First, I must apologize for my absence of late - nothing worth sharing, so I just didn't... NOW, I have NEWS! Probably not a big deal for you, but I'm totally stoked over here!
In my last post I shared the shame and horror that was my workroom/studio when I "blew it up good", so I'm happy to report that the re-org is going well and to share some pics with you that are shame-less. First I have to show you my amazingly wonderful SCORE:
This table was at our local Rescue Mission Thrifty Shopper (similar to Goodwill, Salvation Army, Deseret Industries - whatever your point of reference might be) for $35, which I would gladly have paid, but they were having a 60% off sale this morning, so I only paid $14!!! It's big, it's solid, it needs a facelift (some sanding and some type of sealer will be enough, I'm thinking), especially since it got some new scratches from sliding face-down into the bed of Greg's truck (mortar chunks and such will do that...) I wasn't about to complain, though - I knew it needed repair already, and Greg was kind enough to drive me out and load the thing and all the rest of it, so... I purchased a couple of other things I'll share a different day. This post is gonna be long and photo-loaded, so I'm sticking with the subject!
Just for orientation, I'll let you know that when you walk into this room, you're looking at a window in the gable end of the house, and there are knee walls on either side of the room, because this is the finished side of an attic, and there are no dormers. To the left we have this:
What you do not see in the picture is a dresser to the far left that has "stuff" in it, and to the right is a sewing machine table/cabinet that has a TV and DVD player on it. What you do see is two of the JetMax cubes for 12" x 12" hanging files flanked by DVD racks and topped with a shelf, which is topped with CD crates laid on their sides to house my ink pads. The cases on the racks are all of my stamp sets (organized as outlined in this post). The plastic drawers have adhesives, embellishments, etc. On top of the four in the center is a wooden drawer organizer that houses embossing powders, Stickles, glitter, re-inkers, etc:
On the desk above this is my Xacto guillotine cutter (I turn it the other way when I'm actually using it). Under the sewing table are my sewing machine and my patterned papers in legal size file folders (as outlined in this post - scroll down a bit), stored in those crates. I have felt on all four corners so I can slide them out without destroying my hardwood floors. The drawer above them has 8 1/2" x 11" cardstock in it.
Across the room on the right-side wall we have this:
I'm pretty much considering myself a minor genius here, because this configuration is totally doable for: a) someone on a budget and, b) someone who rents and can't put holes in the wall. I figured out how far apart my shelving units (free-standing, on sale at Target for $15)needed to be to leave the outlets free, then cut my "Handi Panel" pegboard (2' x 4', $6.72 at Home Depot) to that measurement (3' in my case) and screwed it to the back of the shelves down the edge (high enough to clear the heat register), right through the existing holes (make sure your drill is level if/when you do this, so you don't have screws coming out in weird places on the shelves) The top two curtain rods (28"-48" heavy duty, 2" projection, WalMart $2.32 ea) are wall-mounted, but if you wanted to, you could screw strips of wood to the shelves, and then screw the curtain rod mounts to the wood strips.
The third rod is a tension rod (slightly more expensive, but still cheap - can't find my receipt). DO NOT USE MORE THAN ONE TENSION ROD. If you use more than one, they wreak havoc with each other and everything comes crashing down (I know I do not need to explain how I know this...) I have (obviously) put most of my punches here, and I used a tool holder for the few decorative-edge scissors that I do, in fact, still use, as well as my Corner Chomper, Cropadile, brayers, quilting templates (which have many, many other uses) and my "Absorber" (around $10 in the automotive section at WalMart) that I use instead of a scrubber for my stamps. TOTALLY worth every penny, but large enough that I could cut it up and split the cost with several friends, if I were so inclined. Read about it HERE. The crate has two smallish drawer units that have my thread in them, and there are more punches on top of it, including hand-held ones in a basket robbed from a spice rack (the over-the-door kind), and small ones in a clamshell case:
There are more punches on top of the shelves:
A CD crate and a wooden pencil box are used to make things more efficient and easier to see. There's a similar configuration (largely Martha Stewart punches) on the other shelving unit.
On the shelves themselves? The one on the right has magazines, books, etc. (still a little empty, as I'm still hauling up boxes from the basement) and the one on the left has binders with stamps, my stamp index, and stamp catalogs on the bottom shelf, and this on the top shelf:
The white photo storage box has clamshell cases of buttons sorted by color, the clamshells stacked next to them are flowers sorted by color, next to that are feathers sorted by color. In front are recent flower and button purchases that haven't been integrated into the system yet. The white drawer unit next to them has specialty pens, small tools, etc.
The center shelf has my Cuttlebug and the items that I use with it:
A few details here: The black leather box has the cutting plates, embossing folders and texture plates, cardboard pieces that I use as shims, etc., and this:
This oh-so-expensive baby just happens to be the perfect size for small folders and dies:
The Sizzix Embosslit and Sizzlit dies don't fit, but everything else does! On the other side of the Cuttlebug is another photo storage box with a couple of zippered cases and a clamshell in it, as well as a few other things:
The two boxes at the back are letterpress kits that I haven't had time to play with (except for a quick moment before Christmas), the clamshell has Dymo tape in several colors, there is a CTMH swivel stapler, A Dymo and a Fiskars shape cutter in front of them, and then the two zippered cases. The front one has my Creative Memories shape cutting system templates and cutters:
The other has CTMH 3" mini-albums with brass stencils in them:
As well as a little plastic box with brass charms:
In the corner is a TV stand (under $20 at WalMart) that I removed the shelf from, and loaded up with 12" paper pads, etc. This is only a temporary fix, as I'm working on a more permanent plan which will see them all moving across the room into the second (currently empty) JetMax cube. On top of the stand, where the TV would normally go, I have:
Chipboard and such-like in a photo storage box on top of another photo storage box that has coasters in it. There's also grungeboard swirls and Tattered Angels frames in there. Next to this is a small crate that has 6" and 8" paper pads, gift tags, and these:
They are the photo organizer/keeper things that I have specialty stuff in, like this:
And that pretty much covers the progress to date! Perhaps you noticed that all of my furniture is either cheap or hand-me-down, and that my storage solutions are to make the best use of what's at hand. In my fantasy life I own The Original Scrapbox, but in my reality I have what I've just showed you, which works just fine for me.
Now, I know what you all are thinkin'... " If you have all of this stuff, how come you don't use it? We've never seen a project with grungeboard or Tattered Angels frames, or even glitter, for that matter!" I can only say one thing here: Out of sight, out of mind - which is exactly why everything is in plain sight now!
Alrighty, then! That's waaay more than enough for now! I'm gonna go back up to my new "studio" and MAKE SOMETHING! Amazing thought, that! Thanks for stopping by, hope you've gleaned an idea or two, and see you tomorrow, k?
