{capture the moment}

Studio questions... answered

What an overwhelming response I have had to my new studio!  My husband has thoroughly enjoyed all of your comments and emails that complimented his craftsmanship!  Perhaps if you keep it up I can talk him into doing a few other projects around the house! *wink*

I have received MANY questions, and rather than respond to everyone individually, I thought it would be best to post the answers here...

--->Ruth asked... I have a quick question for you - are you happy with the Cropper Hopper 12x12 storage cube? Does it pull out easily? I have one of the Target cubes and it is so hard to pull out and push back in.

I bought my Cropper Hopper Cube when they first came out a few years ago and there weren't any alternatives on the market.  Although a bit pricey in comparison to Target's version, it has performed so well and I have no complaints.  The drawer slides in and out easily and never gets stuck, even when I have it full to capacity.

--->Serena asked...OMG! I am soooo in love with your workspace. So many wonderful ideas in there...Quick question though...Is it always so clean? =)

ABSOLUTELY NOT!  Perhaps I ought to have David comment on this question!  LOL!  When I have deadlines to meet and creativity is flowing, I pretty much throw things down wherever they land.  I can destroy my room REALLY fast. BUT, I have to add, that because of the time I dedicated to finding a sorage solution for each of my needs, clean-up is a snap.  And when I am ready and have TIME to tidy after a marathon work session, I can have it spotless in under an hour.  If my space was always this clean, I wouldn't be doing it justice, would I?

--->AmyR asked...Can I come live at your house? PLEASE??????

Yes , the door is always open!  *wink* I am now taking applications for foster stampers who have been abandoned and don't have their own studios.  LOL!

--->Lynn asked...Wow, I'm speechless! This room is like my dream crafting space. I love the lights, too. Where did you get those?

They are from Home Depot.  I got the cheapest track lighting kit they had (I think it was around $40?).  If you stop by there, they sell adaptors that attach to the end of the track lighting, which adds an official standard cord and you can just plug it in! How cool as that!  No need to hire an electrician.  After screwing in the track system to the bottom of the cubbies, we stapled the cord down the corner of the wall behind my computer and you can't even see it!  I checked the Home Depot website and they didn't have either product listed, but they are both pretty standard pieces that your should be able to find easily!

--->Karen asked...How much to borrow your husband? Can you send him to South Carolina?

He will work for chocolate!  *I* on the other hand can't part with him!

--->Kim asked...Your studio is amazing! you must feel so blessed to be able to work in a space like that. Where did you get all the cabinets?

All of the cabinetry is Mill's Pride Closet organization pieces from Home Depot.  They sell bases that you can install and then customize with a variety of drawers, shelves and doors.  The best thing is that it is ALL re-adjustable, so if I change my mind later, I can move things around.

--->Dianna asked...Wonderful job! Could you please share with us the paint color that you used?

I am a big fan of Behr paint from Home Depot.  It has fantastic coverage and almost never takes more than one coat to complete a project.  (Trust me, my husband and I are pros.  We have painted every room in our house at least twice and we've only lived here for 3 1/2 years!  The specific color for this room is actually a custom mix.  It's a pretty soft celery greeen.  This is what my paint can label reads:

COLORANT                  OZ        48       96

D   THALO GREEN         0         14        0

I     BROWN OXIDE        0         16        1

T    MEDIUM YELLOW    1         13        1

--->Lisa asked...OMGoodness.. If I had a room like this.. No one would ever see me. I would go in and never come out. Have you rolled around on the floor yet just for fun?

No, but it sounds like a really good idea!

--->Gayle asked...great room!!! I'm curious as to what brand of paper cutter is sitting underneath the Fiskers cutter?

The Making Memories paper trimmer.  I like to use the Fiskars for regular day to day work.  But when I have a big job to do, like cutting cardstock for swpas or holiday cards, I prefer the Making Memories.  A girl can never have enough paper trimmers in my opinion!

--->Kelly asked...This really is beautiful. I'll be "CASEing" several of your organizing ideas! Has any of the publications done a photospread of your room? They should! Everything looks wonderful. But I have just one question: where is the "Z" box??? :0)

No publication has yet to feature my room, although a little peek may appear in a future issue of Paper Crafts in the Ask the Pros column, if it doesn't get edited out.  The "z" box is directly behind the "y" box in my alphabet storage area.  I didn't want to dedicate another shelf to the system for just one letter!  And besides, I rarely use the "z's".

--->Juanita asked...My, oh my, be still my heart!!! What an awesome room!!! WHERE DID YOU FIND THOSE TURQUOISE BASKETS, they are to die for??

The turquoise baskets were from Hobby Lobby and I actually got them for 50% off.  Full price was something like $15 for the largest baskets, $8 for the medium and $5 for the small.  They also came in pink & orange!

--->Linda asked...I've got a question about your ribbon spooling, and I'm hoping you won't mind helping me out...  you say you have them on clothespins... and I can see they're long with a ball type thing at the top... where did you buy those clothespins???

Dollar Tree is the only place I could find them, in the laundry section.  I think there were 20 or 40 in a bag for, obviously, a dollar.  I go in there every couple months and buy them out and have a stock pile in my attic.  I don't ever want to run out and not be able to find them!  Especially since my ribbon collection continues to expand!

--->Laura asked...I was wondering if you could share a little more info. on the custom cd case that your husband built. My husband said he will make one for me if I get a little more info. for him. I specifically need to know where he got the tracking from? Did it come off of another cd case, or is there a source for it???

David purchase them from a large carpentry accessory company called Rockler.  The sell 6 ft. CD Storage Strips that are made out of light-weight plastic and attached to anything (and they are only $10 each).  The custom case he built me uses 4 of these strips, each cut in half, giving me 8 pieces (2 pieces for each section).  When adhering the strips to either side of the shelf, be sure to line them up correctly so your CD's slide in straight.

--->Melissa asked...I was just looking at your blog, admiring your craft room, & saw that you have a 12x12 Cropper Hopper file drawer. I was just wondering, where in the world would I find the 12x12 file folders. The only kind I ever see are the standard letter or legal sized folders. Are they Cropper Hopper too???

Yes, Cropper Hopper sells 12x12 folders for their units.

--->Maria asked...All I can say is has Martha seen this room?

No, she hasn't.  Do you have her number? *wink*

I think that about answers everything!  If you have any additional questions, please feel free to ask.  I will try to get a post up tomorrow summing up my CHA experience.  What a blast I had!  Untill then...happy stamping!

ETA:  I have received more questions, so I thought I would add them onto the end of this post!

--->Lisa asked...What do you do with your scraps of cardstock. And is there a certain size where you say this is too small to keep? I feel like I’m overflowing in scraps and I don’t know what to do with them.

 

I used to keep ALL of my scraps, but I ended up wiith so many that it was difficult to find what I needed, therefore I never used them and kept grabbing full sheets, just because it was easier.  Now, I only keep scraps if they are half a sheet or larger and they are filed with their full sheet counterparts.  I may throw away a lot of small scraps, but I figure that if it is less than half a sheet, it only has a value of a few cents and it is worth it to me to keep my organization intact.  It is very important to me to always "fit" into my space and not allow it to get out of hand.  I don't know about you, but I always work better when everything is neat & tidy!

--->Misti asked (along with several others!)...Would it be possible to tell me all 28 of your box labels?  I'm just curious how you split things up!

ROLLERS: all of my Stampin' Up! wheels & ink cartridges, brayers & crimper

MEMORABILIA: little personal keepsakes are stored here until they make it into a scrapbook.

INSPIRATION: pages torn from magazines, etc. that inspire me.

ADHESIVES: Any & all adhesives including tabs, liquids & Mod Podge.

CHIPBOARD: All of my chipboard shapes, divided into baggies by brand.  If they come on a sheet, I punch them out to make them easier to store.

RIBBON: where I put ribbon if I don't time to get it onto clothespins right away.

PASTELS & PENCILS: chalks and watercolor pencils

METAL: metal sheets, metal alphabet punches, etc.

FLOSS & STRING: embroidery floss and crochet thread, jute twine

EMBOSSING: embossing powders, embossing inks, powder trays, embossing buddy, dry embossing templates.

SPARKLE: glitter, stickles, peral-ex powders

ACRYLIC PAINT: well, just that, acrylic paint!

POLYSHRINK: polyshink sheets, templates

TAPES: scotch tape, metal tapes, fabric binding tapes, sticky strip, packing tape

INK PADS: loose ink pads

FRAMES & CORNERS: anything that is a frame or corner, photo corner stickers, chipboard frames, acrylic frames

FOAM STAMPS: all of my foam stamps organized by set in baggies.

STAMPS: unconventional stamps; 7gypsies self-inking stamps, Making Memories magnetic stamps, date stamps

MEMORY DOCK: extra filler pages for my Memory Dock organizer/date book.

SPRAYS: spray paint, spray adhesives, spray varnish

LETTER GROUPS: sheets of adhesive chipboard letters

FILL-INS: Any product that provides lines to "fill-in".  Journaling cards, stamps, etc...

NUMBERS: any & all numbers (chipboard, metal charms, stamps, etc.) divided into baggies.

BEADS: any and all beads and beading tools

DISTRESSING: sponges, walnut inks, sanding supplies

CLOTHESPINS: extra clothespins to use for my ribbon spooling

BLANK: the content of this change, depending on what my needs are at the time.

--->Starr asked...How do you wrap the end of the ribbon on the spool?  Do you use tape?  Your spools look so neat and nothing is hanging off.  I tried tucking the end of the ribbon in the slit of the clothes pin, but it just falls out...help!

I insert the end of the ribbon in the slit and then hold it in place until I have tightly wound the ribbon around the clothespin a few times.  After I have completed winding all of the ribbon, I fasten the end down with a glasshead pin. 

The NEW Studio

My studio has been a work in progress for many months.  My poor husband kept getting new tasks as I "moved in" and needed improved storage solutions.  I have purged, organized & cleaned and finally say that this project is complete!  We re-modeled a tiny 9x10 bedroom in our home to suit my needs.  Let me give you the grand tour!

This is the view as you walk in the door from our hallway.  Notice the large scissors hanging on my door!  I bought them at Hobby Lobby 50% off a few months ago!  I loved the pair that Jeanette had from Pottery Barn, but they no loger carried them.  When I say these at HL, it was all I could do to contain myself! 

David designed and build my workspace fo me.  It has real countertop, which has held up so well and I am really happy with it.  It came with a backsplash attached and he had the brilliant idea to cut it off and use it as a little shelf just above the workspace.  It is cuh a nice detail.  All of the "little things" an artist needs at their fingertips can set perfectly on the shelf and not clutter my actual work surface.  My 22" flat screen monitor (courtesy of Papertrey Ink *wink*) is wall mounted so it doesn't sit on my work surface either. 

I hung all of my Paper Crafts magazine covers on the wall is simple black frames.  It is rewarding to look at the wall everyday, it serves as a reminder of my accomplishments.

To the left of my workspace there are two slide-out shelves.  The top one holds my printer/scanner & my heat gun (since it is close to the outlet).  The second shelf has my fax machine & paper trimmers.

To the right of my workspace I keep all of my embellishments.  They are in plastic compartmentalized boxes ($1.95 ea. from Wal-mart) by color.  It is amazing how much stuff these things can hold once you start taking emellishments out of their packaging!  Just above the embellishments is a little shelf that has a tray where I like to toss my scraps.  There is also a platic box that holds all of my Palette Ink pads.

Above that is my "necessity drawer".  It contains all of the supplies that I use everytime I sit down to craft.   A variety of adhesives, stamp clener & pad, black ink pads, distress ink pads, paper-piercing pad & template, postage stamps, etc... 

Sitting on my workspace, above the necessity drawer, is a 12x12 Cropper Hopper drawer.  It holds all of my patterned paper.  I have orgainzed it all by color.  I have five folders for each color. The green section for example has folders labeled Green, Green Dots, Green Stripes, Green Floral, Green Plaid.  This has been such a great system for me and it really allows me to find what I need, fast.

All of my SU! ink pads sit on top of my Cropper Hopper drawer.  I also have a turquoise bowl sitting beside it which holds all of my acrylic blocks.  I keep all of my tools in a Tool-Turn-About from Pampered Chef.

Above my workspace is a series of cubbies holding white photo boxes.  The cubbies were really inexpensive from Target, David just wall-mounted them.  It consists of 2 six-cubby units and 1 two-cubby unit.  If fit the space perfectly.  The white photo boxes are from Hobby Lobby.  There are 28 of them and they contain EVERYTHING!  They are all labeled and easy to access.  There is one for embossing and it conatins all of my embossing powders, trays, inks, etc.  There is labeled "sparkle" which houses glitter, stickles, perfect pearls, etc.  I also have boxes for acrylic paint, loose ink pads, pastels & pencils, inspiration, tapes, distressing, etc.  These have been essential to making the most of my space.  David mounted track lighting to the underside of the cubbies.  They provide plenty of light when I am putting in late nights.

Right beside my workspace is a low set of cabinets & drawers under the window.  This is Hannah's space.  Turning to the right from my workspace, on the next wall, is what used to be the closet.  David removed the doors and did a complete set of built-ins. The little stool on the right-hand side is what Hannah pulls up to sit on when she is working.  I also use it to help reach top shelves.

The counter space is what I call my "tool table".  It holds my Cuttlebug, Revolution, QK Squeeze and MM Tag Maker.  They are easy to access and use right there without having to clutter my workspace.  The shelving surrounding the tool table holds all of my wood-mounted stamps.

The cabinets below the tool table hold all of my magazines and books.  I have 6 years worth of back issues of Martha Stewart Living and I refer to them often!  I have a basket on the top shelf of the left-hand cabinet that holds all of my envelopes and shipping supplies.

Turning to the right from the tool table is my main storage wall.  It holds all of my cardstock in Crpper Hopper organizers. 

On the top shelf I have turquoise baskets that hold office supplies, alphabet sets and sticker embellishments.  Here is a peak inside my alphabet set basket.  I keep all of my rub-ons and sticker sheets in here.  I put them in file style, so I can literally flip through and find what a need.      

My ribbon is in candy jars (Wal-mart for about $5 each).  I wrap all of my ribbon on clothespins and have one jar for each color.  It has been such a solution for my ever-growing collection.

The left bottom cabinet holds all of my alterables.  It is just a LITTLE crowded in there.  I can't seem to stop buying this stuff!!!

In the center bottom are three shelves.  Each holds a tray basket (Target $12 each).  There is one for each of my children and labeled as such.  These are ehere I stick any artwork or keepsakes before I file them into their large storage boxes in the attic.

Right above the baskets are 4 drawers.  They hold all of my punches and cutting tools.  This is a peek at the inside of the top drawer.

The right bottom cabinet holds all of my scrpabook albums.  Most are still waiting to be filled!  One day, one day!

The center middle of my shelving system holds all of my alphabet boxes (freezer containers from Wal-mart).  I have filed all of my chipboard letters, alphabet stamps, letter charms, etc... into these boxes.  If it has a letter on it, then it gets filed here!  It has been such a great resource to have and I find myself using things I normally would have forgotten about.

Beside my large shelving unit, to the right, is my custom built CD rack!  David completely invented it himself and I am so thrilled with it.  It has the capacity to hold 200 cases!

The top half holds all of my acrylic stamp sets (75 and counting!).  David installed adjustable shelving in the middle that holds baskets with ink spots, reference books, etc.  IT packs a lot of storage into a little space tht would normally have been neglected behind the door!

My scallop punches hang on a rack on the back of my door.  The base of the rack was made out of scrap wood, ahile the punches are held on inexpensive curtain rods.  I will end this post by pointing out the sign above my door, which sums up everything nicely.  "Surround yourself with the things you love".

Scalloped Punches Galore!

We just made a big announcement on the Papertrey website! 

We will begin carrying ALL TWENTY Scalloped Clever Lever Craft Punches from Marvy Uchida in June.  FOURTEEN of which will be BRAND NEW to the industry!  We will begin taking pre-orders on June 1st , with shipments going out mid-June!  (or EARLIER, depending on when we receive them!)   

Our goal is very simple:
If you want, we got it!

What else do you want that we "don't got"?  I would love to hear your thoughts!

room for change...

Purge.  Reorganize.  Simplify. Those have been the phrases circulating through my head the last few days.  Our home has three bedrooms and a large bonus room.  The master bedroom is large and spacious, but the other two bedrooms are quite small.  Currently Owen & Hannah share a room with Ethan in his own.  The bonus room has become an extention of the bedrooms, containing an overflow of toys, books & games.  It provides a play area and is constantly cluttered with children's activities in progress.  My studio is located in the corner of the bonus room.  Lately it has become difficult for me to concentrate in my space, to feel creative.  There is so much going on in the room, so much chaos visually, that I no longer feel inspired to create.  All I feel is the constant push to pick up after the kids constantly, which would be an impossible chore.

That being said we have decided to switch everything around.  We are going to remodel the bonus room into Owen & Hannah's suite; Ethan will move into Owen & Hannah's old room.  My studio will be relocated to Ethan's old room.  I am looking forward to a room of my own.  I can shut the door and have privacy.  It can also be locked when not in use so little hands cannot get into anything (did I ever tell you about the time Hannah used a glue stick on all of my projects for a PC101 column?  Lets just say 8 became 1!)  I will have a closet for LOTS of storage.  It is a self-contained room, so I can paint it and decorate it however I like!  This also gives me the opportunity to re-organize everything in s new and fresh way.  Purge product I don't have a need for.  Re-discover tools I forgot I had.  I am excited about this change! 

So I have been doing some preliminary shopping.  This is the desk I have picked out.  It is from Target and made of maple.  It is difficult to tell in this photo, but it is made from maple and is mission style.  I love the shelving system that goes with it.  It will frame my computer miniter perfectly and the cubbies will be perfect for Prima jars and other goodies.  There is a small matching side table that I am getting as well to hold the computer tower, printer & scanner.

I think I am also going to get some of this Maple Lane Studion storage from EK Success.  I love the smallest canvas bins.  I am planning on having one bin for each technique & type of product (embossing, distressing, rub-ons, stickers, etc...).  I am going to stack them and put the unit on casters.  I'll store next to my desk and be able to easily access all of my favorite supplies.  I think I will also get a large cube & bin for the bottom portion of the unit to hold new product before I have time to put it where it belongs.  Currently, the new product sits on my desk until I use it and looks so messy!  I think this storage will be perfect for my needs.  The canvas bins come in khaki, blue, moss green & black.  I think I am going to go with khaki, so my room color can be flexible over the years.  But I LOVE the blue and green as well.  Any suggestions?!?!

For the back wall of my new room I am going to get a ladder shelving system.  I'll probably purchase mine at our local unfinished furniture store and stain them to match my desk.  The bottom rows will be perfect for holding all of my Cropper Hoppers holding my patterned paper & cardstock.  The rest of the shelves can hold my ever-expanding magazine collection & idea books.  Speaking of which, I need SEVERAL magazine files and I want them to all match.  Does anyone have suggestions for somewhere online to purchase stylish yet affordable versions?

I have done extensive research online, peeking into other artist's spaces.  I have gathered so many ideas that I am looking forward to executing.  I thought I would share a few of my favorites...

Terri Bradford's scrap space inspired me to have a special bin for new product that has not yet been filed.  She also has a small basket of pictures waiting to be scrapped.  Her room is SO cute too!  Be sure to check it out.

This studio has AMAZING organization throughout. 

Jenny's studio is SO darn cute!  There are so many great storage ideas in her space!  One cool aspect that I LOVED was that she covered her plastic Sterlite drawer fronts with fabric!  Cheap to classy in one easy step.  I LOVE that!

This one shows great use of drawer space.

The style of this space is so invitng and has amazing lightling.  I love how it looks like an elegant office, not filled with overflowing shelves of supplies.  This is kind of what I am after with my own space.

And I thought this was a cute way to store mini books!

I also picked up the tip to store the rims for my FAVORITE tag maker tool in CD jewel cases.  Those along with my smaller unmounted and clear stamp sets will go in a CD holder somewhere in my new space.

So I really want to hear from you.  What are your favorite organization tips?  I want my new space to be a happy place that is inspirational!

studio

Know Bob Vila?  I'm married to his twin brother.  Or at least you would think so by the amount of handy work David does around the house.  The extra big blessing from all of this?  I get to have my dream studio for very little cost.  Yesterday he installed some new track lighting for me.  He also built everything you see from scratch.  (You can click on any of these photos to enlarge them.) He designed the back bookcase with cubicles in the lower half that perfectly fit the plastic three-drawer units available at Wal- Mart.  Love that.  The shelf above that holds all of my 12x12 paper.  Then above that is my background stamps and tins holding single non-SU! stamps, divided into categories.  Above that is my new Memory Dock system.  So loving that!  On the little shelves to the left of my cabinet are 26 one-pint freezer containers (4 for $1.25, again, at Wal-Mart), one for each letter of the alphabet.  All of my chipboard letters, alphabet embellishments & alphabet stamps are organized into the appropriate tub.  Makes it so much easier to find what I need.  Also on this side, sitting on my desktop is my Tool Turn-About.  Love having all my "necessities" right at hand. To the right of the cabinet are all of my SU! sets.  I just did a major purge and got rid of about 100 sets in preparation for the new catalog!  In my cabinet are plastic sectionalized craft organization boxes ($1.95 ea. at, you guessed it, Wal-Mart).  These are where I keep all of my embellishments. The left & center stacks are broken down by color, the right stack is divided and labeled for metals (copper, silver, gold) and clear.  I love doing it this way because I am almost always searching for "just the right touch" in just the right color, and this system works great for me.  On top of my shelves are glass jars with my Prima Flowers.  Went in with my two best girl buds (Wendy & Melissa, hi girls!) and ordered a big bunch, then split them three ways.  I got my own jars at Hobby Lobby for $1 each.  My favorite aspect of the space?  I have room for two, whether it be friends or the kids, I can have company while I create.  And isn't always more fun when you get to share?  So that's the tour!  This studio brought to you by David A. Heady. The sweetest, handiest hubby around!