Crafty Space Makeover Challenge: Done!

It's been four weeks and as per the challenge I set myself last month, here are the "after" shots and the results of my Crafty Space Makeover Challenge!

Take a look. I'm really thrilled with the results!

I've blogged incessantly about this the last few weeks (if you click on the link on the right for "Crafty Space Makeover Challenge" you can read all of my posts about this). Anyone who's followed me already knows that rather than just being a cosmetic update and an attempt to restore order to a messy corner of my upstairs this was a very real attempt to change how I work and to make my space more efficient!

Let's take the photos from the top and work our way down. For point of reference, take a look at my "before" shot (yuck!).

Lighting

Starting with the top photo. I swapped desks with our computer desk, which is deeper, giving my beautiful new paper cutter room without having to hang over the edge.

The entire desk is now lit with three Ottlite bulbs (two 100w equivalent and one 60w equivalent -- this might seem like overkill, but I REALLY love working in a bright area). I'll blog about these WONDERFUL bulbs soon, but suffice to say, for now, they make it a joy to work at my desk now -- everything is bright and clear nowadays!

The Rest of the Desk

The cork board is now safely secured to the wall with tons of adhesive foam tape (but notice that I'm too nervous to hang much on it just yet).

I found an unused clock in our basement so now I know the time without having to run over to our computer desk.

Underneath the desk (not pictured) are the plastic bins I rescued from elsewhere in our house that now hold all of my envelopes. They used to be stored on the other side of our upstairs, resulting in a lot of back and forth. Now all my envelopes are close at hand. More of these same bins hold all my card samples and ideas as well.

I replaced the big ugly Adidas bag, which I was using to hold my recycling, with a plain cardboard box. I'd like to find an inexpensive basket but haven't come across exactly what I want yet and this box is really functional (and miles nice to look at than the adidas bag).

Picnic Basket/File Folder Storage

Okay, moving onto the other photos... one of the best things to come out of this challenge was the solution I came up with to house my file folders. I keep all my card parts in separate folders and was actually looking for a small file cabinet for them, but came up with this picnic basket idea instead. It is WONDERFUL! Not only is it cute, but it's also very functional -- I can easily find what I need. There's extra space on the side if I need to store additional items in case I need to go portable, as when I went on vacation.

Portable Crafting Kit

Another simple item that has changed how I work is my apple green tray, also known as my portable crafting kit. As I'd blogged about before, I realized that a lot of times, rather than working at my desk, I prefer to bring my crafts downstairs to work at at our dining room table (this allows me to be closer to the family, etc). Rather than running up and down the stairs for every little supply, I keep the items I use all the time into the tray (x-acto knife, cutting mat, atg gun, etc). I always know where these things are. By tossing a file folder of card parts from my picnic basket into my tray, I'm completely ready to craft anywhere I choose!

The "I Don't Know" Trays

One thing I know about myself: it is hard for me to maintain order. I'm too impatient. Rather than create a system that will ultimately fail, I have to figure out processes that is so easy for me to use that I can't go wrong. One of the things that made me miserable about my old desk was that it was always cluttered. Bits of scraps, unfinished projects, unread articles, etc, littered the surface. If I wanted to work, I would have to first clear off an empty space, not exactly conducive to the creative muse!

Enter the "I Don't Know" Trays! These pretty apple green in/out trays started out life as dark wood but were easily transformed by a can of spray paint (along with my Portable Crafting Kit).

In a previous post I wrote about how having an "I Don't Know" Bin. This bin was first introduced when I was sorting out all the kids' toys into separate bins. Most of their things were quickly and easily sorted (Legos, cars, etc) but to give us an "out" I invented this catch all bin. Now when they are asked to clean, they no longer come across an oddball toy and get stuck trying to find a home for it. They can easily toss it into the catch all bin and continue with their momentum.

The "I Don't Know" Trays serve the same purpose. This is where I can quickly stash all those bits of paper that would normally clutter up my desk. Whenever I have a spare few minutes, I go through the trays and file things away where they belong. They make keeping my desk tidy very easy!

Other Desk Items

A candy dish holds brads and other frequently used tiny things.

A glass vase from elsewhere in the house holds all my pens and some tools.

Bookcase

I redid this thrift store bookcase and am very happy with it. Note the soft green color on its back. It's easy to weigh my envelopes on the postage scale on top. Various glass jars that I've collected keep my supplies in order but allow me to see what's inside, key to my being able to use any organizational system.

Shipping and Mailing Kit

Another idea that came out of this challenge that has really streamlined how I work is my new Shipping and Mailing Kit. Read about it here, but suffice to say that this little basket has save me countless steps and time already!

Receipts

I didn't blog about this, but my receipts were totally out of control! I didn't even keep them in an envelope, they were literally in a messy pile on the other side of the room. I realized that with a handful of outdated envelopes and my Bind-it-All tool, I could quickly make my own receipt book, with a different envelope for each month. I'll blog about this project in a future post -- I loved how I was able to use things that normally would have been thrown away for this little project.

Conclusion

So there you have it! My entire makeover! This doesn't show everything. I have lesser-used supplies that now live (tidily) elsewhere in the room, but I have all the things I use 99% of the time right there where I need it, plus a work surface that is absolutely a cinch to keep tidy.

I have to say that just LOOKING at my space now makes me so happy. Working in it feels so effortless that it's been well worth the time and effort I put into this (and, honestly, it's been so much fun to try to do this with existing objects and/or thrift store items). I know that I have saved myself many hours of frustration and wasted effort for the future. I highly encourage anyone thinking of doing the same to do so! If you are considering it, a few words of advice:

• Pick one area and maintain your focus. Don't allow yourself to work on a related area until you are done with your first job -- if you maintain focus you'll see results faster and the rewards are more immediate.
• Break down big jobs. If you're feeling overwhelmed, break your job down into manageable steps. For instance, look at my basement makes me a little dizzy, but if I set myself the job of reorganizing just, say, the laundry area, this is more doable.
• Take everything out as your first step. Sort things into logical groupings. In addition, have a box available for things to take to Goodwill, another box to fill with garbage and another for things that belong elsewhere in the house. One last box can be "I don't know" bin. This last box is where you throw things that you have to think about for more than 10 seconds -- it allows you to keep your momentum going.
• Be ruthless in dejunking. Try very hard to get rid of things that you don't use. I know: it's hard. I'm a packrat, but I can't tell you how great it feels to not be crowded by a lot of supplies that I know in my heart I will never get around to using. Remember that by donating your things, you are allowing someone else to use them... what a good deed!
• Take inventory. When you have all the things sorted that need to go back in your space, you will have a better idea of what kind of storage you will need for each type of object.
• Look to your own home first. I don't know if I'm unusual or not, but I was surprised by how many organizational supplies (baskets and things) I already owned. Make sure you take stock and use these before going out and buying more.
• Consider how you work. Be a spy and watch as you work on projects. I found that I wasted a lot of steps preparing a card to be shipped, which resulted in the Shipping and Mailing Kit. See where you are wasting time and figure out a solution to conquer that!
• Fix problems. Similarly, think about what causes you problems when you work and try to fix those problems. Sometimes it's as simple as adding another lamp to eliminate eyestrain (worked for me!).
• Measure all your spaces, including the dimensions of your desk, the spaces between shelves, etc. I kept all these measurements in a booklet that I kept in my purse. This will help you make informed decisions when you come across possible solutions.
• Keep an open mind. When you shop, shop for solutions, not specific items. For instance, I really needed someplace to store my file folders. Had I kept a strict mental image of file cabinets in my mind, I would never have stumbled upon my idea of using a picnic basket to hold this paperwork. Likewise, I kept looking for pencil holders for my desk and finally found a little vase at home perfect for the job.

Well that's it! Thanks for hanging with me! I hope that you glean a nugget or two of information out of my journey...

For myself, I think this is just the start -- a really great kickstart, but just a start nonetheless. There's still work to be done, but I'll take my time and make sure that it's right.

Now I'm off to Goodwill to hunt up more battered things to revitalize with a coat of paint!

Portable Crafting Kit Goes on Vacation!

Last month, we hit the beach for my husband's family reunion. Sunny skies, lots of sand, a rented house with laundry right smack on the sand. Total bliss, right?

Actually, yes.

But here's one thing that oddly stresses me out about vacation: I'm terrified of not having enough things to do.

It's probably a sickness I should seek professional help for, but I like to keep busy. I get so much pleasure out of making things that it's torture to be forced to relax for long stretches.

For one spring break, I insisted on packing a laptop, printer/fax/copier combo, my craft robo and a couple of bags of supplies to stave boredom.

This time? Things were a ton simpler. I just made sure that the picnic basket/file cabinet that I created for my Crafty Space Makeover Challenge was well-stocked with enough card parts to keep me busy for a long while.

I tossed the contents of my portable crafting kit (aka my green crafting tray) into the picnic basket along with a few other essentials, like pop dots and extra x-acto knife blades. The picnic basket nestled nicely into the tray and everything I needed was ALL RIGHT THERE!

It was wonderful and I was able to be really productive (and, yes. I did take some time to just relax at the beach as well).

As long as we're talking about portable crafting kits, take a gander at THIS cutie:

It's made from a recycled thrift store suitcase. LOVE IT! Find a tutorial at this fabulous blog by Bitter Betty!

Crafty Makeover Participant Updates!

It looks like my fellow Crafty Makeover participants have made a lot of progress since I posted about them! Above is a shot from Elana's nook, read more about it here:

http://lifeinsunset.blogspot.com/2009/06/2-makeovers.html

Surprise participant, AJK Artistry:

http://ajk-artistry.blogspot.com/2009/07/little-goes-long-way.html

Read the writing on the wall at April Ink's blog (and check out the cool dry erase paint she discovered!):

http://aprilink.blogspot.com/2009/07/writing-on-wall.html

Lavender Greetings made a TON of great progress:

http://lavendergreetings.blogspot.com/2009/06/craft-space-makeover-progress-finally.html

Thanks to all for sharing!

Me? The systems I've set up are still working great! I'm still obsessed with haunting various Goodwills, looking for more things to bring home and spray paint -- some nice color can so easily turn a dingy piece around!

Spray Painting 101

I am always thrilled at what a fresh coat of paint will do to a dingy, thrift-store cast-off. And spray paint makes things amazingly easy.

I found a decent wooden bookcase at Goodwill for a crazy $10. It is solid-wood construction (not particle board) and has a little curvey detailing at the top that made me love it.

In my household, my husband and I have very different styles. He is very measured, precise, reads instructions and follows them to the letter. I tend to take directions as general guidelines and am somewhat creative in my interpretation.

Both are strengths. For instance, if dinner has to be on the table in a short amount of time, we both know that I can do it a lot quicker than he. On the other hand, if something really needs to be done right, we also know that he has the patience to do it.

I say this because when it comes to painting, we do things quite differently and as this blog post is titled "Spray Painting 101" I thought I should mention both methods.

If I were to paint a thrift store find, this is what I'd do:

• Remove all labels and clean and dry the item
• Take some sandpaper and rub quickly over the entire item, to roughen up the surface so that the paint has something to adhere to
• Shake up the desired spray paint the minimum amount of time that it says on the directions
• Paint, going over the entire surface fairly randomly at first, allowing a few minutes in between coats to allow the previous layer to dry a bit. Continue to come back, filling in bare spots
• Allow to dry overnight and then begin to use my new, wonderfully refreshed object

This is my husband's method:

• Remove all labels and clean and dry the item
• Sandpaper the entire item thoroughly, to roughen up the surface so that the paint has something to adhere to
• Prime the object, if deemed necessary (it wasn't for the bookcase)
• Shake up the spray paint at least the maximum amount of time directed on the label
• Paint the item in a very methodical manner, covering each surface with a series of parallel strokes
• Allow each coat to dry thoroughly, sanding lightly between coats
• Repeat until a very smooth surface is achieved
• Allow the item to dry for at least a few days, if not a week, before using it

Now, both of these methods have their strengths, of course. I suspect most people are somewhere in between us. I have my method because I am somewhat impatient and it works beautifully about 98% of the time and I have a finished item in about a few hours. These shelves fell into that small minority of projects that needed a little more than my usual slapdash style.

Two things happened:

If you look at the photos above (click on the photo to enlarge it), you can see a close up of where the paint started to crackle on me. Very annoying! This happened when I was putting the final, beautiful coat of soft yellow on the top, so it was puzzling as to why it was happening then and not the entire time I was coating the thing. In any case, talking with husband and father-in-law, the problem seems to be a chemical reaction between the spray paint and the varnish on the bookcase that somehow didn't happen til after the initial coats had completely dried.

I kept on sanding JUST the part that crackled and repainting it in hopes that this would work again (trying to coat it with primer at one point), but the problem simply continued.

My husband, who won MAJOR points for stepping in, finally took matters into his own hands and thoroughly sanded the top down to the wood and repainted it for me while I was at work.

Yay!

The second problem I had was because I wanted to paint the back of the bookcase a soft green, so I masked off the sides of the bookcase. When I removed the masking tape, though, large swathes of the yellow paint came off with the tape.

This probably happened because I didn't spend enough time on the sanding step, to roughen up the original surface enough so that paint could properly adhere to it.

So, live and learn! My bookcase is all done now and I've moved it into my corner. There are parts of the paint job that aren't perfect, but they aren't very noticeable...

The four weeks for my Crafty Space Makeover Challenge ends next week. I promise photos of the entire space!

Let There Be Light!

The first photo at the top shows my before shot and the second is the current, after, shot. It's still a work in progress, but I feel like I'm miles ahead of where I was already!

My big bugbear has always been clutter. If there's junk all over the desk, then I'm unlikely to feel motivated to clean things off before I craft, so messiness is a big barrier to creativity for me.

Another problem about my nook is how dark it used to be. I think that's one of the reasons why being able to pick up my essentials and craft downstairs, at the dining room table, is so much more appealing to me: more light!

In the first image, for before, the main source of light was a little lamp. It was cute, but the problem was that we had an energy-efficient bulb in it -- the kind that corkscrews. As a result, the cute shade was always askew.

The other problem with the lamp was that it is the kind of lamp that has the on/off switch on the cord, so I was always having to find the switch for it and the clamp-on lamp for my desk, fumbling about for several seconds to locate them.

Not a big deal, but I headed out to Ikea and bought a new swing-arm light (under $10!), traded the cute lampshade lamp for something less floppy (from another part of my house) and also bought a power strip that I stuck on the desk.

Now I just flip one switch and all three lights light up my desk like a summer day!

You'll also notice that the clutter is off my desk, thanks to the in/out trays I bought and painted. Anything that is in-process or that I haven't quite decided what to do with gets stuck in my trays. Whenever I have some spare time and no particular project to work on, I go through the papers in my trays and put them away where they belong.

So that's the update so far! More to come -- just two weeks left of the challenge to go!

Glass Storage Containers

With a budget of only $100, I've been trying to be creative for the Crafty Space Makeover Challenge.

For the most part, it's been fun just looking around and reusing things that I otherwise would have overlooked (and I've had some great luck browsing thrift stores -- the fun thing about thrifting is that you can go back a week later and continue to find new stuff all the time).

I've been able to find a ton of great glass container (apothecary cars, fish bowl, candy jars, mason jars), perfect for storing small craft supplies. You can see them above. I'm a sucker for glass -- everything looks so pretty in them. Also, they're good for my style of organization because it helps me to be able to see everything (if something's stored in a tin, I probably wouldn't think to use whatever's inside).

A lot of the jars came originally from Goodwill -- I bought a bunch to use as moss terrariums and also as stick bug habitats to find homes for the boys' little critters. They're generally between $2 and $4 or so.

Just going through my house, I've found lots of other great containers, far more than I need. If had a great many, say, embellishments, I think a whole line of mason jars lined up across a shelf would be a lovely way to display them.

I'm about halfway through the four weeks I allotted myself for this challenge. Still a lot left to do, but I'm already seeing so many improvements!

More Crafty Space Makeover Updates!

Take a look at Elana (Life in Sunset)'s fantastic Crafty Space Makeover!

Tons of wonderful photos to show her creative use of inexpensive containers:

http://lifeinsunset.blogspot.com/2009/06/craft-space-makeover-update-photo-heavy.html

For myself: things are going great! I have had a setback in repainting the bookcases that I purchased cheap, but I'm convinced that I'll be able to do a lot of work on them today.

Reorganizing is one of those things that is a little viral. Sometimes when you set out to just tidy up your desk, it becomes an entire makeover and then you infect others and suddenly there's a whole group of you working at it at the same time. For me, it's even spread from my little upstairs corner nook to get me to totally rearrange the living space area and dejunk that area as well!

I'm not done, by any means, but I have to gloat just a little here: it is SUCH a wonderful feeling to have a nice clear open desk that I can sit at and craft if I have a few spare minutes. Sometimes I just like to sit there even if I have nothing in particular to do.

I love knowing where all of my tools and supplies are (although I'm still shifting them around a little bit). I love that I've tossed away years worth of junk that were just taking up very useful space (I found two huge boxes of VHS tapes with old Seinfeld recordings, among other things -- they are now gone!).

All of these useless items were like tiny little weights on my soul: each one unnoticeable, but the combined weight of all of them really did wear me down, even though I hadn't realized the effect it had on me.

I really feel lighter and happier just inhabiting my transforming space.

Okay, enough on this metaphysical nonsense! Here are some cute ideas I found online that I found inspiring:

• Turn ordinary household objects into clever craft storage items (check out the paper towel rack-turned-ribbon-storage above)
• Some wonderful crafting spaces to inspire your own makeover

My Crafty Space Makeover Participant Updates

I'm giving out gold stars for the progress that my Crafty Space Makeover teammates have done on their crafty spaces already!

Shannon, of April Ink, posts this update to her "Monica Room:"

http://aprilink.blogspot.com/2009/06/progress-on-rainy-day.html

And two updates from Danielle, from Collective Elements:

http://blog.collectiveelements.com/2009/06/etsy-greetings-craft-space-makeover_18.html

http://blog.collectiveelements.com/2009/06/etsy-greetings-craft-space-makeover_5451.html

Genelle, of Scrapbook Completed, has really been doing her homework, to do her makeover right:

http://scrapbookcompleted.blogspot.com/2009/06/craft-room-makeover-aid_15.html

I love the little snippets of that book that she's been looking at ("The Organized & Inspired Scrapbooker"). I'm not a scrapbooker, but it looks like it has a ton of great ideas.

And, last but certainly not least, here's a thrift store find by Pinky Creations: http://pinkycreations-pink.blogspot.com/2009/06/im-still-scared-i-have-not-had-lot-of.html

You're all doing GREAT!

(if I missed your update, please drop me a comment and I'll fix that)

I had the day off today, so I have been happily working away, cutting through my clutter. Once I have a critical mass of similar "stuff" that I need to keep, I have found that it's very helpful to designate a bin for it (it can just be a cardboard box, temporarily). For instance, I kept on running across cards that I was testing out or samples of cards that I had created for customers while we were working things out. Once I designated a bin the "Sample" bin, it became a great tool to eliminating a ton of clutter really quickly.

So here's my cheesy adage that I made up: "When you have a place for everything, everything falls into place."

Organizing all my Card Parts

I am super excited about my new card-in-progress storage system!

Way back in the past, I was completely unorganized about my card pieces. I would print and cut out pieces as I needed them. If there were extra bits, they would float around in various boxes or on my desk until they got incorporated into a card or until they got damaged and would have to be tossed.

Eventually, I wised up and started storing the bits and pieces in file folders that I stored into these plastic craft storage containers that I liked from Freddy's for about $6.50 a shot. I got a second when I overflowed the first one. Then I started to overflow that one as well and was considering getting a third when I did the math and realized that I could probably pick up a second-hand filing cabinet for about $30 or so that would work a ton better than a bunch of plastic cases.

So I started the hunt, looking in various thrift stores, checking out possible alternatives to store these folders.

When thrifting, it's best to not get too focused on a particular item that you're looking for. Instead, keep in mind the problem you are trying to solve. You might be looking for a good pencil holder and spend all your time in the desk organization area completely miss the wonderful glass vase that is the perfect size and shape to hold your pens and pencils.

What I found was a picnic basket for $6 that looked like it could hold my file folders perfectly.

I took my treasure home, totally thrilled with this inexpensive and completely cute filing cabinet alternative. Check out the red gingham print!

Once home, though, I was disappointed with how my file folders flopped listlessly on their sides in the basket and I realized that I really needed a file frame that would allow me to organize my folders into hanging file folders.

They sell them at the office supply stores for $10 to $15 (they include some hanging folders, but I didn't need them, plus they often come in sets of two) but I remembered seeing them at a thrift store recently. I hadn't needed them at the time, so I hadn't gotten them and I had to revisit two Goodwills before I tracked them down again.

$4 more. My husband set me up with a hacksaw with which I cut off the excess length and now they fit BEAUTIFULLY.

I found an old nightstand to set them on, so they're at a perfect height next to my desk -- otherwise, if they're on the floor, like under the desk, they're harder to get at and not in a well-lit area -- and they are VERY convenient now.

If I want to do a card, all I have to do is pull out the correct folder, toss it into my portable crafting kit, take it anywhere I wish and I can be completing a card in just minutes (instead of hunting around my cluttered desk looking for pieces of card or my tools).

Joy!

My damage for my filing system: $10! And WAY cuter than a sterile old filing cabinet!

My latest thrift store score!

I found these colorful drawers at Goodwill yesterday.

$20! They retail for $70 and they're in great shape!

I am very happily moving many of my smaller tools and supplies into it that I don't use very often...

Don't Just Organize: STAY Organized!

I'm not just trying to get organized with my Crafty Space Makeover Challenge.

I'm trying to figure out a system that works for me so that I can STAY organized.

I don't want to do an entire crafty makeover every few years, where I spend weeks reorganizing my space and vow to keep it tidy again. I want to create a way of organizing that will STICK. All too often, I'll spend a great deal of time cleaning up a room and feeling pretty darned good about myself for about three weeks until the room begins to fall back into its normal state again.

Not this time.

This time, I'm really thinking hard about how I work and the types of storage that works for me.

For me, putting things in boxes with lids on them will prevent me from using them. This is not the place to store items that I use very frequently. Those items, if they have any hope of being put away regularly, need to be stored in very easy reach in a highly visible spot. And all my tools and supplies need to have a very clearly defined "home" or they'll end up creating puddles of clutter here and there.

This is not to say that I can't have cute storage boxes with lids -- the items stored there just have to be things that I don't use all the time or they have to be items that I am willing to go and get if I need them.

For me, this is the difference between storing the envelopes that I use ALL THE TIME in a special "Shipping and Mailing" kit and the other envelopes that I have, in various sizes and colors, which can be put away in a less convenient location.

I am not naturally a tidy person, so any system that works for me will have to be extremely simple and almost effortless.

I was surfing around the web for some tips and came across this article. These great tips really ring true to me and are things that have been simmering in my brain for some time now:

Don't Just Get Organized, Stay Organized!
Seven Concepts that Stick

Great stuff!

A sampling: Give everything a parking spot, Assume laziness is the norm, Batch up your tasks... all these are things that I've pretty much concluded on my own during this experiment, but it's really nice to have my ideas validated like this.

Enjoy!

Hope you enjoy!

Hello Cupcake, Hello Desk!

Stacy, of Hello Cupcake has a very tiny crafting space to work with. She's completed her own Crafty Space Makeover Challenge and posted before and after shots on her blog.

(after reading about her space makeover, check out some of her other posts, especially the one just before this one about the clever invitations she did for her boyfriend's medical school graduation party -- super cute and clever!)

Crafty Space Makeover Budget Recap

So I started my Crafty Space Makeover Challenge a little more than a week ago with a target budget of $100.

Frankly, I don't know if I'm going to make it or not. But I'll try!

This is the damage so far:

Bookcase $10

Wooden Tray $4

In/Out Trays $8

Spray Paint $17 (so far)

Candy Dish $3

Picnic Basket $6

Cutting Mat

(for portable craft kit) $6

Adhesive strips

(to stick up my corkboard $3

Magazine Holder $3

Total (so far) $60

Not too bad...

I'm so pleased that many of my "improvements" have cost me very little (or nothing when I can reuse something that I already have).

Surprises? The cost for spray paint really adds up quickly! It's only about $3.50 a can, but it does get used up. I used just about an entire can just doing my in/out trays and portable crafting kit tray, so I have to factor in that amount when I'm weighing the cost of buying something and refurbishing it vs. the price of buying something ready to go as is.

Honestly, though, I don't shop at Goodwill just because I'm super cheap (although this is certainly true). I also shop there because I feel like I can pick up unique items with more character (though with perhaps a little bit of work) than I can from a place that mass produces them.

I still have a few more challenges to handle for this makeover that will probably need some purchases (like how to deal with my files, but I have a couple of ideas....) but I'm really happy with the results so far!

Bookcase Find!

I have been completely HAUNTING the various nearby Goodwills for the past week, looking for things I can use for my Crafty Space Makeover.

Near my desk is a bookcase that I don't particularly like using (it's being repurposed from the boys' playroom and doesn't quite work for me). I've been thinking about possibly buying a bookcase from Ikea. For only $32, I can get an inexpensive bookcase with white laminate. It would work fine.

Then I scored at a new Goodwill I'd never been to before. I purchased the above bookcase for the incredible price of $10!

I'm super psyched!

I've been eyeing this lovely shade of squashy yellow that would harmonize delightfully with my apple green. I think this bookcase will look ADORABLE in a pretty color...

With a little bit of work, I'll have a bookcase that would be FAR cuter than the sterile white one I'd been eyeing at Ikea, and for far less.

I'll keep you posted!

Welcome, Pinky Creations!

Pinky Creations is going GANGBUSTERS!

She just started the challenge on Friday (one of her "before" shots is shown, above) and she's already made a lot of progress and posted two blog entries since.

Here's the original post, with lots of great photos:

http://pinkycreations-pink.blogspot.com/2009/06/crafty-room-challengeclean-up.html

Check out her blog and leave her a word of encouragement -- I'm so amazed at what she's done already!

My Shipping and Mailing Kit

I love my envelope bins and I love that they are in something cuter than the ripped up cardboard boxes that they were in, but guess what?

By using my cute bins for all my envelopes, I had inadvertently made things a little harder for me.

I realized this when I was getting a few orders together to ship out the other day.

Normally, I grab the envelopes I need from the boxes sitting on top of a table. It's not very attractive, but it's super easy to get them.

This time, I had to crawl under my desk, open up the right drawer and then rummage through it to find the ones I needed.

Okay, not a huge hardship, but a small step backward in terms of productivity.

I then started thinking of all the other steps I normally go through when I fulfill an order.

Assuming that the card is already made, I grab the card, then walk over to find a matching envelope. Then I go through my folder of plastic sleeves and pick the right one. I put the card and envelope inside, slipping in a little printed "thank you" before sealing up the sleeve.

I walk across the room for a piece of chipboard, walk back to my papercutter and cut it to fit. Walk over to find a mailing envelope the right size and slip everything inside.

Then I weigh the package on a postage scale near my desk and place the right amount of postage on it by consulting a sheet I printed off the U.S.P.S. site.

A lot of walking around for such a simple task.

I realized that it would be simple to put all the supplies I needed for this task into one place, one handy kit.

I listed out everything I needed. Here's what I came up with:

• Card envelopes in the two common sizes I use for my greeting cards
• Outer envelopes, two sizes
• Chipboard
• Plastic sleeves, two sizes
• Printed thank you slips
• Stamps
• Printouts of the costs to mail envelopes

I found a really nice basket that was unused in our basement (if you're starting to think that our basement is completely overflowing with unused organizational supplies... well, you're not totally far off).

So, this is all the stuff that went into the basket:

And, at the top of this posting, a photo of my completed shipping and mailing kit! The clipboard keeps my postage information sheets handy and tidy (or I might just laminate them).

Maybe I don't get out often enough, but I'm pretty jazzed about this little basket that should make things even easier for me to do what I need to do!

Welcome Danielle, of Collective Elements

Danielle (Collective Elements) has jumped into the Crafty Space Makeover Challenge!

Welcome aboard, Danielle!

She's posted a whole bunch of before pictures on her blog. Check them out!

Danielle dabbles in a lot of different kinds of crafts, so she has a lot of different supplies to have to store. She reports that sometimes it's so difficult to find things in the clutter that sometimes she simply rebuys things.

I can relate to that!

Glad to have you with us, Danielle!

Update on the Portable Crafting Kit

Just an update on the Portable Crafting Kit/Tray idea I mentioned earlier: it's working GREAT!

The idea with the tray is that it will be the permanent home for those tools that I am always carting up and downstairs (when I want to craft in the dining room, which is brighter and closer to the family): exacto knife, ATG gun (LOVE this adhesive gun!), bone, brads, cheap reading glasses.

Since I'm really focused on making cards lately, making a tray to accomodate this obsession is easy. Some of you, who do more than one kind of craft (if you were to want to try this out) may find that you need more than one kit to accomodate different kinds of projects.

The other night, I decided to make some of my Three Reasons Why You're Wonderful (Cute Bunny in a Boat) cards while my husband was finishing up on dinner.

I try to stay ahead on all my cards by printing and cutting up the pieces and storing them in file folders, so I was able to grab the folder for these particular cards, toss it into my tray and haul everything I needed downstairs without having to do a lot of frustrating hunting.

With all my tools on hand, it was easy to put together three finished cards in just minutes!

The only improvement I can think of is that I had to run up and grab the big self-healing cutting mat from my desk as I had to do some cutting on some of my pieces. The cutting mat is huge and awkward, so I'm going to buy a small cutting mat that will always be stored in my crafting tray.

I'm really excited about this new efficient way of working!

I'm trying to think of other tasks that I am always doing and creating "kits" around them as well. Next up: my shipping and mailing kit!

If you have any ideas of your own to share, please leave a comment!

My Progress So Far on the Crafty Space Makeover Challenge

Okay, the top big image shows the original crafty nook, as it was last week, before I started this adventure.

The smaller images underneath show my small amount of progress so far.

I've swapped the black table that I had before (that was too small to accomodate my papercutter) with our big computer desk, which works great! It gives me a ton more surface to work with!

More Shelf Space

I found an unused little bookshelf from the boys' playroom to nudge into the corner to hold additional supplies. This works okay. That piece is more decorative than functional and I actually promised it for someone's child's room, so it's only there temporarily.

I'm eyeing some bookshelves at Ikea that would fit there nicely and be much more functional (I know, I'm trying to recycle and thrift as much as possible, but no good shelving units have come up in my searches so far. I'll keep trying! Ikea is a fallback position -- they're only $32!).

My Progress so Far

So, more on the progress. The tray for my portable crafting kit is working out GREAT (I'll blog about that soon). As you can see, that pretty green tray has found a very handy place on the baker's rack where it is always available for a quick crafting session.

In the middle image, my new in/out trays have successfully contained a ton of extra paper that I have yet to process, leaving the desk free from clutter and completely usable. Yay!

In the right-most photo, you can see the envelope drawers that I blogged about earlier, sitting under my desk.

That's the good stuff.

Lots of Room for Improvement Still!

What's not working for me: the corkboard tiles I put up behind the desk (where I thought I'd hang pretty paper and inspirational clippings) keep falling down, which is super annoying. I'll find some good sticky adhesive to really get them stuck to the wall once and for all. Or I'll have to take them down.

Clearly I have to tidy up my baker's rack. The rack is.... okay, but the spaces between the shelves is too huge, so I have a lot of unused space, not very efficient. I'm thinking about how to make this better.

That big black Adidas paper bag that sits on the floor is for my recycling. Very functional, but oh-so-ugly. Clearly I need a more attractive repository for paper scraps, preferably one that will catch the cuttings from the paper cutter.

The lighting, with one table lamp and one swing-arm lamp, is not bad, but could be better. I like a really bright work area, so I'll be looking for inexpensive lighting in thrift stores.

So, moving right along, though! I know it's not a ton, but I feel like I'm really making some progress!

Envelopes

So, this is actually my second crafty space makeover. The first time, I overhauled my stray envelopes, pulling them out of stray places all over the house and sorting and consolidating them into three cardboard boxes.

This was a pretty good step for me, but I thought I could go one better this time.

I found a whole bunch of these white plastic drawers in our basement. We used to store baby clothes in them. A good wash and they were as good as new and really a ton spiffier than the ripped up cardboard boxes I had my envelopes stored in previously.

The labels I made tie in my two colors: apple green and bright blue.

These drawers will live under my big desk, keeping all my envelopes within easy reach...