Creative Space Organization- Introduction

This is an ongoing series that I will be posting from now until well into February. Each post following this introduction, will address different issues that we face when trying to make some headway in the madness. I'm also going from the perspective of going the thrifty route, because face it! In todays economy most of us can't afford built in cabinets and to buy everything new.

Let's get going
If you are lucky, you get to start with an empty blank canvas for a space. If not, clear everything out and set it in the hallway or another room temporarily. Using labeled moving boxes is a cheap way to help you sort and categorize your supplies once you get to the purge and organize stage.

1) Add color! Paint is the cheapest way to make a room fun. You can pick your favorite color or do what I did. I went with a neutral color for the walls and accessorized with color so that if I decided I was sick of pink (gasp!) I could easily change the color. To make it all flow, decide on your color scheme. I knew I wanted most of my furniture to be black and accents in pink and white. Krylon spray paint for plastics will become your best friend. I use this for so many things, not just plastic, because it adheres well and doesn't run. Check out freecyle to see if their is any left over paint out there or check the oops paint section of your paint store if you are on a budget. Just a couple of weeks ago, I found the paint for my hallway at the Lowe's oops paint section. It was normally $5 for a gallon, but they had a sale, $2. Here are some great articles from HGTV on how to choose the right colors.

2) Divide your room into dedicated zones. Designating zones in your craft room is a great way to get things done efficiently. i.e. tool station, computer center, embellishments, photos, stamping supplies, paper/cardstock, inspiration station, die cutting area and your work station. Remember how your kindergarten class was set up by different activties? The same concept here. Don't forget to include areas for your other hobbies like sewing or painting. For some fun inspriation, check out these fun rooms.

3) Choose what type of work table you want. I went with counter height, honestly because I wanted as much storage underneath as possible. But it does help my back a lot too. I also wanted a space for a friend to scrap with me. A large work space will allow you to spread your projects out so you can see what you have to work with. You'll waste less time fumbling around to find a particular item you need to complete a project. Make sure your table is sturdy and rugged and not so valuable that you're going to mind getting a little glue or paint on it. Here is an easy tut on hacking your own table. Hack yourself an Ikea table here.

4) Shop for your new room. This is by far my favorite part. Look around your house before you run out to the store. That means dig into the garage, attic/basement or storage until and find what you can re purpose for your new room. You might have the perfect old work table already. A dresser might make the perfect stamp storage. You can even use heavy dute cereal boxes from Costco/Sam's to decorate and store your paper. Make a list of what you'll think you need and head out on the town. Start with thrift stores, yard sales, antique shops, freecycle or moms house and then end up at stores like Target/Walmart Ross/TJ Maxx or Pier one Imports. One really important thing to consider, if at all possible go for something sturdy and skip the plastic for heavy storage items. Plastic tends to crack after time and looks shabby after a while. Thing about something that will last. If you are going to use plastic, which I certainly did in some areas, think about getting it in color and putting smaller light weight items in there so they won't wear out too fast.

5) Gather shelves and shallow ledges for walls. Anything that can go vertical will only give you more storage space. This is a great chance to get things off the table tops, floor and use your walls. These are perfect for your rubber stamps or your mini albums and other altered items.

6) Before you bring your craft supplies back in, PURGE! If you haven't used it in the last two years, odds are you probably won't need it. So get rid of it. This is the hardest step really, because it's so hard for us hoarders to unload. But don't throw it away, donate or freecycle it. I'm sure you have a scrappy friend that could use a few things.

7) Style and Inspiration. Gather your new storage items and think about how pretty you might alter it to add style to your new space. This is also a good time to start working on what items you've created or can find to add to the decor. Also, bring in some family photo displays, because after all they are most likely your reason for scrapbooking in the first place. So let them inspire you. I have large shadow box frames of each one of my kids right in front of my work space and a fun photo board for recent family pics that are my favorite.

8) Get it all set up. Start with your new work area and decide what items you use the most and store them close by. Remember to label everything! It's so much easier to find things that way especially if you have a friend scrapping with you. Remember that the goal for organizing any craft room should be to have a place for everything.

9) Keep Evolving your space. As time goes on, you'll better know what's actually working for you and what's not. So don't be afraid to change something. Also, be sure to set aside time to clean up your space. You don't want to go back to where you started and have stuff piling up. If you feel that you have outgrown your space then that means you just have too much stuff, purge again. Also avoid stashing laundry piles or other clutter, such as junk mail, in your new pretty space.

Stuff Piling Up=EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION
The less "stuff" you have out, the bigger and calmer your room will look.

Don't forget to take before photos to share. Seeing how far you've come is the best inspiration yet.

Be sure to follow the rest of my series to get it all set up. I'll help you put all of your supplies into an inspiring space to work in.


****Also, come on over to to join in our fun Kick off Crop Challenges. I will be having a scrapbooking challenge tied to each segment of this series.