A Cubic Solution

When my husband and I were looking for a larger home in the summer of 2000, a space of my own was on the top of my priority list. I didn’t care if it was a corner in a storage room or even a closet, I just wanted a place to escape to and do my own thing. We found a home with a small office/bedroom in the basement, and I was so excited! I rigged it out with a make-shift table, some inexpensive shelving and drawers and was thrilled.

I soon outgrew the “system” I had for that space. I made do, but got very frustrated. Even though I would add some shelves and bins regularly, and also give away what I knew I wouldn’t use, I still was steadily losing the battle against clutter and disorganization.

I found myself wasting both time and money. I would look for a certain tool or embellishment for hours. Sometimes I found what I was looking for, other times I would stomp off to my local scrapbook store to buy another one. Either way I was frustrated and discouraged.

Last fall I saw the Store-In-Style cubes (by Crop-In-Style) in a local craft store. It was love at first sight! I started saving right then and decided that by my birthday (January) I wanted to be able to redo my scrap space the right way.

When I had the money I needed, I made a plan. I emptied out my space completely (I figured if this method was good enough for the organization shows on TV, it was good enough for me!) and cleaned my walls and floors. I then painted my walls a tan color that I love. Then I bought tables and Store-In-Style pieces. I set up my room so that the natural light from my window would fall on my work surface. It took a while to put everything together, but it wasn’t hard at all.

I reused many of my old shelves and bins, and added some fun touches that I’ll explain in detail later. The result is a room that I love, that stays organized, and that has room to grow! I want to continue to add touches of color and inspiration as I find them to make this room “mine.” It was a lot of work getting it all together, but it was very worth it! Here is my system now:

Storing Paper and Cardstock:
A tall stack of cubes with dividers in them houses all of my cardstock. I prefer my shelves to run horizontally so my paper lies flat, and with these cubes you can chose either that or having them run vertically.

Patterned Paper:
I have my patterned paper in 12” x 12” hanging files, organized by manufacturer. I needed three hanging file cubes for this; I have a ton of paper!

Stickers and rub-ons:
These are located in labeled drawers. I organized them by type; alphabet, phrase stickers, and rub-ons.

Embellishments:
The four-drawer cubes hold all of my embellishments and are organized by manufacturer. I have a drawer just for metals too, and one for miscellaneous items.

Photos, CDs, and albums:
I have a closet with shelves in it that holds photo boxes and albums that I am working on. I also keep odds and ends in there that I don’t use regularly. I bought a curtain to cover the opening that disguises the cluttered shelves within. My CD holders (I bought these unfinished and painted them) are on top of my work space and they hold my digital photo CDs.

Keeping things close:
I wanted to keep the tools and items I use the most on my work space so I don’t have to constantly search for them. My tools, adhesives, rulers, etc. are on shelves at my work space and within reach. I also keep the small embellishments I use most often right on my desk. I chose to put them in small containers; simple plastic bowls or some clay flower pots I painted black.

My stamps and inks are right below my work space, as well as all of my ribbon. They are organized so that the things I use most are in the top drawers.

I have bins on my shelves for current projects, recent submissions, photos to be filed, circle journals, etc. This keeps them out of the way, but within reach (and within sight). That way I can see what I need to work on easily.

Just for fun:
I have my magnet board to keep papers and such where I can see them. I like to leave a few photos there as well. I also bought three 12” x 12” frames to keep seasonal or favorite layouts in. They inspire me and make me smile. I have my tunes to scrap by. I bought a CD holder just for my music, and I keep my radio close.

It’s my little scrap haven, and now every time I step in there I smile!