Organizational Bliss

I’ve been and remain on a constant quest for the most organized, functional, creativity inspiring Scrapbook Studio storage solutions. I aim to one day have a space that is airy & not cluttered, with lots of cabinet and counter space, and a huge desk or two. But until then, I work with what I have and celebrate the moments when I achieve organizational bliss…one section at a time.
This is my latest organizational quest, I finally found the perfect (for now, LOL!!) storage drawers for my chipboard alphas. In the past, I kept my alphas in a unit similar to this but I quickly realized that my drawers were too tight 😉 HEHE!! The ones that I settled on are the 3 drawer stackable system. I purchased ten units and stacked them together into 4 columns. They are organized into a drawer for each letter, one for numbers and one for symbols and punctuation. I used some glitter stickers from my stash to label each drawer.

This may seem like a simple solution but I searched high and low for just the right thing, I even considered building a drawer system but decided I wasn’t up for such a labor intensive project at the moment. A key to my decision was price of course! I do not believe in over spending on ANYTHING! By chance, I found these at Ollie’s Discount Store for $2.99ea (which is a nice savings from the Walmart or Target price of around $5.00ea). I realize the color isn’t that fancy, but maybe if I am so inclined I will get out the spray paint to color the frame a bright green. Hmmm, we shall see.

Operation: Ready to Receive!

Lately, I’ve found myself in discussions about clearing the clutter in order to make room for new things. This concept goes a lot deeper than just getting rid of physical/tangible things surrounding me. It has to do with clearing space for the mind, heart and soul to grow and develop on a higher level. And I think if this is done successfully then it will translate or manifest into tangible or physical blessings even greater than where I started in the first place. Basically, I think God is trying to tell me something, which sounds a little like “AYSHA get it together!!! I have a world full of blessings waiting for you, but because you are holding on to so much stuff, your hands, heart and mind are too full to receive it!!!!”

So therefore, I am enacting Operation: Ready to Receive!!

O.K. so my Step 1: Get real! Honestly!… I am constantly working to re-organize my craft/scrapbook studio (despite the condition of the room I really do like to have a place for everything and have everything in its place) but I always get to a point where I feel overwhelmed and then I simply clear a small space, create a project, then say “That was fun, but it would have been a lot easier if this room was in order!” My reality is that I NEED to get rid of stuff!

So as I embark on this journey… I’ve shared with you a few BEFORE shots, in a digital layout I’ve titled “Organized Chaos…or Just Chaos?”. I should be ashamed at the condition of this room. But, atleast it will make the AFTER shots even more amazing!!!

Ribbon Storage…Finally A Solution!

There was a time when I was in search of the perfect way to store ribbon. And, I went through quite a few methods before landing on what seems to be the best way for me. Some of those methods included…

1. Threading the spools onto long dowels (I still have some ribbon stored this way but that is primarily for gift wrapping purposes). My issue with this method is the fact that everytime I pull a ribbon, all of the others also unwind, and replacing an empty spool is quite cumbersome. Too messy!

2. Storing the ribbon inside of pull boxes with just the end of the ribbon sticking out of each hole. This is a cute “hide the mess” technique. However, I like to see just how much ribbon I have left before beginning a project. With just the end sticking out, I would sometimes find that I only had 3 inches (when I needed 6) left of a particular ribbon.

3. Storing the ribbon on a binder ring, by just punching a whole into one end of the ribbon and threading it onto the ring. You end up with a very pretty ring of ribbons, with the benefit of straight wrinkle free ribbons. I really like this technique, but it just wasn’t “neat” enough for me, and also some of the satin ribbons did not stay on the ring, they would fray and fall off.

So, this is where I have arrived. I’ve taken thick chipboard sheets and cut them down to a size that would fit into a photo storage box. I then wrapped my ribbons around the board securing each one with a small push pin. Each card/board is dedicated to a different color scheme or ribbon type. This method allows me to see all of my ribbons at one time. I know what my color and quantity options are at a glance. It also gives me the clean look that I like, and it’s inexpensive. Once I put the cover on the box it can be neatly tucked away onto my bookshelf, and the only thing that gives it away is a simple label marked “Ribbons.” The only down side is the tiny hole that is left from the pin…but I can certainly live with that.

Creativity Swatch Book

I am in a constant state of wanting to be inspired, while getting organized, while being more frugal and less wasteful. Here is a project that combines all of these things. It is a mini swatch book that I created using paper scraps (that would have otherwise been thrown away) from a previous project. It is a neat and tidy little book that I can use to sketch, write out and organize ideas for projects.

This booklet came together rather quickly…maybe I’ll make some more to share.

Rubber Stamp Storage

When it comes to my crafting supplies, I am always on a quest for better organization and storage solutions. When I first started scrapbooking I really was not into rubber stamps (acrylics were not available at the time). But, I did buy a few from time to time. Well, one day I looked up and realized that I had acquired quite a few stamps. Dare I say a collection?!

Lately, I have been seeing some really beautiful projects that others have made using stamps and decided it was time for me to put my stamps to good use. But, being the me that I am…I first had to arrange my stamps in a way that was more functional. They had previously been stored in a plastic drawer, in which I had to rummage through in search of the stamp that I needed. So, using box tops, I created this rubber stamp storage solution. The shelves are made of foam core cut into 1 1/2 inch strips. The larger of the two is made from an Avon box top, and the smaller is from a shoe box top. I covered the Avon top with pink and brown polka dotted shipping paper, but I decided to leave the smaller one plain. So now that most of my stamps (of course it’s not the whole collection) are out on display, I have no excuse for not using them.

Oh, also I placed my acrylic stamps in CD cases, which makes storing and finding them very simple. You can see them on the wooden shelf to the left of the rubber stamps.