Well, it’s me, Susan (susiestampalot) and I’m back again with my monthly ramblings/tips/tutorial.  This time, I thought  ya’ll would like to see what’s in my drawers!  Yes, we YNS design team members have been chatting behind the scenes about our craft spaces (I’ve been mostly drooling at some of the other girls’ spaces!), so I thought it would be fun to “bare all” and show ya’ll where I work.  (Warning–this post is picture HEAVY, so I hope ya’ll don’t mind.)  This will also act as a “SHOUT OUT” to all of you that don’t have a craft room per se and just have a small space like me.  I craft from a corner of our master bedroom.  I still call it my craft room, and we just happen to sleep in there!

Anyway, I hope someone gleans something from my keen organizational skillz…Let’s go.

Welcome to my world.  I basically take up an entire wall in our bedroom and have a couple of other storage pieces you’ll see in a minute across on the other side of the room.  Because of my limited space, I have to be quite “crafty” in how I store everything (and keep it clean). 

Here’s where all the action takes place for the most part.  Copics, glue, scrap basket, trimmer, Prima self-healing mat and I couldn’t live without the grid paper to work on!  Oh and see the little bucket to the far right?  I keep all my white/cream/kraft scraps here to stamp images on.  Just mark the paper type with a pencil very lightly in the corner to know what you’re about to work with (Neenah, PTI, Georgia Pacific–I use the first letter of each.)

 
This magnet strip from IKEA has been the BEST THING! 

 
Ok, moving to the right of my desk is my cardstock/12×12 paper storage.  The cardstock sorter has been the greatest thing…cost me a nickel (long story).  My 12×12 paper is stored above it in the plastic boxes (mostly solids and a project kit I want to make), and the paper I use all the time is sorted in the shelves by new, whole paper collections, polkadots (A MUST) and older papers.  I keep my heat gun plugged in all the time as I heat set all black ink (paranoid) and I just hang it in that bucket.  I like buckets.

One of the sections in this sorter is for my larger cardstock scraps.  I cut down some plastic dividers I found at a garage sale to fit the cubbie.  This is where I look first for cardstock when making a card or project.  It’s my favorite.

 
I love my dies too, so when I switched from a Cuttlebug (which I kept on the floor and shlepped it up on my desk when I needed it) to a Big Shot, I needed a little table to put it on…also from IKEA, just wish it had drawers.  I also keep my tool caddy here.  It has ALL of my essentials.  I have to be portable, because I take this to work every weekend (I work at my local scrapbook store.).  I’ve learned exactly what I need and don’t need by doing this.  My trimmer goes right in the middle of it.  The best part?  One of my besties gave it to me AND it turns like a lazy Susan (hey, who ya’ll callin’ lazy?).

Are ya’ll still with me?  Like I said, I have to stay “portable”, but at the same time, I don’t want to carry a bunch of stuff.  So here’s my die situation.  NOT ORGANIZED, but all in one place!?!?  Nestabilities are kept in this CD case and ALL my other dies (except one other company…I have my reasons) are kept loosey-goosey in this zipper case with a clear front.  I have an extra one to do a little “sorting” with, but haven’t got to it yet.  I don’t like to spend a lot of time on organizing.  I’d rather be crafting with that time.  Can I get an “AMEN“?

 
Ok, let me whisk you across the vast expanse of my room to the other side…Here’s where I have my most important stamp sets in the Elfa Cart, and who knows what lurks behind those doors of that armoire.  I DO know, I just don’t want to think about it.  It’s stuff like extra embellishments, more ribbon, alterables, wood-mounted stamps and stamps from other companies who I don’t design for, glitter, Mod Podge–I really need to clean it out.  Who wants to come help me?

Back to more important things–now it’s time to see in MY DRAWERS!  (I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours!)  Let’s start with my white sewing machine desk.  Buttons sorted by color make me happy.

Behind my sewing machine, are my favorite ribbon organizers from Michael’s.  When I got these, I knew I would never keep my ribbon in anything else…

…except this drawer and oh yeah, over in that armoire across the room.

Another thing that keeps me sane in my tiny space–if I didn’t use this bucket, I’d have a big mess pile all the time of new things/things that need to be put away.  I just got those markers on Friday and can’t wait to try them!  I see some YNS that needs to find its friends, too!  This is where I also keep current stuff and stamp sets I need to use for design work.  It gets cleaned out about once a month.

A couple of the other drawers in the white desk.  These are to my immediate left when I’m working, so they are super handy to have close by because I use this stuff A LOT.  I don’t even have to get up from my chair to find things here!  Again, NOT ORGANIZED in any way, just thrown in there.  Ain’t nobody got time fo dat!

 
Moving back “home” to my little solid maple blue desk.  It has a special place in my heart.  It used to be my sisters’ desk where they would do their homework as teenagers, then I saw it in my brother-in-law’s shed and gave it new life several years ago (fought off a swarm of hornets getting it out, too!).  I did the crackle paint job to it (when crackle was cool) and hand-painted several things on the top, front and sides that you just can’t see.  Someday it will have a nicer home and I can have it on display again!).  Ok, so did I distract you from seeing my TERRIBLY DIRTY acrylic blocks?  That’s how I roll.

Doodads.  In a drawer.  ‘Nuff said.  Except I do LOVE those little trinket boxes from Making Memories.  Not only do they close, but they “lock” shut with little slider thingies on the front.  If they are dropped, they won’t fling open (unless they shatter, of course).  My floor is stained concrete.  It could happen.

This is the drawer right in front of me at my desk.  It holds, well, you know, the essentials…who DOESN’T have a Spongebob notebook?

 
Well, since I showed ya’ll all the other stuff, I thought I’d share the other most “permanent fixture” in my craft space–ME!!  Time to stamp, ya’ll!!!

Again, I hope that wasn’t TOO SCARY, seeing my drawers and all (or my face)!  And I hope everyone who has a tiny craft space especially, found something fun to help them out in their organizational journey!  If ya’ll have any questions about anything you see here or even something I didn’t talk about, I’d LOVE to  hear from you!