Confessions of a Messy Scrapbooker

O.K., I’ll admit it. I am really disorganized. I try. I really do. I have Iris carts with neatly labeled drawers to store various supplies, hanging-file carts for my cardstock and patterned papers, and a large walk-in closet where many supplies can reside. Yet, my scrap room is quite often a disaster. The problem is that I cannot start a layout until the mess is put away, and I can’t create a layout without making a huge mess.

It was all good for a while. I was really on top of putting things away as soon as I finished using them. However, you know how it goes, you get in the zone of creativity, and all neatness flies out the window. Well, that happens to me anyway. The fact that I am almost daily acquiring new supplies does not help the situation.

Since this is an article about my scrap space, I’ll take you on a little tour. I scrap in my own studio/office. It also functions as the guest bedroom, but we rarely have overnight guests, so that’s not a problem. This house has a sort of “guest wing,” and there is a bathroom right next to my scrap room which comes in handy for rinsing paint brushes, cleaning rubber stamps, etc. and actually using the facilities for their intended purpose.

The scrap table set-up is based on an article by Vicky Randall that I read in PaperKuts magazine a few years ago. There are two Iris carts flanking the scrap table. I bought some additional drawers to make the carts the right height. The table itself is an old drafting table that was left in this house by the previous owners. I painted the table the same sage green as my walls. Above the table is a bulletin board where I have a lot of tags from some very good online scrapping friends from around the world. Above that, a long shelf rests on top of the Iris carts and on the top edge of the bulletin board (helps keep the shelf from sagging).

My cardstock and patterned papers are mostly stored in hanging file folders in metal file carts I got at Sam’s Club for only $10.00 each. I liked them at first, but since I now have so much paper and cardstock, I think I have outgrown this system. I’ll probably be looking for a more elegant solution in the near future.

My computer is such a big part of my life. I need it for work, to stay in touch with people on a daily basis, and of course I use it to scrap. Since I discovered Studio Paper (by USArtQuest), I use that with my computer to do the journaling for almost every layout. My computer desk is located near the only window in the room where I can look outside at the palm trees and banana plant while I work.

The room also has a pull-out sofa (for those rare overnight guests). When there is not a lot of stuff sitting on the sofa (remember how messy I am), I love to sit on the couch and work on projects or just chat on the phone.

I also have a sewing machine set up where I can sew on my layouts whenever I feel the urge. The machine is on a wooden T.V. tray, and I can easily pull it over to the sofa when I want to sew something.

The walk-in closet needs some work. I’ve moved a couple of book shelves in there, and there are wire shelves above, but at the moment, they are loaded with too much stuff. I have embellishments, paints, fibers, etc. stored in various bins and a tackle box hanging on the wall. It serves its purpose, but I long for a more elegant storage solution.

Decoration is minimal at the moment. Lack of time and money has prevented me from doing much decorating yet. I did paint the walls a pretty sage green when we first moved into the house, but that’s where the decorating stopped - for now. I guess what I’m saying is that my scrap room is MY space, and it’s still a work in progress. As I find more time and money, I hope to manage the supplies a little better and to decorate the space with some of my personality to truly make it my own.