It's a Creative World

Standing Scrappers Table

My name's Mandy and I'm a stand-up scrapbooker (there I've admitted it...heehee). 

I cannot sit down and scrapbook.  Just can't do it.   I have always scrapped on an old pine table that my folks had when I was a kid.  It was always OK until recently (I've been doing a lot of scrapping) and was finding my scrapping table was too low.  Neck ache was creeping in.  Well, it's my Birthday soon and I asked Husb for a scrapbook table.  One I can stand-up at comfortably.  We had a visit to Ikea and browsed their kitchen islands (right height for me to stand at). 

This is what we came up with...

 

I had given a lot of thought to my scrapping process and I don't like piles of stuff all around the LO that I'm working on.... I find it too distracting and waste time fiddling with stuff.  So, the mess  is better on a nearby surface, which I'll use my old table for as it's plenty big enough.  Only the LO itself will be on the new scrapping table.  (This is all a theory so I'll let you know how it goes!)  The other side...

 

This pine table didn't come with the metal bars.  Husb and big son, Roman, assembled the flat pack then drilled some holes to attatch the metal bars...

 

The screws took some strength as the pine was rock hard...

 

At Ikea we got some plastic hooks and a metal shelf that's designed to hang on the bar...

 

Now I have to sort my stash. If the table does turn out to be too small, I may get a second one and since it was only just over £30 it was a bargain (I think so anyway).  I am a very lucky girl and I'm appreciative. 

Helpful ideas about the storage of what/where are welcome  :)

Tfl,

Mandy

Time to re-organise

Hiya Claireliz here

Autumn is here & the cold, dark nights will soon be upon us, the good thing about this is you get to stay in where its nice & cosy, put the fire on & drink hot chocolate, well, thats what I like to do (I would hibernate if I could, I'd go into my house at the end of Autumn & stay there until Spring), along with a bit of scrapbooking, but I'm getting to the point where I can't find things I want ot use on layouts & too much stash is left sitting around, unused & unloved, some things I probably don't even know I have,  so I'm going to have a really good sort out of my stash, give some to DD, some to DD's school & bin the stuff thats not going to get used. I'm having an Autumn Organise, not as catchy as a Spring Clean but I like it :)

I'm quite fortunate that I have a craft room, it looks like this...

 

all nice & tidy...

 

But I actually do all my crafty stuff downstairs, here....

 
this was once a dining table... so I'm told ;D

and this is the desk I use for storage....

 

and storage is the problem, the furniture is great, I do get occasional guilt re the dining table, and I keep trying to move my things off the table, but somehow I always end up with my things taking up the whole lounge, but what I'm lacking is storage, like glass jars, pretty boxes or baskets neatly labelled, so once I've sorted through everything I can decide how I want to organise my stash (I'm leaning towards sort by colour at the moment), then go shopping for new storage, Yay!

I'm really looking forward to getting everything tidied & organised again, as I find a good re-organisation often inspires me to make lots of things as I find long forgotten stash. I'm just coming up with a plan at the moment, it even has its own notebook, (yes, I really do have to plan a re-organisation, my addiction to lists is too strong)

Does anyone else feel the need to have a good organise & sort of stash ready for some Wintertime crafting?

Does anyone have any storage tips to share? (or pitfalls to avoid)

If you fancy leaving a link to your craftspaces I'd love to have a look how you all store your stash :D

Thanks for stopping by & hope to see you again soon

Claireliz

xx

 

Spice it up!

I've been looking at some way of storing my Glimmer Mists and other various spray bottles as at the moment they're all on a shelf and tend to get knocked down every time I try to get something else!

I have a spice rack that's been up on my kitchen wall for at least 10 years but has always only held a few empty jars and not much else and after trying it out for size I found it would be perfect for my Mists.

I cleaned it thoroughly and left it to dry and then started painting. I used a tester pot of a lovely lilac matt emulsion which I applied using baby wipes. It took about 3 coats with drying time between each coat but in this warm weather it didn't take long.

 
I'm now waiting for my dear OH to fix it to the wall for me above my desk but in the mean time have it stood on top of my stamp storage rack.

 

I'm now wondering whether I really need the other 2 spice racks in my kitchen LOL!

Jo x

 

By colour

A week or so ago I decided that my crafting corner (one end of our dining room) needed tidying and about 4 days later I re-emerged!!

I found so many embellishments still in packets and odds and ends I've collected over the years and forgotten about that I decided to take them all out of their packaging and sort them mainly by colour in the hope that I may use them more if they were easier to find.

I used a box each for green, blue, pink and purple and then another box for red, orange and yellow.

All metal things/ black and white/ naturals etc were put in more boxes (another 3 of them so far)!

I'm finding that I'm using more of my stuff now I've organized like this and would recommend it to anyone.

How about you? Do you organize by colour?

Jo x  

More Scrap Rooms.....

Hello again!
So a while ago i posted some pictures of some very amazing scrap rooms and everyone drooled over them.
Well i am back with some more and all are to die for.
I find that even though i have a room to myself(yes i know i am lucky) i fail to keep it tidy and this can sometimes put me off crafting cause i peek around the door and my heart sinks.
So keep your eye out for useful organisational ideas in these rooms ;-)

This is CSTolleys room. I love the fact that even though it has a huge amount in it that it doesn't look cluttered. The purpley pink colours mixed with green is just to die for(my perfect colours!)
She has loads of shelving and loads of paper storage so you can see exactly what you need, it isn't all hidden away. I also love the boards on the wall where she has scissors hanging and also a place for all her ribbon!

 

Now this is the very beautiful Scrap shed that belongs to Ally. how amazing to have your very own little home away from home! Doesn't it look idyllic!
Ally has a huge amount of deskspace which is very important. Although i have two desks they aren't together and so sometimes i end up working on the floor! Also she has used baskets under the desks to store things. I love the little racks on the walls for flower jar storage and all the little sets of miniature drawers on the shelves above the desk.

This is Kahluascraps room. This room is huge and one of my favourites. I love the simplicity of the decoration, plain white but with hints of red, it gives a feeling of space. i love the use of all the artbins and also little islands to hold equipment like the Bigshot. She has some amazing drawer units for paper. 

I hope you've enjoyed having a look around some other scrap rooms, keep watching for more in the future.

Cath x

Scrap Rooms

So, are you one of the lucky ones who has a scrap room all to themselves or do you have to make do with a cupboard under the stairs or use the kitchen table? I myself am one of the lucky ones but it is so disorganised, i really need to sort it out. It doesn't matter how many times i rearrange things it still looks messy! I would love to have a room like one of the ones featured. Everything has a place, the decor is gorgeous and well frankly I am so totally jealous. So, sit back, relax, and have a browse around some of these fabulous scrap rooms :)

First one up is by the fabulous Shaunte. I just love how she has a large desk in the centre of the room and look as those boards on the wall to hang things from!
That big wall unit with all the square inserts is just to die for and is ideal for storing paper isn't it. And how fabulous to have a sink in your room for cleaning up paint and goo!

Then there is Melissa's gorgeous room.
I absolutely adore the combination of the lime green and pink, something i am definately considering. Mine is very pale and uninviting at the moment. Everything is so uncluttered and the unit on the wall above the desk is ideal for keeping books and magazines. Yet again is another fabulous storage unit with lots of co-ordinating storage, something i definately don't have enough of!

This room is by the lovely Tammy.
The wire rack system she has used looks invaluable and again is perfect for storing most things including 12x12 paper. I especially love how she has put all her embossing powders on little steps so you can see all the colours without having to get them all out. Also, what a fabulous idea for storing foam stamps, in glass jars! I may be pinching that idea!

Take a look at this lovely room of Patty's.
To me it is very homely and cosy. Again Patty has got a little island that she can stand and scrap at which i find very appealing. It also has a little 'skirt' around it and has stuff stored underneath it! I love how her desk has lots of stuff around it making everything really accessible, especially having the pegboard above the desk with all the tools on. What a great idea.

Last and certainly not least is Connie's room. Now, if you want to be really, really envious then take a look at her Scrap Shed!
yes, she has her own little home to do her creating in. Now, my garden i actually big enough for this, i just need to persuade hubby lol! The shed is a stunning 12x28ft! is that enough space for you? I don't think i have seen such a fabulous expense of space to work in. Again, the cube system has been used and shelving is in abundance.

Thanks for taking a look around these fabulous rooms, i hope they've inspired you a little, i know they have done with me.
If you have a room or space to be proud of then please leave us a link to it and we may feature it next time :)
Cath xx
Also don't forget to leave us a comment this weekend and you could win a MASSIVE £25 voucher to spend at Papermaze, kindly donated by the wonder Ness!