Workspace Wednesday: Organizing Scraps

In my last posting I told you about how after a long break in stampin', due to the holidays, I had looked forward to an afternoon filled with stampin' only to discover that my rubber room was a total disaster due to a combination of me not putting things away and using it as a dumping ground while we had family staying with us. So instead of being creative, I had to clean first.

I shared my messy room photos and promised to share my more organized work area when I was done. Since it hasn’t been too long since my total room makeover, and I’ve done a decent job keeping if fairly neat, it was mainly just the little stuff…like those pesky scraps that needed to be organized and put away.

So here is a shot of my room as you walk in...

No more clutter on my desk or on wall behind me! Most of the previous junk had been piles of cut card stock, punched & die cut shapes, etc, that I just didn't want to pitch but didn't quite know what to do with them. Now, I think I may have finally found a good system for helping to keep all my scraps in check. Best part is that I was able to use things I already had on hand so it didn't cost anything.

These cute cardboard bins that I had picked up on various trips to Target finally became useful. (I found them in their Dollar Spot.) I used my Apothecary Art stamp set along with the Label & Bitty Banner Framelits to create labels for the bins. The first bin is "card parts" and what I did was sort various stamped images and put them into small ziplocks or cello bags as shown below. 

I had a stash of small ziplocks & cello bags saved from the packaging of some SU! items for shipping...so instead of throwing those bags away, use them to help organize your small stuff.

The next bin contains stamped backgrounds. They are mostly 1/4 sheets that are stamped and ready to be made into cards. Hopefully when I am in a hurry I can grab some of the parts from these various bins and make a quick card easily. These were mostly extra pieces I ended up not using on previous projects. The 3rd bin is full of completed cards that are ready to send. 

This 4th bin is much larger and I use it for my clear blocks. It's easy for me to grab the one I need and then throw it back into the bin when I'm done. All these handy bins are against the back wall behind where I sit, so I can just swivel my chair to grab them (or to put away).

As you can see in above photo, there is also a 4 drawer unit painted to match my room. I have shared with you in a previous post that this was a yard sale jewelry box in its former life. I use it to hold my embellishments. You can read more here if you would like.

I have one drawer that holds all the various punched & die cut shapes that I ended up not using.

I used small stamp cases and empty button/brad cases to sort like items. It makes it real handy to grab what I need when working on a project.

You probably noticed my peg board which is on the wall behind and next to me. One of my favorite parts of this is the gutter I have mounted the length of it. It has worked out really well for me to store my ribbon. In the past I've tried other storage for my ribbon but this has definitely been the best for me. I can easily see exactly what I have...so I actually use it, plus I'm able to take out the whole spool and put it back without having to deal with a dowel like many ribbon storage systems. My over flow ribbon goes into a couple plastic drawers shown here.

Here is another nice little storage bin I found at Target. Unfortunately, by the time I came across them on their clearance end cap they only had 2 left...but the good news was I got them both for super cheap. They have grommets & magnets on the back for easy mounting and 3 compartments for storage. I decorated them with ribbon, a flower from the retired Pretties Kit and a button with a rhinestone to finish off the flower. These have been really handy for holding some of my extras and I can easily see what I have at a glance. With the added embellishments they are not just useful, but pretty as well…and who doesn't like attractive storage solutions? 

Speaking of decorative storage solutions, I inherited a whole bunch of old buttons from my Grandma & my Mother-in-law and they were just sitting in a box, so I decided to put them in these antique canning jars that had been sitting in my fruit cellar. The buttons are in the two smallest jars and the largest one holds scraps of ribbon from the end of spools...same goes for the clear canister next to it. That one I decorated with some SU! rub-ons to make it a little cuter. These sit on top of my wood mount stamp shelving unit (it was a media shelf in it's previous life) below the window.

On the wall next to the window is a future project of mine...

I'd like to fill this antique printer’s drawer with little stamped images, old photos and trinkets that mean something to me. As you can see...I have a few things in it...hopefully I'll share more in the near future. Across from my desk is my cutting station and my closet.

The antique sideboard is where I keep my Big Shot and paper trimmer. We inherited the sideboard after it didn't sell at my Mother-in-Law's estate sale because nobody liked the color it was painted. LOL...it doesn't match my room exactly...but close enough, so it ended up working out well for me! You can read more in this post. 

See the pretty box covered in cone flowers, hummingbirds and butterflies drawn by Susan Winget? I just love her work! I picked that up on sale a Joann's one day hoping that it would fit my embossing folders.

If the box was just about ¼” taller it would have been absolutely perfect, but it is still working out pretty good for me. (I just cannot buy too many more embossing folders!) It looks pretty when not in use, but when I need an EF it's right there at my fingertips. Same goes for the bin that holds my framelits...I shared more in this post about organizing framelits. That bin was from the Target Dollar Spot just like the previous ones I showed you. It doesn't hold the larger Thinlit Card Dies but for the regular size it's perfect. I keep the larger and out of season framelits in the drawer under my Big Shot.

I hope you enjoyed this peek into my Stampin' Space. Sharing my space with you from time to time helps me to stay on track with keeping it better organized…we all need a kick in the pants sometime, right!? ;-)  Hopefully there was an idea or two that you found useful.