8.31.2010

Keeping things Visible and Accessible

This whole experience has been so much fun. Especially sharing it with all of you.  I'm finally putting the details together and creating a space that really functions. 

This is the view from behind my desk. As I've mentioned in previous posts, my goal is to keep my desktop clear so I'll have lots of room to work without burying anything. To that end I've put lots of thought into making the space below the desk function efficiently.


Rolling Cart to the right
   The rolling cart which slides in to my right when I'm working is where I have all of my "every time" necessities. Things like; adhesives, scissors, basic chalks, etc. I haven't filled all the little baskets. Once I start scrapping I want to be able to have space available for things that I may have forgotten or possibly new things I'll discover at the next SB Show. (YIPEE!!!)
   I love having thing on wheels!  They offer the maximum in accessibility. I can roll the cart up close or push it easily under the desk if I don't need it. I used the baskets instead of just putting things into the cart itself. The baskets make it easy to move things around. Once I start using the desk to actually Scrap, I may want to rearrange the items. 

Hanging Baskets to my left. 
  This is another area where access to things I use all the time was the motivator. My blue CM personal photo trimmer is probably the most used tool in my collection. It's easy to get to and easy to put away. Even though I use it all the time, it doesn't have to sit on the desk top and take up space or get buried.
  The second tier of this hanging basket (IKEA) was the perfect place to put the photos I'll be using on my current project. Again, they are right at my fingertips, but they won't get buried under my "creative" mess.

  Putting the photos into the small purple basket makes it easy to grab them all at once.
  I was even able to hang my favorite pair of scissors through the grid on the basket - those won't get buried either! Ahhh...I'm rapidly approaching scrapper's heaven!
Thanks for following along.  I'm looking forward to reading your comments.
Happy Crafting!
Tif

8.18.2010

Chipboard Organization in our new Crop Room

The Chipboard Challenge - How to keep bulky chipboard organized, visible and accessible?

Hmmm....love my chipboard, but sometimes I forget that I have it. It was stashed away in a drawer where it was "out of site, out of mind."  Other than a note in the Alpha Numeric section of my ScrapRack I didn't have any reference to it.  Enter the old "Sticker Stadium."  Many of you have seen this tool before. At one time I used it on my desktop for tools.  Since my goal with this crop room was to keep the desktop clear I emptied this out as a tool bin and VOILA! it was the perfect place for chipboard.  I don't think this particular item is still available, but I think you can get something similar at the Container Store or Storables for use with cosmetics.

The first thing I did was sort my chipboard by sizes.
I've got lots of small alphabets, quite a few 10" letters and several 12x12 sheets of themed chipboard. 

Once sorted, I put the smaller pieces in the front of the container, and then filled in the center by size and finished up with the 12x12 sheets. 
The finished container makes an easy to see, easy to access file system.  I can simply flip through the chipboard letters to find exactly what I need.  In keeping with my philosophy about having things easy to move around, I placed this container on the open shelf next to my desk so I can bring it out when I need it, but it's still visible so I'll remember I've got it and I'll actually use it. Imagine that!

Thanks so much for visiting out Blog.  I've got another entry coming up very soon. We don't have a show until next week so I've got a little extra time to finish up and I'm really excited.