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Lately I've been drawn by the idea of minimalism. I was raised by a hoarder and have serious clutter tendencies myself, although I also have a compulsive need to organize, sort, and catalog things, so my hoarding tendencies are under control.
I've been thinking about this hobby, and wondering if it's possible to design a craft space that's uncluttered and clean, yet not necessarily extremely limited in supplies. I may by toying with a more minimal lifestyle, but I'm not yet ready to give up certain things (my extensive wardrobe and my stamp supplies).
Has anyone else struggled with this? Any thoughts on how to make a craft space, full of lots and lots of tools and supplies, look streamlined and clean?
I'm about to browse the stamping spaces gallery for ideas, but am looking for all of the suggestions I can get.
__________________ aka Sue. Or Sue-odd.
No blog for me. My gallery chronicles my card-making successes and mishaps.
Sue...
I'm with you. Streamlined and clean is the best of the best. My favorite space is Becky Oehler's space . It fits that definition to a "T".
I have a goodly collection of craft spaces on my Pinterest board that you might be interested in looking at. Sorry it has some duplicates that I haven't cleared out of there yet, but you'll find some great rooms.
I've said it before, and I haven't changed my mind...that I think the key to having a clean and streamlined space requires just one thing...a lack of visual clutter. And for that you need to have storage that blends together with each other...coordinated in other words...and everything you have needs to fit into that storage. And I think that it is helpful to have some empty space showing too, so it doesn't look jam-packed. That's why those lovely organized closets look so inviting...because there's lots of SPACE.
And that shows up in stamping styles too... ;) That's the appeal of Clean and Simple design to me.
Fionna, I already follow your pinterest board and have gotten some good ideas from it. Becky Oehler's space is divine!
I think you're right about the key to clean space. My original space used Billy bookcases with doors, so my storage systems didn't need to be unified - just effective. My new space uses Billy bookcases without doors. The new bookcases were free, and the color was discontinued so I couldn't get matching doors. Maybe all I need to do is add some doors.
I also struggle with empty space. My house is old and configured oddly. The room I use is an awkward L shape. I have one long wall for my craft space, and there's a guest bed tucked into the other side of the room (in the short part of the L). Now that I'm using tall bookcases, I don't have as much empty space.
You've given me some things to ponder. I'm going to stare at my room for a bit and see where I can make some improvements.
__________________ aka Sue. Or Sue-odd.
No blog for me. My gallery chronicles my card-making successes and mishaps.
I'm going to have to price out a set of doors, versus a bunch of matching storage containers, and see what makes the most sense.
I'm also currently constrained by the fact that nothing in the room matches. My desk is white. My stamp cabinet is a pale natural wood, and my bookshelves are stained dark. While I could just replace the bookshelves, part of the point of minimalism is to NOT buy more stuff.
__________________ aka Sue. Or Sue-odd.
No blog for me. My gallery chronicles my card-making successes and mishaps.
Oops, Diane, I knew I followed some of your boards but didn't realize you had split them out so well. You are definitely a great organizing role-model.
__________________ aka Sue. Or Sue-odd.
No blog for me. My gallery chronicles my card-making successes and mishaps.
Diane always has awesome ideas when it comes to organization and storage (among other things)! I toyed with the idea of minimalism, but realized early on that I have too many interests and they require too much "stuff" for that to be a reality for me. I have done a lot of purging and I'm much better about only keeping (or acquiring) things that I truly love and will use.
What I'm finding for myself and my stamping/crafting/work space is that having all of the walls filled with storage units (unified or not) drives me absolutely BATTY!!! I'm currently in the process of reconfiguring everything so that my tabletop (42" x 60", and barely big enough for me to cut fabric on) rests on some of my storage units instead of on its legs. An added bonus is that it will be counter height (36") instead of table height. I'll switch out my chair for a counter-height stool (which I already have) and be good to go, especially since I do A LOT of standing, rather than sitting.
IF there are any units left over, they will all be on one wall and my table will be an island and I will (hopefully) be a happy girl! If your bookcases are tall, that wont be a viable option for you, I realize, but having more suggestions at least triggers a thought process that could lead you to what WILL work, right? Good luck with that...
I bought a bunch of photo storage boxes from M's when they were on sale...totally white. 3 for $5 is a good price! My upline bought white boxes from Ikea for a really good price...I think these were the ones: KASSETT Box with lid - dark pink, 6 �x10 �x6 " - IKEA
I like Sue's ideas too. Having a work table or desk, whether or not you have storage underneath (I would...too much stuff not to!) that is either free-standing in the room, or with an end up against the wall, with bookcases nice and neatly organized on the wall behind really appeals to me.
My main space-eater is fabric and quilts in progress. It uses half my room. My stamping and watercolors and bookcases that house everything else take up the other half. I keep dreaming of what I would do in there if I had the ability to start from scratch. Maybe someday!
I've been going thru my craft room envy board on Pinterest and pulling some duplicates...some of them had been pinned 5 times!...and moving the sewing room pics to a separate board. In the process I ran across this picture: The Ultimate Craft Room. Me likey!! | Craft Room Envy
Does an arrangement like this one appeal to you?
Also, have you considered painting the bookshelves white? Maybe putting wallpaper covered panels in the back of each section?
I think it's not really minimalism I'm looking for, at least not for my craft space. I am finding the idea of owning less appealing, but that's hard to apply to a hobby like this. I am certainly being more selective about what supplies I buy, at least.
I like the idea of unified, organized, and with some empty space so I'm not assault by visual clutter. Maybe I'll search pinterest for tips on painting my Billy bookcases white. I'm lazy, so I may just end up buying new, white, shelves. :p
__________________ aka Sue. Or Sue-odd.
No blog for me. My gallery chronicles my card-making successes and mishaps.
Have you seen Gina K's home studio? I can't remember if it was a picture or video tour, but oh my word was it super clean and organized. I do remember lots of baskets and that it looked like it "fit", not random.
I'm with you girl. My mom is a huge collector of antiques and I picked up some of her...well...habits, lets call them. I just spent two hours re-organizing my markers alone! I am not of the same mind that I want to go minimalistic, though. I want EVERYTHING! I just want it hidden. For as messy as I am, I am incredibly organized. My piles have piles, but don't mess with them, cuz I'd be lost. Back a lifetime ago, when my husband was making good money, I bought a bunch of kitchen cabinets and made them into my craft room. I have a TON of stuff, but it is all *mostly* organized and put away so that only I know where stuff is. It looks clean until I start stamping that is.
Good luck in your evolution.
Amy
__________________ Meet the cutest apricot pug ever...Honey!
My idea of a minimalist craft room isn't really minimalist. More CAS.
Drawers wherever possible and doors where it isn't. Inside, divisions for different items. Minimal number of colours on show and what is permanent should be neutral.
As I don't have this and won't until I win a really big lottery prize, I close the door on my room lol
__________________ There is no such thing as lack of sleep, only caffeine deficiency.
I love the clean look but how do you remember to use some things? I'm the kind of person that if it's out of sight it's out of mind and I never use it. I'd like to de-clutter but need tips on how to make sure I remember to use different things - any ideas?
Since this thread started and since I've perused Diane's Pinterest board and since I've browsed a couple of organizing magazines and since I've taken stock of what I have/use and what my (very small) room will allow, I've been percolating ideas and re-thinking my approach. I'm another one in the camp of "I want it all but I don't want to look at it all the time" and I'm also one of those "out of sight, out of mind" people. My tentative solution is to have storage that opens when I'm working so that I can see all of the "stuff", but closes when I'm not so that the "stuff" is hidden. I don't have (and can't afford) an armoire or Scrapbox, so I'll have to get creative. If/when I accomplish this, I'll be sure to post here. I have to do it SOON because I'm getting serious anxiety about the chaos that I'm currently dealing with (and it's fairly well organized, just claustrophobic). You can be sure that it will be thrifty solutions, because I refuse to spend more money on organizing my stuff than I did on the stuff itself...
I love the clean look but how do you remember to use some things? I'm the kind of person that if it's out of sight it's out of mind and I never use it. I'd like to de-clutter but need tips on how to make sure I remember to use different things - any ideas?
A couple of things help. First, for the things that are stored completely out of sight, I have catalogs & inventories so I can easily "see" what I have without having to actually look at the items.
Second, keep like items together. For example, all of my embossing powders are in a drawer, bottom side up. When I open the drawer I can easily locate the color I need.
__________________ aka Sue. Or Sue-odd.
No blog for me. My gallery chronicles my card-making successes and mishaps.
Since this thread started and since I've perused Diane's Pinterest board and since I've browsed a couple of organizing magazines and since I've taken stock of what I have/use and what my (very small) room will allow, I've been percolating ideas and re-thinking my approach. I'm another one in the camp of "I want it all but I don't want to look at it all the time" and I'm also one of those "out of sight, out of mind" people. My tentative solution is to have storage that opens when I'm working so that I can see all of the "stuff", but closes when I'm not so that the "stuff" is hidden. I don't have (and can't afford) an armoire or Scrapbox, so I'll have to get creative. If/when I accomplish this, I'll be sure to post here. I have to do it SOON because I'm getting serious anxiety about the chaos that I'm currently dealing with (and it's fairly well organized, just claustrophobic). You can be sure that it will be thrifty solutions, because I refuse to spend more money on organizing my stuff than I did on the stuff itself...
You described my emotions about my space perfectly.
I love the scrapbox stuff, but I just renovated two bathrooms in a row so my budget needs time to recover. That's one reason why I've been living with mis-matched but functional Billy shelves. They were free. It turns out that painting Billy shelves in a bit of a PITA, because paint just doesn't want to stick to them without some major prep. :mad:
__________________ aka Sue. Or Sue-odd.
No blog for me. My gallery chronicles my card-making successes and mishaps.
I think the only real way (for me) to keep it minimal is to designate a space and all must fit. I think that is impossible for me. I would like a scrapbox for my smaller space in FL and I think I could have that and only that for my stamping and jewelry making stuff. maybe.
A couple of things help. First, for the things that are stored completely out of sight, I have catalogs & inventories so I can easily "see" what I have without having to actually look at the items.
Second, keep like items together. For example, all of my embossing powders are in a drawer, bottom side up. When I open the drawer I can easily locate the color I need.
Thanks for the hints. I'm really organized and already have like things together, but I have a lot. I used to have a catalog but I found for my style of stamping, it was better for me to just go to the items and look. Also, I would use up a product or add something new and forget to update the catalog. Catalog maintenance became one more item that would fall behind. The only thing I catalog now are my Copics and marks in my SU catalog for what I have.
I love the look of closed door cabinets, but again, I know I'd hate opening and closing doors. Most of my items are in similar storage containers, but I'm thinking of adding more baskets where I can "hide" the little items.
My room has been through several re-orgs and each time I get closer, but I still feel the need to minimalize.
A hint to those going through re-orgs, make sure that whatever storage you buy, allow room for growth. I prefer adjustable shelves so I can easily modify when needed. Also, buy an extra container/basket/whatever because when you need another one, you'll never find it again. Last hint, allow a little extra room when measuring so when a style changes, your need items fit. Case in point, embossing folders, I was fine until the EFs got larger.
Oh, you aren't kidding about catalog maintenance becoming something else that would fall behind. I've had to impose a "rule" that when I get new items, I can't do anything else until they are added to catalog/inventory and put away.
__________________ aka Sue. Or Sue-odd.
No blog for me. My gallery chronicles my card-making successes and mishaps.
I must be in a purging mood, because I went to hang up a couple of new clothing purchases and ended up pulling out a ton of items to be donated or brought to the consignment store. Maybe I should pay a visit to my craft room today and see if I can clear out some stuff I no longer love.
__________________ aka Sue. Or Sue-odd.
No blog for me. My gallery chronicles my card-making successes and mishaps.
It turns out that painting Billy shelves in a bit of a PITA, because paint just doesn't want to stick to them without some major prep. :mad:
I have gone through the process of trying to repaint this type of bookshelf and personally, I would rather spend the money to buy all new ones next time instead. I spent day one sanding the finish off of two of them, days two and three priming the heck out of the them, and days four through six painting them in my desired color. They turned out beautiful and matched my other bookcases perfectly...but as soon as I slid a book or something else onto them, the paint scratched off in certain places leaving a gash of dark wood showing from underneath. So disappointing after nearly a week of hard work...
I have gone through the process of trying to repaint this type of bookshelf and personally, I would rather spend the money to buy all new ones next time instead. I spent day one sanding the finish off of two of them, days two and three priming the heck out of the them, and days four through six painting them in my desired color. They turned out beautiful and matched my other bookcases perfectly...but as soon as I slid a book or something else onto them, the paint scratched off in certain places leaving a gash of dark wood showing from underneath. So disappointing after nearly a week of hard work...
Good luck with your reorg!
Thank you for this. I hadn't realized exactly how much time painting those shelves would take. Maybe I will buy new Billy units, because the color I want is standard anyway.
__________________ aka Sue. Or Sue-odd.
No blog for me. My gallery chronicles my card-making successes and mishaps.
I brought everything into my craft space( a corner of the office and some floor space) and tried to make it fit. Well that didn't work so there is stuff piled up everywhere. My desk is a mess. I'm taking everything out and bringing in one pile at a time til I find room. Seasonal/holiday stamps, papers ect can stay in the back of my closet til I need them and then go back. Shelving has to wait til budget will allow. I have wire baskets to hold small items and photo boxes for stamps, ribbon ect. I'm still wanting to make my area clean and simple.
Sue, I'm with you. I have the same problem and am always cleaning and purging my studio in an effort to make it more tidy and a better space for me. I have a large desk/workstation with drawers underneath (this also serves as double-duty for my office).
I have a bookshelf on which about 95% of my supplies fit. I keep stamps in fabric bins sorted either by category or manufacturer. And when the bin is full it's time to purge. Simple as that. Supplies like inks, stickers, eyelets, are kept in photo boxes with like items together. Everything is labeled to be found easily.
The only things I like to be "out" are a selection of ribbon which I hang on an improvised ribbon ring & towel bar from the wall, and a small basket of the latest supplies I just ordered for inspiration which sits on the corner of another table in the room.
This room serves not only as my studio, but my home office AND my guest room. So it needs to be tidy at all times to me! I think keeping minimal supplies on hand is key for me and it's worked so far.
Tiffany at THe Scraprack has free on-line classes on organizing. Of course she sells The Scraprack, but she doesn't push it too heavily in the on-line classes. She has lots of wonderful ideas as far as purging and organizing your supplies. Take a free lisen and see if it's something you're interested in.
This thread inspired me to "try" to minimalize by "hiding" things in plain sight. I bought more baskets to store all the little containers and my room looks less cluttered. I have a lot of duplicate tools I use for classes and I had kept them all together but I moved them all to a "tools" drawer removing some clutter near my work area.
What I've remembered is that I don't like my frequently used tools inside my drawers. I'm not the clean desk kind of person. It looks great, but it's just not for me. I also found out that it's easier to have my tools out so when my hands are gunky I don't want to stop, wash my hands to get to a tool. I just want to be able to grab and create.
Next task is to make labels for all the baskets and see if I like the new system. If it's too much of a pain to get to things, I may be back where I was and learn to live with it.
Oh Barbara, you are SO right! Every time I do a "purge" I'm amazed at how much stuff I get rid of, but even more amazed at how much still remains - how is this possible? I've conceded defeat on "minimalism" in any area of my life that has a creative aspect - cooking, sewing, stamping, painting, etc., etc. Other aspects - knick knacks, clothes, makeup, jewelry - yeah, I'm all good with minimalism there...
Oh Barbara, you are SO right! Every time I do a "purge" I'm amazed at how much stuff I get rid of, but even more amazed at how much still remains - how is this possible? I've conceded defeat on "minimalism" in any area of my life that has a creative aspect - cooking, sewing, stamping, painting, etc., etc. Other aspects - knick knacks, clothes, makeup, jewelry - yeah, I'm all good with minimalism there...
Sue I am with you!! I could live in a 350 square foot studio apartment if I didn't have any hobbies
I enjoy making cards , but more than once I have wondered if this was a good idea to start this hobby :rolleyes:
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
Please excuse me but the title of this thread made me chuckle. To use the words Minimalist and stamping in the same sentence is an oxymoron .
That's exactly my dilemma! How can I be drawn to a hobby that is anything BUT minimalist, yet drawn to the clean and simple look of a minimalist space?
__________________ aka Sue. Or Sue-odd.
No blog for me. My gallery chronicles my card-making successes and mishaps.
After working on shoebox swap cards and treat boxes I am going back to having items on my work table. I'll just gaze at those clean spaces but I won't lust for the same look. It just not for me.
After working on shoebox swap cards and treat boxes I am going back to having items on my work table. I'll just gaze at those clean spaces but I won't lust for the same look. It just not for me.
I think that some of the pictures of those spaces lack personality. My splashes of color (blues and purples) clash terribly with my Denver Broncos memorabilia...but it tells stories of my personality. So do the bins that I store stuff in and the vinyl rub-on that i have on my cabinets that tell me which drawer has which color cardstock in it. So I agree, Stamp Happy...they aren't for me either.
A
__________________ Meet the cutest apricot pug ever...Honey!
Minimalism and stamping
