I was reading the "Weekly Inkling" newsletter from Splitcoast Stampers yesterday, and there was a link to a thread about storing/using embellishments, and I read some of that, then clicked over here to the blog to find my posts on that subject so I could join the conversation, only to realize that all the information I'd shared previously was OLD and OBSOLETE! Since I've shared the paper mess, I may as well update you on the rest, right? "Say hello to my leetle friend..."
This handy-dandy little item is available at WalMart and AC Moore (possibly other places, but those two for sure), and has a price tag of around $9. After you fill it up with your treasures it looks like this:
As you can see, it holds a TON of stuff! I have paper clips, brads, dewdrops, sequins, buttons, eyelets, gems, etc. in there! Here are the different-sized containers included:
I sort everything by color (obviously), and currently have five of these babies all filled up! When I need an embellishment I can just pull the color I require and see right away what options I have. One of the cool things about these organizers is that you can lay them flat, stand them up like a suitcase, or stand them on end with the handles facing out, so you can put them pretty much anywhere!
Since I don't mount my stamps, I also don't store them in the clamshell containers they come in, so I have a huge stash of them. They're sort of like Scraponizers, and come in handy for a number of things:
Chipboard organized by shape/style
Stickles, embossing powders, etc.
Any number of things, like I said! Those buttons are two containers of about ten or twelve from the button-sorting episode - sorry I took so long to show you what I did with them. I still have more buttons lurking in one of my Rubbermaid totes in storage, so I'll probably have about twenty of these babies when all is said and done!
What I like about these clamshells is that I can stack them on top of each other, file them in a drawer, or line them up like books on a shelf - so versatile - AND I can see what's in them in a quick second! I'm contemplating ways to have all the everythings of each color together - not sure if it'll be drawers or shelves or what, but I know it'll be VISIBLE, at least when I'm crafting or working! Maybe an armoire so I can close it up when I don't want to see everything... Further info on that when I finalize the plan...
I'm getting a little stoked because we got word TODAY that it looks like we'll finally be able to close on our house - probably Monday or Tuesday! Finally! The down side is that we have to move everything out of the apartment Sunday and clean on Monday so we can turn our keys in and everything. If we don't close until Tuesday, we'll be spending the night in a motel, I'm guessin'! I've got a few things packed, but didn't really want to go nuts with the packing if this house deal fell through and we had to start over looking for someplace else to buy. Guess what I'll be doing the next couple of days? Can you say "frantic"? Ah well, it'll be worth it!
I'll take "before" and "after" pics of the house so you can see what fun I'm having decorating my own place for a change, instead of everyone else's! I don't know about the rest of the house, but I have the color scheme and general idea of what I want for my sewing/crafting/workroom - go figure! Unfortunately, that'll probably be one of the last places I get to deal with!
Okay, enough of the blogging for today - I've got packing to do! I hope some of this organizing info sparks a thought or two for you... Have a great evening, and I'll be back when I can! Thanks for stopping by!





