Tiffany Spaulding inventor of The ScrapRack has changed my organization life!! I've been taking her get organized challenge (via recorded sessions from last spring) so that I can permanently and definitively organize all of my craft supplies. I'm so excited that her next live 8-week online seminar for organization starts Sept 11 2012! It's free! Sign up and use whatever you have to get organized. I have found that the ScrapRack is definitely worth it and is very useful for storing all kinds of craft supplies.
In my last post I showed a picture of my empty ScrapRack as I organized my paper stash. Here's my ScrapRack full to the gills with my organized embellishments. It is so full that I need to purchase an expansion base. Free shipping comes up again for black Friday so that's when I will make my move!! OK, so how did I get all of my embellishments from drawers, boxes, bins, bags into this one spot??? Well I started out by putting all my ScrapRack pages sorted by number of pockets in one of the spinders that comes with the set.
This way I was able to easily locate all my pocket pages quickly and neatly. I then used my sorting templates on the floor as I did when I sorted my paper. Tiffany warns not to try to do all the sorting in one sitting if you have a lot like I do, but I am obsessed with getting one job done before moving on to another. So against all better judgement I pulled out every embellishment I had and sorted it. Now this came with great peril. I have young children and a dog who lived for trying to mess up my piles. So I had to work hard to get everything contained within a day. That meant long hours and sleepless nights (don't do it the way I did!). But I am happy with the results.
I sorted into the 4 sections - alpha/numeric, themes, calendar and rainbow. Most of my embellishments are in the themes section. Using the ScrapRack dividers gives the pages stability and really helps to categorize everything. When I ran out of the dividers I marked the sections with message flags. Later I replaced those with Post-it Angled Filing Tabs (durable, writable and repositionable). 24 come in a pack with 4 colors to choose from and 2 different color families available at Staples.
After organizing and filling my ScrapRack, I was left with only a small basket and a drawer of embellishments to sort at a later date. Astonishing!!! Note, I did not yet attempt to organize all my smaller embellishments like brads, eyelets, buttons etc. These are only the larger items and bling.
This is all of the stuff that didn't belong in my craft room that I got out and all of the containers I had previously purchased for organizing that did not help at all! Just about everything that was in these containers is in the ScrapRack now!!!
And now for the big reveal.... my craft room is starting to look much better! I can actually see the floor and my desk is clear. If I need something I can find it instantly. It has fueled my creativity big time!
Organizing my embellishments has given me more time and time is money! I can quickly find all the options for a project and be done lickety split! I am LOVING it!!
For the next step... on to mounted and unmounted stamp organization.... the toughest, but most needed job yet! This is going to revolutionize the way I am able to locate supplies and create on the fly. So excited!
If you'd like to see where I started and the things I learned along the way, check out:
And here's some storage tips:
Embossing Folders -http://cestla-viedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/04/cricut-circle-magazine-march-spring.html
Ribbon storage - http://cestla-viedesigns.blogspot.com/2012/06/crafting-storage-my-ricracroller-is.html
La-Vie
Looking good, you sure have a lot of stuff!
ReplyDeleteThanks Melissa! I'm enjoying the process and the results.
DeleteI would resell those cubbies and storage items you pulled out of the room, give ya a little cash for more pages or what not. Your room looks amazing
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this idea! After you planted this seed, I attended a play all day crop event hosted my embellish it! and sold several items to the participants. I also told everyone about the scraprack and the organization seminar. I think I converted several crafters! Thanks again.
DeleteWow! Your craft room looks amazing! :o)
ReplyDeleteThanks Merilee! Once I get myself organized one of my rewards is to remove the rug and paint the room pink and brown with my company name on the wall. Can't wait...
Deletewow-you got a lot of stuff lol...kudos to you for starting the reorganization (I got OCD and my studio is screaming at me to jsut get stuff in my Clip it Up!)
ReplyDeleteHi Kate! I love my Clip it up! I now use it to hold my clear stamps. I'm trying to get some acrylic hooks made so I can attach it to my stampin up clear stamp packages and put them on the clip it up too. I'll post pictures. Good luck with your reorg and thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment for me!
DeleteThis looks great! I haven't bought a Scrap Rack yet, but after reading your blog, I see there is FREE shipping on Black Friday! Yay! I'm wondering if we could use our Fall GOC code too?? Congratulations on winning the GC last week! I see you have a stockpile (I think) of PP/CS on a rack. This is what I would have to do too because I don't think a Scrap Rack could hold 2000 sheets of PP and CS!!! Not to mention, the embellishments etc. I won't be putting my alphas in mine, I have them all color, theme etc. organized on a Clip it Up and I love them this way!
ReplyDeleteHi Nursela! Thanks so much! I am going to use my $25 gift code and the fall code on the same purchase by calling up to do it rather than purchasing online! I'm so excited! As long as we are still in the challenge I'm sure you can use it but ask. Try to evaluate whether you will need an extension base. I should have gotten it at CKC lancaster but i just wasn't sure.
DeleteOk so I only have embellishments and alpha stickers in this scraprack and it's full. I still have many more embellishments and all my brads, buttons, etc to put in there, that's why I need the extension and some more pocket pages. I do not have any paper in my scraprack right now. Not sure if I will use it for that unless I have a very small amount of something. We'll see...
I used to have all my alpha stickers on the bottom tier of the clip it up but now it's in the front of my scraprack. such a space saver! Now I use my clip it up to hold my clear stamp sets. It's much better use for it. I am going to make my one acrylic sticky holders to attach to my stampin up clear stamp cases and put those on there too. I'll post pics. The stamp organization is killing me...
I look forward to seeing your pics once you get your scraprack!
La-Vie
I am so happy to see your excitement! No one but another Scraprack convert can understand the joy. Getting the scrapbooking supplies under control has helped me also get my knitting, embroidery, sewing and (gulp), now jewelry making supplies in some semblance of order. I love my Closet-maid cubes, too, but ended up putting my fabric out of the bins and just showing in the cubbies. Looked neat but couldn't see my fabric!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sheree! You're right... only someone doing it can understand the "oh what a feeling" (jump in the air like a cheerleading) I'm going through right now. I have made the connection! You sure do a lot of crafts! I'm looking forward to getting through this process and having everything in order. Trouble is... I keep buying more stuff and ... well... you know... LOL Looking forward to the next webinar today! Thanks again for stopping by and leaving such nice comments!
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