Friday, June 8, 2012

CC Scrap Room Blog Hop

Welcome to the farewell blog hop of the current Crop Chocolate design team (sniff, sniff)!!!  For this hop we decided that we would share our scrappy spaces (be they rooms, corners of rooms, or tables), and some organizational tidbits for you.  If you did not come from ScrapAddictsAttic (Paula M), or just happened upon this blog, please go to the start of the hop at Ambaju (Amber - our fearless leader).

For a long time, I used a collapsible 6foot table (the kind you see at churches for dinners and such) as my craft table, while sitting in a folding chair.  I did my scrapbooking and card making on it, while my sewing machine was constantly taking up valuable work space.  The table ended up so cluttered most of the time that I would actually carry my stuff over to the coffee table (where my kids would craft) instead.  Then I amassed so many supplies from Crop Chocolate and other places, that I needed more storage space also.  And I had a drafting chair just sitting collecting dust.  So shortly before Christmas I got this bright idea that maybe my DH would help me create a better work space, and he could do it while home with the kids for Christmas break.

So I told him my plan and ideas (which were fairly simple), and he went off and did one better.  Yay hubby!!!  The top of the table is now about 8feet long and 3feet deep.  The base is made up of the 14inch square cubes that you can get from various places (M's and ACM being two of them).  I had about six before, but had to buy more to fill in the space underneath (darn, while snapping fingers), and now have 12 of them of various arrangements.  The only problem is that the corner of the room is now a little crowded, but I can deal with that.

The dimensions were in my favor, as when we put the cubes in place we had left a space in the middle for cords and such to pass through (like when I use my sewing machine), but that space ended up being exactly perfect for my sewing machine to fit and sit on the base he made.  Luck was on my side that day.  I then used the space above my sewing machine to store my Cuttlebug dies and folders (they are in the blue cases - these are made by Cuttlebug and have pages that fit various sizes of dies and folders).

I also have a smaller table in the corner that I use for sorting pictures and storing smaller items like inks, extra adhesive, some ribbon and my clear stamps (as well as my overflow of paper).  The table is one I bought when I was in grad school, and has served us many purposes (dining room table, sewing table, etc) over the years.  I love baskets and try to use them to store these small things to make help it look nice.  They also allow for easy access to things.  The only problem is that they often don't stack well, so over the years, I've moved to some of the squarer baskets.

Under the table (and they ended up pushing the table up a little) are two filing cabinets I procured when my the company I work for moved to a different office (we were getting all new furniture and they were giving away the old stuff).  In the one cabinet, I have all the paraphenalia from trips and events that I need to scrap (I've got my work cut out for me).

In the other cabinet, I am storing the majority of my wood mounted stamps (a few of the smaller ones I felt would get lost are in the blue basket on top of the table).  I have them on end for easy access, and to read the label.  In the back of one of the drawers I have my 8.5x11inch cardstock.  I was hoping that I might be able to store my 12x12 in here, but they don't quite fit.  It would have been awesome though if it had.  In between the filing cabinets, there was enough room to store my extra cutting mats, scoring board, and t-square.

To help me remember which stamp sets I own (I think I need more though, LOL) and some examples of how the company has used them, I saved the catalog pages (most of them are from SU) and stored them in page protectors in a 3-ring binder (the red binder to the left of the table).  For those that you don't have a catalog page for, you can either photo copy the top images, or you could stamp the images onto a sheet of paper, making your own "catalog page".

For my 12x12 paper, I have various ways of storing it.  One of the cubes I got (which I think is fairly new) is a sliding drawer with hanging files.  In this cube, I have stored a lot of the kits I have bought for easy access - I feel they fit better in here with all the accessories they sometimes have.  I also have the slotted cubes (some I have in the vertical position, and some in the horizontal position - just for variety really).  In those I have the paper sorted by topic - Christmas, baby, boy, girl, seasons, etc.  I also have my stickers and other accessories sorted that way in the square drawers.

For my overflow paper (I have a lot, and it doesn't all fit in the cubes partly because I allowed two of the drawers to be stuff for my kids), I bought a few of the plastic 12x12 storage bins.  In those, I have sorted the paper by manufacturer (one bin for EP, one for MME, etc).  I also have those for projects I have started but haven't finished.

I don't know if you can make it out behind my big table, but I also have access to a two-shelf book shelf, which is where I store my idea books and magazines.  There are also some baskets, which is where I store my punches for now.  Eventually I would like to get some rods for the wall and hang them so that I can see them and remember which ones I have.  The other idea I have would be to use some cardstock and punch the images, and then store those similar to my stamp images.

I think that's all for now.  I hope you enjoyed reading about where I do my work, I certainly enjoy creating in this space (especially now that I have room to really spread out - I certainly love that I can keep my newly acquired Cameo on top of the table all the time and have plenty of room around it).  I also hope you learned something to help you store or sort your supplies.

If you leave me a comment and follow my blog (if you don't already), I will put your name in a hat for some blog candy.  Unfortunately, I didn't have time to actually figure out all that I'm giving away, but I can say that it will involve some alphas, some paper, and some other goodies.  If I receive more than 30 comments, I will give away two blog candies.  All comments received by midnight June 10 will be eligible.  I will draw the names on Monday, June 11, and will post the winner(s) then also.

I hope you have also enjoyed seeing my work over the last eight or so months, and have learned something from me.  I certainly enjoyed being on the DT and creating and learning new things.  I will miss the experience immensely, but will be looking forward to what the new DT has in store for us.

Now please join our next DT member Little Miss Crafter (Jamie) and enjoy her scrappy space.  I can't wait to see where she does her work.

62 comments:

  1. Supportive hubbies are the best! What a great space you have to work in! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Awesome job Beth! Great Hubbies do rock! Love all the wood stamps in the filing cabinet!

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  3. BETH I Love the middle table with the drawers!!! wonderful!

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  4. love your table with the cubes. I so wish my hubby would let me go that route. instead I must use the big ole cherry wood desk.

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  5. Really like the space you have! That table with the cubes seems ideal--! I would love to have all those stamps you have--wow!! great room.

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  6. I have the cubes (tons) and have them stacked on a long credenza table, but would love to use them as a base for table. What's your table made out of? just countertop? Awesome space and great organization

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  7. I have those cubes too and love them!! Looks great Beth...lots of room on theat table to get scrappy!!

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  8. What you did with your table is exactly what I had in plan for mine, except using bookshelves on the ends facing outwards! It's an idea I grabbed from Lindy's craftroom and it really makes great use of space! Great minds think alike!

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  9. So cool!! love your space. I too have run out of room after finding cc!! I am now following your blog!! whoo for blog candy, thanks for the chance and for sharing your crafty space!!

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  10. Ooooh, I love your big desk top with all that storage underneath - clever and it looks great!

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  11. Great Space! I need to do one of those stamp books. I love that idea !
    4myk9s

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  12. Great ideas. My ink pads are all over the place. Didn't realize how many I had until I tried to figure out what to do with them!

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  13. I want to get some of those cubes, maybe they will help me get more organized! :)

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  14. Love the cubes nice work area.

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  15. Oh wow! I love your big desk with all the storage underneath!

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  16. I'm having some serious desk envy. :) Love your space and need to do something similar with my stamps. I just love your idea for them. Thanks for sharing your space with us!!!

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  17. LOVE the deep desk and the storage cubes under it!! I've done the stamp catalog for myself, too! It was the only way to keep track of them!! :) Great DT work, too! Thanks!

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  18. LOVE LOVE your table space and ALL THOSE CUBES Beth! Very nice and handy! I also love what u did with the sampin up stamps! Thankfully I don't have all those stamps but love the filing idea! Great space!

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  19. Love your space. That island is amazing. That is my favorite part of your room, I believe. Sorry to see you guys go.

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  20. Love your work table w/cubes...exactly what I want/need to do. Really maximizes the available space while keep everything accessible. Thanks for the other great tips on storing stamps and cuttlebug stuff too. Nice job!

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  21. Great space, thanks for sharing (RnoAngel0712 on CC)

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  22. I love your desk area. I am still using the 6' tables. I have 7 cubes now so my new goal is to do a desk like yours. Great idea!! TYFS

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  23. Wow! Now that's a lot of stamps!

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  24. I am in stamp envy! Thanks for sharing!
    thecutandcluckclub@yahoo.com

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  25. great work space...have enjoyed your work on the DT for CC...I'm a follower!

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  26. Love the file cabinets!! I am desperately searching for one...or two..my mom has one but darn it she has files in it and won't give it to me!!

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  27. I all so jealous of all your cube storage, it is my dream to one day have all white storage, but in the meantime I have a mish mash of lucky finds and diy solutions :) love your giant work space too, what a great cutting surface for when you are sewing!!

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  28. Great room! I, too, have a top over my M's storage cubes, but mine is for more storage, not my actual desk! Isn't it great to be able to spread out and have everything nearby? Love your room! Thanks for sharing!

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  29. I love your stamps storage! And all the SU stamps :)
    ra6352 (at) gmail (dot) com

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  30. Thanks! I really like the way you use ALL your space. : )

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  31. I love your workspace!!! Great hubby you have there!!!!

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  32. Love the idea of not getting duplicate stamping by saving the catalog pages

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  33. wow lucky you to have a handy hubby. Love you idea about saving the cataloge pages

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  34. Great area! I'm jealous of all your stamps :)

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  35. Love all your cubes with the table top! So pretty looking! I want some of those cubes! Thanks for sharing your space!

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  36. I really like all your stamps and how they are organized. Thanks for sharing your space with us and thanks for the blog candy! See you on CC.

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  37. Hey there! Love the big table top! I'm jealous!! I have a VERY tiny collapsable sewing table that is OVER crowded!! DH May need to review these blog posts more than i do!! LOL Thanks for the hop, i'm off to check out what's next! :o)

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  38. I like the way you used the cubes for the desk base. I also like large work surfaces, but am currently using our kitchen table!

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  39. What a great space, I love how your organized your stamps

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  40. You have a great work space, and a great DH who helped you with it. Congrats!

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  41. Yay hubby is right! What a great scrappin' surface you have now!

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  42. Love your huge workspace! I'm a new follower!

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  43. What an awesome space! I am so envious! Thanks for sharing!

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  44. WOW. Your desk is totally and completely amazing! :D I love it! I really like how you've stored your stamps (though I don't really use them personally)... I'm sure that it helps you get the most out of them. :) Thanks for sharing your great ideas!

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  45. your desk is amazing!...i'd kill for that kind of space!

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  46. Hi Beth. I really like how you used the cubes from M's as the base for your table. I have been purchasing them when they are on sale and could definitely see adopting this idea! I just started card making and have been on a stamp buying binge, so the idea of the binder is really great so that you can take a look to see what would work for different projects. Thanks for all of your inspiration while on the DT!

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  47. I love the table top your hubby made!

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  48. Thanks for sharing your space....what a wonderful work area!

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  49. Hi Beth, I'm already a follower of your blog. Love your whole room, but think your stamp storage is a great idea! And what a dh to make that desk for you :)

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  50. Hi Beth, I plan to have a desk similar to yours before long, so it was great to see yours! I have slowly been buying the cubes @ Michaels on paydays when I don't go over my Crop Chocolate budget! I only need about 4 more!... You have a great space, thanks for sharing!
    Joyce (aka Juliet)

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  51. I am a follower and i love your stamp storage. i have lots of SU! stamps too. that would be a grest way to house them.

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  52. Oh, so jealous of that fantastic desk!

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  53. LOVE the desk in the middle of the room!
    Love, your fearless leader. ;)

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  54. Beth, thanks for sharing your room. I like the idea of using the drawer for your kits. I also have the file drawer, but at this time, It just has some special papers and is not full. Not the best use of my space.

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  55. Love the desk. Like the island feel to it.

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  56. Wow....love your room. Especially love the desk. that is awesome. you are all giving me some great ideas and hope to get my room done one of these days. thanks for the ideas and chance to win.

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  57. Love what your husband did for you and the fact that you had to add more storage underneath!!

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