………. !
My dear Becca. I don’t know whether it is appropriate to ask my question here but your display of delicious card stock prompted me to ask. Like your many blog followers I am spellbound by your inspired creations , in particular your clever layering of various die cut shapes. When trying to work in a similar manner I find that my cards become really thick and heavy and unbalanced. Do you use all card for your layers or a mix of card and paper ? I send all my best wishes from here in the UK and thank you for your continued crafting inspiration and your kind words and thoughts. Bless you. Judith
My papers are the ONE THING I am working on too Becca! I don’t have anything SPECIAL to put them in! Just doing THE BEST I CAN, with what I have! I do have a little thing with drawers & that’s it. It’s not even big enough! So, like I said, doing the best I can with what I have! No plans to add anything “new” at the moment! LOOOOOOOVE how organized you are!!!!!!!! LOOKS GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)
What an array of papers you have – and how beautifully organised!
I stack my card horizontally which does make it harder to retrieve, but it stays flat. I use IKEA Expedit cubes for static storage and have various racks for paper and card (Costco) for my A4 sheets. My A3 sheets are kept on a shelf in a cupboard and I keep promising myself that I will make some dividing sections so that it doesn’t sit in one large pile! One day……
Hugs
Anne (UK) x
I want my paper stored closer to my desk and I’m gradually transitioning it that way but like many “it’s a work in progress.” Currently I have the most used solids right by my desk. I have the 12 x 12 papers in the Michael’s cube filing drawer unit. The 8.5 x 11 solids are in a cube like you have. I also store vertically because laying my papers flat drives me a bit nuts. I can’t go thru it easily enough. My patterned papers are in Cropper Hopper magazine style thingys stored a couple steps away. Other solids 8.5 x 11 are stored in a regular filing cabinet. It’s working but could definitely be tweaked for better efficiency.
I hope I’m not overstepping my bounds by responding to a question of storage here and please forgive me, Becca, if I have. Someone asked about storage of punches and paper when I thought of my Iris carts for most small stuff; I have 3 -small and one large one for my wooden rubber stamps. They work beautifully and can roll around. DH built me a long 3 shelf thingy to set on my 6ft table for stuff I grab for with every card. My cardstock is horizontal shelving unit I got made of very durable cardboard like my scrapping store uses. They are awesome; easy to find from a big box store or Office Depot etc. Hope this helps some of the gals.
great use of space .Laura O
I too am trying to reorganize my stash! I am currently using some vertical files from CropperHopper for my paper. I have a walk-in closet with shelves that my dear Hubby made for me several years ago. That is where I keep all of that paper! I have card stock divided by colors and printed papers by Designer/Manufacturer and also some by subject matter i.e. Christmas, Boy, Girl, etc. This has worked well for me for several years but I really need to get in there and cull the accumulated stuff! I need to be kept somethings, others need to be given to a local charity for their projects. My winter project is going to be getting things REorganized. It is never ending. I am always looking for new ideas on how to store all my things. Thanks for your inspiration, Becca dear. Blessings to you and lots of hugs too.
It is always great to see how you organize things…..When I look at the storage units you have for your papers I notice that you have a lot of light that seems to be in that corner. Do you have any problem with fading of the edges of the paper? I have had this problem in the past so now keep my paper on shelves in a closet so I can shut the door to keep the light out. Just wondering????
Such tidiness!! Just a suggestion, Becca, because I have stored my papers the same way and had a little problem. The papers in pads are fine (until the pads get pretty empty) but the single sheets did better being stacked flat. I think it would only require that you turn the box once to have some of the slots running sideways. Over time, that curve in the paper gets harder to flatten and can create a bend in the paper.
Enough about that… I would be in quite a state if I had to move my crafting area! Youch… what a job! Little by little, right?
I have one of the cubes you have with paper, In the top I have color papers, the middle has white paper & the bottom has background paper & I also have a file cabinet with paper sorted by colorin it.
I love how you’ve organized this!! It’s wonderful to have things where you can get to them easily. You challenged us – oh, almost 2 years ago now – to organize the work space and I took that to heart! Now my papers are stored horizontally in some narrow shelves my DH made for me. You are always an inspiration, Becca. Even when organizing your work space!
I found that using magazine holders work for me. I have my papers tabbed out by color so they are easy to find. Also plain old cardboard boxes for other papers with tabs work well too.
Just a slight diversion, something that has simmered since joining Pinterest, and that’s the desire for neat opposed to creative stimulation: It seems I can’t have both! My craft room/area is now lovely i.e. contained to a fare-thee-well but the zing-n-zip that flowed non-stop when looking at my goodies has slowed significantly.
It is a real dilemma and I wonder: how do others cope? It took much time, effort and money to pretty up the space but it just isn’t working this way……. HELP!
I love the look – but wow! You have so much organization and many are in wrappers to keep them so neat!!! I store mine in an office paper/file (actually 2 of them) with the paper laying flat. I have come to put large scraps in with the block of paper (I use a lot of Stampin Up) but spent a couple nights last winter sorting through all the “Scraps”… long skinny in small Iris set, patterns scraps in another drawn, those little pieces you just can’t toss in one plastic tray, with larger scraps in a basket – all by color! Now if I would just find what I needed and USE them it would be great! 8-) So many pieces so little time! Thank you for sharing Becca – it was also great to read other people’s ideas. We all share a common thread, one of which is no matter how much space we start out with – we manage to fill it! 8-) Happy crafting!
Congratulations on your tidiness, I also have all my card and papers stored neatly, as I have virtually all the other products. Dies, embossing folders, masks, stamps all catalogued. Smaller items like pens, stamp pads, glues etc also stored in drawer unit.
BUT………. I fall down when it comes to offcuts/scraps. Can’t bear to throw them away and consequently have absolute mounds in boxes, all separated into colours, whether patterned or plain. Problem is that that pile is growing all the time……… and my craft table seems to be a never-ending chaos. But hey, one cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs.
Happy crafting to you all
Rose
Great picture and write up. . . I am in the process of out with the clutter and in with the make-over. . . . love my book cases from Ikea, they look great with all kinds of recycled (yard sale items) glass wear, from snifter to etched crystal all to hold embellishments and ribbons, and what a bargain they are, haven’t paid more than $1.00 for any of them. . . . I store my card stock and decorative paper in milk crates, sorted in colors for card stock and like colors/patterns, holidays!
My dies are all stored in the wonderful plastic/magnetic containers that you Becca recommended, they work wonderfully!!!
Now to get my craft room back in order, I am having with drawls cause I can’t get in and work, soon hopefully!!!
P.S. Glad to hear I am not the only one with clutter and reorganization issues.
I also have two craft rooms and no matter how many things I buy I still can’t keep neat. When storing your papers as shown in the photo does the paper get too bent? I bought a stacking rack and each shelf has its own color and seems to be working.
There is nothing more detrimental to creativity than tidiness.Clutter is part of the creative process. If you stop to clean your mess it will totally destroy your creativity. Ladies feel good about your craft mess!
I store 8 1/2 x11 papers in a horizontal organizer that I liberated from the curb. I turned it vertically and store papers of similar colors in manila folders (one color per folder) in one of the four sections. I also use a music storage unit for specialty papers of that size. My designer papers are stored in Cropper Hopper vertical storage inside a 3′ cabinet I bought at Lowes. My clear stamps or stamps that I converted with EZ mount, I store in 3 ring binders on the sheets from EZ Mount. I tried other sheets, but these work the best for me. My DH built a punch rack for me from a description I found on Splitcoast. It works wonderfully. My hardest issue is storage of dies. I’d love to see how you deal with all the labels, squares, circles, medallions, etc., Becca. Love your use of layers and, of course, ribbon.
My craft room is in the basement. Card stock is stored on shelves, envelopes in plastic containers, decorative papers in wire magazine rack and Isis carts. Ink pads are stored in old cassette shelves, stamps are stored in plastic picture frames from Michaels in tall bookcases.
Because I work in the basement…….I have a terrible habit of leaving STUFF out, not a pretty picture.
PS. My Becca Bow Maker has a very special place all its own!
Dear Becca,
I have a similar storage system here but l have placed the dividers in a horizontal position rather than vertical. You will find that after a short period of time your papers/card
will sag and go out of shape if you store them like that making some of your stock impossible to use after a period of time. If l were you l would rotate your boxes.
Love your work, it inspires me greatly.
I always look at your site first thing every morning for inspiration.
Love and light, Gwenny.
Love those cubes – great idea. I store my card/paper on IKEA bookshelves. I also have some 4 drawer filing cabinets with clear drawers – they are fab for storing things in and you can see what’s in them without opening them. Would love more space and more storage – but what do they say – stuff expands to fill the space allotted – that’s certainly true in our shed and garage! I keep my craft room under control though, clearing up and tidying after each project. I have started the gatefold card for our 25th wedding anniversary!! The outside is done – just the inside to do. Really pleased with it so far – might send you some pics when its finished. Great design and looks even better in real life than it does in photo.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Morning Becca, Your piccie looks lovely, and what a fabulous stash of card and paper pads you have, although I have to agree that stored vertically the papers may start to distort if the cubes are not ‘full’.
I have lots and lots of papers and card that I store in 12 x 12 plastic boxes, but they are also stored in cupboards, so not good as I have to sort through them all to find something ha ha. My A4 paper and card is stored in stacked paper trays that I got from work when my office closed, and they are really good. I store my dies on magnetic sheets in concertina files. I store most of my stamps in Martha Stewart plastic pockets in MS 4-ring folders.
Lots of love from Patricia xx
Good morning Becca and all your lovely crafters,
Can i just say how lucky you are if you have a craft room anywhere as you then don’t get a moanin’ minnie or minnies not letting you play anywhere because you’ll mess it up. My home has been turned into a house because of my lot as i don’t have any where that i can craft except at the dinning room table which is a fault. See if i leave home, can i share someone else craftroom, please?
I have my papers and card in A4 plastic boxes and 12×12, but i’d not like to count how many of them i have, but they are kept flat wherever i can as upright they just buckled on me and were no use. Although i’ve solved that problem by making sure my boxes are jam packed so there is no room for them to buckle.
Love and crafty hugs
Norah
from across the water in Scotland
Hello Becca!
Nice to see some organisation…. but I have tried then a day later and its all out again!
My Calibur is never away, and my glass cutting mat stays on my craft table!
I lay papers flat, and all my pens lay on their sides too!
I don’t have a craft room just a CRAFT HOUSE!
Its a good job I’m retired then I don’t have to put it all away when family call!
My Grand children all play with stuff, and are creative and love it!
I wish I had a cellar or a loft conversion, then it would all be put away, and I would have a nice tidy house LOL!
But that would be so boring!
Keep crafting Becca !!!!!!
LoveMarg
Wow, dead envious of how tidy your stash is, and dead envious of how much you have! Boy, could I have a field day playing with all of that! Well done for getting so tidy.
Wow Lucky you ,with your craft room
Mine is my walk in wardrobe ,i have more craft boxes ,than clothes lol .
Elaine H X
I keep my paper in cardboard magazine holders that I got from IKEA and stored in a bookcase. I keep them sorted by color so I can just grab that holder and try out the different colors.
Love seeing how others organize. I’m always looking for the best way to organize my paper. Still searching.
Hi Becca,
As we make do with european DIN sizes, I switched to 13″ pizzaboxes for storing my papers in IKEAs Expedit/Bonde shelves.
Thankfully there are different spinesizes for more or less content so I can adapt. My Pads go the same way as your: Title on back like a book….
Looks great in your space!!
I love how organized your papers are; I actually thought the spines with writing were magazines or books! I do have to agree with others though that if the bin isn’t fully, the papers do bend unless you have someway to secure them together, i.e., book ends? You’ve given me some ideas though to improve with. Love your creativity!
If only I had enough room in my craft hovel for this wonderful idea! Alas, I only have a 3-drawer chest, which is getting dangerously full. The answer, of course, is to use up my stash by being crafty lol! I can certainly say that your lovely blog inspiration helps a lot! :)
love Mags B x
OMG…I can totally relate to the distastrous mess of the office/crafting space because of re-doing it. I’ve been working since March to replace furniture in my ‘area’ which resides in my dining room. It’s been slow because I’ve been buying the Martha Stewart Craft Furniture when it goes on sale. I just got my last 2 pieces this week. Once those are in place, then I can actually organize all this stuff. Through it all, I was still in a quandary about how to store my papers. Well, I removed all of my old VHS from a hutch and am storing most of my 12×12 papers there, which fit perfectly and can be behind closed doors (my crafting area is in my (no walls) open kitchen/dining/livingroom areas); and the newest Martha Stewart cubby hutch fits 6×6 paper pads perfectly…perfect for cardmakers! Of course, a paper swap with friends is definitely on the horizon too. I have overflow crafting stuff in one of my bedroom closets too. Thanks for sharing your idea with the cubes…if I had wall space, I’d consider those, but alas I don’t. I’ve amassed a lot in a very short time, so I can only imagine those who’ve been doing this hobby much longer than I have, and appreciate any ideas for storage and organization.
I love a good organization tip. Thanks.
Thanks for sharing your organizational ideas. How or should I say what are you organizing your 5 x 7 spellbinders dies in. Just when I thought I had everything organized and under control I can’t seem to come up with an idea to store these new dies.
After reading Juliann’s question I thought I would crowd in here and give my input. One English lady I saw on YouTube leaves all her dies in the original folders they came in and just puts them like that in a plastic shoebox or bin. I use large plastic cd’s as Becca does also. They work beautifully but there is a cost to organizing this way as you also need magnetic sheets applied in them to hold the metal dies from slipping all over the place. Hope this helps.
Forgot to add that the English lady put magnetic sheets inside these folders as well. So the only expense would be the cd cases and half as many magnetic sheets. One awesome benefit of doing it this way is you have a pic on the front of the die inside without having to open it. I like that and am coming up with a way to put a pic in or on my case fronts as well. I threw away all my folders the dies came in. Ug.
Being organized is the best thing a crafter can do for her/himself. I get so much more accomplished when my studio is organized. I had an art studio built into my home before retirement and it is my solace away from everything and everybody. I can spend hours upon hours in my studio when it is organized. Now, the key is to stay organized! Smiles and joy!
wooow
please please please put the ” link ” of store which you take the Craft Paper from it