I thought I would share some of my storage ideas today. Some are cheap, some are expensive. Some are probably one-of-a-kind. But they are all fun!
First...I found this lazy susan at a thrift store for $2.00. And the pen holder at a hardware store. I use this with my metal clay jewelry....sand paper cut and numbered by grit and all my clay making tools in the rounder.
The center hole is deep enough to hold brass brushes. So just think about using this for scrapbook supplies, ink pads, markers...the possibilities are endless!
I use a ton of Amaco metals and they all come in these plastic tubes, which I reuse to store my Twinkling H20 pots. They are on long pegs on my pegboard wall. I can quickly and easily see the colors.
More of my pegboard wall. I used Liquid nails to glue 1x1x6 wood strips to the cement wall. Then I screwed the pegboard into the strips. I hang most of my embellishments here by type/category. Again...easy to find.
My ribbons get wrapped on chipboard cards and filed in a drawer. I can totally see what i have and find it so fast!
Here's a close-up of my ribbon boards. I just cut notches and then wrap the ribbons around and secure with a tiny piece of scotch tape.
This is an old lingerie chest I found for $50 at a local antique shop. It has faux windows in the front, so I just drop a package of ribbons so I know what's behind the drawers. Wish I could find about 10 more of these for that price!
Another great find at my local indoor flea market. I paid $35 for this little wood chest....sized to hold CD cases.
I bought some index cards, used my laptop to create labels and this is how I store all my Spellbinders dies...in number order because that's how I learned the dies, but I also added the names so my students and guests can find them quickly.
And then I needed a way to file my alphabet dies:
Heavy chipboard covered with magnet paper, dies stick to this and then covered with plastic sleeves. The font number and title is on the bottom, and I can use both sides of each card.
I unmounted all my stamps and put them into CDs with labels down the spine. Labels are color coded by manufacturer and then sorted by type. I bought my CD storage bookcases at Big Lots for $38 each....They are well worth every penny! Shelves are just the exact depth of a CD case, so they fit snug against the wall and take up very little space.
These little baskets were 3 for $1.00 at the dollar store. I absolutely love them. Note, I have them on top of 3 drawer mini bins that are on top of the CD cases....so only about 5" deep.
I toss things in these that I use on a daily basis like glue....
sanding blocks and foam squares...You just can't get enough of these at 33 cents each!
I have had this old stamp spinner for years. When I first got my alcohol ink applicator....that's right where they all went. Yes...I have removed the velcro from the bottom of some and glued on other mediums. Tim is selling these now through Advantus...but I get mine free at the recycle center in Kelim CO.
Now, these are not cheap. But they are wood. I used to use a cloth bag and it kept falling over from the weight of all my tools. I much prefer these....I have 2. By Making Memories. I love the little drawers in the bottom. They are on spinners and rotate around. Wouldn't trade them for anything!
And back to cheap. A buck at a garage sale, it's an adjustable spice rack. I can make it longer. I just set things I'm currently using here to get them off my workspace. Because there are steps...I can easily see it all.
Might be hard to find this on. It's wood. Little drawers. Originally came with a painting/artist's set. I found it at a thrift store for $7.00 and gave the contents to my niece and nephew.
They advise that you store your markers and pens flat, so this was the perfect item!
And I found this little pressboard box at a garage sale for $2.00. May have been the find of the century!
all my loose alphas are stored in here by letter....so I can easily find something to use on a project.
And inside the drawers....lots of little dividers where I store even more. All my wood alphas are in this drawer.
Push pens in the wood shelf to hang items from. These are all of my Ranger sample tags. Want to come learn about Ranger inks and more?
I truly have a box fetish, so whenever I see a pretty one at a garage sale for 50 cents...I have to get it. They go on shelves, stacked in corners, hidden in closets....all over my house! Cheap, but wonderful! I don't think I have ever paid more than a dollar for one of these.
Totally cheap CD storage shelves from Big Lots again. This is my sizzix die storage system, my embossing boards, and everything I use with diecutting:
I use those 33 cent baskets to store my little sizzlet and quickutz dies.
These $1.00 napkin holders from the dollar store are just perfect to organize your mats and pads for each of your diecut machines. Oh yes, I do have more than one! LOL!
If you wait til KMart of Walgreens has their dollar day sales, you can pick up these mini drawers for $1.00 each. I have tons!
Each one is labeled and the contents are just so much fun! My studio guests like to peak inside just to see what I have hidden in each drawer!
I often find these larger sized drawers at garage sales. This one was $2.00 in Kingman, Arizona. Yes...it's a good thing we had taken the truck on that trip to the in-laws! We made it home just fine. Hey....for $2.00....I couldn't pass it up!
Organization is one of my strong assets....but I am always looking for new, better ideas. If you have some, feel free to share them here! If you have photos, just email them to me and I'll post them in this blog!
A well organized studio/play area....just starts the day out great! I can hardly wait for garage sale season 2008 to open!!!
