small crafting spaces

creatingisfun · 01-20-2009

anyone have small crafting spaces, just a side of a room, or closet for storage.
I dont have a lot of space, I have a small section in my bedroom, and a closet where i put all my supplies., but want to fix up my section over the weekend, and want to see ideas for inspiration.

thanks

poppycock53 · 01-20-2009

Hi!
I have just started moving things into my small corner which has a window bench or seat. I've been able to find some clear boxes that stack and am using a file drawer for the paper since I have little room. The best thing I found is a rolling cart with drawers which I put all my supplies in and can move it out of the way. I don't have a closet which would be nice but I am just trying to see as much of the things as I can to help me with ideas. It didn't work for me to store my things in my basement then get things when I was trying to come up with ideas. Maybe you could roll a cart from your closet to your space?
If I come up with a site I will let you know, good luck!
Liz

creatingisfun · 01-20-2009

thanks for the input, i know i which i had everything right next to me when im crafting. My husband says im taking over the room, with stuff everywhere, so i need to organize my stuff.

momis mama · 01-20-2009

there are lots of ideas in the gallery!

there are some that have used a closet for their space.

i hope you find what will work for you!

cjbapp · 01-20-2009

Check my blog...I am stuck in the kitchen...and I have most of my stuff stored on one wall...well, I took over part of another wall and a whole dresser...but it gives you an idea of how to do some things.

http://papercanoes.blogspot.com/2009...n-kitchen.html

creatingisfun · 01-20-2009

uhhh i just saw ur blog, great space

cardsbynikki · 01-20-2009

My space is a corner of my bedroom. I have 3 cabinets that are on wheels with lots of drawers. They are wood, and I got them at Fry's Marketplace. 2 of them have taller drawers and 1 has shorter drawers.

The one with the smaller drawers I use for stamps, adhesive, ribbon, SU wheels and ink. All the cabinets have a large drawer on the bottom for 12x12 paper. The paper drawer in this cabinet holds my 8.5x11 solid color paper, and all my 8.5x11 patterned paper. On top of that cabinet I have a sticker rack - about 2 feet tall - that my mom bought from a lady at a scrapbooking show for $5. It was the end of the day and the sticker rack was empty, my mom asked her if she'd sell the small one and the floor one. So she sold the small 2ft tall one to my mom for $5 and the floor one for $15! I got the small one. It holds pretty much all my stickers and punch outs.

One of the cabinets with the larger drawers is my die-cutting cabinet. The top drawer holds all my texturz plates, A2 dies, A2 embossing folders, and small embossing folders (though I really need to find a better way to store those small little EF's!). The second drawer has all my Sizzlits and my Sizzlits die strips. It holds 4 of those organizers really well, the ones made by Sizzix. I have 2 for Sizzlits, 1 for die strips, 1 for medium-sized sizzlits. The next drawer holds tools - my paper cutter, my ruler, my SU Wheels guide thingie, cutting mat, and extra plates for my die cutters. Then the next drawer holds all my Bigz and Sizzix Originals. The paper drawer in that cabinet is all cardstock. On top of that cabinet I have my Big Shot, Sidekick and Sizzix Press.

The other cabinet holds embellishments in the top drawer. The second drawer is my big punches. The third drawer is all my blank cards and my envelopes. And another drawer with my big punches.Then the paper drawer in that cabinet holds all my patterned 12x12. On top of that cabinet is 2 little holders that hold 10 CD cases with a small drawer underneath. They came with my computer desk. I have my Nesties in the CD cases and my clear stamps. On top of that I have my Whispers Ink pads in the little carrier.

Then I have a small secretary-style desk that has a fold-down work surface. I leave it folded down all the time. On top of that I have my Craft Mates Ribbon organizers, a small white wood 2 drawer thingie with misc. stuff in it, my Primas in their bottles on top of that, I have my brads in little tiny cases, put into larger cases. It was made for beads but it works really well for brads and eyelets. I got them at Wal-Mart. My secretary has 6 small drawers, which hold projects-in-progress, more ink and stamps, and one drawer is all my embossing stuff and then one drawer is all my small punches. Then underneath the work surface area is a large cabinet. I put stuff down there that I don't get out as often, because it's a pain in the neck to get to.

I have all my files in a little file holder stuffed under my bed, and I use the file drawer in my computer desk for yet more paper. LOL. You can see where MY priorities are!

All in all I was able to cram quite a bunch of stuff in a corner of the room that is about 6'x6'. Oh, and in that space is also a hope chest (which I am considering getting rid of the linens and filling it with scrappin stuff, LOL) and a curio cabinet with my collections in it.

I'd really reccomend the cabinets at Fry's Marketplace. They are on wheels but I don't move them around. They hold so much stuff, keep my paper nice and organized, and they are short enough to be able to use the top of them as a work surface if you sit on a bar stool (which is what I do when I am using my Sizzix machines). I bought two of them at first for $130, then the third was on sale for $60. I don't know if they still have them though. Mine are stained in a cherry oak, which works because that is pretty much what all the wood is in my bedroom.

I do have more stamps than I can fit in my room, but my sister bought 4 of the same cabinets that I did, and we share stamps. So our shared stamps are in the drawers of 2 of her cabinets (we live in the same house, so it works). She also has the larger, standing sticker rack but that is mostly her stickers. I don't use as many stickers as I do die cuts. She is a scrapbooker though and not a card-maker, so she uses more stickers than me. We also share punches and such, but each have our own paper-cutter. We shared a paper-cutter at first but it was a pain in the neck! It seemed everytime one of us needed it, the other had it. So that didn't last long.

One of these days I'll try and take a picture of them for you.

ETA: I just measured the cabinets. They are roughly 3ft high, 18" deep and 20" wide. My secretary is 28" wide.

creatingisfun · 01-20-2009

oh yes i would love to see the pix

Rubbernecker · 01-20-2009

Lauren (Mytime) just posted a video about how she organizes her space. It's a relatively small room but she creates amazing things there! I hope this link works:
http://www.veoh.com/videos/v17263404QFNw4NPT

misssez · 01-20-2009

My family laughs that I don't have a bedroom, I have a studio with a bed in it! Seriously I have to corral all my stuff into a small space in my room. I use a desk with hutch and stack tons of stuff upward. I also invested in a paper rack to keep my stuff organized. I store a lot of stuff attached to the wall- I use a pant hanger for a ribbon rack and put up a rail system to hang racks on. I also use a lot of mason jars so that I can leave them out and they look beautiful. Good luck-it's hard not to drool over some of the spectacular craft spaces out there, but remember it's not how much stuff you have or how cool you store it it's what you do with it that counts!!

ChrisE · 01-20-2009

First off, I don't have nearly as many supplies as a lot of people around here, but this little spot has worked great for me. This is a shot from when I first put it together. It unfortunately looks nothing like this now (imagine a layer of projects and supplies over the entire top). However, I find that if I am disciplined about cleaning up and staying organized it's just the right amount of space for me.

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ga...0&ppuser=84268

stampinchampin · 01-20-2009

Here are a few pics of mine http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ga....php?cat=14444

I have a closet to store items and then I had to get a bigger table. I have magnetic baskets I got from the Container Store that hold all the items on the wall that I use each and every time I stamp. I feel like my little space is organized and easy to work at and keep clean at the same time! I have to stay clean, my house it for sale!!!

Good luck to you!

Krisalis903 · 01-20-2009

Here's a picture of mine (though I'm in a different place but it's setup almost exactly the same). I use a section of my bedroom also, but I keep all my supplies within an arms reach or at least a couple steps from my work table for improved workflow.

Phantom · 01-20-2009

I have basically one short wall of our guest room ~ I can take a photo for you; it's a small space but well-organized and it's enough! My best tip for a small area is to keep very organized and move UP!

Krisalis903 · 01-20-2009

Yes! Nancy makes a great point--utilize vertical space when you're confined to a small area

jazzytobi · 01-20-2009

here's my space on one end of our bedroom..

http://tobicrawford.blogspot.com/200...-my-space.html

Carny1230 · 01-21-2009

This past summer I converted a closet under our stairs to my stamping room. I would suggest when you can thinking vertically. That is what I had to do. I also didnt spend a lot of money thanks to Ikea and goodwill. Got the bars at Ikea for my punches (not sure what they are called). I got a shelving unit at Ikea that holds all my sets. I organized my cardstock in a platic file box that holds hanging files. I got a cassette tape holder that hangs on the wall for my inkpads for 5 bucks at goodwill. I bought these wire things at Home Depot that I think are suposed to be in the pantry holding cans or spices and they hold my ribbon reels perfectly. I love my space. I spent less than 100.00 on all the stuff to organize it between bargain hunting and using stuff I had. It's small but that way I keep it clean and organized as my work area is limited. I also love that I took the time to organize and lable everything as I was putting the room together because now eveything has a place!

creatingisfun · 01-21-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by stampinchampin

Here are a few pics of mine http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ga....php?cat=14444

I have a closet to store items and then I had to get a bigger table. I have magnetic baskets I got from the Container Store that hold all the items on the wall that I use each and every time I stamp. I feel like my little space is organized and easy to work at and keep clean at the same time! I have to stay clean, my house it for sale!!!

Good luck to you!

oh did u get that table at ikea, i think i saw something similar to that, which i was thinking i should get.
love how organized you have everything

creatingisfun · 01-21-2009

thanks everyone for all the pix, i got some great ideas now. I unmounted all my stamps, and started putting them in cd cases, and wow, its cleared up so much room. im loving it

Kristy Davis · 01-21-2009

I love everyone's craft room pics. I will have to use them for inspiration when I redo mine after it gets a fresh coat of paint & some storage pieces. I will have to post when I am done. Thanks again for sharing.

redi · 01-21-2009

I use my linen closet in the hallway.I took out the 3 bottom shelves and my husband created a desk in their for me. I store my ink pads and other tools underneath in a shoe cubby I bought at Lowes . He also put up peg board so i could hang things up like scissors, punches etc.I left the 2 top shelves in to store my stamps in bins that I have labeled. My friends cannot believe how much i have in this closet. Until my daughter grows out of her play room this is where I will stay. It works great, because I close the door and nobody can see my mess

poppycock53 · 01-21-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by stampinchampin

Here are a few pics of mine http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ga....php?cat=14444

I have a closet to store items and then I had to get a bigger table. I have magnetic baskets I got from the Container Store that hold all the items on the wall that I use each and every time I stamp. I feel like my little space is organized and easy to work at and keep clean at the same time! I have to stay clean, my house it for sale!!!

Good luck to you!

Hi!

Your organizational ideas are perfect, I especially like the green unit with the clear boxes and your closet space. Thanks for the tips, I am so glad I got to see your work area.
Another thing, your Gallery is awesome, I walked through and I believe I spent around 45 minutes just amazed at these creations. Are you an artist or designer as well, these cards are so unique!

Thanks again for showing me your cards I think you are so talented how long have you been stampin?

Good luck on selling your house.

Take care, Sorry about your loss, I know it is tough, one of mine is getting old now, she was my mothers dog, after mother passed away I took her in, she is precious but aging rapidly now.

melmel · 01-21-2009

I agree with what others have said here about going UP! I love every time I add a shelf how much more I can store, and as me craft collection grows I now think, "honey, time to add another one!"

i uses oe ikea rods that are mainly for hanging little baskets in the kitchen) for all ym punches, this has worked like a dream! and then going DOWN, my huband bought a ton of banker file boxes(the cardboard ones from Office Depot( they're actaully really pretty black with these white flourishes next to the spot you label them and I was able to tuck all my wood moutned stamps into them so I can keep them tucked away stacked two high down the length of my desk. My work surface is pretty deep so I still have room for mey lefs with them under there and room to push stuff to the back wall on top and plenty of room to work.

maryatscs · 01-21-2009

I have taken over one corner of our bedroom. it is a small corner and i have a card table with one chair. underneath the card table i have my rolling cart that has 3 drawers which i keep tools, embossing, coloring, and embellishing stuff in and a small garbage can but only because i know if i get a big can i'll wait until its completely filled before i empty it

i guess i do the same with the small one too. then our bedroom is right next to our linen closet in the hall and i keep all my paper, stamps, inkpads, punches, adhesives, cutting tools, and alterables and scrapbooks in there. needless to say i have now moved all of my linens to take up half of the shelves in my laundry room. maybe i should move all of my crafting stuff to the laundry room instead since we don't use that room as often lol

do we really need clean laundry hehehe

jenjoy71 · 01-21-2009

Oh! I went from having a huge space to craft.. one room for sewing and one room for stamping. Our house was over 1700 sq ft.. we moved (dh in the military) and now our house is 950 sq ft!!! So the container store and ELFA have become my new best friends!! I have been able to combine along with purging and finally am happy with how everything turned out.

Here are a couple pics

creatingisfun · 01-21-2009

great room, i which i had that much space

DigitalStamper63 · 01-21-2009

I use the closet of our guest room and have it configured to suit my needs. The pictures here don't do it "justice", as I'm constantly working out to accommodate my constant increase in "stuff"

jenjoy71 · 01-21-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by creatingisfun

great room, i which i had that much space

That is in our 2nd bedroom, we dont have kids and so I am sharing the space with the day bed for guest.. the only bad thing is..when we have company I wont be able to use my stamp stuff!!

jenjoy71 · 01-21-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by DigitalStamper63

I use the closet of our guest room and have it configured to suit my needs. The pictures here don't do it "justice", as I'm constantly working out to accommodate my constant increase in "stuff"

Those clear things you have your inks in.. what are those? Those are neat!

DigitalStamper63 · 01-21-2009

Here's another one...you can also check out how I store my paper in my gallery.

DigitalStamper63 · 01-21-2009

Those are Dzyntec storage units. I think someone here on SCS was selling hers a week or two ago. Search the buy/sell forum or the iso forum.

These are no longer available by the manufacturer; but sometimes one can get lucky by posting an ISO request on the ISO forum. Good Luck!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenjoy71

Those clear things you have your inks in.. what are those? Those are neat!

jenjoy71 · 01-21-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by DigitalStamper63

Those are Dzyntec storage units. I think someone here on SCS was selling hers a week or two ago. Search the buy/sell forum or the iso forum.

These are no longer available by the manufacturer; but sometimes one can get lucky by posting an ISO request on the ISO forum. Good Luck!

Ok thanks.. I have the ink caddy by su but always looking for other options to store my "other" ink pads..hehe neat how they hang on the wall.

creatingisfun · 01-21-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by DigitalStamper63

Here's another one...you can also check out how I store my paper in my gallery.

oh wow!
i have a linen closet like this!!!!!!!!!!!!
omg, im gonna show this to my hubby!!!!

jenjoy71 · 01-21-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by creatingisfun

oh wow!
i have a linen closet like this!!!!!!!!!!!!
omg, im gonna show this to my hubby!!!!

LOL

You really should go online to the container store.. you can give them your measurements and they can create a system for you.. for FREE .. its great for ideas even if there isnt one close to you or you dont want to spend that amount of $$

DId i read correctly that you unmounted all of your stamps?

creatingisfun · 01-21-2009

yup all of them. took me a couple of weeks, but wow! i had to many stuff piled up alredy.
now what to do with all those wooden blocks.

jenjoy71 · 01-21-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by creatingisfun

yup all of them. took me a couple of weeks, but wow! i had to many stuff piled up alredy.
now what to do with all those wooden blocks.

I am in the process of weeding out which ones to unmount. I am debating though.. if I unmount an su set and then a year later I dont want it anymore.. what to do.. will someone want it unmounted etc.. lol

How are you organizing all your unmounteds? Ezmount or what?

creatingisfun · 01-21-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenjoy71

I am in the process of weeding out which ones to unmount. I am debating though.. if I unmount an su set and then a year later I dont want it anymore.. what to do.. will someone want it unmounted etc.. lol

How are you organizing all your unmounteds? Ezmount or what?

bare rubber. not on ez mount, and that way they fit perfectly on cd cases.
and whenever i need them i just use double sided tape.

but if u want to use the ez mount, you can just buy the regular cd cases, and i think it fits good. i bought the slim cd cases and cannot use them with ez mounth. but i dont mind

and what im doing, is diving all my stamps by categories. baby, bday, flowers, etc.

and thats how im finding stamps, that i have never even inked. so whenever i need a baby one, i see all my baby one, from different companies, clear and rubber

jenjoy71 · 01-21-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by creatingisfun

bare rubber. not on ez mount, and that way they fit perfectly on cd cases.
and whenever i need them i just use double sided tape.

but if u want to use the ez mount, you can just buy the regular cd cases, and i think it fits good. i bought the slim cd cases and cannot use them with ez mounth. but i dont mind

and what im doing, is diving all my stamps by categories. baby, bday, flowers, etc.

and thats how im finding stamps, that i have never even inked. so whenever i need a baby one, i see all my baby one, from different companies, clear and rubber

Sounds good, the only problem I have is that most my sets wont fit into one cd case so then I would have to break up the set into 2 cd case

I think I am going to try the binders like GinaK has.. since I am mounting my stamps on ezmount. Thanks for the tips

Krisalis903 · 01-21-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenjoy71

Oh! I went from having a huge space to craft.. one room for sewing and one room for stamping. Our house was over 1700 sq ft.. we moved (dh in the military) and now our house is 950 sq ft!!! So the container store and ELFA have become my new best friends!! I have been able to combine along with purging and finally am happy with how everything turned out.

Here are a couple pics

Jennifer, I love what you did with your punches! What kind of rack did you use for that? Is that a towel rack?

DigitalStamper63 · 01-21-2009

I finished unmounting all my stamp sets finally on Monday. With my closet stamping space, I don't have the space to store them on their wood mounts and in their clamshell boxes. I have about 30 sets and they all fit in one of those snap boxes. Now each set I get I can rip the rubber off the foam, put it on EZ mount and be done instead of letting them all pile up like before.

With future sets, I might not even use EZ mount. I've heard of some people using the tack n peel on acryllic blocks. EZ mount is expensive. Even though I've been able to get 4-5 sets on one sheet. I started with seven sheets and have used all but one and a half.