Just so you know, this post is going to be long lol. I don't mind if you skip through to the pictures. But some people like to read the evolution of how a scrap room happens. I know I do just to get ideas for my own. So, consider yourselves warned lol.
I have always been one of those people that look at those craft rooms online--I know you know the ones I am talking about--and just drool over other people's space and wish I had something like that.
Well, I decided a few weeks ago that while I still share office space with my hubby--which won't change until the boy hopefully graduates college (he is 15, so yeah a while)--and I can't make the changes that I would really love because he would really hate them, I can make some changes that we can both agree on (or live with in his case :).
First I went through all of my things and got rid of a lot that I don't use and is taking up space. I hate things being stacked on the floor and all the clutter going on. My sister and I had a big yard sale this past weekend with all of mine and her crap (ahem, I mean good usable stuff lol).
I like the look of black and white, which is really no surprise because I love me some zebra print. And Shane already helped me build a white craft desk a long time ago when I bought some modular pieces while working at Roberts. I also bought some white tool caddies and desktop storage to match.
I still have this same desk and it still work well for me. I think you can buy similar pieces at Hobby Lobby and Michael's. The top piece was a melamine piece that I got at Home Depot and just had them cut to size (as you can see from the exposed end on the right. I bought melamine to cover it but never got around to it).
You can also see in the above photo my most used punches hanging on the cafe rod. LOVE that. Makes them very accessible.
Above is my storage system for my other punches. I really can't think of anything better for these in such a small space. This is functional and you can see them all. Although I have added more now and I think I will need another shoe hanger on the back side of one of the doors. It's really an addiction problem.
And here you can see my black magnet board and Making Memories white storage shelf that were also bought back when Roberts was still around and I worked there.
So, anyway, a few weeks ago I decided to look for storage solutions in the black/white color scheme. I concentrated on the black mostly because that was what Shane and I could agree on. Then I added zebra print as an accent. But I plan on bringing in a few butterflies and damask here and there as well. I think as long as I keep it black and white, it will still be pretty. And Shane agreed that it was fine as long as it was an accent and nothing was too permanent (like paint).
I did a search on Ebay for CD storage because my stamps have been unmounted and are stored in CD cases. I had them in a CD tower, but I didn't really like it because it was on the floor and got kicked or tipped over a lot. Plus the grooves that you use to slide them in didn't seem to be wide enough for my CD cases. They always fell off the tracks and looked messy.
I found these super cute Snap N Store boxes at Bescsuel Solutions store on Ebay. They have really great prices. The shipping was more than I wanted to pay, but they were exactly what I was looking for. I also purchased very similar boxes to store my handmade cards, my pictures waiting to be scrapped, and my flower embellishments. I don't have before pictures for most of that. But it was all pretty much in rubbermaid totes like you find at Walmart. They were big and ugly and all with different colored lids. It did the job at the time, but now I have what I want.
I have wanted to change my paper storage for a while. Mostly for cardstock. Because I have it stored vertically, and it gets bent or warped a lot. I think if it lies flat, it will be easier to keep it nicely. I went to Hobby Lobby just to look around and was pleasantly surprised to find that all of the Paper Studios storage was on sale. And, they had them in both plain black and in zebra print--joy! I bought two zebra and three black then switched the lids on some to change it up a bit. I love love love them. I left the patterned paper in my Cropper Hopper vertical files because it is beneficial for me to be able to see it. And it is in plastic dividers so it doesn't really get too much damage unless I handle it a lot. I have my paper divided by manufacturer because I was a scrapbook buyer. So I know the general style a certain scrapbook vendor has and it makes it easier for me to find what I'm looking for. But, a lot of people find it easier to divide by color or theme.
The system I had for my paper scraps before worked just fine. In fact, it was the best system I had in place lol. But it wasn't cute. So, I just updated it. Before it was in Sterlite file boxes with blue lids and those ugly green hanging file folders. I sold the Sterlite totes in a yard sale and used the money to buy one inexpensive black file crate. I then purchased a couple of rolls of zebra duct tape and used it to decorate the file folders. Now it is functional and pretty!
I have this idea binder in my craft room with card and scrapbook page sketches, color combo ideas, and other random things to spark my creativity. It was in a pretty blue binder with flourishes and butterflies. But I bought a cheap black one and decorated it to match my new theme.
A few months ago I bought this modular storage system from Walmart. Now they have black ones. But I guess the white are ok too ;) This makes it so much easier for me to find and put my things away, you have no idea!
This year I started saving my coupons from Archiver's and Hobby Lobby and slowly changing out all of my post bound and multi-color binders for genuine leather black albums with metal tag accents. I love them. And when I need to add a page in the middle, it isn't a pain at all anymore.
Sorry for the low quality pic. I just took it inside the house at night with a cell phone inside a closet. So, you know :(
Last, but not least lol. I have had this bag forever. But it is my fave! And probably the biggest inspiration for my craft room. The inside is hot pink. It is so cute. Too bad I don't go to crops much lol. But it serves as storage for all of my extra page protectors and the cute binders that don't match my theme and I couldn't let go of just yet lol.
And, just for fun, this is how my craft closet used to look. Eeeesh.........see all of hte mismatched plastic storage containers stacked on top of one another mixed with boxes and bags and everything spilling out? I hope you can see the improvement anyway.
Thanks for visiting and reading my huge long post. Hope you made it. Til next time...........
That picture of Garrett (top right above) is really dark. So I have a new one coming in my next print batch. It will bug me to no end if I don't replace it lol.
