Hey there! I've got a little project being featured as PROJECT OF THE MONTH on THE CAT'S PAJAMAS website for the month of June. Been wondering how to store your CUTUPS dies? (Or any dies for that matter!) You'll find the complete supply list and instructions for a quick binder on the site. Please share your pix when you make one too!
I know it'll be hard to believe but I found another "must have" for my craft room. No, really, this time it's something that I really did NEED! I came across this post on Dawn McVey's blog and knew that this was for me...The Color Cubbie from Studio 3 Solutions. Well now that they're here I could not be happier. My Copic markers have lived in a wide variety of different contraptions...some too small...some too big and taking up my whole desk...some just too crowded and out of control. I bought three Cubbies so that I could keep the Copic color families together. I like to store my markers in the same order as the Copic color chart that you can print from their website. Makes everything easier for me to find.
Since the people who make the Color Cubbie are in the cabinet business you're getting cabinet quality Cubbies. They're super nice...all finished edges...so well manufactured. I just love them. AND, they take up so much less room on my desk since they're vertical storage. Each section is also tilted downwards towards the back. That means that as you pull a marker out, the others stay put and don't all come crashing down. As far as I'm concerned, this is THE perfect storage for my Copics!
Check 'em out at STUDIO 3 SOLUTIONS...The Color Cubbie.
Today, someone asked me, via email, about what my craft room looks like. I originally posted pictures when I first started my blog. Granted, this was just after we had moved into this house and it was looking very orderly in here. That made me think that I should post some more updated photos. Uhhhh...it's not exactly like it was in the beginning in here anymore. It's a disaster area!
It's definitely a work in progresss...and when I say that what I really mean is that:
1. I need better lighting!
2. I need CLEAN SWEEP to come in and help me throw things away that I can't bear to part with!
3. I CAN'T FIND ANYTHING!!!!
4. I need to sell some of this stuff or actually give someone one of these cards that I've made!
5. I'm not thrilled with my work station or any of my organizational systems.
6. HELP!!!
So here's what it looks like these days. Click on the photo to see it at a larger size.
Really, I am very lucky to have such a wonderful space to begin with. I have a nice big room and it's mine...all mine! I just need some bigtime cleaning and organizing help. Yikes...this place scares me!
Hey, I decided to try out a new product....The Ribbon Ring. I noticed the adds for The Ribbon Ring in a couple of magazines and thought "Wow! This is just what I need!" I know I've mentioned it before...probably again and again...but I'm a ribbon FREAK. (Is FREAK getting old? I'm kind of a FREAK for a bunch of different things...aren't all crafters?!?) I have tons of ribbon...you can never have enough in my opinion. But containing and organizing the ribbon is a whole 'nother thing altogether.
I've tried the spools, and the boxes, and the jars by color, but recently went to using those big notebook rings hanging on an over the door type of towel rack. I was using large safety pins to hang each length of ribbon on the ring. And this worked but it did put a little hole through the ribbon and that bugged me.
Well, if you thread the ribbon onto the Ribbon Ring hangers - small rectangular plastic pieces with slots cut into them - the ribbon hangs securely and without making a hole in it. You can hang two separate kinds of ribbon on each hanger too, if you choose. And when you purchase The Ribbon Ring you get these small little black dot stickers so that you can note when you have more of the same kind of ribbon on another hanger. It's a reminder to yourself. This works perfectly if you like to really "tame" your ribbon stash and cut it into smaller, more manageable lengths. (I like to keep mine long since I never know if I'll need a longer piece!)
Anyway, you should definitely check out The Ribbon Ring if you're getting ready to "tackle" your ribbon stash. The photos here are from my craft room. If you're anything like me, you need to SEE what you have so that you can USE what you have...it's makes all the difference in the world when you sit down to craft!
I'm finally back from CHA....awed, inspired and tired! I have stuff to share but photos need to be resized and such and projects need to be completed before I can do fun stuff. I do have a quickie photo to share....
Before I left for Chicago I went on a tirade to organize my Spellbinder's Nestabilities dies. I had them in CD jewel boxes with magnetic strips but that just didn't seem to work. Not all of the dies really wanted to "nest"!
I had this magnetic board from Ikea sitting around. It originally had these magnetic tins attached to it that held Prima flowers but that organizing idea went out the window long ago. I decided to put the dies from each set onto a notebook ring (from Office Depot - 1" size) and then add a metal rimmed tag (oldies from SU!) label for each set and hang these from a little magnet on the board. I found cute little "clippy" magnets at Kitchen & Company. They're from Oxo and they work great for this. I can either clip the ring onto the board or hang it over the little clip. They're easy to access and, even better, I can see them all! I still have room for more on this board but I ran out of time before CHA. I also still have to hang this on the wall and I might just have to run to Ikea for another board...found some more "must have" sets last week, dontcha know!
So...Can ya guess? WHAT IS IT? It's easy, right?! RIBBON!!! (And wouldn't this photo make a great blog header?!)
I got a bug in my brain about reorganizing my ribbon stash this week. I was storing ribbon that I'd buy by the yard or on the spools from Michael's in jars by color. But my jars were so stuffed with ribbon that it was all wrinkly when I got it out and I really had to dig to find what I wanted. You know how it goes...if it's not out in the open and easy to use then you tend to overlook it, right?
For a little more background...I have a French door on my craft room. I'll admit that I am one lucky gal and I have a good sized room that's dedicated all to my obsessions....uhhh...I mean hobbies. When we built the house I wanted to have a door with glass in it. I didn't want to be completely locked away from the rest of the house. I convinced Bill that I needed this door...and, you know builders, they charge you 10 times what you could buy the door for at Home Depot. Anyway, last week Bill complained that I never USE the door. It's true, I don't find myself needing to close the door very often. I must have been remembering those all-night craft binges that I used to do. 
So I had a revelation, I would create a kind of 'curtain' on the door with the ribbon. I bought a hang-on-the-door clothing rack and some large notebook rings. Then I looped the ribbon onto the rings by color and hung them. Ha...no more wrinkly ribbon! Plus, I don't have to dig in the jars (I still have them though for shorter pieces or ribbon.) I'm thinking that this will be so great...I can take the ring for the color that I need to my work desk and find exactly what I'm looking for...lop off a piece and I'm good to go.
I still have ribbon in a few other spots...you know, multi colored packages and such...Martha Stewart seam binding ribbon in it's own box...a new box for Papertrey ribbon...you can never have enough? And guess what....I moved the ribbon rack over to the closet door....oh well...the best laid plans...
How exciting...here it is...FINALLY!! The craft room of my dreams...almost. Just a few more minor adjustments...like hanging the wall cabinets and loading 'em up and I'll be all set. How can I not be creative in this space! My cabinets made their 3rd move...with a slight bit of stress that Bill had to fix for me..but they're still great! The wall shelves moved from Illinois too and now my single stamps don't have to share their space with the Stampin' Up! sets. (I think I'll add the same kind of shelving to the other side of the window for the SU! stuff too though.) The white cubby units are from Ikea. I bought the wire paper racks from A Timeless Impression(fun store!) when they were going out of business in Woodstock, IL. Had to dust 'em off a bit since the spiders in the garge had decided that they should be a high rise apartment building.
The whole room is 13' x 18' and it has two walk in closets. You can see that I've stuffed one with craft goodies and the other I've turned into an office. Well it has a window in it! It's a perfect fit for my shelving/desk unit and computer...yea, yea...go ahead and say it..."I'm in the closet!" I also have a bathroom...all I need is a small fridge and a microwave and then I'd never have to leave.
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