Dream BIG

I've got this thing in my head about not posting to my blog because I've got nothing "crafty" going on in my life. I suppose that's true in some ways and not in others. I do have some pictures to post of the progress of my next Scrapbook Nook. Sheesh, one can hardly call that space a "nook". Below are some pictures- it should give you a good idea of how large a space my new "nook" will be.

From the pink insulation and where you see those white pipes on one side to just past the 2nd window and where the metal house support beams are- that's the size of my new nook.

This 2nd picture is of a corner- it's where the new bathroom will be.

And this 3rd picture is the space under the stairs and where the door will be to enter my scrapbook nook. Granted, I took these a few days ago and there has been even MORE progress made on that basement. We have rolls of cotton candy pink insulation, loads of sheet rock (drywall) and of course wood for the framing. 

Next step is the framing, then the electrician will come in and do the wiring. We've got to get with it and get some bathroom fixtures. My side of the garage is full of construction stuff such as doors, all of that insulation and of course the wood for framing. So there IS progress being made. And the best part is that when this is all finished, it will be my biggest Scrapbook Nook yet! 

The start of the beginning

What's today's blog post title even mean? Really, right? Well it has to do with my first meeting with a contractor to finish off our basement and to build my new and much larger Scrapbook Nook! I'll even get a bathroom that's adjacent to my scrapbook nook/creative art studio...now I'm living large! I'm giddy with excitement as we're to meet with a different contractor this evening- apparently my husband has several different contractors coming over this week to give bids on what we want done to the space that is now just a basement.

Our basement, currently it's just a big hole that contains the majority of my quilting and sewing goodies, the bulk of my beautiful fabric stash and of course ALL and with that I do mean my entire scrapbooking and paper crafting world!  Everything I own in the way of creative mediums is either packed in cardboard boxes or plastic bins, ugh!  Well with exception of my kitchen toys, they are on shelves.

 The crazy life of a creative person such as myself whose mind is always percolating with ideas is a complicated one at best(insert laughter here). I'll have to pace myself so I don't overboard before we even begin on the space. I need to think about paint colors, yup that should keep me busy for a little while, LOL! 

Now before I digress yet again... the real fun begins as I start with designing the actual floor plan for my new creative space. Where do I want the electrical outlets? Where do I  want my work surfaces to be? And of course there's got to be cabinetry, lots and lots of cabinetry! I know that I want to do radiant heat flooring in there since my new creative space will be in the basement - I always say that warm feet are happy feet♥.

I'm off to have another cup of coffee and to look at my diagram and think about cabinets and shelves and a big island in the middle to use as a design/cutting table. Oh the possibilities!

Creating the Ultimate Scrapbooking Room- Organization, tools

When it comes to scrapbook room organization, first and foremost is room layout. Now comes the placement of your tools. Are they easily accessible? Are all of your scrapbooking/paper crafting tools located in one general area or are they spread out all over the place because of poor organization and/or lack of space?

Have you ever heard of the term "rabbit holing it"? It's where you come home with scrapping tools and paper and just "put them" where you have space. I knew someone who would lose items and end up re-buying the exact same things- once she bought the same tool 3 times because she forgot where she put it. My friend has been reformed with help from yours truly (and yes she reads my blog-this will make her laugh). But honestly,there's not a one of us that has not ever has been guilty "rabbit holing". I know that I have and your probably guilty too, LOL!

There are a few different ways to tackle this and the one one that has worked the best for me is to have a designated "work area". Have an assigned place for your tools, from scissors, rulers,paper trimmers to the big paper cutters, Sizzix, Quickutz, Cuttle Bug and Cricut. Does this "work area" have elbow room? Where you can spread out your tools and use them? Is there adequate storage near this assigned work area for your tools- or at least for your frequently used tools? There's lots to think about when creating your work space. Do you have tools that you aren't using? Or ones that you use so infrequently that if you really think about it they are just taking up valuable space?

An easy solution for tool organization is the peg board. We've seen this stuff above our husbands work area in the garage. I had this in my littlest scrapbook nook and loved it! Everything was right there at my finger tips and the hooks were easy to move around to accommodate items of various sizes.. So hunting for scissors or rulers, all my needs where right in front of me. Another tool is the rail system. Through a series of "hooks" that can slide back and forth you can hang your tools and other items such as embellishments- similar in concept to the peg board but not requiring a large block of space but rather a horizontal area long enough to accommodate the rail and items hanging from it. I bought mine at Ikea (in the kitchen section) and was surprised at how inexpensive they were and there's these cool baskets that you can hang from them as well (nothing was more than £3 or $5 US), plus the hooks of course. I have one basket that I'm hanging from my work station for things I want to have right there or things that I can place there that will need to be put away when I'm done using them.

I know that I need to post pictures of these things I'm talking about (that's a New Years Resolution I'm still working on from last 2 years, LOL!). I also need to go on another Ikea run- I've got a cubby space to fill and I know exactly what I want to fill it with :-)

Creating the Ultimate Scrapbooking Room- Organization

Organization- getting there is half the fun!

Moving is not for wimps. Having ones entire house packed up and moved across the USA is one thing, moving to a NEW country is quite different.That being said it's time to get my scrapbook nook reorganization project into high gear!

I love organizing and reorganizing spaces, figuring out how to better utilize a space puts me in my element. I'm once again in a new to me house and am working with the space I have been given-trying hard not to use the kids closets as auxiliary storage spots as I had done in the past. I want everything I use for scrapbooking and paper crafting to be in my scrapbook nook and no place else-no exceptions!

You've seen pictures of my past scrapbook nooks and how I've made them into usable working spaces with the items and resources available to me. If you've not seen them then please check out my webshots page-look in album titled "my scrapbook nook/craft room". Each time I've tried something new and different, this space will be yet again be something new. I will not be painting the walls as I did in my past 2 spaces as I find the buttercup yellow paint color soft and pleasing to the eye while the white crown molding gives it a touch of elegance once doesn't normally find in a craft room.

Craft rooms don't have to be a utilitarian work space- they can be anything we want them to be. I've found inspiration for my scrapbook nook's new look on the internet. While doing research on what others have currently going on in their spaces and combining it with bits and pieces of my past crafting spaces, I've been able to come up with something that I find functional and aesthetically pleasing. Set yourself a plan and work accordingly. Draw up a sketch of the dimensions of your proposed space, consider what you want to put into that space and how you want it to work. Layout your actual working space and the storage space, is there a fluid movement and working connection between the two areas?

Next- Set yourself a budget! I've had more than one friend run into some big problems when they see one thing and they buy it and then they see something else and change their mind from the original plan and get something else. That's why I'm telling you- do some research on the internet, see what works for others in their spaces, if you can, ask them questions on where they bought their items, the sizes and yes even the costs. You'll find that many people already include that information in their descriptions to better help others checking out their websites.

Measure the walls, if you're considering hanging heavy shelving units be sure to locate the wall studs before purchasing the units. Is the floor uneven? check it as you may have to anchor any shelves or drawer units to the walls.


Containers- finding the type of container that works for your space sets the tone of how you will display and in essence organize your tools, embellishments, papers and more. First and foremost it's got to hold your stuff. Make sure to measure where you want the container to go, how will this container be displayed? Will it be stacked with many other containers of the same kind? Or will it be mixed with others of varying sizes? What exactly are you going to be putting into said containers? As you see, there are many things to consider in the purchase of your containers.

Stay tuned for pictures- I've got all kinds of things to take pictures of in my British version of My Scrapbook Nook.

IKEA for organizational tools!

So, there I was, sitting on my freshly vacuumed carpet in my Scrapbook Nook assessing my "needs" for more organizational items from Ikea. I am loving the rail system, now more hiding this stuff in drawers, it's out in the open and now I'll use it because I can see it! I had a hard time using embellishments and rub-on's because they were all tucked away, stacked in drawers making them a pain in the neck to get out and use. The rail system put them out there so they are ready and accessible at the touch of a fingertip.

My Scrapbook Nook is going under some serious renovations and I love it! Every new place gives me an opportunity to try something new- how many of us really get that chance? To move every few years, to pack up everything and reorganize it all in a new to us place. I never even gave painting the walls a thought as I actually enjoy this buttercup yellow paint, I find it refreshing and cheery. I am working on my window treatment- need to get a hammer and some nails ;-) My giant clothes pins are going up and I'll be hanging/displaying some of my scrapbook layouts on the walls. I love the fact that I've gone with white and chrome on the furniture, with black and white storage pieces. It just seems so open now. Now for me to finish getting that room together- it's going to take some time for me to have it thoroughly organized and arranged to be as I want it to be, but I've got time on my side now ;-)

Less is More

I've been known to use that little phrase "Less is More" here and there over this past year. It's mainly been something for me to keep in mind when it came to moving. Now that the move is over, it's about organizing what I have.

I'm happy to be done with plastic carts! They've served their purpose well in my scrapbook nook's at our various assignments over the years and now it's simply time for me to move on. I no longer want everything in clear see-through bins, the more I think about it the more (to me) it felt like chaos behind a glass wall. I want simple clean lines and a more unified look. Granted I'll still have my clear acrylic shoe boxes for my stamps, but those are just stamps-you can see that they are stacked and not something that's just been "tossed in" and the lid closed down on top of it. And glass jars? Well those are for storing ribbon, chipboard, Prima flowers and other colorful embellishments that I don't mind seeing out on display.

I've been thinking about being done with my fishing tackle box for my embellishments as well-although I would repurpose that item for something for my husband. Although I do like it, the box its self is rather cumbersome to take out and go through on a regular basis. I want to simplify and well, the tackle box is on my "hit list" of items to be reduced from my scrapbook nook.

The rail- I can hardly wait to get it up and have embellishments out on it. I have a great many sheets of rub-on letters and phrases, fantastic cardstock stickers and all sorts of wonderful 3-d embellishments that have been tucked away in those plastic cart drawers for the past couple of years. I know that If I was to see there hanging up on a rail that I would actually start using them again! I'm not looking to buy all new supplies, I want to use up what I have on hand! I do not need cardstock for quite some time and I'm limiting myself on stamps. Tools- unless it's something that I feel that I can not live without, I will not be buying any more of them. There is a saturation limit on crafting tools and supplies and to be honest, I think that I've reached mine. Now it's time to see what else I can live without and "reduce" from my stash.

It's Ikea for my UK edition of My Scrapbook Nook

I'll be honest, I didn't enjoy my first trip to Ikea, the parking lot and store was packed full of people and we had tired hungry cranky teenagers with us. Add in that were with hundreds of people and all of us acting like we are salmon trying to go upstream not knowing where we are going on the crazy Toys R Us floor plan that's like a maze winding us through the entire store until we finally reach the cashier area. Top it off with having to BUY a bag to put our purchase in and having a fee added to your credit card because you want to use a credit card- well it wasn't the best start to a consumer relationship with that store.

Now the past 2 times I've gone shopping in Ikea with my husband we left the kids at home- believe it or not it made a vast improvement on our shopping experience in the store. Also, knowing what you are looking for helps- we shopped on line, looking at items there and in the catalog.

I've been using google and looking at many different websites, checking out what other scrapbookers and stampers here in the UK are using in their studios and crafting spaces. After looking at and studying some of the sites that have rooms similar in size to mine, I started measuring and seeing what I can do to improve mine and make it a more functional space while improving it's over all look.

So here's my latest haul from Ikea

The wire baskets (above) and rail (below) are from the Bygel collection for the Kitchen. The prices for these will amaze you (yes they are inexpensive). I've been looking at things like for years in scrapbooking magazines and Creating Keepsakes even sold some stuff like this although it was too pricey for me. I've always liked the idea of using a rail but I put that idea on my list of future plans. I bought 2 long and 1 short rail for this room.

I'm also putting one of these rails and 2 of the larger baskets in my kitchen above my stove for store items like my every day spices and kitchen utensils
The Slom jar from Ikea- comes in 4 different sizes, this is the 1.8 size and it's a great size for storing ribbon or pasta (I bought several jars- for each of those things).
The Billy Collection- I'm loving this collection, have bought a few Billy items and they are great! This is going to be mounted on the wall, it's cubbie spaces are perfect for me to store those Slom jars or the Malla baskets (see below). They are 40 inches long and I bought 2 to use in my space.

My new work area- the Fredrik work station. It comes in 3 different colors and I decided to go with white. I'm going with a new clean look. White isn't a busy color, actually it's not a color at all but a clean pallet- so here I am, with a clean pallet to work from.
The new drawer unit- This is from the Alex collection and it the tall drawer unit (there's also a shorter wider version). I'm purging myself of my addiction to plastic carts- I know it's hard to believe right? I want clean lines and a clean look, not a jumbled looking mess. And right now I have plenty going on in the mess department!

The Malla basket-found these gems in the closet organizer section of Ikea. I had looked at these cute crochet baskets but they were just too floppy! I wanted something that was more box like and not like a crocheted tote bag. Granted those crocheted totes were pretty darn cute but just not what I was looking to use for this project- may have to get one for my yarn though ;-)

Smadal Bookcase with glass doors this is where the Malla baskets will go- holding all types of crafting goodies. There's a large drawer on the bottom to house things that you don't want on display.

I do see a good relationship being forged, all because we decided to give Ikea a second try-and frankly I'm glad we did! I'll probably be making another Ikea run soon, I will need another Bygel rail and some more of those nifty baskets to house my scrapbooking embellishments, tools and my little jars of Prima flowers. Now for me to get upstairs and help my husband by clearing out all of the items that we're replacing with furniture from Ikea. Stay tuned for my before and after pictures of my UK version of My Scrapbook Nook.

The Heart of it all...

Every house has a room or a piece of furniture that is the "heart" of the home, mine is the kitchen table. All great things start there- be it coffee with girlfriends, making out grocery lists or having breakfast with the kids before they dart off to catch the bus for school. It's a gathering place that's always full of love. I've done quilting, scrapbooking, rubber stamping/card-making and book reading at that table. I've written some awesome recipes while sitting at that table and our children do their homework there, make arts and crafts projects for school or scouts at that table and have just hung out with their friends...all at that table. It's a place where we all gather to talk about the start or end of our day. I can't help but to smile when I look at it. As strange as it sounds, I've decided to do a scrapbooking layout on it. Now that My Scrapbook Nook is almost all together, I finally feel as if I can finally get on with my creative side and start some new creative projects. Are you ready for a scrapbooking adventure? I know that I most certainly am!

Creating the ultimate Scrapbook Room- flooring

What is the #1 things we over look when creating our scrapbooking space? Hands down it has to be the flooring! I don't know about you, but I'm a messy scrapper! Paper snip-it's all over the place and to be perfectly honest I drop things on the floor- more frequently then I'd like to admit. I do more than just scrapbook in my space, I sew, knit, crochet, do counted cross stitching, there's general paper crafting, painting of small to larger projects, there's also water color painting and a few other things. Needless to day the floor gets quite the work out!

I crack up when I see carpeting in 3 rooms- the kitchen, bathroom and a craft room. carpeting in any one of these rooms is a mistake! My friend Liz had carpeting in a house she and her husband rented when they were stationed in Oklahoma, the little base house we lived in before moving here (aka The Cottage) had carpeting in the kids bathroom- HUGE mistake! And when I used the formal living room as my scrapbooking area in our house in Virginia, it too had wall to wall carpeting. I found myself having to go into the kitchen and breakfast nook and do my stamping, inking and heat embossing.

When creating my latest scrapbook nook, I wanted a durable yet easy to clean up kind of flooring. My floor is a laminated wood flooring by Wilson Art, similar to Pergo - the only true difference it that it was less expensive :-) Since my room is on the ground floor, I wanted an insulated pad underneath of it- makes for a cushy walking surface and keeps out the cold. Clean up is a snap! If I drop and ink pad I get a baby wipe (which I keep on hand) and simply wipe up the ink! It's easy to keep clean, a quick swish of the broom or my floor vacuum and all of the paper snip-it's and blue tabs from my adhesive are quickly picked up. If I'm doing some heat embossing, I can get the blown off embossing powder off the floor with my swiffer duster or my swiffer wet mop quickly and easily. But don't think that you HAVE to get a laminated floor, there are many types of vinyl flooring or even tile flooring for that matter that are made to be long lasting to wear and tear, and to messy crafters such as myself this stuff is a blessing! LOL!

Can you imagine trying to get needles out of carpeting? I've dropped my container of sewing needles more than once on that floor! How about trying to pick up tiny eyelets and brads that have fallen on the carpet? Can you hum the tune to mission impossible? Or the worst- embossing powder and ink that's gotten on the carpet? Start crying now because because those things are almost impossible to get out!

Going with a nice washable flooring that has a good surface that's not textured is the way to go!

Creating the ultimate Scrapbook Room- storage

Oh, is my scrapbook nook ever a mess! I've got "stuff" spread out across the my main work area and all over the smaller work area. It's obvious that I need to put my toys away after I'm done playing with them :-)

A place for everything and everything in it's place. That's where organization and storage come into play. You can't really become organized until you make a list of things you want to accomplish in your scrapbooking space. What all are you going to be "doing" in that space? It is just scrapbooking? Or is it more? If it's more than your room will have to accommodate more than one hobby. Not everyone has the same organizational needs, that's why I asked the question "what all are you going to be doing in your scrapbooking space? For me it's a bit of everything, the obvious is scrapbooking, there's card making and general paper crafting. As for my other hobbies; I store my needlework stuffs in the laundry room, my quilting & sewing stuffs have moved to the formal dining room (they are in plain view but hidden at the same time) and of course my cooking and baking are in the kitchen. But each area where my "crafting" takes place is organized, making it easy for me to find what I'm looking for at a moments glance.

P-Touch Label Maker- if you don't have one, get one! These are a MUST HAVE item in any household! I think that my husband and kids use it as much as I do!

Plastic Shoe Boxes- These are the back bone to organization! In my Scrapbook Nook I use them to contain my stamps, my collection of acrylic blocks, ink pads and embellishments. In my quilting corner I use them to contain my fat quarters, fat eighths, fabric scraps and patterns. They work for storing needlework projects and all kinds of embroidery flosses. Use that label maker to it's fullest potential and label that container!

Okay after all this talk on being organized, I better get down in my scrapbook nook and put my toys away!