the stampin' half

i've had a request to show greater details of the other half of my workroom, ie. the non-sewing side.

The question specifically asked about the hanging stamp sets. Yes indeed, my stamp sets hang. When my studio was built in 1993, I lined the walls with 2" gridwall. It has proven a good choice, as this room has evolved a number of times during it's seventeen years of existance. When I became a Stampin' Up! demonstrator in 2001, I rearranged my largest cupboard to make room for my growing collection of stamps, inks and papers. Soon I realized it was just not working for me. I spent more time looking for supplies than I did making creations. So I pondered for a while.

Then one day the thought entered my mind of hanging them. But how? A few weeks later I was drilling holes in the wall to hang a valance, and it hit me...drill a hole in the plastic case and hang them on hooks. I tried one. It worked perfectly, so I drilled every case I had.

Then I found these neat little grid racks that seem to be designed to hold Stampin' Wheels.

I purchased five hanging folder racks. Each of the four Stampin' Up! color families have it's own and then the fifth is for neutrals. Each color has it's own folder which I keep 8 1/2 x 11 and cut scraps of that color. each color is identified with it's name followed by the color family code. SS stands for Soft Subtles, the green dot means it is a new color(from the time I started with SU) and the red dot tells me it is a retired color.

I use the same holders for ribbon.

I bought this fun little acrylic organizer at a craft show one year. It is perfect for bottles of ink and miscellanous embellishments.

I keep all the ink pads in this holder which I purchased before Stampin' Up! came out with theirs.

The white cases along the floor are simple storage units from Target. The one they advertise for shoes is perfect for envelopes, sample cards, reference binders etc.

One unit has a little drawer that is great for all things sticky. When organizing, I try to put like things together. That way it is easier to remember where you put them, especially at my age:)

True confession time...I am not 100% pure...Yes, that is a Creative Memories cutting system. I love it. In my opinion, it is the best way to cut perfect circles and ovals, so there it stays.

I have one smaller cupboard for the miscellaneous things that are not used as often. I still have a collection of project sheets. I wish they still produced those. I loved featuring them at demonstrations and the stamp sets featured are the ones I hang onto, even after they retire.

And I've saved maybe the best, for last...the Big Shot. It sits right among the ironing supplies. Why? Well, I've used it more with fabric than I have paper. That's why I'm thrilled to see others finding that function too. I keep the more popular die cuts sitting in a basket next to it. Others are in a box below.

I hope you've enjoyed the tour. Please remember, the most important part of organizing your work space is that it work for YOU.