New 52 | Week 26: Craft Studio Organization

Wow, we're halfway done with New 52! This year has really flown by so fast. This week's competition for what would be my New 52 of the week was fierce. It was between getting brand-new tires for my 1999 Honda Prelude (out of necessity), or some new organizational products I bought for my craft studio. Which one is more exciting?! I decided to talk about my craft studio organization! :)

I needed some organization for my scrapbook papers. I don't have a lot, but I wanted to separate them into a few categories, while still have them fit into my IKEA Expedit cubby holes. The IKEA cubby holes measure 13.25" x 13.25" and are 15.25" deep. I bought two sets of 3 Frosted Plastic Paper Holders from Oriental Trading, because the price was right. They're similar to Cropper Hopper ones but cheaper. The product description at their site says they are 13.25" x 13.25", so I thought "perfect, they'll fit then". They came on Monday and I opened them and assembled the boxes, and um, they didn't fit. The top was about 1/4 inch too tall to fit into the IKEA Expedit cubby holes. I was so disappointed! But Todd came to my rescue. He said he had some super heavy duty scissors in the garage, so I could try to cut 1/4" off the top of each paper holder. They're made of heavy duty plastic, but the scissors just might work. Last night I took the scissors to them and it worked! :)


On the upper shelf I have coordinated kits and mini-book supplies.  On the lower shelf I have colored cardstock, white/kraft/neutral cardstock, old stacks of bulk scrapbook papers, and newer papers that are heavier designer patterned papers.

Of course I had to label the organizers.  I decided to use my McGill Mini File Tab Punch to punch out some tabs out of white cardstock.


Then I just wrote on them with my Sharpie pen and finagled them onto the paper organizers.




I actually do have THREE label makers, but somehow I sort of like these handwritten labels more. I have used my label makers in other areas of the craft studio though. My studio is a mish mash of handwritten and printed labels.

I got these photo boxes for $2 each at Michaels. I use them to store my stamps and inks. I used some small shipping tags with twine to label the boxes.


More labeling!


I like to use existing items and repurpose them for storage too. Like tin cans that stored chocolates or cookies.


This canvas bin is for supplies for my "Handmade Christmas" 2011.

I've decided that this year all my Christmas gifts will be handmade. I've been collecting ideas in my Evernote and putting some supplies into this "Handmade Christmas" bin. I figured I need to start planning so I'm not trying to hand-make everything in December and get totally stressed out!

I got a couple of other items for storage at Oriental Trading. I got a Frosted Ribbon Storage Box with Lid for my ribbons.

I've gotta say I'm not too happy with this. First of all, their site made it look like you get 4 boxes with your order. The description even says "4 pcs". Um, "4 pcs" means the box bottom, the box top, and two dowels! You only get ONE box for $5! SO NOT COOL. I would have never paid $5 for this if I had known it was for ONLY ONE BOX. On top of that, the dowels are just long enough to fit inside the box, not extend past the width of the box. I was hoping the dowels are longer and there were holes on the sides of the box to fit the dowels through. So the dowels are basically useless because when you pull on the ribbons they just go every which way all over the place. I'll probably use my Crop-O-Dile and punch holes and then hacksaw a longer wooden dowel so that it's longer than the box and fits into my new holes. I don't have many ribbons so this will do for now.

The other item I got was some organizers with little compartments for my small stuff like buttons and brads. These actually worked out really well and you DO get THREE boxes for the $7, so that's a good deal.


Another storage solution I got at Michaels is a plastic project bag to hold my current project, a summer mini-book that I'm making for documenting our summer to-do list. I like the size and that it keeps everything I need for the mini-book together. Plus it was only like $1.29.


Of course, all this organization can run amuck if, let's say, your cat gets into your stuff! :p


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About This Project

New52 is a project started by Peppermint and I to encourage each other and others around us to try something new every week in 2011. The "new" each week doesn't have to be something big. It could be something as simple as ordering a new dish instead of old standbys at your favorite restaurant. It's simply opening your heart up to NEW possibilities.

Don't worry if you're late getting started on joining in. It's totally OK if you miss a week here or there. We encourage everyone to keep an open mind about trying something new. This is a life project, and a photography/blog and even scrap challenge if you wish. If you participate this week, please leave a link to your blog post in the link list below. You can also post images to our New 52 Flickr Group! We would love to see what you were inspired to do.