My Scraproom - Videos and Photos

Here are two videos about my room and lots of photos.  Scroll down to read the details.  Thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some notes about my room.  I go into a lot of detail... feel free to skip it all. ☺ 

My room is in my basement.  I like this because the other half of the basement is where my husband has his hobby and storage is nearby.  Also, I didn’t feel pressured to make it “fit” into the look of the rest of my house. Instead, “anything goes.”  Also, this is my job.  Therefore, I like that my work is somewhat separate from the rest of my life.  Somewhat... ☺ 

• I like things closed up, but easy to get to, so use a lot of boxes, drawers and cabinets.
• This room is used as much by the kids, so I have a ton of counterspace to share.  The girls work across from me and share my supplies. 
• I haven't measured the room, but Ken guesses it is 15' x 25'.
• My room isn't always that clean. :)  I get a lot of shipments of products (this is my job) so it is hard to keep up with putting things away.  But I really try.  The kids are very helpful.

I used the most inexpensive of everything...

• The carpet is inexpensive burber (didn’t want to worry too much about it) and I keep a small rechargeable vacuum under the counter.  I have mats down under my rolling chairs.
• The countertops were stock from Home Depot.  I wanted something that wouldn’t show ink stains and I got the type with the backsplash to prevent things from sliding off the back.  Love that.
• The large white drawers and cabinets support the countertops along with a few other simple supports.  Got this white furniture at Organized Living years ago. It wasn’t expensive, and since it was meant for office use, it was MUCH more practical and open than kitchen cabinets.
• The paper racks are from Target.  I then use the Cropper Hopper paper holders to slide into the racks – a perfect fit.  I love this system.  I sort patterned paper by color, and also have holders for stripes, dots, etc.
• The many little white drawers are from Ikea.  They come unpainted and unassembled.  I LOVE THESE.  They are great.  If you get them, be sure to sand them well before painting.  My dear parents sanded and painted all of this as a gift long ago.  (I told you I had the best parents.)  ☺
• The jars are all from Hobby Lobby and were very inexpensive.  They are filled with buttons and flowers and a few other embellishments.  I love the colors showing.
• The tall white cabinets are from the closet organization area of Lowes.  They are inexpensive and wonderful.  On the shelves, I use plastic spice shelves.
• The white shelves that look like large squares are from Ikea – the famous Expedit.  I wanted a clean look, so I filled them with red boxes from Ikea and am really liking this system. 
• The wall quotes are from onceuponadesign.typepad.com.  I can’t recommend them enough.  I encourage you to check them out.  These are two nice girls who are working hard and are good people – I love to support that.  Their prices are great and their designs aren’t “stuffy” like many are from other companies.  I love them.  I have other designs in my house, too.  My favorite thing of theirs is the large heart.  It is perfect for putting a favorite photo in.
• I have all of my punches hanging on a pegboard on the wall... very hidden in a corner.  This system is fantastic - I love it.  Inexpensive and very effective.  You can get pegboard hooks and shelves at Home Depot.
• The big buttons are from Pottery Barn - got them on mega clearance. I bet you could get them on ebay.  The big scissors are from Hobby Lobby.

At my workspace:

• My dad had a piece of tempered glass cut to fit my workspace – a wonderful Christmas gift from him.  I adore having this.  When it gets yucky, I just spray it with cleaner and scrape it clean with a razor.  So easy.  Cost about $80 and is tempered with smooth edges.
• Under my workspace are lots of 12” wide drawers.  Here, I have scraps sorted by colors.
• In the drawers closest to my workspace, I have all the tools I need often within reach: wipes, acrylic mounts, blank notecards, adhesives, scissors,etc.
• I also have a large drawer where I put things when I am done using them.  Once a week or so, I empty out this drawer.  That way I don't have to do it every time I work.
• The "Today I will be happier than a bird with a french fry" is from THIS seller on etsy.com

At my computer area:

• I have all my computer stuff together in one side of the room.  This includes my Mac laptop and large flat screen monitor (it is an inexpensive but really good one from Gateway), printers (both are wide format – one is old and is just used for quick printing), scanner, Quickutz Silhouette, Epson Picturemate, etc.
• I keep my idea books and work papers on a narrow shelf nearby.

In my tall white cabinets:

• In the tall white cabinets, I have my stamps on spice shelves.  This works great so that I can see the stamps, as they all stand up.  This is a great way to save on space, too.  The stamps are sorted by theme.  (I do have a lot of stamps, but keep in mind that is my job - I work for a stamp company.  I would never been able to buy all those!)
• I also have my ribbon in bins in the cabinets.  The ribbons are wrapped around clothes pins, safety pinned closed and sorted by color.  (Thanks, Jana!)
• My clear stamps are stored in large binders inside these cabinets.  (Click HERE for a video on clear stamp storage.)
• In between my my tall cabinets are some more paper racks from Target.  This is my cardstock.  I purged this often and donate to schools.

In my Expedit (white square shelves):

• The red boxes on my Expedit store rub-ons, stickers, chipboard and more.  I like that everything can stand up in here, making it easy to flip through. (I used to use drawers and things got buried so easily.) 
• On top, I have black 3-ring binders for my scrapbook pages.  They aren't all in there yet, but I hope to have that done soon.

In the small white Ikea drawers:

• In my small white Ikea drawers, I have inks, brads, embellishments and more. 
• Inks are sorted by colors. This works much better for me than sorting by ink types.
• Little embellishments are divided into watchmaker tins within the drawers.
• Several drawers hold various letters.  One drawer has A, B and C, another has D, E and F, etc.  This is a great way to keep old letters organized and easy to find.
• If you get these drawers, be sure to sand them and prime them before painting.  (Mine are painted with a semi-gloss white trim paint.)
• The little white drawers from Ikea - yes, they don't have labels.  I move things around so much that I decided not to put any labels on them.  But I remember where everything is - it is that engineer mind of mine.  :)

Other tips:

• I think long and hard before committing to a storage change.  I usually try out one and see if I like it before buying it all.
• I purge often - once a month.  Things I know I won’t use get donated to my son’s school, fundraisers or are given away on my blog.
• Many of my things are from Ikea.  I didn’t have an Ikea until recently.  So, even if you don’t have one, you can get these things.  I bought all the white embellishment drawers new on ebay (30 of them!) and the rest were from ikea.com.

Comments

[christina]

wow what a great room! I am stunned!

[samar nassar]

friend...i´m from Brazil and i want a room just like yours!!!! wish it were mine!!!!

[southernscraps]

WOW! What a great room! Thanks for sharing all the info. And don't you just love etsy?

[Shan]

Wow! You are amazingly organized! What kind of counter surface is that in the room? It looks like granite, but I am not sure. Thanks for all the info and being so thorough with sharing where you bought everything! Thank you!

[CreativeCrafterUK]

What a great room! I wish I had the space to do the same. Like you, I like to 'hide' stuff behind closed doors, but it gets to the stage where the room is getting too small for the amount of creative products that I have!

Your workspace is very inspiring...I really must work on the look and organisation of mine more. Thanks for sharing.

[Rochelle]

So this is what it's like to be organized :-) What a pleasure it must be to go to your space and let the creative juices flow! I work out of a closet in our den and I can't even begin to imagine the thrill of having a work area like yours. Thanks so much for sharing!!! Just wondering what 'stuff' you have in those "supplies rarely used" boxes LOL.

[Kristin]

Thanks for sharing your scrap room! it is really great! I'm currently re organizing my scrap corner and its nice to see how someone else does it.

[catarina ramos]

That's sweet!!

I've just foun your blog and imediatly loved it!!

Mind if I add you in my blog list?

Bye ***

[Marcy Whitley]

I am new to using the Quickutz Revolution. Could you tell me where I can find some tutorials on the various ideas of to use it.
Thanks

[Yogawithmoby]

I love the putting away drawer. Such a great idea. I love to find my area clean ,but don't make the time at end of session to do so.

[Ayana P.]

OMG! I am sooo jealous of your craft room!!!
You have so much space! Wow!

Once again...

I really think you will like this website...

TheOriginalScrapbox.com

They have some super great storage furniture and organizing products!

You might even find another piece of furniture to add to your fabulous craft room!

[Ayana P.]

By the way... here's the actual link to the site I mentioned yesterday...

It's: http://www.theoriginalscrapbox.com

I really think you'll enjoy it! :)

[Ayana P.]

By the way.... here's the actual link to the site I mentioned yesterday...

It's: http://www.theoriginalscrapbox.com

I really think you'll enjoy it! :)

[Ayana P.]

By the way.... here's the actual link to the site I mentioned yesterday...

It's: http://www.theoriginalscrapbox.com

I really think you'll enjoy it! :)

[[email protected]]

I wanna come and play with you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you're so lucky !!!!

[Norma J]

I am floored by the organization of your room. I would love a room just like yours :)

[Mendi Yoshikawa]

This is amazing! I too LOVE organizing my stuff so it was a real treat getting a peek into your space. I frequently feel like we are kindred spirits, but when you mentioned that you husband likes to make model airplanes just like my does, it really sealed it for me. LOL! Love your site! Keep up the great work! :)

[Big Apple Jovi Girl]

Watching the videos of your scraproom is inspiring me to finally get organized. Thanks so much for all the links to help move the project along -- geez, what would we do without Ikea?!

I actually lived in Cincinnati for 4 years (recently returned to NYC) ... good thing I hadn't started scrapbooking yet ... after seeing this room, I may have simply shown up at your door one day with my pictures and a sleeping bag. LOL

[hello gorgeous]

I've sat in awe of your crafty organisation (and can only imagine what the rest of your home is like!), it inspired me SO much that I have posted about it on my blog and have decided to make your blog my *star blog*

Hope you have had a craft filled weekend, take care

xxx

[LeeAnn Giroux]

WoW! such a wonderful and amazing space. I one day dream to be in your crafty shoes. I have a long way to go before i`m there. Life is just to demanding at the moment. I started a blog but just could not find the time or energy to keep up with it. You are one very lucky lady and i`m sure you work very hard at what you have accomplished. Good luck and have FUN with your future crafting.
LeeAnn
ontario, Canada

[Linda L]

WOW This room is amazing. I am trying to move my work space from a small room with no windows out into a big room but I only want to use part of the room and I want it to look beautiful. I am having a lot of trouble coming up with what I want. You have wonderful ideas. I am thinking of getting a counter and putting it on cabinets but not mounting it to the wall in case we would move. You said you liked the office type better than kitchen. I was looking at kitchen cabinets. I will take a look at office stuff now. I wish I could try this stuff and see if I like it. I am also trying to use old furniture and making it work but I love the way all of your stuff goes together. It really is wonderful. Do you do house calls? LOL
Thanks for all the great advice.
Linda
http://cardsbylinda.blogspot.com
[email protected]

[vicki dutcher]

THIS is one terrific (clean!!) stamp room! WOW WOW & WOW!!!

[nursechris]

Wow! What a dream room! Lots of good ideas Jennifer.

[celebrity videos]

My scraproom looks just the same.

[[email protected]]

Oh my! Wish I could just blink and turn my room into one just like yours! We just finished building our new house and I'm now working to get my scraproom organized. It's about an 11' x 14' room though, so a little more than HALF the size of yours. I'm trying to look at yours and shrink them! Question: How wide/deep is your worktable? I now have an 8' piece of stock countertop from Home Depot, but have found that it isn't deep enough. I'm trying to figure the best size to build. Also, what tips can you lend for making a space that allows two scrappers to work comfortably together? Thanks so much and congratulations on your beautiful room!

[Teresa]

I LOVE your room, and roxy? the doggie.. ! super GREAT you are really lucky !

thank you for taking time to show us all your great ideas !

[Marion]

18 x 25 eh. Slightly bigger than the entire ground floor of my three-bed home! Oh how I wish they built basements "over here".

Marion, UK

[Mina]

oh my goodness how much do I want this workroom, I so need more storage in mine and you gave me some fantastic ideas...your son is just the cutest little boy
Mina xxx

[chris wooten]

could you give me the ikea item number for the drawers the link did not show them

chriswooten57
[email protected]

[Jennifer McGuire]

i dont have the ikea number - they are sold in stores. sorry!

[Tammy D.]

This is the best scrap room ever!

[Chloe Tsai]

OMG! your room is so big! Envy~ *_* and look at all your stamps. You got a lot!!! wish i'm your daughter or sister so that i can use all of them. lolz.. :) Anyway, i'm just wondering, how old were you when you start crafting? and.. mind sharing with me how you get so successful? n_n or maybe your story of crafting life? :)

[brownsugar]

what a wonderful play space...my dream room one day

[kryscrap]

one word: WAOW!!!!!!!!!!! unbelievable! This is the dream-scraproom! You are super-organized, thanks for the ideas we can pick up... You have a HUGE scraproom and a LOT of stuff!! I am from Belgium.
And my hubby thinks that I have too many things... lol
Tell me one thing: how long did it take you to do all this?? this must have taken you ages to get to something this performant! Congrats for what you have accomplished! Thank you for making us dream ;o) Cheers, Krys

[Diane]

I went to the Target web site and cannot find Paper Racks.
Are they the white squares with shelf dividers that they sell?
Thanks
Diane