Storage by Stampin' Up!

It's funny how crafting is all about the accessories sometimes! On April 1, SU released their new organization system and it was so popular that I only had a chance to order a set of marker trays. That was fine as it turned out to be exactly what I needed. I had been keeping my Stampin' Blends markers in empty cases and that was fine...until I started collecting more and more markers.

The different pieces, which include marker trays, stamp trays and lids, are made from sturdy white plastic and rubber feet are included if necessary. I can't wait to get other pieces to the collection and make a tower of markers. There's so much potential to organize your way - I can see stacking these on a lazy Susan for maximum space savings. Hopefully I'll be able to include some more pieces in my next order. Don't take my word for it, check it out!

A Crafter's Best Friend - the Raskog!

Raskog! What the heck is that? You may have heard the name but you have surely seen the three tiered utility cart or one of it’s cousins on Pinterest or your friend’s craft room. As an IKEA fan, I remember wanting a Raskog so much when they were first released. There were two things I couldn’t get over - the hospital blue colour and the price, which I think was around $69 at the time.

Fortunately, the price came down and more colours were released! Never was I so excited about a piece of furniture in my life - and I think that is why people adore their Raskogs and are so devoted to them. If you don’t believe me, google “Pimp my Raskog” or join the Facebook group of the same thing. What makes the humble utility cart so appealing is it’s infinitely customizability. It’s not just A Raskog, with a little creativity, it becomes YOUR Raskog. Folks add paint, vinyl stickers and trick the carts out with containers and more. Add a cutting board and you have an instant work surface. Flip over the top tier for a sewing cart. If you’re short on space, Raskog to the rescue! All you have to do is search for "Pimp My Raskog" and admire the way people have customized their little carts. It's amazing how attached we can be to an inanimate object. My theory is that a Raskog is just so handy and an extension of our creatives selves that we can't help but fall in love with them.

The only downside to Raskogs is that they are a little rascally to assemble, with tiny screws that like to fall out of the hole while you try to screw them in. I think it took about a half hour to assemble and then I soon busy organizing all my craft stuff. It’s been a constant struggle to keep the craft stuff under control - it just gets all over the place no matter how much IKEA furniture you own - but it has made a huge difference in keeping my supplies off the kitchen table. I have seven cups hanging off the side of the top tier for pens and pencils, then two on either end for cutting utensils, sponges, adhesives and random stuff. Antonius baskets will fit in the tray - which I previously featured.

All my catalogs and albums are within easy reach on the top tier along with some larger crafty items. My Big Shot lives on the second tier - the handle hangs outside the tray, while the third tier is a catchall of papers and projects. I love that I can wheel my supplies out of the way or closer to the kitchen table - but it lives just outside the kitchen most days! It’s been tempting to get a second one, I have to confess for the basement where a lot of my art supplies are.

If you don’t have an IKEA near you, don’t worry. You can find Raskog style carts at Michaels, Sam's Club and Target. I have to admit, it's been tempting to get another...

Keeping Cutting Dies Organized - How I Do It

I have a funny story about why paying attention to storing dies is so important. Years ago I bought a rectangular die set because it had one or two sizes I needed. Well, I misplaced those dies. No problem, I ordered another set and strived to look after them better. Wellllll...I misplaced the dies from the second set. Then I ordered a third set! Somehow I managed to find all the missing dies, so now I can do my die cutting thrice as fast.

The problem is though, dies are expensive and you can’t always get a replacement set. Unlike stamps, dies present their own little storage problem. They don’t always stick back on the sheet nicely and the packaging is a little mysterious. Some people get magnet sheets for their dies and empty DVD cases. You can also make a binder with magnet sheets and plastic sleeves.

Leaflets Framelits dies

I use the original packaging because I’m cheap and eco-friendly like that, plus I don’t want to take up more space than I have to. I may get to the binder stage some day! But what's working for me now is identifying all my dies by cutting each one out on scrap paper and affixing them to the paper liner. This way I can test them out, use up scraps and identify them quickly by grouping them together. Any other suggestions? Leave a comment!

The One Piece of IKEA Furniture Stampers Can't Live Without

A funny thing happens when you become a Stamping’ Up demonstrator - you acquire a lot of stamps! One of the reasons I joined was due to the discount but I was surprised how easily I fell in love with some designs. My stamp collection was pretty small before, but it exploded last year. How to store them all?

I have a small office/craft room that I kitted out with Billy bookshelves years ago to display my toy horse collections and be a reading nook. Unfortunately I never get the chance to read anymore - it’s a hobby that requires time and peace, which is hard to do with my pet birds. I donated some of my books, moved some things around and bought an extra book shelf for my biggest Billy bookcase (yes, you can do that!). This freed up my two Benno CD/DVD towers. It wasn’t quite enough room because I still had books I wanted to keep. Eight or nine stamp case sized cubbyholes can be configured and depending on whether you collect wood or cling stamps, 6-11 sets can be stashed per cubby.

Since we don’t live near the IKEA, I plotted and planned my shopping list. The Gnedby CD/DVD towers are now a fraction of the price of the old ones and I had just enough space left in the office for one, where I stashed the books. Whew! Now that I had space for all my stamp cases, I had to organize them. But, that is another post! You will see that I marked all the discontinued sets with a red sticker. I always try to feature current products just in case you see them and want to order them right away. Speaking of, Sale-A-Bration is one until the end of March, so make sure you make a qualifying order in case you want some of the free stamps.

Here's a little peek at my craft room - if it wasn't a disaster at the moment, I would take a wider photo. Each month gets better and better though. In theory I should be able to make a video by December ;-)

Click for larger

Happy New Year! Time to get organized

Happy new year friends! I don't have much in the way of 2018 resolutions this year, but I have been dying to reorganize my office/craft room. We promptly went to IKEA and then we promptly came down with colds, so I haven't had a chance to assemble my new Gnedby CD/DVD shelf. I have a couple from when they were called Benno. Not only are they good for CDs and DVDs, but paperbacks and Stampin' Up sets!

In the spirit of SU's motto "Inspire create, share", I hope to inspire you to create more by sharing by sharing this tip. I find when I'm designing and making cards, bits get everywhere and then I have to re-stamp or cut them again. Usually I toss everything into a dollar store basket, but do you know what's better than a dollar store basket? An IKEA Antonius basket. They're the ultimate project basket. The 6" middle compartments will hold your small paper pads and embossing folders or a bunch of quarter fold cards. The smaller compartments will wrangle your adhesives and scissors or keep all your Stampin' Blends markers together too! They are $2.99 Canadian and I scooped up four of them because IKEA is an all day trip for us. Oh, and the Antonius basket will fit in your Raskog. What's a Raskog? Stay tuned :-D

You'll thank me at Christmas!