Scraproom Evolution

As most scrappers do, I started at the dining room table with a plastic tote. I hated cleaning up mid-project and my husband hated that I didn't clean up mid-project. As I collected more goodies for my hobby I outgrew the limited storage I had developed in the dining room and moved into the upstairs guestroom. I enjoyed the space and lack of disagreements over my mess. However, last spring when my husband and I started to look for a new home I knew I wanted a craftroom, a space I didn't have to give up when guests visited as well as a space big enough to share with friends when they wanted to crop. The space I have now is amazing to me. I feel lucky, to say the least. Let me show you around.

Crop Space: In the middle of the room I have an old 1980's oak dining table. It grows to make plenty of room for friends to crop when they visit. It is also stable enough that when I am stamping a project the table doesn't wobble. I bought the white seats at IKEA as they were inexpensive and height adjustable. My other two chairs are from my old office. The arms had worn out and the chairs were headed to the trash. I grabbed them and removed the arms. In the middle of the table I have a 12" x 12" square of granite. I found this in the clearance bin at my local home improvement store because a corner was damaged. I put sticky feet on the bottom and now use it when I wet emboss as it holds up to the heat.

Embellishments: What I see I use, so my goal was to be able to have most of my often-used supplies out in the open. Pegboards on either side of the window hold most of my embellishments. I organize those hanging items loosely by type, such as seasonal stickers, everyday stickers, metal accents, rub-ons, etc. Items I couldn't hang like ribbon and buttons found a home in glass jars organized by color family or in a drawer organized by type.

12" x 12" Paper: Paper storage has given me the most difficulty. I found that organizing cardstock by color family worked very well. Originally my patterned paper was organized only by type (polka dots, swirls, flowers, winter, holidays, etc.). Now I am split on that style a bit. I keep papers I have bought most recently out where I can see them in a rolling cart and older patterned paper in the cabinet still organized by type.

Tools: Stencils, punches, templates, scissors, and such found a home in a large open basket. Inside the basket I used cloth drawer organizers from IKEA. They were inexpensive and fit perfectly. This allows me to keep items separate in the basket and makes them easy to find quickly and easy to clean up when I have finished a layout.

8" x 12" Paper: The rolling cart that the tool basket sits upon holds my smaller paper. It is divided in drawers by color family. There are drawers for vellum papers and a drawer for my scrap paper. I liked these rolling carts because the drawers come out fairly easily and allow me to transport them directly to my crop table. In the carts I also keep items like alphabet stickers and some alphabet rub-ons that can't hang on the pegboards.

Stamps: Stamps are kept in large baskets that fit in one of the cabinets. I have found that this allows me to take them easily to my crop table. I also keep all of the accessories such as a heat gun, stamp cleaners, and embossing powders in baskets too.

Idea Books: Initially I placed my idea books in the cabinets, but found since they were normally behind something else I wasn't reaching for them as often as I wanted. On another trip to IKEA I found these cloth bins that mount on the wall. They fit the bill perfectly. Above them is my "Idea Board." It features a rotating selection of photos that I know are upcoming projects and quotations I love. When I am stumped or low on creative juices I look at the board and daydream.

As scrapbooking changes I find that my scraproom organization changes with it. I have found that being flexible to this change creates a space that is fun to be in and easy to keep organized. I expect my scraproom to keep evolving.

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