Monday, May 18, 2020

My Scrap Space...Updated!

Hey all! I was looking around on here and realized I haven't shared any pics of my scrappy space since 2013. Lots of changes have happened in 7 years and I thought I would share it with you.


Ok I realize there's a lot going on in this picture so let me take you through each part of my room. The descriptions will be underneath the photos. I have also included links to products that are still available so if anything is in bold, there is a link to the product. :)

This is "the wall", where I keep most of my scrappy supplies. They are a closet organization system from ClosetMaid and are perfect for 12x12 paper storage.
My dad helped me customize the middle section so I could have these pull out shelves for my Paper Sticker binders. I have 4 of these (the 4th is on a bookcase off to the side) that store all my holiday and seasonal embellishments in these divided sleeves. 


My papers are all stored in these Cropper Hopper paper holders and are organized with these labels I got online. I had to trim them down a bit but I love them because I can slip the labels in and out as my storage changes. My patterned papers are stored by manufacturer (see above), theme (holidays, travel, baby, etc), or by color. I also have a few that are miscellaneous patterned papers that don't fit into any of the other genres. My cardstock is all Bazzill and full sized papers and scraps are stored together in Cropper Hopper paper sleeves. I got mine a long time ago and they had extra pockets in them for scraps but these work too.  

My inks, thickers, washi, brads, ribbon, die cutting, painting, and other miscellaneous supplies are stored on the shelves above the paper on the wall.


These shelves hold my die cutting materials in clear plastic boxes as well as my flower storage in a plastic basket. The boxes on the right hold my ribbon and 3D embellishment storage (metal embellishments, plastic letters, etc.) Below is one of the boxes holding some of my ribbons on plastic floss bobbins from the craft store.


These boxes are actually bait tackle boxes I bought almost 20 years ago at Walmart. Here is something similar you could use. Most of the dividers are removable so you can make the compartments as big or little as you like. I use a smaller version of this for my brad and eyelet storage.

The lids lock so there is no way you can spill this unless you knock it over when its open. I've done that and it is not fun!


This next shelf holds lots of different stuff. The top shelf holds idea books and my memorabilia for pages stored int those same Cropper Hopper Sleeves. I have one for each year and one for each trip I've taken that I haven't scrapped yet. 
The next shelf down holds these neat drawer units from Cropper Hopper. They aren't available anymore. I know because I want more of them. They are stackable and hold  4x6 photo holders that I used to store tons of stuff. The ones I have are hard to find but you can use these Iris 4x6 photo holders  just as well. I keep chipboard, gems, journaling cards, and so much more in them. They are the perfect size. 
The bottom shelf holds more of those 4x6 photo holders with all of my Simple Stories project life card and embellishments as well as my brad and eyelet storage boxes from above.


The next set of shelves holds my stamping supplies and other supplies. The top shelf holds my extra page protectors, buttons in jars, chipboard sheets, my Minc and supplies and also my "backstock" boxes. I have tons of extra adhesive up here as well as pens, embossing powders, and other miscellaneous stuff I got from when the Archivers I was working at closed. They gave us bags of stuff and multiples of many things. I didn't want to throw it away so it's up there, waiting to be used.


The next shelf down holds my Stampin Up inks on spinners. Next to that in the purple drawers is my embossing powders and supplies. The white basket holds twine and the clear boxes in front of the purple drawers holds my ink daubers. The boxes are from Scrapbook.com. Each color has a box and my daubers are labeled with my label machine for the color they go with. I am slowly adding new daubers to the boxes as I need them. :)


The shelf on the bottom holds the rest of my inks in Sterilite drawers. The drawers to the far right hold my washi tape and twine. I created my own dividers out of cardboard and glue dots so that my washi would not be a mess. But I am completely out of room...



This section of the wall holds my Thickers alphabet stickers, my flat alphabet stickers my paints and mists, my reinkers, and my 6x6 paper pads. For the Thickers I use these boxes from Sterilite that I found at Walmart. The 6x6 paper pads are in these bins from iDesign. These are great bins that I have found at Meijer, Target, and the Container Store that I used to store lots of stuff.


Next up is my stamp storage. These are the 10x5x6 bins from iDesign. I keep each stamp sent in a pocket. I use these sleeves from Office Depot. I simply cut them in half, making sure to stay on the seam and flip them backwards. I also add a 5x7 piece of cardstock behind the stamp set for visability and durability. I just redid this area of my scraproom last weekend so its not fully finished and is still a work in progress.

This is my computer desk. It is normally not this clean...ha ha. This is where I edit and print my photos, use my Silhouette machine, and get online. The basket to the left has oversized stamps and a bunch of miscellaneous stuff in it. The files on the left hold my photo paper, labels, and other office type supplies. I keep recently completed pages up above my desk on this frame holder until I get them scanned and put away.

This is my scrap desk. It is a giant executive desk that we got for free when my dad's company remodeled their offices years ago. There is actually another one in front of me that my mom uses for her cardmaking. On the top I store my white, black, and kraft cardstock. My Hip Kit Club kits are in the labeled folders in front of me. (They are not available anymore.) This helps me reach for those and try to use them first before I go to my stash. :) 

Next to that is my marker caddy from Stamp n' Storage and next to that are my most used supplies, glue, scissors, rulers, stamp cleaner, journaling cards and some of my favorite tools. I also have a basket that holds a bunch of miscellaneous embellishments that are not themed like tags, word and phrase stickers, labels, and basic shapes. I also store my enamel dots and pop dots here. 
Inside the desk stores all my other most used supplies.
This drawer is home to my adhesives, glue dots, Xyron X, and Nuvo drops. The baskets are from Walmart.

This drawer has my Distress ink foams and blending tools, extra ink daubers, Distress Crackle paints and Distress Stains, and my alcohol inks. Various baskets from Walmart.

This drawer houses my glitter stash. :) More baskets from Walmart.
This drawer houses my most used punches: circles and Disney. It also has my corner rounders and my swatch books. The two brightly colored ones are samples of every color of Bazzill cardstock I own. It makes it so much easier to match up cardstock to my projects.  The other two are my Lindy's Magicals and ink swatch books. I use the Simon Says Stamp ink swatches for my inks. 

This is my extra table that houses a bunch of my workstations. I have my Big Shot here as well some of my most used metal dies in my box from Stamp N Storage. I have the medium size with magnet cards. My large paper trimmer I use for photos and my sewing machine are also on this table. The spinner is from Clip-It-Up and holds all of my company specific embellishments that aren't specifically themed. Echo Park, My Mind's Eye, Pink Paislee, October Afternoon, etc....its all here. You can also see my much neglected Cricut in the background.

Last up is my album storage...you can see that I have albums stored everywhere in my room...at last count I have over 75 completed albums. I am out of places to store them. This is an antique bookcase my parents have that I also have my teaching books in right now. 
I have been amassing this collection for close to 2o years and after spending lots of time working in scrapbook stores, I have quite the amount of stuff. I definitely didn't have near this much when I started out. But if you see anything that interests you that I didn't talk about, please let me know and I can share more. :)

Monday, March 16, 2020

In the news...

Ok world, In the midst of the events unfolding over the past week, I decided I want to share my thoughts and record my emotions about the Coronavirus (Covid-19). This tiny little virus has wreaked havoc on my daily life, closing both my school and church as well as cancelling any social events I had planned over the next several weeks. Even my favorite place on Earth has closed, Walt Disney World, for the remainder of the month.

Today, only staff appeared at my school and we were all frantically trying to wrap our heads around being out of school for 4 weeks or more(!) and creating "remote learning" lessons to keep our kids academically engaged while they are at home. It was almost surreal to walk out of my building with everything I will need to teach reading to my kiddos for at least a month. I am going to miss these young people that I get to interact with every day and that bring smiles and joy to my life. And my co-workers, my confidants, my cohorts, my partners in education...to not see them for several weeks seems not possible...like its a big joke and we will all be back next week, saying 'gotcha'. But sadly this is our new reality.

I ventured out to the stores this weekend with Aaron to stock up on a few extras that Mom didn't pick up. She's in charge of the major shopping and I usually add a few of my own things when I get to the store. But at Walmart, what we found were bare shelves....so many things were out, from toilet paper and cleaning supplies, to bread, cheese, pasta, butter, eggs, and even frozen pizzas. I did find a few boxes of elbow macaroni on an endcap and I stocked up on my Pepsi so I am good there for several weeks. :) Plus some miscellaneous snacks and cheese. Definitely one of my weirder shopping trips for sure.

As we face uncertainty, however I know that everything is going to work out ok in the end. It may not be as easy or as neat as I want it to be. It will probably be tough and messy but that's okay because I know my God has this.

Matthew 6:25-27  “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than 
they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you;my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. “

Philippians 4:6-7  do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 56:3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

Proverbs 3:5-6   Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Joshua 1:9   Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.