Getting Organized - Trimmers and more

Happy Monday!  I hope that those of you who have a holiday from work today for Martin Luther King Day are enjoying your long weekend.  I decided to share something about how I organize my craft space each Monday.  People always are interested to see how others put their work areas together (I love looking at other craft rooms!).  Maybe some of the things I do will work for you or give you an idea to make your space function better so you can spend more time being creative.

My very handy husband built this wonderful crafting island for me a couple of years ago.  It was quite a project and there are several posts showing the steps along the way.  You can click HERE to go to the posts labeled P - Craft Island, just scroll to the bottom and work your way up to see it come together in the proper sequence.  It has been filled up to overflowing - this photo was taken before the top was added and I started "moving in" to the cubbyholes.  There are lots more details in the old posts but it is basically three Expedit bookcases from Ikea - two 2 x 4 and one 2 x 2 - arranged on a wheeled platform with a large top made from plywood (not in this photo).  If you go back to the other posts you can see how it came together.

I do most of my crafting at this island - I usually stand when I work - and I take most of the photos for the blog here too (I'll show you what I use for that another day).  I need to keep some basic tools very handy but out of my way.  I had this office file holder around the house (you can buy similar ones at an office supply store) and one day I realized that it would be a great help to keep my trimmers, tape guns, cutting mats and scoring board handy and easy to reach. (I realized when uploading these photos that it is a little dusty - the flash shows off some dust I didn't see!).

The file sorter has a heavy weighted base so it is very stable.  It is about 12 inches wide and fits in one of the sections of the Expedit bookcase (from Ikea) with a little room to spare on each side.

I keep most of my small trimmers, two tape guns (with different adhesive), some extra self healing cutting mats (for using with an Exacto knife or the Creative Memories Custom Cutting System) and my Martha Stewart Score Board neatly stored and ready to grab in this section.

Here I have pulled the file holder out a little so you can see things a bit better.  I don't use the Martha Stewart board as often as my Scor-Pal - the Scor-Pal stays in one corner on top of the island almost all of the time.  Each of these four 12 inch trimmers has one thing that they do best - my dream is to find one that can do it all!  The small Creative Memories Personal Trimmer (with the star) is great for trimming down photos or mats for cards. 

Here you can see some of the surrounding cubes in the island base.  I am reorganizing some of them but will share more photos of all of the things this island holds in future posts.  There are some drawer units available for the Expedit and I have four sets of two drawers that help keep some smaller things handy (regular tape runners, glue dots, Scor-Tape, and some hand held tools like my Crop-A-Dile).

It may seem like a lot of space is used for just these tools but I find it very helpful to have them so close.  I can grab the tool I need without even looking since they are always in the same order.  As I look at these photos, I am realizing that I just might be able to put a shallow container below the file holder - I think there would still be room to easily grab the tools...(I will have to take another look at this tomorrow!).

Update on Creative Memories SALE

I had planned to take Sunday "off" but there were issues with the Creative Memories website and I posted late on Sunday to let you know that they have extended the sale prices until tonight (Monday the 16th) at 8 p.m. Central Time.  There were a lot of problems with the servers and they had IT people working as quickly as they could to try to sort things out.  So this is the absolute last chance to take advantage of the 25% off nearly everything sale.  The exclusive CM Cricut cartridges are $41.25 at the sale price (instead of $55) - the best price ever for these cartridges.

There is more information about the cartridges in my first post about the sale, just click HERE to see that post.

If you were trying to order and couldn't get through, please click HERE to go to my Creative Memories personal website where you can place an order and have it shipped directly to your address.  All of the cartridges are located on THIS PAGE of my personal website.  The January sale on albums will continue until January 26th but the sale price will go back to 20% off instead of 25%.  Some Picfolio Albums (the non-expandable type) will remain at 40% off until the 26th.

Thanks to everyone who has placed an order on my site.  I appreciate your support and will be happy to help you with any questions or problems.

I have some of the prettiest pink and red goodies sitting on my table - part of the project for tomorrow's post...

If you are an email subscriber, there may be two posts in this email since I posted late in the day on Sunday - just keep scrolling down to see everything - thanks!


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A little more information about my Spellbinder's storage

A few people asked me for a bit more information about the storage solution I posted for my Spellbinders dies.  I have started to accumulate quite a collection (but aren't all crafters also collectors?) and I am excited to have this inexpensive and easy way to keep the dies stored safely but readily accessible when I want to use them.

This is another one of the frames I found in the Michael's dollar bins.  There were three different colors - brown, red-orange and yellow-green.  By the time I found them they were 60% off and I searched these out in several stores - at the last they were 90% off and with a 25% off entire purchase coupon I got some for 7 cents each!

The magnet material is thick and strong - about the thickness of heavy chipboard.

When you remove the frames from the packages they are one solid piece.  You are meant to punch out the shapes but nearly all of the frames I found were still securely together giving me in a solid sheet of heavy duty magnet material for a very low price.

I removed the dies from the packaging cards and then added some tape on top of the tape that was holding the dies in the package.  I used my ATG adhesive which is quite strong and adhered a magnet sheet directly to the packaging.

Then I returned my dies to the new magnetic surface - they are held flat and tight but easily removed when I need to make a cut.  I could add pretty paper to this side but I am fine with the utilitarian look.

I used the original packaging so on the newer sets I don't even need to add labels - I can flip through the images to quickly find the set I want.  For my older dies that came in "nests" of four sets, I added labels to the generic packaging cards to make it easier to find the correct set of squares or ovals or whatever shape I need.

You may still be able to find these frames at a Michael's near you, but I think they have been clearanced from most stores by now.  I would check in your local dollar stores or general discount stores for something similar if you want to try to make a storage system like this.


If you have any more questions, please let me know through a comment or an email.

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A storage tip for Nestabilities

I have a new way to store my Spellbinders Nestabilities - it is inexpensive and easy (both of these are good things!).  I had devised a fairly elaborate system of storing these in CD cases with some pretty paper and labels.  I found it fiddly to work with and didn't like having to open and shut the cases all of the time.  I also found that some of the dies I have collected would not fit in the CD cases (the long rectangles and borders).

I recently came across these magnetic frames in the $1 bins at Michael's.  By the time I found them, they were 60% off.  I searched out various Michael's stores in my area to add to my stash and paid 40 cents, 30 cents, 20 cents, 10 cents and 7 cents for the various groups that I found.  (I just love a bargain!)

The frames are not really my style but the magnets are fairly thick and quite strong.  They work perfectly to keep the sets of Nesties together.  I had saved all of the original cards they came on and I found that I could adhere the decorative side to the cards and then add my dies.

On the sets that come with a booklet style folder the sets are identified by the photos.  On the basic sets that came in groups (or "nests") I used the smaller cards and added labels.  These fit easily in the same small crates that I use for my Cuttlebug folders.  I really like the one step action of pulling up a folder and taking off the die I want to use.  I am happy not to open and close cases and I don't worry about the dies falling off the strong magnetic sheet.

You can buy packages of magnetic sheets but they are fairly expensive and the ones that I have tried are quite thin and won't grip the dies nearly as well as these thicker frame magnets.  This was a great economical solution for me and you might try checking the clearance bins at Michael's or look at bargain and dollar stores in your area for something similar. 

The photo at the top of this post is of one of the decorative items at the place we stayed in Hollywood for CHA.  The furnishings were "eclectic" and I took a few photos to remind me of the interesting combination of styles - there were paintings and "art" objects everywhere, a gym and six or seven large televisions (I don't think we ever turned any of them on!). 

Tuesday morning I will be going to the hospital for the more permanent version of the procedure I had in November to help me deal with the leg and back pain issues that started last summer.  It shouldn't be very complicated but I'd appreciate any positive vibes you can send my way!  I'll post when I am home again - should be in the early afternoon.

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