how to make my scrap area look organized and not cluttered?

[wbh1964]

Let me start with I am a pack rat! My scrap area is in our family room with my desk, a black bakers rack. 2 tall filing cabinets and 3 pull out plastic drawer units. As I am describing this, I think I will just take some photos tomorrow and let you guys see what I am up against, I would love input on how to declutter and rearrange to make this a creative environment! We are tight on funds so I will have to be caureful not to spend alot of excess money....but I would love to post photos tomorrow and then get all your inputs on designing.rearranging and post the finished project. As I am typing this, this REALLY sounds like fun!!! I just want a creative usable area that looks good and not cluttered when company comes over. I love being a part of this board!!!...and you guys are the best!!! I will post more tomorrow!
Wendy

 

[beaucoup]

I'm planning the re-do of my area because I've learned that open shelving or having tools in front of me does NOT work for me.

1. I see too much and it clutters my thinking.
2. I can't dust amongst all this stuff on open shelving.

So, I'm getting some closed storage from Ikea and going as vertical as I can to free up wall to wall furniture. Also, I'm getting as much computer equipment off my desk as possible. Getting a chrome wire shelving unit to stack our 2 printers, computer & scanner. I'm going to sew a tent to cover the entire rack though. Only the monitor, keyboard & mouse will be on my desk. And instead of having no desk space to work on, I'm getting 73" of countertop that I plan on keeping as much stuff off of as possible.

Also going to pick up some slatwall (like pegboard but used in retail) from craigslist as I see it listed when a store goes out of business. This will be above my desk where I can hang stuff and not have to drill too many holes into the wall & allows me to move things and change my mind.

Instead of my paper being in a huge rubbermaid tub, its going into a pretty $50 storage ottoman. Double duty use.

Getting rid of too many pieces of mismatched thrown together furniture too. Less is more.

Watch craigslist. You might just find 1 or 2 pieces of furniture that are better than what you are currently using that might change the entire situation for you. Like an armoire instead of the open bakers rack. Stay away from too many small specialized storage pieces. It gets cluttered.

Try velcroing a skirt to your work table & hide things under it.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Will wait for photos but my first tip is to sort by product, i.e. Paper, embellishments, tools etc. So you can get an idea of what you have.

Also do you like stuff hidden away or out in the open? That will help determine your storage needs.

 

[wbh1964]

Thank you guys for replying! I cannot figure out how to post the pics...never posted pic on this board b4 and I don't use photo bucket...plus after I took the photos, they looked so cluttered that I am embarrassed to post them...lol! I have WAY too many bags...totes bags, scrapbook bags (4 rolling totes) and just all size storage containers etc. I have junk stuffed everywhere!...and using those plastic rolling storage bins looks cheap. Anyway, I guess I just need to dive in a tackle it! I am working from my old fashioned office desk...I purchased it when I was laid off from my accounting job...it's an old dark wood 4 drawer desk. The filing cabinets are used for business papers so they have to stay and also my mom's black metal bakers rack in directly behind my desk and I would like to keep it. Would you guys mind if I emailed you the photos for suggestions???
Thanks!!!!!!!

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

LOL have you seen my before pictures?? Trust me your mess is nothing we haven't seen before.

I would suggest starting here:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2361205

We only got to week 5 but I'm sure we can resurrect the post again.
I might even try to start a new one, maybe next week. Gotta get through Invention Convention first.

here is my thread with my before and afters:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2602901

 

[Disney Ontario]

My scrapbooking room should always have a sign"UNDER CONSTRUCTION" I think that I buy and organize more than I scrapbook.Well today DD's work (photography store) gave me two metal 5ft tall 24 slot paper holder for 12 by 12 paper.The store doesn't carry scrapbook stuff anymore.So after I get this all organized I should be all set to scrap.

 

[hopemax]

I can get a 2011 Organizational thread started. Here's the link from the 2009 Challenge. We actually got through that one a couple times.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2045077

You can see my mess that I started with in our old apartment.

If you are up for it, I would suggest finding a few empty boxes, totes, laundry baskets and just start sorting. Once you have a drawer or pretty storage container empty, you can ask yourself, "What will fit in this?" Grab that item, and start putting all the like stuff in that container. It's definitely a "this is gonna get worse until it gets better," situation. But set a timer, work for 15 minutes just sorting, don't think too much. Eventually, things will start coming together. And once it's all sorted, you can examine what you are going to have to purchase or scrounge around the house to use. FYI, Priority Mail boxes will work for paper storage in a pinch. Just cut them down to look like a magazine holder type thing.

 

[PaulaSue]

For me when I made my sb "room", approx 12' by 12' section in the unfinished basement, the rest of the basement is the girls play room and storage so I could spread out and get it out of a closet that I had to get everything out just to find 1 thing.

I got a ton of matching stuff (great sale but I did spend just over $100 total) from the Walmart back to school clearance sale to add to what I already had. It is pink and green and all different sized items all from the same company so it looks great together.

I added to a bunch of (cheap) white book shelves I had already (stole form the girls play area). Plus 2 white plastic (same company as the pink and green plastic) indiv. closed drawers ($35 each at Target which was WAY cheaper than the craft stores brand).

I used my label maker and labeled every drawer and paper section so it is easy to find what I want. (glues, each kind of stickers, season/holiday of paper, stamps, Your Story kits, brads)


I also got 2 sets of canning jars to put each color of ribbon in. They look pretty (set up as a rainbow on display, also my papers are set up this way,) and they stay clean) I am OCD


I also got 3 (1 had one and stole it from another part of the house) plastic rect. folding tables and I also got 2 pink computer chairs. I love all I got and I can change it around if I need.

I had a nice huge (2 big standing sections) bookshelf that I keep my albums I am working on and all my cricut supplies on it. It also has my printer on it and the extra paper under in the closed door sections. It looks beautiful and I like keeping them in the cases so it is easy for me and the girls to find what we are looking for.

So it can be done cheap (Approx $300 plus what I had) with creative shopping and I finally got my dream of my own sb room and I didn't have to wait for my 12 and 7 year olds to move out so I could take their room.

My mom and friends have come over now and then and we each have our own space and I LOVE it. I really wish I had done it sooner! It is the best b-day present I ever got myself.

 

[wbh1964]

I guess one thing I strugle with is I have a bunch of mismatched storage bins and scrapbook totes, etc that just look junky. Do ya'll have lots of storage bags?...tote bags that hold 12x12 "stuff"...and if so and it is full of "stuff"...how do you store it?

 

[joyah]

First off don't ever be embarrassed by the stuff. My room is in that first link BAMB gave you i believe. it has evolved some and is still evolving (waiting on DH to get me a couple of shelves) when that happens I'll do update photos.

I use a sewing table that folds up so my scrap bags "hide" behind the door when it's open which it always is. Do you have a closet shelf or basement that you could put them in? I find at home I NEVER use things in totes anymore so I empty everything and put them away.

sorting and purging in a biggie. For me it was easy I emptied everything except the furniture out of the room. then NOTHING came back in unless I knew I would use it truely use it too.

Pics will definately make it easier and photobuck is easy and free.

 

[beaucoup]

I guess one thing I strugle with is I have a bunch of mismatched storage bins and scrapbook totes, etc that just look junky. Do ya'll have lots of storage bags?...tote bags that hold 12x12 "stuff"...and if so and it is full of "stuff"...how do you store it?

Can you paint or recover any of the items to make them all match? I plan on trying that with some of mine.

 

[hopemax]

I got the 2011 Organize Your Space thread up: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2638194

I finally cleaned out my PM box a little, it was at 100% for a month, but if you wanted to get my email to send photos to, you are more than welcome. And then I can put them up on my Photobucket, if that is okay.

A few tips, I have learned. While we all desire pretty, pretty only gets us so far. Function is the more important aspect. Sometimes, what is truly functional is only revealed after one has spent a lot of money on "cute & pretty." Once, you have a functional space for you, then you can focus on exchanging out the "ugly" storage out for something that looks great too, a little at a time.

If you have to use bags and totes, my first thought would be to find someway to "hide" them. Some options: In an organized closet, cupboard, just anything with doors. If that is not an option, under a table which you could cover with a "skirt" of some kind, or a bookshelf that you could modify to hang a cheap curtain rod and a curtain panel. Depending, on the room, perhaps you can even hang a curtain "room divider" from the ceiling and block off 2 feet or so, with all your storage behind it. When you are working, open it up. But it can be closed to hide the ugliness.

 

[wbh1964]

alright guys...I'm gonna try to post from photobucket. I just created the account so let's see if this works???? I can't believe I am actually sharing these pics! This is my family room. Only our family stays and plays in here. We have a formal living room and large den but this is where we spend most of our time together so I NEED it to be workable but not look like a trash dump...lol! Thanks for all ya'lls help!!!!

If this one picture attaches then I will post again with the other pics...

 

[wbh1964]

http://s1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa434/wbh1964/

Yes...this seemed to work...ok guys, PLEASE HELP! I'm in desperate need...lol!!!

 

[rlovew]

It looks like the first thing you need is the same as what I need to do now- find some kind of boxes/totes/ect and take everything out and sort them into the boxes. Once you take everything down you can start putting things away but you can't move or work in your area the way it looks now (and mine looks just the same- I am starting to pull things out and sort them this afternoon.

Rebecca

 

[hopemax]

Yay! for pics First, we have all seen much worse at some point in our own spaces.

Another thing I have learned, "sometimes the space you have to work with is not big enough to hold everything we want to have in our space." You may simply have too much stuff to all fit neatly, so I would suggest sitting down and figuring out what is important to have in that space. For example, my scrap room is not big enough to store my albums. All of those are stored, in a separate bookcase, in our guest room. This leaves me with the room I need to have all my supplies.

Others, may find that they don't even have enough room for all of their supplies. So maybe, some of them have to be boxed up and stored elsewhere. It may mean, keeping a tote of your Christmas scrap items that you only bring out when you are working on your holiday pics, in the basement the rest of the year, so you have room for your "Everyday" stuff. Or perhaps, you only keep the sorted photos that you are currently working on accessible, and the others are prominently labeled, and stored in a bedroom closet or something.

Also, one suggestion I always end up giving is "Go vertical." I added 2 floating shelves in my room. They cost about $30 each from Home Depot. I use them for displaying my Alice in Wonderland collection, not scrap stuff. But it looks like you have some vertical wall space above the plastic drawers for a shelf or two, that could hold some bins with "lighter" stuff. Maybe even, I'm guessing those are Stamping Up stamp kits on the filing cabinets?

Oh, and just had an idea, or remembered an idea. Since you are worried about the look of the plastic drawers. Pull out some cardstock, all the same color, so it matches. Cut it down, so that you can tape it to the inside of the plastic drawer. You can put a label on the outside, so you know what is inside. But it won't be on "display" for the world to see. They would just see a pink, blue, or whatever color you choose drawer.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

I have to agree with Rebecca, you need to completely clear the space and get all items out of bags, bins, etc and sort. We need to see what you have and how much.

I know you said you wanted to keep your mom's rack right? Are the filing cabinets full? Or can they be condensed?

Are those book cases identical?

Do you like having your desk facing out?

If the bookcases are identical I would suggest putting them along the long wall flanking a large desk space in between. Then you could have open wall space for pictures, or floating shelves for nice jars of buttons and ribbon.

The bottoms of those bookcases would be good for larger tools that aren't used very often because constantly going in and out of those doors would be a pain.

I would move the bakers rack to the wall on the right in picture one so that can be a focal point on that wall.

Are the colored binders completed albums? I would take those out completely for now if you have another place to put those so you can see how much space you free up.


Oh can I just come over and help??? LOL

 

[hopemax]

Oh can I just come over and help??? LOL

Me too! I keep thinking. "If I lived out east, I could have a small business just driving to DISer's homes and organizing their stuff." But I live West, where driving 4 hours means you are still 4 hours away from the next large metropolis.

 

[dacky041208]

I agree with putting any completed scrapbooks in another area of the house, if possible; it defintiely helped me to clear my space....it gave me room to store my ever growing collection of cricut carts!


One thing I've had a tough time organizing was stickers....until I found a great idea here on the disboards (it's worked like a charm!): Get an empty binder and some page protectors. Use those page protectors like envelopes and categorize your stickers! I have one protector for Mickey stickers, one for the rest of the fab 5, one for pixar, one for princesses, one for animal kingdom type, one for letters, etc etc. But before I did anything, I laid all the stickers out on the bed and came up with categories.



I love the idea of using cardstock on the plastic drawers that Hopemax suggested....I was thinking another way to make your space more cohesive and to help hide things, is to continue that idea on the doors of the bottom of the bookcases.


You could use photoboxes/shoeboxes, whatever...put the lids underneath em. Store your glitter all in one, or stamp pads, whatever is alike, and when you want to use those embellishments, just pull the whole box out from the closed door! Once you are done, pop it back in there.

I am a photobox queen. I have too many...one with all ribbon, one with all my cuttlebug folders, one with all glitter, one with flock....etc. But they really help me stay organized. I actually work in our master bedroom...when I'm scrapping it's a disaster area but once I'm done for the night, I put everything back in it's box and slide it under the bed. I used to just pile it all and it would take forever to get back into scrapping the next time I was ready to....now getting back to organized takes no more than 5 minutes.

I hope you find something to help you feel organized! Once you find a way to make it work you will feel a million times better and be a scrapping machine!!!!

 

[mommy2mrb]

All great ideas posted already.....I got my stuff from"The Container Store" all mesh metal drawers with matching desks ....also got some great shelves for my albums (in the closet) from Target, they are rectangular and fit 12x12 great! and my paper holders are from Oriental Trading. I got cheapy plastic bins to go inside the bigger mesh drawers.