Creating the ultimate scrapbooking room- shelving

In order to store anything we need a place to put our containers of scrapbooking stuff, that's where shelving comes into play. What kind to buy is based upon a few factors;

First and foremost is price. What can you afford should be of top concern. You want to keep in mind that you want to get as much bang for your buck as possible. My recommendation is to simply Shop Around. You'd be surprised to see what is available at Thrift Shops, Hardware and Home Improvement Stores as well as warehouse type stores like Sam's Club and Costco. One of my all time favorite places for the items I've bought for my last 2 Scrapbook Nooks has been Lowe's. But don't turn your nose up at 2nd hand stores and garage sales- there are gems to be had almost everywhere!

What will be stored on it? Keep in mind the dimensions of the containers - their height and width.

How much weight will it hold? As you know, scrapbooking and stamping supplies can weigh a lot!

Where will be be placed? Keep in mind the size and dimensions of the space in which it will go. There's nothing is worse than realizing after you get home that you bought the wrong size (especially with gas prices being so high).

Do you want wall mounted shelves, free standing shelves or would cabinetry work better for your space? Assess your needs and go from there.

Do you want something that will be stationary or movable? Does it matter that the item might need to be anchored into a wall? Or would you prefer something with wheels?

What kind of materials is your shelving to be made of? Wood, MDF (wood composite), high density plastic or metal?

Do you want to buy it all at once or add to it as needed? As your collection grows so will your need for more storage.

You need to make a plan and draw out a diagram of the room. Graph paper is such an excellent way of your seeing ideas of how you want to organize your scrapbooking space without having to move heavy stuff all over the place. You'll need to measure your room, make notations of window and door placements their height and width. Where's your light fixture? Does it hang in a spot that you want to place some shelving? Can the light fixture be moved? Will the door swing into your shelving? Can the door be changed to swing outwards instead of inwards? Just so you know, it's not impossible to change that- I did that very thing when we moved into our current house.

My next post on my on going series Creating the Ultimate Scrapbook Room will have pictures of the various kinds of shelving and storage that I've used for my scrapbook nooks. I'll cover things like their size and how much weight they can hold. Be sure to check back and see what I've got going on :-)