Everything in its Place?

I’m happy to say my “scrap space” is located behind a closed door in a bedroom-turned-office. I say I’m happy, because most often, the space is in a bit of disarray, and I like to be able to walk away from it, close the door, and not have any visitors see in!

However, most of the time, my door is wide open, so family members can freely come in and out, and I can hear what’s going on in the rest of the house while I’m working.

Besides all of my scrapbooking materials, my space holds our family office stuff as well. I do our accounting, pay bills, and so forth, and I do it from here.

I have two 6’ plastic tables. One holds my computer, scanner, and printer. The other table is working space. Often, my kids will do their art projects and homework on that table.

I use an old wooden dresser for much of my scrap storage. This is a dresser that I’ve had since I was 15. I considered throwing it out, but then realized it would be a fun addition to my scrap room. The top half contains two large shelves. I stacked paper holders on each shelf and fit all of my patterned papers inside. The bottom two drawers hold my stamping supplies and ribbons and fibers.

I’ve found I am better at storing supplies in general groups than in more specific categories. I have several plastic drawer storage units that I use to hold most of my supplies. For example, I throw all my punches into one large drawer. All my adhesives are in another drawer. One plastic drawer in my closet holds paints, and another holds wood findings.

Occasionally I’ll organize my stuff and tidy up my drawers. I have a lot of supplies, especially embellishments. Before I go shopping, I check through my stash to see if I have something that will fit my needs.

When I’m working on a project, I’ll keep the supplies I’m using out on my worktable. My paper cutter is always out, and my sewing machine is ready to use at all times too. I always keep different adhesives, a ruler, and a pencil on the table so I can grab them easily. I store extra adhesives elsewhere.

I also have a great closet in my scrap room! It holds plenty of stuff, not just scrapbook supplies. It’s very convenient having the extra shelves and storage space.

Lately, my favorite and most used scrapbook tool is my computer. I’ve been doing a lot of digital layouts lately. I can’t show you inside my computer, but if I could, you would see that I keep my digital files a lot more organized than I do my ‘real’ supplies! I am also careful to frequently save and back up my work.

Over the years, I’ve done a lot of arranging, changing, and re-organization of my scrap space. Finding what works for me has been a process. I certainly don’t have a fancy or expensive system, but I do have a place for everything. Whether everything is in its place is debatable!