craft room organization

I am beginning yet another craft room reorganization project.  I have started many times but have yet to finish completely.  I've torn it all out of the room and piled it in my living-room to sort and gotten so tired of the mess in my living-room that it gets boxed up and piled in the craft room again.

With that being said, I have a new plan.  If you are reading this, I apologize because this is more of a brain dump for me than anything.  I just need to get my plan down somewhere that I won't lose it so I can refer back to it if needed and also as a reminder of when I started so I can track how long it takes.

So, my first order of business is paper!  My paper and card stock has literally overtaken my craft room to the point that I have no idea what I have and what I don't have.  The plan with paper is to first gather it all into one space where I can sort it.  I have a container full of scraptastic kits from when they did scrapbooking kits.  My plan is to have them visible when I am sorting so that if I find any paper that would coordinate with that kit, I can just add it to the kit (or what I will call, 'kit-plus').  I have larger zip bags to then put the original kit in its original bag into the new bag and then add any paper, embellishments, etc that I think go with that kit.  Further, I will have categories for the remainder of the paper.

1 outdoor 2. Christmas, 3 Other holidays, 4 Spring, Summer, 5 Fall
6 Winter, 7 Patriotic, 8 Pet/animal, 9 Baby/family, 10 Love//wedding/anniversary, 11 Birthday/celebrations, 12 Floral, Graphic, 13 Textures, 14 School/sports/graduation, 15 Ledger/lined/graph. I have several storage bags that I got from Hobby Lobby that are similar to a cropper hopper bag that I plan on putting the paper in. They are not large so I may have to have 2 for a category if I can't pare it down enough to fit into one bag. My plan was to totally purge purge purge but we all know that is hard to do with our pretty paper.

I think I am going to start a big box for all paper, embellishments and everything that I am going to purge and once I am cleaned and organized, start using that stuff to make cards, happy mail embellishments, etc. Once I have exhausted as much as I can, I will donate the rest to a local 4-H crafting group.

Step 2 is getting 6 boxes or containers to sort the rest of the stuff into.

1. tools (this will be obviously tools that I find in random spots, not where they actually belong, like punches, dies, scrappers, ink blenders, scissors, etc.)
2. consumables (anything that is a one & done like stickers, rub-ons, paper pieced things, chipboard pieces and other ephemera)
3. replenishables (anything that I will refill, replace etc. such as ink, embossing powders, paint, etc.
4. 3d projects (all the stuff I have held onto or purchased to do Dollar Tree DIYs and other off the page projects like picture frames, paper towel rolls, etc.)
5. Flowers
6. Misc. (anything that doesn't fit into one of the other categories).

Now, if my misc box gets too full and I find that I have a lot of things that I can create another category with, I'll get another box.

Once everything is sorted. I will take one box at a time and find a home for the item. If I don't have a home I will make a home and if I can't find or make a home, then it has to go in the purge box. I will try with all my heart and soul to purge as much during this process as I can.

Once all boxes are empty and everything is in order and I have gotten my purge box done and donated. I will post before and after photos.

I have an 8'x10' room that has enough stuff to fill a 20'x20' craft room and still be overflowing.

Finally, after everything is orderly, I plan on doing binders.

1. Metal dies
2. Stamps
3. Embossing folders
4. Ink/embossing powder/paint/mists/etc samples
5. Anything I am not thinking of at the moment.

These binders will have a sample (die cut piece, stamped image, embossed piece, swatches of inks end such) with a # with it. This number will also be on the location of the item. So, my die storage is bags that have magnet sheets in them. Each bag may have 2 or more dies in them but the magnet that they are on or the bag they are in will have a coordinating number to the item in the binder. I will also cut the diecuts out and put that on the back of the magnet that is attached to a piece of card stock so if that gets separated I can easily figure out where something goes. I'm not going to worry about organizing the actual dies by category, just by number. The binders I may organize by category so when I am scrapping I can find what I need easier but I can just add another bag and number to my storage and slap it in. This way, #6 for example, if it were a pine tree, I could die cut that tree several times and add it to the binder under category outdoors and to category Christmas. Same as a cake can be birthday, food, wedding, etc. Same with the embossing folders as they are all in one basket but if they were sampled in a binder and numbered I think I would use them more.

The stamps are a daunting task because I have wood mounted, and clear stamps. They are currently stored in multiple areas. The wood mounted are in bins in my bookshelf, I have one container of just Maymaymadeit stamp sets, a container of stamp and die sets, and a container of just random clear stamps. They all need to be in one area. They can still be organized similarly but just all located in the same area. The only exception is that I want a to:from: stamp and a handmade by stamp in a storage area on my desk.

That brings me to my new idea of making Jenofeve Crafty Workstations. I need one for under my Silhouette Cameo that will hold my extra blades, scrapers, pick tools, sketch pens, pen holders, etc. Basically anything I would use when using my Cameo. I will need a crafty companion for my stamp tools such as a couple of stamp blocks, my bottle of stamp cleaner, in the racks on top I can house my stamp positioners (tim holtz, a homemade one, the one from fiskars with the foam feet, etc), shammy cloths, my go to ink cubes in the metal container, my dobbers in an acrylic container and basically anything I would use when stamping (other than my drawer of other inks and refills). I will also make the ink tray from the crafty companion. I need another crafty companion for other much used tools and and supplies such as , on the top tray jars for holding scissors, exacto, rulers, pokey tools, my die cleaner roller thing, a rack on top to hold rolls of double sided tape, glue, etc. I think that will be all the crafty companions I will need but if not, I can always make more. ; )

Then a good vacuum and dusting of the room. I also have a couple of pegboards to add to the room.

I have a few storage areas to revamp as well. I have a shelf very high that will be where I house large flowers for diys and a box for Christmas crafts and extra supplies to replace used stuff like extra bottles of Art Glitter Glue, extra tape runners, extra ATG rolls, etc.

I have a storage/book shelf that I have been using but it actually belongs to my daughter. My father made if for her when she was 8 and was an avid reader. She is now married with a little boy and she wants to start his book collection so she is taking it. I plan on getting a new shelf system for that area. I think the Walmart metal garage shelf would be perfect for the space. This is where I will house all my paper/card stock, stamps, stencils, etc.

I have a metal storage cabinet that currently houses office supply type things, a few scrapbooks, binder combs, a box of memorabilia to scrap and other random things. I need to purge a lot of that stuff and reorganize and utilize that cabinet better.

I have a closet where i have my sewing machine (not a good place for it), wrapping paper, a metal rack with felt, and a box of drawers that house tiny flowers, clothes pins, metal findings, etc. The closet is a MESS and needs to be organized.

Wow, I have my work cut out for me.  Hopefully I can come back from time to time and do an update.  Basically to keep me accountable.  But, when I am finished I hope to have a space that I can actually use and love again.

Wish me Luck!!!