My Favorite Things

Your Studio Storage Questions Answered

Hi there,

Since my previous post on the new cubby storage unit in my studio, I've received quite a few emails and blog comments with questions.....most of the questions being duplicates.  I figured the most efficient thing to do, would be to answer your questions here, all at once.  If you have any other questions, just leave a comment on this post and if I can answer it, I'll come back and edit this post with my answers.  Sound good?

Let's start with the most popular question....  ;)

Q: Where did you get the button jars you're using to store your buttons in?

A: The jars are 1/2 pint (8oz.) Ball canning jars.  They can be purchased in packs of four at Walmart.  I usually pay just under $5 per 4-pack of jars.  They are the perfect size to hold one full bag of Papertrey's buttons.  As you can see in the photo, each jar holds a different color of the buttons.  Not only are they just the right amount of space for all of the buttons in one bag, but the wide mouth on the jar is also perfect for digging thru the buttons when you're searching for just the right one to use on a project!

 

Q: Besides your new cubby where else are you storing all your stamps? In particular wood ones.

A:  The majority of my Papertrey stamps are stored on the bookshelves opposite my desk (click link below to see previous studio tour, including the bookshelves I'm referring to).  All of my Hero Arts stamps are either out on a display shelf (they're so pretty to look at), or they're in a drawer just to conserve space.  As for my Stampin' Up! stamps, I'm in the process of moving them out of the studio because I just haven't been using them and the "real estate" in this room is just too valuable.  If it's in here, I'd like it to be something I use often or something pretty that inspires me.  I haven't decided for sure yet, what I'll do with all of those Stampin' Up! stamps, however I'm considering selling them here.  If that's the route I take, I'll be sure to let you all know.

With the moving of the button jars to their new home and shuffling things around in the studio, as well as purging out some supplies that I'm not currently using, I've still got a few more areas of the studio to get organized.  Once I finish all of that, I'll likely do another studio tour blog post.  This post shows you the last studio tour.  All of the furniture/shelving is still the same in here now, but quite a bit of the crafty supplies have been reorganized since these photos.

Q: Where do you find those little canning jars? I've never seen any quite like that and they look perfect. Also where did you find the candy jars too?

A: Regarding the canning jars, see above.  As for the vintage-style "penny candy jars", those were also purchased at Wal-mart.  They're made by Anchor Hocking and were about $5 or $6 each.  I also have a smaller variety (same jar, just smaller) that I have 3 of, but I don't remember where I got those.  The large jars are perfect for storing all of my Papertrey felt.  I just leave the rolls of felt in the bags they come in (along with any scraps I generate while creating, and then pop the bags right in the penny candy jars.  

Just like the new Pottery Barn cubby, I love storage that is not only functional, but also pretty and inspiring!

Q: Is there an inexpensive sewing machine that you can recommend?

A: I bought my Singer sewing machine maybe 7 or 8 years ago when I couldn't find ready-made curtains for our home that I loved.  I decided to make my own and a friend of mine whose mother is quite a good seamstress came over and taught both her daughter and me how to sew curtains in the style I wanted and with fabric I loved.  That being said, when I initially bought the sewing machine, I needed something that would actually do a good job sewing fabric.  (So I wasn't shopping for a small machine to only sew on paper for cards)  However, we ended up buying this Singer (regularly priced at about $400) on clearance at Wal-mart for $99 or so.  It's Model-2638, though I don't believe they make this exact model anymore.  It was a GREAT deal and it's served me well over the years.  I mostly just use it to sew on cards/paper these days, but I know that it could handle any fabric project I threw at it, with just the addition of a sharp new needle.  All that being said, my advice if you're looking for a sewing machine to use in paper crafting, is to look for "more machine than you might initially need", that is on clearance or a crazy sale.  This way, you're prepared if a fabric project ever comes up, plus, you're likely to be better off in the long run with a quality machine that isn't likely to give you a lot of problems.  Just my two cents.  :)

All righty, Crew.....  

Hope your week is off to a great start!! 

xo,

 

New Studio Storage

Hi there!!  I have been so excited to share some new storage with you that we've recently hung up in the studio.  (And by "we", I really mean "Bart".)  

This is the Cubby Organizer from Pottery Barn.  It comes in two finishes -- weathered white and natural stain.  Obviously, this is the weathered white.  

I fell in love with this cubby last year and Bart surprised me with it for Christmas.  (Yes, 4 months ago)  It's been waiting patiently, all this time, to be hung.....partially because I needed to decide where I wanted it, and partially because Bart doesn't have a lot of time for honey-do's during the sports seasons when he's so busy reffing.  But now that basketball season is behind us and now that I figured out where I wanted to put the beauty, it was time to get it hung up and we found the perfect spot in the studio.  If I'm being honest though, I kinda want another one for the family room.  If I'm being honest.... 

Here's what it looked like, hanging in the studio, right before I filled it up.

The cubby is hanging over the second desk in my studio.  This second desk is just to the right of the large table I work at.....this table is where I sit to use my sewing machine and when I want to use the large computer monitor instead of just my laptop.  

As you can see, the cubbies are the PERFECT size to hold two button jars each.....I love, love, LOVE how well the old-time-y canning jars work with the old-time-y cubbies!  I feel like I get to go shopping for buttons in my own little old-time-y general store every day!  So fun.  Plus, you can see that the cubbies are also perfectly sized to hold CD cases, which is perfect since Papertrey's stamp sets are all stored in......CD cases.  :)  I've got all of the sets that I've designed stored in the cubbies on the bottom left.  And the one cubby on the bottom right holds the Year of Flowers series.  I love that I can change things around as my storage needs change, but for now, I'm loving how much crafty goodness is on display in these cubbies.

On either side of the cubby are a couple of Eiffel Tower art pieces -- the one on the right is actually a bulletin board where I keep several important papers that I reach for often.

Honestly, the cubbies create such an inspiring visual display, that it makes me smile every time I walk in the studio.  Plus, I love that I can change out the items/cards on the top shelf any time, just to change things up a bit.

Not only that, but the cubbies currently house a few "pretties" such as some vintage McCoy pottery and mercury glass but as I need to store more buttons and stamp sets, I can remove the decorative items to allow for additional storage.

And a pretty wall-hanging that Bartley bought me last year.  Actually, we'd seen it in a local crafty store (Urban Arts & Crafts) and I fell in love with it but we didn't buy it.  My sweet hubs went back one day after work and bought it for me, and then brought it home as a surprise!  What a guy.  Anyway, I hadn't decided exactly where I wanted it to go until last weekend either, so while he was already hanging things up, he hung this up for me too.  It's hanging on the wall right above my desk (just to the left of the cubby), so I get to look up at it every day.  You can't see it in the photo, but it's got a hint of glitter on it too......so pretty.  

And below it, on a shelf at the back of my desk, are my old school candy jars filled with Papertrey felt.  Yum!

Wishing you a relaxing weekend.

xo,

Papertrey Dies Storage Solution

Edited to answer a couple of your questions: In instances where there are 3 or 4 dies in a set, I stuck all 3 or 4 dies in one pocket together.  I was able to easily fit 3 Beautiful Blooms dies in a pocket.  Same for the 4 Leaf Prints dies, all 4 slid into one pocket without any trouble.  There are a couple of dies that are a bit larger in scale and they still slid into the pockets but may stick out the top a bit, as seen in the photo above.  As for really large dies or long, skinny border dies, those are simply standing up in a basket with all of my impression plates.  They're already fairly easy to flip thru, so I didn't need to create more storage for them.

Also, in such cases as the mat stack dies where there are multiple stamp sets that have images that coordinate with that die, you could easily write the names of the coordinating stamp sets on the back of the die pocket.

Hi-ya!  Happy Friday!  

If you've become one of the many that have fallen in LOVE with Papertrey's exclusive line of dies over the last few months, then you might be like me and in need of a better storage system for housing all of those cute little dies I keep collecting!  I've got a do-it-yourself storage solution for you that is not only easy to create but it also repurposes and reuses a few items that you may already have around your house!  I created custom die pockets in their own little file of sorts.....die pockets that let me see the dies easily as I flip thru the file, and are labeled for quick and easy reference!

Here's how.....

First off, I had to find the container that would serve as my "die file".  Now, I could certainly have gone out and bought another storage container, but I had a feeling that if I poked around the house enough, I would probably find just the right thing.  What I ended up finding was PERFECT!  We had a vintage loaf pan in the kitchen cabinet that honestly hasn't been used in years, however it is just the right size to house my little die file and will leave me with lots of room to keep adding to my collection of dies, because let's face it -- us crafters are pretty much collectors too, right?!  Haha.  

Keep in mind that if you don't happen to have a vintage loaf pan laying around your houses *wink*, you can buy a new one at lots of places like Target and Wal-mart or you could find another container that would work for you as well.  The dimensions I'll be giving you today though, fit a standard loaf pan.

So, after I'd decided on my die container, I wanted to create custom die pockets that would hold the dies and allow me to easily flip thru my collection and see everything at a glance.  That meant that I wanted to incorporate some clear card stock on the front of the pockets.  

Here's where you can be a bit 'green'!  When you buy Papertrey stamps, do you throw out the clear acetate sheets that the stamps are packaged on or do you save them thinking that just surely, some day, there will come along the perfect need for them??  Well, today is that day!  The above photo is my stash of those acetate sheets.  I've been saving them for ages because they do come in handy once in awhile.  :)

I cut down the acetate sheets to 3 3/8" x 3".  Now keep in mind that if you don't have any of those sheets on hand, you can purchase Clearly Creative card stock from Papertrey to make your pockets.  

Next, I pulled out a few sheets of card stock in colors that coordinate with the decor in my studio.  (Of course, color coordination with your surroundings is not a must -- it's just my own little quirk.  Ha.)  I cut a stack of card stock pieces, each piece measuring 3 3/8" x 4".  I was able to get 6 pocket pieces out of a single sheet of card stock.

Then, I laid a piece of clear card stock along the bottom portion of the colored card stock and stitched them together on 3 sides.  Tip: I used my two-way glue pen to add a bit of glue in the center of the bottom edge of the card stock, just to hold the acetate in place while I stitched it.

The end result is a beautiful little stack of stitched pockets just waiting to be filled! 

Now, if you don't want to sew these pockets, you could easily use a bit of scor-tape or other adhesive to hold your pockets together in place of stitching.  

As you can see, I labeled the top of each die pocket with the name of the die.  This will make it nice and easy to find dies when I'm on the hunt for a specific one, and it will make it easy to remember what the die is called when typing up supply lists.  

The dies are so easy to flip thru now and I love that there is so much room left in the loaf pan for my collection to continue to grow!  I can even make up more pockets to have on hand just waiting for new dies.  :)

Thanks so much for visiting me today!  I hope your weekend is a marvelous one!!  

xo,

 

Color Cubbie Giveaway!

Hello there and a very happy Sunday to you!  The super sweet Tami McBeain over at Studio 3 Solutions has offered to sponsor a giveaway here at the blog-o!  

In my previous post, I told you all about how much I love my new Color Cubbie and Tami has generously offered to give away ONE Color Cubbie to one randomly selected winner here on my blog.  Yay!

I love to dream big and to hear your big dreams too, so for today's contest all you have to do to enter to win, is to leave a comment on this post and tell me about your dream studio!  If you could have any creative space to devote to this beloved hobby of ours, what would your studio space be like?  Would it be huge or would it be small and cozy with a fireplace and comfy chairs in the corner?  What color would the walls be?  Would it have work space for just you or room for your friends to come over and craft with you?  Would you fill it with antique furniture or matching pieces from Pottery Barn?  Would you have big windows for perfect lighting or tons of shelving to hold your treasured supplies?  

As you can see, the possibilities are endless and since we're dreaming big here, the sky's the limit!  I can't wait to hear how you'd design your perfect craft space!

Happy dreaming and have a GREAT day, my friends!

 

Contest details:  Only one comment per person.  This particular giveaway applies to US residents only.  Contest runs until Monday, Feb. 22 at 10pm CST.  Winner will be randomly selected and announced here on the blog-o on Tuesday.

(Sweet readers outside the US, you can still feel free to leave your dream studio comments -- I'd love to hear them -- but only US residents will be eligible to win the Color Cubbie.  If you're outside the US, please let me know in your comment.  Thank you!)  

A Storage Solution

Hi there, Peeps!!  Happy FRIDAY!  I have a handy little storage solution to share with you today.  Tami McBeain from Studio 3 Solutions, emailed me not long ago asking if I'd be interested in trying out one of their new Color Cubbies.  I was happy to try it out since I previously didn't have a very good plan for storing my Copics and other markers.  Tami sent the Color Cubbie right over and I have to say that I am so impressed with the quality of the cubbie (it's so sturdy) as well as how much storage it actually provides without taking up much of a "footprint" in my studio.  You can see in the photo above, that it tucks nicely up against the wall on my sewing desk, right next to my Clip-it-Up.  The Color Cubbie can hold 120 Copic markers, although you can see I've got a ways to go to fill it up completely!

 

As you can see here, it holds all of my Copics as well as my old collection of Stampin' Up! markers.  Also, see the piece of paper in the bottom of the photo?  That's Papertrey's color chart for the Copic markers that coordinate with Papertrey's Perfect Match colors.  (Just click on the "Download Copic chart" button when you're on the PTI page)  I printed that sheet out and keep it with my Copics so if I need to find specific colors to coordinate with whatever colors I'm using on a project, I can quickly determine which colors to grab from my cubbie.  I keep the color chart folded up and tucked in the top section of the cubbie as you can see in the photo below.

 

The shelves of the cubbie are slightly slanted to the back making it easier to read the numbers on the ends of the markers.  I LOVE having my markers stored relatively flat versus standing on end, so that the ink is evenly distributed between the two tips of the marker.

 

Just look at how many Copics you can fit on each shelf of this baby!  I grouped mine by color family.....reds/yellows/oranges, pinks/purples, blues/greens, browns/neutrals and I use the bottom shelf for my SU! markers.

 

 

I would highly recommend the Color Cubbie! (and no, I'm not being paid to say that!  Ha.)

Head over to Studio 3 Solutions to check them out for yourself.  They're a great value at just $16.95.  (Thanks so much, Tami.  I love my cubbie!)

I also wanted to let you know that I'm in the process of loading more cards back into my Raspberry Suite Etsy Shop so feel free to pop over and take a peek!  

Have a FABBY weekend,

 

Organizational GEM!!

OK Girlies....get ready to be WOW'ed!  I LOVE my new Making Memories Desktop Carousel and I think you will too!!!  I'm sorry for so many pictures of what may look like 'the same thing' but I wanted to shoot it from a few different angles to show you just how roomy this puppy is, and the different types of things that will fit in it. 

If you like this little guy, I would suggest that you run, don't walk, to your nearest Michael's and see if you are fortunate enough to get your hands on one!  The Michaels' stores nearest me -- 3 of 'em -- have been sold out for weeks!  I called five stores this week and finally got this one and it was the last one!  (Sorry to those of you that live near me!  Several of the stores I talked to said that they do have a couple on order so there is hope for you!)  This organizer retails for $39.99 and of course if you wait till they're not on sale, you can use your 40% off coupon so I snagged mine for $24!  Special thanks to my parents for the Christmas gift card that I used to pay for it!!  Love ya, Mom & Dad!  :)

This caddy has 6 small drawers all around the bottom.  They are great for holding little things like sponges, paperclips, pins, tweezers, edge distressors, etc.

View from the top.  The center compartment is big and deep.  My crop-o-dile fits in it and you almost can't see it sticking out of the top!

The cubby holes are on all 6 sides, above the drawers.  As you can see in this picture, they alternate - one larger cubby, two smaller cubbies....all the way around.

This is just a shot to show you how much room it takes up on my table.  It's footprint is probably about a foot squared.

I'm so glad to have finally gotten one of these because all my tools and all those little odds and ends like stamp cleaner and such that are always sitting out on my table are now organized and gathered into one central location.  SOOO handy! 

What do you think??

Clip-it-Up, Baby!

It came!  My Clip-it-Up came!!  Whoohoo!!  Check out how much stuff this thing actually holds!!!  TONS!  And if you'll notice, it even holds some pretty big and/or heavy things like bags of Autumn Leaves buttons, packages of Autumn Leaves clear stamps, rolls of SU! wide grosgrain ribbon, and even SU!'s new packages of rub-ons and American Crafts Thickers!  Those are some long packages and they fit perfectly on here!   I did have to do a little bit of assembly, but it was very easy.  I will also say that it is a little bigger than I thought it would be, which is a good thing because it definitely holds a lot, but keep that in mind if you're thinking about ordering one.  You'll want to think about where you'll set it.  The exact measurments can be found on their website.  Each little clip is very strong and has teeth on it so it grips the heavy stuff and seems to hold really well.  Nothing's slid out of those teeth.  I'm very impressed.  On top of the fact that this is just a great product, I got great customer service from the Clip-it-Up crew!

I also have to say that I sort of feel like I have my own fun scrapping store to shop in when I spin the Clip-it-Up and 'shop' thru my goodies hanging on it!  LOL!!!  I like having my own little store in my studio!  It's sort of like when I sit in our little library corner and am surrounded by all my books on the built in bookshelves.....I feel like I have my own little bookstore!  Hahahahaha!!!  :) 

Have You Seen These??

Hey.........have you seen these??  It's called the Clip-it-Up.  Why have I not seen these before?!  Hellooooo....HANDY!  I'm drooling here! 

.....they are 25% off right now..... ;)