Where to Scrap: Finding the Right Spot in the House

When I first started scrapbooking, I worked at the dining room table. This was great because I could interact with the family and hear the television from the next room, and I could clean up easily as my entire scrap stash fit into a plastic bag. As my stash grew, I got a rolling tote and kept my stash in there. I could scrap out of the tote, and could wheel my scrap stuff away in a moment if we needed to use the dining room table for some other purpose, such as dining. Then I discovered stamping, embellishments, on-line shopping, the need to keep every color of textured cardstock on hand, etc. Suddenly, I had taken over the dining room; it took me four hours to clean up in advance of guests. Clearly this was unacceptable and I needed to either reduce my stash or move to another area of the house.

We had a desk in the corner of a guest room, so I decided to move there. I bought some stackable storage cubes and moved into the guest room. This was great because I could spread out and leave my stash out all the time. However, I found myself scrapping less because I was lonely. I couldn't hear the children play or interact with my husband in the evening. I had music in the room, but sometimes I prefer to listen to the TV when I scrap.

This past summer, we moved. Obviously, we didn't move to a new house because I needed a new scrap space. However, the move offered me the opportunity to figure out where I really wanted to scrap and how to set up my space, given my previous experiences.

In the new house, we decided to live without a guest room. Instead, my husband and I set up the small bedroom as a shared office. I have a large desk with my scrap stash and he has a smaller desk where he can use his laptop. He even let me put the photo printer on his desk so either of us can bring our laptops over there when we want to print photos. We also put a small TV in the room so we can hang out together in the evening, while listening to TV and each doing our own thing. The office is near the children's bedrooms, so if I scrap during the day, I can hear them playing. I still have music in the scrap room, so I can listen to that as another option.

While it would be nice to have all my papers right next to the desk, I decided to put them a bit further away in a closet. I need to get up from my chair to look at them, but I only need to take a couple of steps. I chose to put the stash in a closet, so I can close the closet doors if we are using the room for something else.

Of course, I do keep some of my scrap supplies on my desk: my paper trimmers, pens, adhesives, and embellishment trays. My other embellishments are on shelves to my right.

In the closet, I stacked my cubes. Cardstock is sorted by color and patterned paper is sorted by brand or theme. I also have a bunch of soft drawers, which are great because they are easy to remove if I want to sort through them on the desk. I have drawers for ribbons, inks, punches, and wood-mounted stamps. There is also a large wooden drawer where I put all my stickers - you know, the ones that I don't use anymore but couldn't bring myself to get rid of. I keep alphabet stickers and cardstock alphabets on the shelf above the stickers.

Another advantage of the large desk is that I can pull up a second chair and use it as a place to do art projects with my children.

I decorated the walls around my scrap desk with items that inspire me. There is a picture of butterflies that hung in my grandmother's apartment when she was alive. I can't bear to part with it, but it doesn't match the décor of my home. However, she was a poet and model, so a reminder of her seems appropriate in my scrap space. I also have a peacock feather fan which I love but has no place elsewhere in my home. I'm saving the space across from my chair for some artwork from each of my children when they bring home something that inspires me. The walls over my husband's desk are decorated in his style: some black-and-white photos that he took many years ago. It's nice that we have a room where we can each decorate our own corner instead of agreeing like we do in the rest of the house.

The final thing that I decided to do is reduce. I organized old scrap supplies and gave much of it away. Then, I took some other items which seem nice but I don't really use and put them in a box which will go in storage. Perhaps I will take them out someday and see their renewed potential. Perhaps I won't. However, reducing supplies is reducing clutter and making it easier to find the supplies that I really want to use.

So, that's what I did: shared space, big desk, stash in the closet, TV, and music. So far, it seems to be working for me. I'm scrapping happy.

Shop at the Scrapbook.com Superstore for all your Scrapbooking Supplies!
Enjoy 5-Star service, HUGE selection and LOW prices!
Click here to start shopping!