# Organize Your Scrap Space - 2010 Edition - Week 5 It's All About the Photos



## hopemax

I'm sticking the thread here this year, since the other organizational threads are here.  Hopefully, with them all together, it will be easier to remember to work at it.

I'll be posting daily and weekly tasks, depending on how much time you have to dedicate to organization, and how big of a mountain you are starting with. The first one will probably be the same, for both, but otherwise, they will probably be different things.  You overachievers can do both.   There was also a good organizational challenge on 2Ps, over the second half of 2009, that I will be providing links to.  A la the Flylady blog, the hostess wookiemouse did an awesome job covering everything.

I won't be starting with the tasks until next Friday.  This week, I want to get a sense of what everybody's needs and what your "problem" areas are.  

1.  How much help do you need?  Do you basically have homes for things but you've let swap supplies and bags of new stuff pile up? Do you have storage options, but you've mixed stuff together, and now you can't find anything (looks neat but is basically unorganized)? Or do you need a complete overhaul?  

2.  What are your dreams for your space?  I'm not sure how many showplaces are in our future, but do you want a place that is a functional work space, or do you just want it to not look like a bomb went off all the time?

3.  What are your biggest "problem" areas?  I can't find _____ , _____ is everywhere etc.  

4.  What *is* working for you?

Week 0 - We are doing what Wookiemouse called a "Space Audit."  She suggests doing a layout, and take notes while doing so.  Did you find the pictures you wanted easily, paper, embellishments etc?  And do that for all the supplies that you used on your layout.  If you are working on swap stuff, you could do the same thing.  

http://wookiemouse.blogspot.com/2009/05/organization-challenge-week-one-space.html

Basically, where are you starting from, and where do you want to end up?


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## tinkryansmom

Oh yeah!

I am starting from cardboard boxes.  We are in an apartment now with (oh hopefully please keep your fingers crossed) house construction will begin around March 1st.

So I want to find a spot in this 1000 sq ft to work on projects.  AND I want to be forward thinking so I can design my scrapping space in the new craft room in the new house.

There is an office downstairs like a completely separate room with a big desk in it.  We had our "home office" set up down there but since the PC crashed during the last power outage....I am thinking to take the whole PC to the e-recycling place and taking over the desk!! 

Does anyone have success storing embellishments, etc in the photo boxes say from Michaels?  Was thinking this may be an inexpensive way to organize a little bit.


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## BernardandMissBianca

Very cool start Hope! I really need to audit my space. 

1. I need a complete over haul.

2. I really want a functional space but could live with it not looking like a tornado hit. 

3. biggest problems - not the right kind of furniture. It's dining room furniture from the 50's. It's just not functional. And the room is a catch all for the rest of the house. Can't find a home for it? Stick it in the dining room I'll deal with it later. 
I can't find the right kind of display/storage for embellishments. Paper things are fine in the binders, I need stuff for the more bulky items. 

4. What is working - my paper storage is just about spot on. I just need more space for paper companys, like CM, Basic Grey etc. 

I can lay my hands on everything but embellishments. They need to be corralled but I have run out of room/storage boxes/etc to sort. the table is so covered with crap I can't sort either. 


I really like the scrap rack system but where the heck would I store it. 


Off to take pics of my space so you can see what I'm dealing with.


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## rlovew

Well I am away until next wed but I know that I had a good home fore most things last spring when we last organized things. 

1. I really need a good system for putting things away when I finish a project I have tried a few things but so far they haven't worked for me.

2. I need a place to store new things as I find them homes (actually I need to not buy new things).

3. I need to work on getting pages into albums- I have over 200 pages sitting around my room waiting to go into albums- I need a better system for doing this.

4. I need a better system for sorting photos that are printed before I actually scrap them.

My embellishments are well sorted and I have a new container I like for new small ones as well as room for more inks and stamps (the main thing I have bought lately. I like my sticker storage I have used them so much more since I started it last year but I am out of room in it so I need to use things up and not buy more for the time being. I like my paper storage and just got some new shelves for more that give me room for some new things.

I will look at more things when I get home.

Rebecca


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## MazdaUK

Myproblem is I have  a tiny corner of the dining room and more supplies than comfortably fit in. I also start off tidy but it soon gets out of hand All my patterned paper (sheets) is in CM paper folders mostly by manufacturer, some by theme (flowers, geometric) where I only have one or two pieces or don't know the mnfr, and all the pads are in priority boxes, but I feel I have to look through everything every time I do a page and tend to use swap stuff instead as its already co-ordinated. So the paper piles up (because of course I need it anyway for swaps). And other embellishments are scattered in totes, some I know where they are but they are a bit of a heap. And my punches are in a number of make-up bags (the sort you get free with 2 purchases from Clinique etc.) but I often can't be bothered to pull them out to use them.
Oh, and my albums have filled the alocated shelf, and the overflow cupboard, and the floor under the overflow - HELP!!!


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## PrinceCharmingsMom

I need a way to organize current projects I am working on and a way to keep my desk clear of extra things that end up on it making it a mountain I can't possibly get any work done on. 

I have plenty of paper storage and ribbon storage, but my workspace itself needs some addressing.


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## joyah

Hope
can you convince the husband to make the addition 2 stories?  So I can have a whole room.    My biggest issue is space.   Right now it's the office/guest room/sewing/scrap area.  Most things are organized fine.  Paper, Punches and embleishments are all okay.  Pictures are alright not great.  The live in photo boxes by the years till they get to the "year book". My Year book is a 12x12 album that i sort by child so basically I have one for each boy.  These are my working pictures which is all I will have out.
I should probably adjust my ban to nothing !!!  We are considering taking the futon out of the room and moving it to the playroom that would help some although I'd still need a chair up here for the laptop area.
Course all my extra supplies live under the futon in totes.  Dusting is not my thing and it is a farm house on a dirt road so closed storage is a must.


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## morgansmom2000

I don't have a dedicated space.  That's my main issue.  We either need to sell this house and buy a much bigger one, or do an addition, neither of which is a good idea in this economy.


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## PrincessNancy96

My biggest problem will be solved the end of August.. Kicking one off to college and I get my own room!!!  Yeah!


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## party of 3

I don't have a space either. It's all downstairs and it's a pit
down there. I'm trying to make it nice but have not even
had a chance.


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## party of 3

Mr. Crockett said maybe if I stopped buying five buck albums
and other stuff and stayed home maybe I could organize it!!


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## morgansmom2000

party of 3 said:


> Mr. Crockett said maybe if I stopped buying five buck albums
> and other stuff and stayed home maybe I could organize it!!



He's a smart aleck!


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## ddavis860

party of 3 said:


> Mr. Crockett said maybe if I stopped buying five buck albums
> and other stuff and stayed home maybe I could organize it!!



Yeah, I got one of those helpful DHs at my house too...

Just do what you can, and as for the stay home stuff, you would gladly quit your job to be a SAH Mom right?  That one always shuts up my DH


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## BernardandMissBianca

took pics of my space but I need to charge the battery before I post them.

Also did a grid layout of the room with the current furniture. My biggest problem is the fact that the furniture is not functional in the least but I can't convince DH to get rid of it. It was his grandparents who purchased it when MIL married her first husband. They had the reception at home.


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## hopemax

I will be curious to see what you have.  Can you repurpose pieces?  So instead of having all the Dining room pieces in the dining room, could you move something to the living room, a bedroom, etc.


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## TinkerBean

I need to figure out a better way of organizing my cardstock and patterned papers. I have all of my Kits together (like BG archaic is in one bins with all the coordinating papers and ribbons and embellishments), but random things are just hap harzardly stored...


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## BernardandMissBianca

hopemax said:


> I will be curious to see what you have.  Can you repurpose pieces?  So instead of having all the Dining room pieces in the dining room, could you move something to the living room, a bedroom, etc.



no room to move things into other places. This house is soooo small!! DH, DD and myself in one bedroom. DSx3 in the other bedroom with 2 sets of bunks, 2 dressers, and 2 bookcases (using as much vertical space as I can).

Living room, kitchen, dining room. That's it. And one bathroom which is upstairs. 

Going to charge the battery right now. I'll snap some pics of the actual furniture too and describe what's housed there.


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## believen

I think my biggest issue- I can't decide what works best for me lol. If I store all of the paper together, all the embellishments together, etc. Then I forget what I have that I originally planned to use together. If I store it all kitted- which was my intent- then I have too many piles to contend with, and too much random stuff!
My other issue-procrastination! So, thanks for this thread!


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## BernardandMissBianca

trying to upload pics but my internet is running so slowly today!! Will add pics as they upload.

gridded layout of the room. Things are not in the exact space, but close.






View 1 from A (doorway in front of house)





View 2 from A





View 3 from B





View 4 from C





View 5 from D (swinging door)





Sewing table, MIL's repurposed for flock, flowers (some) and flower soft. to the left of the swinging door, under the thermostat. 





buffet - top drawer has cricut carts and plugs. right top drawer has pens, pencils, and notepads for the kids to access. middle drawer has over sized photos from Grandparents and MIL. bottom drawer has linens for dining room. left size door has MIL and FIL memorabilia as well as friends wedding pics (she is divorced, I took the pics to do albums for her girls). bottom right door has jars with flowers, yarn and other doo dads. bottom shelf in there has kids art supplies.






corner cabinet - top and bottom have collectibles and rarely used bowls, lanterns etc. (not a movable cabinet)





book case behind swinging door, to the left of the corner cabinet- from top to bottom - embellies like brads, buttons, eyelets, 8x8 paper; scrap paper (divided by ROY G BIV, patterned, disney) and 81/2 x11 full sheets; boxes have chipboard letters, autographs from WDW, ribbon, fiber, vintage embellies, and something else (can't remember); disney embellies in binders sorted by park and land; bottom which you can't see has paper (sorted by ROY G BIV, patterned, seasonal, disney)






china cabinet - holds collectibles and china from MIL - to the right of the corner cabinet on the other side of the window.






scrap storage - right of the cabinet, left of the window - paper covered drawers hold stamps, stamp pads, inks etc. big drawers hold pics to be kitted, completed pages waiting for pics, finished pages awaiting albums, ziploc bags, kitted pages that are not next in the batters box to be done.


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## hopemax

Does the dining room ever have to function as a dining room?

On the grid, you list a clock, is that like a floor standing clock?  What is the Sizzix sitting on?

When I designed my scrap room, I took measurements of everything.  Furniture, width of windows, width of walls between windows, etc.  And then used my Paint Shop Pro to place everything.  I'd be happy to do that with your room, if you wanted to take the time to get the measurements.

My initial thought, is if you could move the buffet off the one wall, you could put bookshelves on that wall for lots of storage.  My first thought, would be to move it to the wall with the double windows, which is why I asked if that was a floor standing clock.  Although, if you move the bookcase you already have to the former buffet wall, you could move a clock there.  And then the sewing table, maybe to the right of the corner cabinet.  But without knowing how large things are, it's kind of hard to say.

But from your layout it looks like you have space in front of windows (maybe?), don't be afraid to put things in front of them, if they aren't too tall, even if they block somewhat.


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## BernardandMissBianca

No it does not function as a dining room. We have a big table in the living room that we eat at. It really is a catch all room, everything that doesn't have a home gets tossed in there until I find a place for it. 

the clock is a floor clock, a grandfather clock. The sizzix is sitting on a marble top table that is between the china cabinet and the clock, forgot to add that in the layout. 

The radiator is under the window between the corner cabinet and the china cabinet so that space is unavailable. 

Yes, I really really need vertical storage where the buffet and mirror are, that is the biggest wall in the room. Honestly I'd like to get rid of the furniture all together, I just need to convince DH of that. I want bookcases on all the open wall space and a nice high desk/counter in the center. 
But if I could just take the buffet out it would really open up my options. I'll take some more measurements after I eat and get the kids in bed. 

I can also take the swinging door down to have it out of the way. It just hides the book case when you walk in the back door. The first thing you see is the clock.


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## BernardandMissBianca

Oh and on the back of the door is a shoe hanger with my punches. It works well but it's full so I can't really buy anymore punches. LOL


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## hopemax

I think with some measurements, I can get something that works.  DH's room, which is right behind me, is the same size as your dining room.  I keep looking at your pics and his room for ideas.  Window/door layout is a bit different, but not so much so that I can't vizualize.


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## MazdaUK

I think as your buffet is full of crafting stuff (mostly!) you wouldn't gain much by moving it except maybe floor space. BUT if you could move the mirror you could have some shelves above it. And move the chair under the window for either a low piece of firniture or a stack of boxes. Could the linen be stored in the airing cupboard?

ETA I have a similar probelm - lots of collectibles and stuff filling up space where I could put scrap stuff


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## pjlla

Someone was asking about using those photo boxes from Michael's from storage.  I just wanted to chime in... they work fine, but they are not 12" long (at least, not the ones I bought).  So if you have a border piece/sticker or sticker sheet that is 12" long, you need to either cut it, fold it, or find another place for it.  That said, I used those boxes for a long while for most of my scrapping storage (other than 12 x 12 paper).... I had them stacked in an old bookcase and it worked fairly well.   I have moved on to the 12 x 12 plastic drawer units (3 drawers per unit..... from Target and Walmart) and they work really well.  But they are more pricey then the photo boxes (about $10 per unit unless you can find a sale).  And of course, they are less eco-friendly, if you are concerned about buying more plastic.

But of course, those 12 x 12 drawer units are fairly shallow, so for anything bulky you would need another system.  I have combined the deeper, larger three drawer units (I have two of them side by side) with MANY of the 12 x 12 three drawer units (I have one stack of about 7 which almost reaches my ceiling that holds all KINDS of stuff, another stack of four or five that holds patterned paper, a stack of three that is for scrap cardstock organized by rainbow colors {ROYGBIV, plus black/white and brown/cream}, and about 4 others that are on the old bookcase as I slowly replace the photo box system).  

As for an organizing system.... I guess you need to figure out what works for you.  When I started scrapping the "modern" way about 15 years ago, it wasn't a matter of organizing the stuff by manufacturer or anything.... I was just lucky to FIND stuff that wasn't kids construction paper and teacher's stickers.  So I started sorting by type and that is how I STILL do it.... and it works for me.  Patterned paper is generally sorted by main color if it is just general patterns.... more specific stuff is sorted by "event" (travel paper, Easter paper, Disney paper, Halloween paper.  

Stickers and other embellishments are sorted by season/holiday.  I have a 12 x 12 drawer for each of the following.... Spring/Easter, Winter/Christmas/Valentine's day, Summer/Vacation/July 4th, Fall/Halloween/T.giving, plus a drawer for "all boy", "Girly", "heritage/vintage",  "gardening/floral" (since I do an ongoing gardening book for my Dad), "Travel" (for trips other than our usual summer family vacation), and several drawers for Disney.  

I do better keeping like items together, but maybe you work better keeping a specific manufacturer together or a certain line together.  Think about how you work... what do you pick first?  Do you always want to use coordinating lines of stickers/papers together, or do you mix and match?  

If you are pressed for space, as many of us are, you need to think vertical.  Put less-used stuff up higher, if it will be harder to reach.  And don't forget about places like under the bed (you could easily store a lot of overflow cardstock and/or patterned paper there).  Even if the storage area isn't right near the scrapping area, it might still work.  

Attics and basements tend to be BAD for paper and stickers..... but okay for other things.  So maybe you could move things from a linen closet or pantry to these areas to free up scrapping storage space in a more temperature/ humidity friendly environment.  I would far rather head to the basement to retrieve my "twice a year" used roasting pan and free up a shelf for my Sizzix dies!  Or better yet.... get rid of the roaster and use a disposable pan for the once or twice a year that I would really want a pan that big!  

Anyhow... I just wanted to offer some input.  Hope you all have great luck getting organized this year!...............P


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## BernardandMissBianca

MazdaUK said:


> I think as your buffet is full of crafting stuff (mostly!) you wouldn't gain much by moving it except maybe floor space. BUT if you could move the mirror you could have some shelves above it. And move the chair under the window for either a low piece of firniture or a stack of boxes. Could the linen be stored in the airing cupboard?
> 
> ETA I have a similar probelm - lots of collectibles and stuff filling up space where I could put scrap stuff



I might be able to move some stuff from the cupboard to the cabinet over the refrigerator. We never use that cabinet because I can't reach it. I'll have to see if I can narrow the linens down more or fold them smaller. 

I could put shelves over the buffet but the problem with that is the buffet is just deep enough that I can't reach above it. I have to stand on the buffet or move it just to clean the mirror. 

I need to paint the room and that means removing all the furniture so I'm hoping to not bring anything back in after it's painted. 

Oh and I forgot to mention I have about 8-10 boxes of various scrap supplies packed up in the basement. I need to purge more!!! LOL


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## hopemax

Another idea...is the table wide enough and high enough that it can slide over the radiator?  If you shift it so the one side is basically flush against the window, would that open enough space that you can turn the buffet 180 degrees, so it's back is flush with the table?  Then it would also act as a room divider and hide all the stuff you might have on the table from the front door.


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## BernardandMissBianca

I can slide it over the radiator if I turn it. The legs are like bird feet, three prongs so there is not a ton of room at the ends of the table. I can't even push the chair in all the way (you have no idea how much that bugs me!!!).

I think I can move the table linens to the linen closet upstairs. I never use them because they are really old but DH won't get rid of them. 
He leaves tonight for DC so I will have time to get in there and rework some stuff.


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## believen

Buffy- I love the furniture! and the builtin corner cabinet- it is so pretty.  Too bad we arent closer- I could 'store' it for you!


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## BernardandMissBianca

Thanks! Ethan Allen, 1953ish mahogany. I just recovered the seats not to long ago, they were this hideous mauve color. Blech! 
I'm going to paint the room a latte color and the inside of the corner cabinet will be the yellow from the living room. I love the cabinet! I'm glad it was a feature the previous owner kept, he was a bit of a whack-a-do.


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## BernardandMissBianca

I found what I want for storage!!!

Now convince DH to store the buffet somewhere else.


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## tinkryansmom

BernardandMissBianca said:


> I found what I want for storage!!!
> 
> Now convince DH to store the buffet somewhere else.



ooohhhhh so pretty!


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## MazdaUK

How about putting shelves over the buffet and putting the collectables on that? (you might have to find a glassed-in unit if you're not keen on dusting, like me) The you'd have reachable space for other things.


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## Sarah <3 Disney

BernardandMissBianca said:


> I found what I want for storage!!!
> 
> Now convince DH to store the buffet somewhere else.



Is it from Ikea? If so, I have it and loooove it. These boxes fit nicely in it and do not take up the whole vertical space though, so smaller boxes, like photo storage ones can be placed on top of these. 

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90115488

I could take a picture and show you mine with the boxes if you would like.


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## ohMom

can i join in?  i haven't been over here in quite a while...i feel lost 

my basement is being finished as i type, we are having a finishing system put in and have never had any problem with water so i'm good with the location.  but i can start over in my organizing and being that i love to reorganize i'm actually excited!  the guys are working now but i'll take a measurement later.  I have a glass-top computer desk that will be staying and simple 2 shelves along length of one wall.  what i hope to do is hang on the wall my desk is adjacent too, my punches, embellisments and things I need out to remember i have.  my husband has mentioned a track shelving system for the third wall.  anyone have that?  

here are 3 products i wrote down after some surfing, if you have any feedback would be fantastic!

IKEA rails to hold punches on the wall
Jetmax cubes
Making memories embellisment center 

and i think i may order Making memories desktop carousel.


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## BernardandMissBianca

Sarah <3 Disney said:


> Is it from Ikea? If so, I have it and loooove it. These boxes fit nicely in it and do not take up the whole vertical space though, so smaller boxes, like photo storage ones can be placed on top of these.
> 
> http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90115488
> 
> I could take a picture and show you mine with the boxes if you would like.


Yes it's from Ikea. I would love to see photos!! 
I saw it somewhere else for scrap storage and it looks like 12 x 12 albums fit on the shelf. And I saw it had boxes that slid in too. do I want those? 




ohMom said:


> can i join in?  i haven't been over here in quite a while...i feel lost
> 
> my basement is being finished as i type, we are having a finishing system put in and have never had any problem with water so i'm good with the location.  but i can start over in my organizing and being that i love to reorganize i'm actually excited!  the guys are working now but i'll take a measurement later.  I have a glass-top computer desk that will be staying and simple 2 shelves along length of one wall.  what i hope to do is hang on the wall my desk is adjacent too, my punches, embellisments and things I need out to remember i have.  my husband has mentioned a track shelving system for the third wall.  anyone have that?
> 
> here are 3 products i wrote down after some surfing, if you have any feedback would be fantastic!
> 
> IKEA rails to hold punches on the wall
> Jetmax cubes
> Making memories embellisment center
> 
> and i think i may order Making memories desktop carousel.



everyone I know likes the jetmax cubes.
here is a link to the Cricut boards were some people posted their cube layouts

http://www.cricut.com/(S(exjqfj55lnuudb55oqtpkz45))/messageboard/tm.aspx?m=3408551&mpage=1

the rails are cool, I've also seen people use bath towel holders as a less expensive choice.


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## Sarah <3 Disney

Here are some pictures for you. I have eight of those boxes I previously linked, but here is how tall they are (and how a photo box easily fits on top):






As you said, 12x12 albums fit very nicely as well. Here is my Disney book to show:






Another thing that fits nicely from Ikea are the cheap, cardboard magazine holders. Three can fit in each cube:






And there are other boxes/baskets that fit, but they are expensive. We do have a couple of the wicker ones (my sister has one too ), but I think they are $12 - $14 each. They also have clear plastic baskets which I did have at one point, but I don't like being able to see all the clutter. Here is the wicker basket (sorry for the blurriness, it takes up the entire space):






And just for kicks, a picture of my scrapping area in my closet. The steel shelves I purchased at Target, they are awesome and cheap ($17ish per unit).  I think each shelf can hold 160 lbs. On the right hand unit, the Cricut and Cuttlebug occupy the top shelf. Below, the four black boxes hold paper and the white photo boxes hold a bunch of stuff (cutting tools, punches, adhesives, writing supplies, themed accents, and photos, each in their own box). On the left hand side, my photo printer and scanner are on the top. Below is my pile of scrapbooks and my magazines are in the white holders. Bottom shelf has more photo boxes holding stuff (ribbons, floral embellishments, and two labeled embellishments). And of course, I browse the internet/scrap in my authentic Wrigley Field stadium seat!  Here is the photo:






And since all of my scrapbooking stuff is in my closet, you may be wondering what is in all of those white boxes on my shelving unit. Welp, it is all LEGOS! Haha. Each box is it's own color, and each block type is organized and stored in a plastic bag (2x2 in one, 2x4 in another...). I'll never grow up.  Sorry for the long post, but I like sharing pictures.


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## BernardandMissBianca

Thanks for sharing Sarah!! I do really like that and I think it would work in my space and give me tons of storage. Now to convince DH.

Now, let's talk legos. I saw the coolest storage unit for legos at the Lego store at Downtown Disney. I will try to find a picture of it, but DH is using his computer which is making mine really really slow. 

We have about 5 big bins of legos, the kids just love them.


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## MazdaUK

I wonder if I can persuade DH to get one of those units for my albums he's "allergic" to Ikea but has to go shortly to get a new wardrobe for DS16. All our walls are full though and he won't get rid of any antiques - do they come in a slimmer version? maybe I could squeeze it behind the TV if its just for my completed albums

We store our lego in one of those Ikea units with the pull-out plastic boxes (they sell them for kids rooms) -I can't remember the name, its just a wooden frame and you can fit different depth boxes in it. We used to have it all sorted - windows and doors in one, even a place for instruciton books 0 but now its all jumbled up It DOES hold a load of lego though in a small footprint


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## Sarah <3 Disney

Glad the pictures helped! I do have the 4x4, but there was a bit of a mess in front of my unit... so I left that out of the pictures. 

Legos are the best! That is the one toy my mom refused to sell at all of those garage sales, and I am thankful she didn't! Now I have been collecting the pieces to build a Wrigley Field replica. Can you tell I am a Cubs fan yet?  I have tooooo much time on my hands!  Can't wait to see the pic though!

and Mazda, yes they do come in smaller sizes! I have the 4x4, but there is also a 4x2 and a 2x2. My sister has a 4x2, going horizontally, and is using the top as a tv stand. 

Edit: Oh another thing. If you do decide to get one, definitely check the "As Is" section of your Ikea. At ours at least, there is always a new 4x4 there that is usually 1/3 off or more in price. And every time I look, it is always in nice condition. People probably buy the big ones, build them, realize its too big, then bring it back!


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## ddavis860

I LOVE IKEA 

The list of IKEA stuff in my house is L.O.N.G!!

I also have those baskets.  I love them!  Very easy to carry, and they have strong metal upper and lowers so they can hold lots and lots and not break. 

I think I have the main goals for my Crap Room.  Mine needs to be a scrappy, beading, stained glass, office, TV room... lots to expect of one space...


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## JandJ

"Allergic to Ikea"   Don't let my DH hear that excuse!

My craft room is like 75-80% Ikea and it's great for storage. I have to agree with Sarah, those cardboard boxes and magazine holders are awesome! The boxes come in 2 sizes and lots of different colors. I use them for everything (and used SCAL to make matching labels)





I realized last night I have to organize photos. I found some that I forgot I had and printed again - oops! So . . . 

My biggest problem areas: Photos are everywhere! I have to come up with a better system and get over my fear of looking through pre-digital pictures, tossing bad photos and duplicates, and figure out how to scrap them.

Everything else, I think, is working for me.


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## BernardandMissBianca

Jennifer I love the words on the boxes!! 

Allergic to Ikea?!?!? Heck no!! It's my new favorite store!! Good thing it's over an hour away, or I'd be there every day!


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## MazdaUK

Ours is through a toll tunnel(DH's other excue - not paying £1.40 each way to buy c**p furniture) but there is supposed to be a new one built just next to our Tesco on the site of an old factory - that would be brilliant!


----------



## ddavis860

Wow...I was just sucked into the jetmax thread from the cricut board...


----------



## Disney Ontario

Ok, I have just sat down and tried to make a list of all the important items I need in my new designed scraproom but now can I see your lists incase I forgot somethings. Mine is already a page long and right now I got to reframe from buying any paper. OH NO imposible.


----------



## hopemax

This year's challenge is getting off to a rip-roaring start...NOT.  I thought I would have had some time to figure out a plan of attack, but I have been focusing on finishing my 2 current swaps, and so I haven't gotten around to it yet.

So daily tasks will have to wait, and I'll borrow a Weekly task, straight from Wookiemouse's 2Pea's Challenge.

http://wookiemouse.blogspot.com/2009/06/organization-challenge-week-2.html

Brainstorming.

Last week, we focused on what was wrong with the current setup.  This week, focus on what your "ideal" space would look like.  Focus on the way you work.  You may fall in love with a room you saw online, but if you don't like to scrap while standing, counter height workspaces probably aren't going to work for you.  Even if you know you can't get your ideal space, just thinking about your ideal space could give you a spark of an idea on what you could do.  

For example, I loved the idea of the Clip-it-Up to have stickers visible, but I knew 1. I didn't have the money 2.  I wouldn't have the desk top space.  So I came up with the alternate idea of using a cheap curtain rod instead.  Takes up no desktop space, and I did it for under $10.

One of the things I've realized, while working on these swaps, is that I don't want to take the time to put my scraps away as I'm working.  So I need to make sure I have a bin or something, to dump them in as I'm creating.  It keeps my work area cleaner, and they are already "together" when I finish and it's time to clean things up.

Wookiemouse also suggests:  Take a picture of how your room looks today.  This will be your motivation for the future.

Some of you have already started/done this stuff, so  for you, you are ahead.  I'll get some pics up of my room, because it is post creation, so stuff is all pulled out.


----------



## TifffanyD

BernardandMissBianca said:


>



I have this too! We have ours set up in the middle of the room with a desk hanging off either side (also sold from ikea). Unfortunately it's like book storage not crafts   We have a few other of the bookshelves in the same style and one of those I AM filling with craft stuff. Here is the container I use to hide the clutter. 





http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40133545


----------



## PinballFamily

Ok - here's our scrap space!  Z2H and I spent a lot of time re-re-re-doing it and I think we both feel it works well for us.  The space is our (former!) dining room, right off the living room and kitchen.  That works well for us, since we can be convenient to everyone (ok, sometimes, not a plus!!!), but we can pull the draperies and swinging door closed and that's a signal not to interrupt.  Furnishings are a mix of desks we had (DHs from childhood), chrome wire shelf units (mostly from BJs and Target), and some handy stuff from IKEA and The Container Store.  We really try to use *every* square inch for something! 

The general layout:






Looking into the scrap space from the living room:






Another view of most of the scrap space from the living room:






Close-up of Desk #1:
This is sort of the primary workspace area.  Shelf behind holds my primary paper supply (sorted primarily by color, like - white, then white patterned below, ivory, then ivory patterned below, etc.), DCWV stacks, some scrap supplies, received swap items, and the Baby Bug.  My currently kitted up page kits are hanging on the left side of the shelf unit, in 2.5 gallon Baggies.  Desk drawers primarily hold photos/negatives to be sorted.  The desk's top open shelf below holds frequently-used pens and Copic markers.






Front of Desk #1 - showing some punch storage and rhinestones.  Other punch storage baskets are mounted on Desk #2.






Pegboard storage shelves/drawers/pegs mounted above Desk #1 hold eyelets, brads, Primas, sanding supplies, chalk inks, buttons, Dew Drops/Skittles, ATG guns, tapes, rulers:






In the little sliver of space (15" wide) right behind Desk #1 between the built-in china cabinet and my shelf unit, I made a thin pegboard set of shelves for spray can adhesives; supply of Baggies; postal scales; wax paper; ModPodge/Liquid Accents; excess pegboard hooks, S-hooks, and zip-ties; Cutterpede paper cutters; and cutting mats.  The paper shredder is on the floor:






Close-up of Desk #2 - hanging above it (on the side of the white plastic stacked drawer units) are pop-dots, fabric embellishments, some sticky-back rhinestones, etc.  There also are three other punch baskets mounted on the front side of Desk #2, but only the top basket with some blue colored Fiskars punches are visible.






Cricut cart storage mounted to the side of Desk #2






The stacked white plastic drawer units alongside Desk #2:






Immediately behind Desk #2 are two shelving units in the corner - forming an L shape.  This first shelf unit primarily holds my Coredinations and Gemstone papers, various craft supplies, albums being filled with layouts, scrappy magazines, Z2Hs Iris boxes, and the crate on the bottom shelf holds our scrap paper (in the 2.5 gallon baggies) separated by color.  Ribbon storage (on dowels held onto the wire grid by long S-hooks) is on the end.






This shows both shelves.  The second shelf unit holds crop/tote supplies, extra magnetic tins, the Cricut Expression and mats, and Z2Hs paper supply and embellishments.






Rounding the next corner is our computer area (the computer can be easily cabled over to the Expression for SCAL cutting) with our Stickles/glitter storage mounted to the side of the table:






Close-up of the tableside:






And, finally (whew!) is our tall chrome wire wheeled rack.  This holds a lot of our most used equipment (Cuttlebug, CropADile Big Bite, Fastenator, Tag Curler, and Xyron adhesive machines and Design Runner) and their supplies, Scor-Pal, ATG tape supply, yarn, etc.  The one thing I learned about myself is that I NEED to see my stickers and embellishments - I can't use an accordion file or storage boxes where the items are hidden away...I forget what I have! So, virtually all of my embellishments are hanging off this rack (it spins around on casters) from three sides of the wire shelves.  They are generally grouped by topic/theme/holiday, or whatever.  (Ignore DHs magic cabinet!  It is the last "non-scrappy" item left in the room! )






We really enjoy working in this space and use it frequently every day - and couldn't say that when it was the official "dining room!"

PinballFamily/Pam


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## hopemax

Wow!  I'm coming to your house...If your Stickles shelf is a little less empty, I know nuttin' about it.


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## morgansmom2000

hopemax said:


> Wow!  I'm coming to your house...If your Stickles shelf is a little less empty, I know nuttin' about it.



I wanted to put a few in my pockets when we were there the other day.  I got a little overwhelmed though!  I tried to imagine all my stuff in one room, and thought I'd hyperventilate.


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## party of 3

I wanted to move in!!!


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## rlovew

Didn't you tell us you only started scrapping a year or so ago! I can't imagine using your supplies in a decade.

Rebecca


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## BernardandMissBianca

Holy toledo Batman you have a lot of stuff, but it's so organized!! 

I could pocket a few stickles as well. Never ever let DD in your space!! LOL She swipes anything pink, especially stickles!

LOL, I noticed the liquor in the cabinet, I want to see pages after you've dipped into that!!


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## BernardandMissBianca

OK, so how do I broach the subject with DH about either packing up the furniture in the dining room or getting rid of it. 
Honestly it's not our taste but I don't think he's ready to get rid of it, especially with the first anniversary of his mother's death coming up right after her b'day.


----------



## BernardandMissBianca

TifffanyD said:


> I have this too! We have ours set up in the middle of the room with a desk hanging off either side (also sold from ikea). Unfortunately it's like book storage not crafts   We have a few other of the bookshelves in the same style and one of those I AM filling with craft stuff. Here is the container I use to hide the clutter.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40133545



Thanks for the info Tiffany! I like the bins a lot. I'm kind of a bin snob, I have them everywhere! LOL

This week I really need to get a vision of what I want out of the room. DH is jumping up and down about getting organized and getting rid of stuff. I just hope he realizes I'm not getting rid of more of my things. My stuff always gets tossed or packed up first. I really need to room to function!


----------



## ZeroToHero

rlovew said:


> Didn't you tell us you only started scrapping a year or so ago! I can't imagine using your supplies in a decade.
> 
> Rebecca



Thank you! I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this.


See? When I "borrow paper without asking," I'm not stealing, I'm just helping you get through your decade's supply of paper!


----------



## MazdaUK

I'm going to show DH these pics so when he says I have too much stuff I can explain I am practically a pauper in scrap terms Especially stickles - he HATES them because I put them on the CD rack  in front of the discs and they fall off when he gets CDs out. I even bought a shot of flavoured vodka in the sales - because it came in a cute little tin like a mini-SMEG fridge - and put most of my stickles in there.

Unfortunately chances of persuading him we don't need a dining room are nil - if the conservatory was warmer I'd use that as a dining room (no good for scrapping as everything fades despite the shading AND its freezing/baking for large parts of the year).

BAMB - how long is it til the birthday/first aniversary? If its not long I'd wait til a few weeks after, otherwise I'd go down the "I can see its making you sad having so many of your mom's things where you can see them, but I understand why they are special to you. Why don't we store them for a bit til we decide what we want to do/have room to display them in a better setting?" route. Not knowing your DH I don't know if he's fall for tht - but my DH can rarely reciognise sneaky! (He's so unsentimental he wouldn't keep much "in memory" of anyone, but its hard to get rid of furniture with a "value" to echange for stuff with no resale value but great practicality - like space to put my scrap stuff in

ETA if the magic cabinet is the "only non-scrappy item" I presume the liquor is essential to scrapping ;-)


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## ddavis860

PBF- I totally bow down to your organization and vision!  Just beautiful! 

So please tell me how you mounted the wire cube sides on the plastic drawers... Heck, how did you mount them on the desks too?  I have an excess of these things, and never thought of using them in that way 

What are the little shelves holding the stickles?

Where did you get that amazing chrome wheeling tall cart?

I so want to come and play with you guys!!


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## morgansmom2000

I swear, I heard angels sing when I stepped in that room!


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## party of 3

I think that might have been me!


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## morgansmom2000

party of 3 said:


> I think that might have been me!



Or your phone.


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## party of 3

do you hear church bells???


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## ddavis860

You guys are cracking me up!!


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## BernardandMissBianca

BernardandMissBianca said:


> OK, so how do I broach the subject with DH about either packing up the furniture in the dining room or getting rid of it.
> Honestly it's not our taste but I don't think he's ready to get rid of it, especially with the first anniversary of his mother's death coming up right after her b'day.



Well Dh said today nothing in the house was sacred. Well gee thanks, guess my albums aren't important. You have no idea how bad I wanted to say the get rid of the dining room furniture, but I held my tongue. That's a fight for another day.



MazdaUK said:


> BAMB - how long is it til the birthday/first aniversary? If its not long I'd wait til a few weeks after, otherwise I'd go down the "I can see its making you sad having so many of your mom's things where you can see them, but I understand why they are special to you. Why don't we store them for a bit til we decide what we want to do/have room to display them in a better setting?" route. Not knowing your DH I don't know if he's fall for tht - but my DH can rarely reciognise sneaky! (He's so unsentimental he wouldn't keep much "in memory" of anyone, but its hard to get rid of furniture with a "value" to echange for stuff with no resale value but great practicality - like space to put my scrap stuff in



Her birthday would have been January 26 and her death date is January 29. Too much to ask right now. 
I did suggest storing the furniture in the storage unit so we can have a place to stage stuff from our room to do the built ins. He's chewing on that one for a bit before commenting.


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## hopemax

BernardandMissBianca said:


> OK, so how do I broach the subject with DH about either packing up the furniture in the dining room or getting rid of it.
> Honestly it's not our taste but I don't think he's ready to get rid of it, especially with the first anniversary of his mother's death coming up right after her b'day.



Well, in my house it's just better to beg forgiveness than ask permission.  However, I know from my Dad that men losing their moms complicates things.

I have been out of the loop, but are your long term plans, now, to stay in Blink?  I would probably approach it as part of a more detailed talk about the future.  Are these pieces that, even though they aren't your style, would be something that he would like to give to Princess Blink someday?  Do you, or will you have the ability, sooner rather than later, to store them?  And I think it is important for you to have your own space.  If not the dining room, have you ever seen the Scrap Shack on the Cricut messageboards?  
http://www.cricut.com/messageboard/tm.aspx?m=5743897


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## BernardandMissBianca

No we don't intend on staying in Blink forever. I need a bigger house and if I'm going to move again it's going to be my forever house which is not here. (to darn cold) 
However saying that, we have decided that if we move abroad (total potential for this with the new job) we would leave all furnishings behind and either store the important stuff or get rid of everything and start fresh. 
I'm not sure if DD or the boys for that matter would want anything. I just don't want to make them feel like they have to keep it to make DH happy. 

I do have the ability to store them off site. We have a 10 x 10 storage unit that has MIL's other furniture in it. It is climate controlled so the furniture would be fine. 

Love the Scrap Shack! That is great, I just don't know how I could keep mice out. They are sooo bad here because of  the farm land around us. I can't even keep them out of the house. But yes, and separate space would be awesome. 

We are going to build the first of 2 additions on the house this year (I hope). A permanent office for DH and a bedroom over it for DS13. Then I can reclaim part of the basement or the end of the living room. 

I could do something in the basement if I could empty it, dehumidify it more (we have a plumbed in dehumidifier) and deal with the little water issue we have left. We also have a loft over the garage but the garage is detached and has no heat/AC. I would need to insulate and get heat out there. 
But we are considering tearing down the garage to build the second addition and a new garage that my car will actually fit in. 

Sorry, I feel like I'm monopolizing the thread!


----------



## joyah

Buffy you're not monoplizing the thread at all.  
My BF and I were just discussing the issue of scrap rooms last night ( and no I'm not admitting to how much alcohol was consummed during this session).  Both of our houses are small.  Mines 1486 sqft and hers is maybe 1200ish She is lucky though cause she has the space to have and actual room we're guessing it's probably 10x10.  She is a SU rep so lots of stamps to store.  She has decided to rip out the carpet and all the xtra funiture that been put in there and start from scratch.  
I on the other hand am stuck.  until the boys will give up their play room I have no space.  It's not feesable to do a 2 story addition and I have no place to put the office.  So the best I can come up with is to put the futon into the playroom and gain 3' on 1 wall and 6 feet on the back wall.  Since this is a loft there is a 3' solid wall along the front.  

Lets see if anyone ca tackle my space.  On the right as you come in the door is the 3' wall first thing is a built in bookcase, right nest to that is the boys scrap desk.  Coming out of the wall into the room is my cupboard dad built to house the scrap stuff This piece is VERY functional because the boys can acess the top the cuttlebug/kids and their stuff is on theie side and cricut is on my side.  then comes my chair and table which comes out of the wall and runs along the side wall of the house.  My table seems to work well it is the sauder sewing table all the scrapbacks hide behind the door with the extra top up. next to that is an old pantry it works for small supplies and picture boxes.  Next is an old small table that holds the laptop and I sit on one corner of the futon which runs along the back wall.  Then is a  small end table the boys use but is totally in my way I used to have it like a coffe table in front of the futon then a filing cabinet. the rest of the back wall and wrapped around the corner is Toms office area desk and computer. Then comes his bookcase file.  This is his childhood bookcase so I CAN NOT get rid of it. and with about 2' your back at the door. At the end of the cabinet dad made is a small table that holds my sewing machine. it works cause I don't have to keep pulling it out and it's right at the flat surface for the quilt peicing and I put out a tabletop iron board on my scrap table.

So what do you all think?


----------



## PinballFamily

rlovew said:


> Didn't you tell us you only started scrapping a year or so ago! I can't imagine using your supplies in a decade.
> 
> Rebecca



Yep - I moved scrap stuff into this room almost exactly one year ago to the day. Did my first scrap pages a week or so later. When we get into a new interest...we get pretty manic! 

To be fair...I didn't just decide to take over the dining room.  To move the scrap stuff in, we had to move five or six (real - arcade size) pinball machines out of the room.  They're now in the basement - it has been a long time since the room was a real *dining room*!!!!

We know we're a strange family...but, boy do we have fun!


----------



## PinballFamily

BernardandMissBianca said:


> LOL, I noticed the liquor in the cabinet, I want to see pages after you've dipped into that!!



What sharp little peepers you have there, Miss Buffy!!! 

We don't visit that cabinet often (now, maybe *that's* my problem!!!) - so I forget those bottles are in there!

Cheers!!!


----------



## BernardandMissBianca

joyah said:


> Buffy you're not monoplizing the thread at all.
> My BF and I were just discussing the issue of scrap rooms last night ( and no I'm not admitting to how much alcohol was consummed during this session).  Both of our houses are small.  Mines 1486 sqft and hers is maybe 1200ish She is lucky though cause she has the space to have and actual room we're guessing it's probably 10x10.  She is a SU rep so lots of stamps to store.  She has decided to rip out the carpet and all the xtra funiture that been put in there and start from scratch.
> I on the other hand am stuck.  until the boys will give up their play room I have no space.  It's not feesable to do a 2 story addition and I have no place to put the office.  So the best I can come up with is to put the futon into the playroom and gain 3' on 1 wall and 6 feet on the back wall.  Since this is a loft there is a 3' solid wall along the front.
> 
> Lets see if anyone ca tackle my space.  On the right as you come in the door is the 3' wall first thing is a built in bookcase, right nest to that is the boys scrap desk.  Coming out of the wall into the room is my cupboard dad built to house the scrap stuff This piece is VERY functional because the boys can acess the top the cuttlebug/kids and their stuff is on theie side and cricut is on my side.  then comes my chair and table which comes out of the wall and runs along the side wall of the house.  My table seems to work well it is the sauder sewing table all the scrapbacks hide behind the door with the extra top up. next to that is an old pantry it works for small supplies and picture boxes.  Next is an old small table that holds the laptop and I sit on one corner of the futon which runs along the back wall.  Then is a  small end table the boys use but is totally in my way I used to have it like a coffe table in front of the futon then a filing cabinet. the rest of the back wall and wrapped around the corner is Toms office area desk and computer. Then comes his bookcase file.  This is his childhood bookcase so I CAN NOT get rid of it. and with about 2' your back at the door. At the end of the cabinet dad made is a small table that holds my sewing machine. it works cause I don't have to keep pulling it out and it's right at the flat surface for the quilt peicing and I put out a tabletop iron board on my scrap table.
> 
> So what do you all think?



I need pics, I'm a visual learner. 

Our house is 1100 sq feet. 2 bedroom, 3 rooms downstairs (living, dining, kitchen) so I feel your pain! I'm where your friend is, I'm just going to have to pack it all up, rip it apart and start over.


----------



## joyah

Okay Buffy you asked for it.  I was clean till I started pulling things to try and organize better and I have 2 quilts out that are in process .  Let me go find the camera and up load some

Pam I'm in awe. please come organize my house.


----------



## BernardandMissBianca

I will be on the lookout. I have to go put laundry away now and take DH to the airport so take your time!


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## ddavis860

Yeah, I need pics too.  

Coming from a tiny 2br, 1 potty house, I so know the need to repurpose and get creative with stuff!


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## hopemax

I need pics and floorplan.  In general, as well as using vertical space, make sure you are using the center of the room too.  I tend not to put couches against walls, takes up too much real estate.  But the same principle for work spaces.  If there is room to put work spaces in the center of the room, and then have storage options on the actual walls.  What are the dimensions of your office?


----------



## PinballFamily

ddavis860 said:


> PBF- I totally bow down to your organization and vision!  Just beautiful!
> 
> So please tell me how you mounted the wire cube sides on the plastic drawers... Heck, how did you mount them on the desks too?  I have an excess of these things, and never thought of using them in that way
> 
> What are the little shelves holding the stickles?
> 
> Where did you get that amazing chrome wheeling tall cart?
> 
> I so want to come and play with you guys!!



Ok, Deb, thanks for your compliments - and these are all good questions.

I'll try to explain how each thing came about - basically, I play around with stuff and cannibalize parts and things to get a result I need.

First:  mounting pegboard, the rhinestone magnetic board, and stuff onto the wooden desks.  Easy - each piece is just mounted with a couple of wood screws directly into the desk.  Depending upon where you would put it, you might need the little plastic spacer cylinders (they fit around the screw) to hold the board about 1/4 inch away from the desk, so the pegboard hooks fit in.  I cut down my pegboard to the sizes I needed (although the home center big box stores will also cut the sizes you need - mine just came out of the basement) and put the hooks in.  I did make the little shelves the Cricut carts are on out of 4" wide craft wood (Ms/ACM, etc. have this).

Second:  the wire cube sides.  I bought three of these - forget the brand...Cropper Hopper? - to be my primary paper storage racks

http://www.organize-it-online.com/itm_paperstorage.html

at ACM with 50% off coupons (54.99 to 27.50).  I kind of used parts of them where I needed to actually build my paper storage racks, and spread the extra wire sides around the room and used them to hold other things.  I used some of the wire panels on the plastic storage shelf tower.  This close-up shows how I got it on the plastic.






I used two 2" high bolts and two nuts.  I put two big old dollops of "Goop" brand glue (love this stuff!) on top of the plastic storage tower.  I pushed a bolt and nut (I don't think you can - but maybe you can see the nut at the very bottom of each bolt?) into each glue blob and I let it cure for about a week.  I zip-tied three of the wire grids together, strung monofilament fishing line through the top corner squares and hung the rack from the bolts.  This storage works really well for very light items - I've got quite a bit of pop-dots, felt border embellishments, etc. on it and it has been holding up beautifully for many many months.  The fishing line is barely visible in the photo.

Third, the baskets holding the stickles.  This is one of my newest brainstorms - just a few weeks old.  I hate not using *any* space in this room! But, the room's heating duct is under the computer table, so I couldn't put a pegboard sheet on the side of the computer table, as it would block too much of the warm air coming out.  So, my excess wire grids again to the rescue!  Four of them are zip-tied together into a square.  The little clear drawer organizer trays are by Interdesign (the "Linus" line).  They are available at pretty much any Ace Hardware.  The 2" wide ones hold two rows of Stickles perfectly.  Each of the clear trays is held onto the wire frame by two white zip-ties - more clearly shown in the close-up below.  Not as pretty as I'd like, but absolutely functional.






And last...my newest creation (I sound like Dr. Frankenstein!!!)...the tall chrome shelf tower.  This space also had a raft of challenges - it is only about 14" square, but 8+ feet tall.  And I needed to access three sides of the rack...and it needed to spin and move out (the house thermostat is behind it)...and it needed to be sturdy enough to hold a lot of supplies...and I needed to hang lots of embellishments from it easily.  Whew - I searched EVERYWHERE for something to meet my needs - nuttin'.  Finally, I found an individual shelf (with four legs) on Amazon and used a bunch of them to create the tower I needed:

http://www.amazon.com/Whitmor-6054-...2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1263152994&sr=8-2

Each shelf was $13 and could easily be screwed together to make a variety of storage shapes.  I bought eight (for the shelves), but used only six of the sets of legs to get the functionality and height I needed.   It didn't come with any casters, but the (unused) casters that came with my wire paper storage racks above, FIT PERFECTLY and securely into the bottom of the tower legs!  I LOVE THIS TOWER!  It holds everything I need it to and I can spin it around to store and get to all my embellishments hanging all over it from dozens of little S-hooks (again, Ace Hardware).

I want you to come play with us, too!  (Us Delaware girls have to stick together!)  Let me know if any of this isn't clear - I'll try to explain better.

I love that little (ok...not-so-little!) Scrap Shack!  Hmmmm...now that I've annexed the dining room a square foot at a time, maybe I can move out into the back yard!  (Insert evil cackle laugh...!)


----------



## ddavis860

Thanks so much for taking all that time to explain!  I never thought about using the sides of those plastic drawers...very cool idea!  I like seeing all my things, or I forget about them.

I love that wire rack!  I'm so getting some of those... Jumping off the ban wagon for a min to get some...

OK, back to cleaning up my Crap Room...DS17 gave me a lecture.  He helped me get a plan for the layout of the areas of the room , then says "OK Mom, Get to it"


----------



## hopemax

I gotta ask...How did you get so many Stickles?  Did you order them online, store going out of business...I thought I had a lot, mostly thanks to AZ Rita .  But I think I have maybe 1 basket's worth or maybe 2.  How many of each color do you have?


----------



## PinballFamily

Here's the list pasted from "My Scrap Crap" list I update regularly and walk around with in my wallet.  The number in () is the quantity I  have:

*Stickles & 
Liquid/Dimensional Pearls*
Baby Blue (3)
Black Diamond (5)
Butterscotch (DP  1 oz.)
Candy Cane (3)
Champagne (5)
Christmas Red (4)
Cotton Candy (3)
Crystal (5)
Dark Blue (2)
Diamond (1)
Emerald Green (LP)
Espresso (DP  1 oz.)
Eucalyptus (1)
Faded Jeans (1)
Frayed Burlap (1)
Frosted Lace (3)
Fired Brick (1)
Fruit Punch (1)
Gold (2)
Gold (LP)
Grape (5)
Green (3)
Gunmetal (1)
Holly (1)
Icicle (3)
Lime Green (4)
Magenta (1)
Mermaid (5)
Milled Lavender (1)
Orange Peel (5)
Peeled Paint (1)
Pink (2)
Purple (1)
Ruby Slippers (5)
Scattered Straw (1)
Sequins (6)
Silver (1)
Silver Ice (1) (Lg. Ice Stickles 1oz)
Spiced Marmalade (1)
Stardust (3)
Starry Nights (3)
Tiara (4)
Turquoise (1)
Vintage Photo (1)
Walnut Stain (1)
Waterfall (4)
Wild Plum (DP  1 oz.)
Worn Lipstick (1)
Yellow (4)

The real (fun!) story of how 90% these were acquired:
I didn't know about Stickles a year ago.  TinkerBean did and had some, but I thought "Sheesh..$2 bucks a bottle...that stuff better be good!" and didn't have any. When the two of us wandered into our local ACM one day last Feb or March, we noticed MANY of the Stickles 3-packs hanging from pegs on an end cap.  There seemed to be several different color combo sets. We hadn't *ever* seen Stickles there before (or since).  They did not have a price on them, but I had one ACM 50% off coupon and took a package to the register to see how much they were.  The guy scanned it and I was told the 3-packs were on clearance for $1 each!   TB and I raced back to the end cap, and TOTALLY cleared it off in about five seconds flat.  I got 37 packs and I think she got about 30!  That was the beginning of my Stickles addiction.  I've bought a few more individual colors at CKC and LSSs, but mostly just to fill in...ahem...gaps in the collection!


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## joyah

Pam you need to move north for about a week and tackle my room!!  the up close pics are amazing I'm a farm girl and I would never have come up with those solutions.  Although I'm pretty handy with duct tape and bailing twine.


Okay ladies you asked for them so here they are.





[/IMG]
this pic is as you walk in the door on your right is the bookcase, the boys scrap desk and the back side of the cabinet dad built





[/IMG]
this is the small sewing table at the end of the cabinet





[/IMG]
this is the work area I love it because all I have to do is turn around and everything is right there in easy reach





[/IMG]
a picture of the actual desk.  the baskets and box hold the inprocess stuff normally, they need to be cleaned.  and I think you can see why I would have fallen off the wagon if I'd included pictures in the monthly budget.  The end of the desk holds another of dad's creations My stamp pad box.





[/IMG]
a better shot of the box




[/IMG]
cabinet holds extra supplies and picture backlog. completed albums still in the crate from xmas they need to go back to the living room.  the side of my computer table and the corner from which I talk to all of you.





[/IMG]
fouton and burried table





[/IMG]
Tom's corner of the world and your back to the door





[/IMG]
floor plan  the room is 12 x12 ish
so this is my  PTA room I just need a bigger room or less stuff.
My other issue is if I take out the futon I'm going to need a chair for the laptop area and there are a bunch of Projects under the futon, heritage that I'm still gathering, back log of all the old pics  (I really should move them to the top of our closet.


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## New England Eeyore

Holy cow, PBF! I cannot believe you have amassed that much stuff in one year. Watch out - if I ever need anything for a scrap emergency and the stores are closed - I'm heading for your house!


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## PinballFamily

NEE - we'd be happy to help out, anytime! 

I'm blessed with a VERY indulgent husband!  I love it when he looks up from reading in the living room and smiles at Z2H and I working in the scrap area.  He gets that melty, goofy look at us having fun together.  Priceless!

joyah - The photos are great - very helpful in visualizing your space!  You've got a huge area and can do so much with it (especially in the center of the room) - I agree with Hope.  I'll look more closely at the pics and see what dawns on me.  Maybe sometime I COULD come up for a weekend (if you could stand me!) and I'd be happy to help move stuff around and help you organize.


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## ddavis860

Joyah- First, it's good you know what is totally working for you.  That is 1/2 the battle!  Love that stamp pad box  

Less stuff doesn't work for us crafty people.  We need to purge stuff we will never use, but that still leaves too much stuff for our space anyway.  I'm a big believer in zones.  So you have a sewing zone, a scrappy zone, and a laptop zone.  Move the stuff into their zones, and you will see how much space you need for it all.

You have tons of vertical space not being used for your stuff!  Shelves or cabinets would help get things off the surfaces, and open up more space.  Pegboard would work too.

And check out those wire shelves PBF used.  They hold 200# each!  They could help you move up the walls.  Very cool deal...and are on Amazon Prime, so I'm in lurve!!


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## joyah

It looks huge in the pics but sitting in it I feel like I'm being closed in upon.   I have vertical space but I'm only 5'1 on a good day so height is hard to deal with plus you can see tall things from the living room downstairs so I have to watch that. Plus they are all log and tongue and groove walls anything you hang will always have the holes wood putty to fill in looks like yuck.

there is abt 32" inbetween the desk and cabinet and the sewing table and futon.  Tom will clobber me (kidding) if I encrouch on his corner any more than I am.  so the linoleum needs to stay clear.
I like the height of the table the laptop is on as it is easy to type while sitting here.    I'm thinking I'd like some type of work area/storage where the longest part of the futon is. Just haven't come up with a design.  Dad can and will build it so that's not an issue.  The cabinet was my design as is the scrapbox and bookcase as you go into the room.  I'm liking the look of the Ikea box unit and trying to see if I could have him add a top and legs  to make another work table.  It is hard when both boys want to scrap.  I'd actually like to pare down on units so I don't feel like I'm being attacked.
Deb I love that box but it's quite heavy when full.
Pam i'd love to have you  I'm not sure you could stand us.  the roosters start crowing abt 2:30 am in the summer and abt 5 in the winter. Tom's in and out at all hours of the day and night with grooming and plowing.  I now know why the boys both sleep like rocks.


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## ddavis860

Your dad need to make you one of these


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## hopemax

I never find good deals like $1 for 3-packs.  Someone on the Cricut board just mentioned they found Carts at Walmart for $15, $7.50, etc.  Ours are full price.

Christy, I think your room is very workable even with all the stuff.  My initial thought, is to definitely get the futon away from the wall.  If you keep it in the room, put it so your cabinet and the futon are back to back.  If you everything as it is, you could move the boys' desk to where the futon was, but it won't take up all the wall space.  But it seems like there is good wall space behind where the futon is now, that would be perfect for a vertical storage option.

I would also look into moving your DH's stuff, to an area where there isn't as much vertical space, because there is good vertical space in that corner. The wall where the boys desk, is that a sloped ceiling there?  Because that side might be a better option for his stuff.  But that would necessitate a major overhaul.  Basically, something like this.  Orientation is the same as your sketch, so door in lower right.  But I don't know if dimensions would work.






Oh wait I forgot, this is a loft...so is Tom's shelf taller than the front wall?  If so, you could still flip flop the boys desk, so it basically stays where it is, and Tom's BC.


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## joyah

Hope both bc and his desk are a foot taller than the wall. so I'd have to put it in the corner where the futon and laptop are.  The boys need more space.  I've thought about having dad make me a new improved desk with a top piece (he's made them for the boys desks)  I should take a pic of E's  he made the whole thing. and then giving  them mine which they could work on from both sides.
so you have my desk where his is......never thought of that.  interesting

Deb I'd love one of those.


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## PinballFamily

joyah said:


> Hope *both bc and his desk are a foot taller than the wall. so I'd have to put it in the corner where the futon and laptop are.*



Not necessarily.  

I noted that you have some lovely wall hangings (quilts?) on the loft walls.  If you had something like that about the same width as the desk and/or bookcase (if you moved them to against the loft 1/2 wall) couldn't the quilt or art hang secured from the back top edge of the desk or bookshelf, over the loft wall and hang over that?  I would think that might look pretty nice from below...

Just thinking...


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## joyah

Pam that would work if I could get the guy to claim his bear head mount. It's screws actually poke through to my side.  I'll run down and take a pic from below so you can all see.

***maybe not after I went below and looked up***


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## joyah

Pam thank you for the Lovely wall hanging comment it's one of my obsestions (SP) the horse one is actually an old rug the one behind toms is a throw and the other behind the printer is a quilted wall hanging i keep meaning to move to the living room.

here's a couple of pics




this is as you come kiddy corner into the living room from the stairs




this is looking staight on at the loft wall.  The window has the ac for the main part of the house so I really don't want to block it and we've tried 2 other windows and don't get the cooling effect we get from that one.


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## hopemax

For visual aid, here's the first option, where most stuff stays where it is.  But I've moved the boys' desk to under the window, and the Futon to back up to the cabinet.  That should still allow for some new vertical storage on the rest of the wall where your desk is.  And you could add length to the boys' area and extend it all the way to the wall.






BTW, I love the look of your house.  I love all the exposed wood, and the loft overlooking the main room.


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## joyah

thank you for the drawing's Hope it definately helps and it's something I usually do.  this room just has me stimied.  there are so many pieces.  I'm really liking the 1st one the second has potential to.  The window above my desk isn't much for light so that's not and issue I use my OTT light all the time.

 Thank you for the comments on the house.I love our house (other than the size) we built it ourselves with lots of help from friends and family.  We picked out the plan and made a few changes to the kit.  If I had to do it over we'd still have a log home but I would have picked a bigger one.


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## BernardandMissBianca

Christy is the sloped wall a full slope or a knee wall?


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## joyah

Buffy the sloped wall you see in the first group is actually the ceiling over the living room.  In the 2nd group looking up you see a slight slope to the ceiling in the loft.  It is a full 8'+ height.  Wasn't sure which one you were refering to.


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## BernardandMissBianca

the one looking up. I saw the first pic wrong, it looked like the ceiling for the living room was actually the wall/ceiling for the loft. Makes sense now that there is only a 1/2 wall. 
I wasn't sure if the roof was a true peak or a salt box type layout with a full height wall.


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## joyah

salt box that's the word i couldn't come up with!!!!


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## ohMom

joyah -- my thought too was vertical space but i was thinking about stacked shelves like this on top of your desk/counter top






i'm not good at visualizing moving around furniture and such, but i am good at organizing.  are your supplies organized?  could you take down the hanging above your desk (sitting in chair facing wall) and hang pegboard there?  how about the inside of the cabinets? full?

i've been surfing alot this weekend on ideas for my scrap area, too cold here in ohio to do much else.  i have seen some rooms where embelishments like buttons, ribbon, bigger than brads type stuff is stored in glass jars by color and then lined up.  really cute.  

is the 'organizing my space' clippie for anyone or for a specific thread?  i have been organizing many spaces since Jan 1 -- master bedroom, basement, utiliy area and crawlspace!  some are still in progress but wow! what a great feeling it has been to clear out unused stuff and organize and find things I forgot i have!


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## BernardandMissBianca

joyah said:


> salt box that's the word i couldn't come up with!!!!



Standard New England house. I love them because you get the full height you don't get in a cape. 




ohMom said:


> is the 'organizing my space' clippie for anyone or for a specific thread?  i have been organizing many spaces since Jan 1 -- master bedroom, basement, utiliy area and crawlspace!  some are still in progress but wow! what a great feeling it has been to clear out unused stuff and organize and find things I forgot i have!



you can take the clippie! It's for everyone.


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## joyah

Supplies are in pretty good order Right now desk looks like a bomb was dropped cause I didn't clean after the last scrapbook was done. and I've thrown the pics and date book on top. 
In the left side of the cabinet behind me is all paper solids are in cropper hoppers and patterns are in 1" artbins by holiday,season, activity and such. On the right hand side is 2 drawers of stamps (i have an addiction and my BF is a SU rep it's all her fault actually the entire hobby is her fault)  I'd been ignoring scrapbooking she dragged mom and I in.  the 2 drawers need to be cleaned out as they used to hold my carts for cricut. The Cabinet to the left of my desk holds all the pictures in photo boxes by years and adhesives, popdots and extras like that.  I'm liking the idea of a desk topper of some sort.   thinking I need a new desk for that though I don't think this one could handle the weight.
keep the ideas coming ladies.
see Buffy now I'm monoploizing the thread


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## hopemax

Don't worry about monopolizing, it's more fun playing in other people's rooms than having to deal with our own.    But if all this talk, gets something to happen in somebody's room, than it's .

I created two organizing clippies when I did the organizational challenge last year.  I was going to make new ones for this year, but haven't gotten around to it yet.


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## ohMom

look how pretty i am!!   Hopemax


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## BernardandMissBianca

Lookin' good Molli!

BTW your mom was in the scrap section today singing your praises on how nice you paper was organized! She's so sweet!


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## BernardandMissBianca

Week 1 - Brainstorming

Ideal space:
tools within reach of my work space. So, carousel or drawers 

I don't like a lot of stuff out, cluttered looking but I do like visual cues. So buttons in a jar yes, buttons in a tray no. 

an "in" box for scraps. I pile them up and put them away at the end of the day. Or at least that's my intention, it just never goes that way. 

a messy space - a place where I can do things like sprays and alcohol inks that could be left alone. Like when Tim Holtz does his wipe the mat with distress ink and water it down thing. It can get messy. 

A shelf (or 4) around the top of the room to display my cameras. This is the one thing I am collecting now. I need to sell off my Barbies or give them to DD since I really don't need them. I'd rather have the cameras. 

storage for larger tools like my Cricuts, sizzix, bind it all, etc. I'm thinking about a potting table for my work space with open shelves underneath. Maybe like this, the recessed bin would be nice for scraps. I'd like the table to be deeper though. I bet DH could make me one using a galvanized bin from Ikea. 





I usually stand but would like the option to sit so I would need a stool or something.


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## ohMom

i like the potting table idea -- 

girls are off school this friday, oldest DD and I have plans to go to The Container Store.  any must-haves from there?

i need a better way to store my sizzix diecuts/embossing so i make use of it more often.  I do not have a huge amount nor do i look to ever...more basics and 2 sets of alphabets that i hardly use.  ideas?

oh and how silly of Mom


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## joyah

Brainstorming  I think it will be working on a new desk space.  Since dad isn't healing as fast I'm thinking I'm going to see what Tom can make that I can use now and repurpose when dad can do a full desk(late summer probably).  I'm also walking around with Hope's print out of my room and trying to visualize hoe it will look.  I'd like to keep the back window as an open area boys like to watch wildlife out it and they are always climbing on stuff to look out it. I've decided to measure all peices and cut out shapes and play with it all on graph paper.

Buffy I love the potting table idea. that would also be a good embossing area. even with the tray I manage to make that fly!!!


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## BernardandMissBianca

I asked DH if he could make one and he said it would probably be easy to do. Now to get him to do it! 

Christy, could you make them some kind of a perch with a desk or bookcase or something under it. Then they could climb safely without potentially knocking anything off.


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## joyah

that's what I'm trying to figure out. normally my baby bug sits on the cabinet dad built and in Hope's drawing it's under the window.  I'm thinking if I flip and put the desk against the back wall and the cabinet as you come in the door going out into the room I could possibly leave the boys desk where it is and then just filp the futon to my old desk space and move toms desk and bookcase into the corner where the laptop is. If I can rig some shelf unit low above my desk that can hold the supply cabinet I can eliminate that piece.

Course all this needs to be done in an 8 hour period 1 weekend when DH is out grooming cause he wants nothing to do with it.

I know what you need what you mean by getting him to do it.  That's when I go and get all the supplies and take the boys for a ride and say here I'm giving you the day off from your chores and kiddos go for it.


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## joyah

Spent the last 2 days playing with the floorplan and went so far as to cut out pieces to the sizes.  I have also made a how to accomplish this move list since the floor space and upstairs space in general are VERY limited.

Phase 1 is to clean up the last few piles in our bedroom 

Phase 2 is to pack up the scrap desk, sewing supplies and table, and the cabinet that hold my extra supplies.  All of that will move out to the bedroom.  The simple reason is they are the smallest of the pieces but will give me the room to swing things around.

Phase 3 is Clean out from under the futon, and find homes for stuff no longer needed to scrap ie Old pics that are done. swing the futon into the spot where the scrap desk was. Move file cabinet to the end of futon.  

At this point colapse and take a quick nap!!!

Phase 4  Tackle Toms desk Please say a prayer for me  this is going to be a bugger. then his bookcase.  These to pieces will be the worst.  

Phase 5 bring scrap desk back in and move cabinet that dad made.  This will require empting it and 3 men and a boy too move it is heavy!!! all that will be left is bringing in the sewing table. and all the odds and ends. 

start date is tomorrow night  for phase 1!! I'm in hopes to have the whole project all back in the room by sunday night. We'll see how it goes.

After that I have 2 small build projects for dad when He is up to par.  One is a desk topper and the other is a cabinet for above the sewing machine or a small desk for it with storage below.


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## ohMom

CHRISTY THIS IS EXCITING!  do be carful moving the big pieces, use your legs not your back.  sorry, it's the mother in me 

I went to container store yesterday and spent an hour talking with salesgal about their Elfa track shelving system.  it's nice quality...i'm going to Lowe's/Home Depot today to see if they have similar and price compare.  Also today i'm going to draw up my walls and i'll scan and post.  Utilizing my wall space is my main goal here...floor space isn't really an issue.

also I bought 4 of the Jetmax wall ribbon shelves, a magnetic board and the making memories carosuel.


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## BernardandMissBianca

My scrap rack bag came yesterday and I think I can get all of my Disney stuff in it which will clear up a ton of space. 
I have to touch everything to load it into the bag so I'm also purging the things I have hung on to for years and I know I'll never use. I also found $8 tucked behind a hostess swap item!! LOL


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## ohMom

Buffy -- does your LSS have 'garage sales'?  i have not done but Mom has had success

here is my drawing


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## ohMom

dang it.... Buffy can you edit and make that a reasonable size?  i only know thumbprint and full...isn't there a way to make that smaller?


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## BernardandMissBianca

let me work on it.


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## BernardandMissBianca

much better! And I'm totally jealous of the amount of space you have!! 

Yes, I do have an LSS with garage sales but you only get store credit for product and a lot of my stuff is kind of dumpy. Some of it's from way early in my scrapping days. I'm giving some of it to my kids and the rest to Girl Scouts. They can always use stuff.


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## ohMom

thank you!  if that is a quick fix will you PM me the directions for future reference 

I am very blessed to be able to claim this section of the basement.  I have been in that area for probably 10 years and it has evolved right along side the products of cropping.  Last summer I cleared out a TON of the type of product you are talking about, you know, alphabet stickers from a Current Catalog, flimsy 8.5x11 patterned paper, the first round of 3D stickers.....lol...brings back memories huh? 

I just went to Lowe's and priced Rubbermaid track shelving and quite honestly I think it's darn near close to the Elfa sale at Container store.


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## BernardandMissBianca

Just upload to a photobucket account and have the settings for 640 x 480 (?) large image.  I know it's 640 I just can't remember what the other number is.


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## joyah

Phase 1 is complete now if my lazy bum of a husband will just get out of bed.......  He has about 5 mins and I'm starting whether he likes it or not.  Unfortunately grooming is only 1 time a week due to the lack of snow.  
He just crawled out.
off to work.  If I don't come out in 4 hours send in the dogs please.


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## joyah

Phase 2 and 3 are complete.  3 I have a bit a left since the closet got burried in the moveing out of things.  Nothing will come back in with out being sorted and Having a specific home.
Boys are rotating out for help.  I have L for the first half and E will help his dad stack the extra sugar wood.  then after lunch they will switch.

don't need a nap yet but this next phase will be the worst.  I'm also  going to be organizing his desk as I go. you all saw how much of a mess that and the book case are.


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## JandJ

Y'all inspired me and last night I started to organize my pictures - that was a job! I'm not completely done, but I got a lot further than I thought I would for the first time through and I'm hoping to do more this weekend. It will be so nice to have them all organized so I'm not looking through 10 places for a picture or finishing a book and then finding a dozen pictures I meant to use!

Christy - Good luck with all that work this weekend!


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## hopemax

Alright, Christy has already started and now its time for everyone else.  This week, we stop thinking about what we want and need to do to our space and begin actually doing stuff.  This week, also starts how "big" you are going to go.  

We're cleaning stuff up and moving things out.  If you are super committed, start gathering up some boxes, baskets and anything else you can use to start separating your supplies.  All of it.  While you are going through your stuff, purge what you know you won't use, or what is broken, etc. WookieMouse suggests taking those boxes completely out of the space, and not letting them back in the room until they are organized.  I'm guessing, most of you don't have the space to do that, so just work on getting everything corralled, and the surfaces in your space clean.

If you aren't sure how far you are going to get, or maybe you don't have as much to tackle since you did well last year.  You are going to gather up just a couple of categories.  I think I am going to do the weekly tasks, in the same order as on the WookieMouse blog.  So next week, will be Paper, and after that Scraps.  So gather up just those things.  Alternatively, you can gather up your biggest problem area and do "Independent Study."  WookieMouse's blog can be a resource for you, but I may not be talking about the thing you are working on at the same time you are working on it.

And a challenge for both the fast and slow tracks...we must learn to Respect Our Space.

First thing, remove everything from your area that DOES NOT BELONG THERE.   Why is it that all the junk ends up in your space, and not with DH's stuff or in the kids' space?  Well, they KNOW their space is THEIR space, and BAD things will end up happening to things that they don't want there.  The same should be the case with YOUR space.  Things other people try and put there should disappear, or break etc.  Then they will stop congregating there.  If you're the reason things end up in your space, you are going to need to come up with another place:  basement, laundry room, kitchen, a basket in the living room.  Start thinking of your space, as you would DH or DS/DD's space.  "Things go there to die."

Here's the order WookieMouse tackled things

Paper
Scraps
Photos (print and digital)
Ideas
Projects, Incomplete Pages and Kits
Embellishments
Alphas
Non-Alpha Stickers and Rub-ons
Ribbon, Thread and Fibers
Stamps
Crop Supplies/Swap Supplies
Ink, Ink Pads and Embossing
Paints and Glitter and Stickles
Punches
Tools and Adhesive
Chipboard 
Die Cuts
Pens and Pencils
Dies for Die Cutting Machines
Templates
Memorabilia
Negatives
New Items and Keeping it Neat
Fonts
Cards and Card-Making Supplies
Room and Space Decor 

Here's the link to where we are in WookieMouse's Challenge:  Week 3 - Clean Slate.

http://wookiemouse.blogspot.com/2009/06/organize-your-stuff-challenge-week-3_08.html


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## joyah

The desk is moved now if I could just find the camera I would take pics as I go.  His computer is up and running, the laptop well it got burried after the last post.  Instead of a nap I'm updating you all.

My bedroom looks like it threw up!!!  I have TOOOOOOO MUCH STUFF and not just scrapbook stuff. Even with all the space planning things are not totally coming out the way I had hoped.  Futon is in it's corner as is the desk but the file cabinet misses by a couple of inches book case wont work there either as far as I can tell sitting here. so....... that is going to be a tricky spot but I haven't even started on that I'm still working on the desk set up.

Okay off to find the camera. 

Okay who else is cleaning,sorting and purging with me?  Come on ladies.


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## Pixieflip

Okay, this thread is totally inspiring.  Can I take photos and sketch a layout, too?  My needs are still organizing, but I have different things than what I've seen here. I'm a CM consultant, so I pretty much only have CM stuff.  But I also have to have display space and a place for all my business supplies and table space for multiple people to scrap at once.  I have a nice sized space in our finished basement, but I just never know what to do with it.  

Off to take photos...be right back.  It'll just be as is!!


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## joyah

Pixieflip you saw my space and how awful the pics looked with color.  I'll do what I can to help but there are some way better than me.  Looking forward to seeing your space.

Buffy anyluck being able to store the furniture yet? 

The bookcase has me stymied. The top 2 shelves are the snowmobile club (He's trailmaster) and his business.  I'm wanting to consolidate it all neatly and easily on to the desk space for him.  Then I guess the bookcase gets the boot to the bedroom.  I just can't make it accesible from the desk for him.


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## Pixieflip

Okay, here we go, warts and all.  I'm using these photos as motivation to get moving!  Also, still in the process of putting Christmas in storage.  

Map rough sketch first, and I just realized that it is upside down compared to the photos, sorry.  Room is a large rectangle with a weird cutout where the fireplace is upstairs.  15 to 18 feet wide by 30ish feet long.  The front area is shared with family for TV viewing, video gaming...poker table taking up space in the middle right now.  It folds up.  Usually we just have the couch and 2 recliners there.  If I need more tables out, I can move these into my DS15's room, which is the other side of the basement not shown. 






6 foot tables are along the back wall, 3 bookcases currently hold product and completed albums, a broken desk is on the one side of the cutout - that should go, and my grandma's dining room table doesn't match anything.  Oh, and the treadmill doesn't fit anywhere else in the house, so it stays.

Overview of room:





Scrap area:





Display tables:





Scrap tables with cutout in background:





Closeup of cutout:





I know disaster.  But I've never had a great vision for this space.  

I could use more vertical storage, couldn't I?  I need an overhaul. I'd love for it to be more homey.  I will stick with the taupe walls and maybe add black and chocolate colored items around, maybe a cozy coffeehouse feeling. Any ideas?


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## lynner

Well!  I decided to sit down and read over this thread just to take a short break from reorganizing my scraproom, and now it's been quite a long break!  Lots of stuff to digest and think about.

I started last May on my scraproom.  I took over DD's room when she went off to college, and it still had a daybed and her cabinets in there, along with a bunch of stuff still in her closet.  She moved back in a while ago but took over DS's room.  I packed up a bunch of her stuff, kept the cabinets, sold the daybed and went to town.  The large cabinets are from Ikea - years ago - and hold lots of stuff.  They also make a great flat surface for my sizzix.  Then I purchased some Jetmax cubes and desktop surfaces and put a unit together that has a shelf for storing my vertical paper storage and a counter for my cricut.  That works really well.  I bought an awesome counter-height square table for scrapping that I put in the middle of the room.  There are bookshelves on both sides of the table.  It rocks.  I have two bookshelves on on the wall that originally were on each side of the daybed.  Rather than move them, I just added a wire shelving unit that holds empty albums and my scraprack (which was the first organizational product I bought years ago - not in love with it, but it holds a lot) and now I am building some Jetmax cubes to house my Disney scrapbook projects - they were all in boxes all over my room and driving me crazy.  I am a CM rep so I have another wire shelving unit that holds my inventory and CM records and paperwork. 

I don't know how to add pictures yet, but I will figure it out.

Pixieflip, I have lots of the same stuff you do  One of the things you might do is make your vertical shelving more functional by adding dividers or plastic drawers to store paper and stuff in.  BAMB has a really cute embellishment holder that I'm sure she altered herself, just looks great, and something like that would fit nicely on your shelves.


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## joyah

Laptop has been rescued right now it is living on the scrap desk as it's old table was commendeered for the new sewing table.  I will have dad build me a new top and spray paint the bottem.  Thought it would work better there because it has a self underneath to put sewing supplies.  Right now it's a little to wide for the space.  The new top will have a drop down that I'll just use for bigger project and  will fold easily for quick escape.

Pixieflip:  My first thought is to use the akward nook as a major closet. have builtins that fit the space.  Home Depot and I'm sure Lowes can help desinging it and then use the prefab cabinets.  have the back wall and one side wall built out.  Like you said the broken desk needs to go so you will have and empty wall.
My next though would be to use the white book shelves (maybe 2 for the length of a table)for height behind 1 of your display tables and then make and L with the other display table that way you could use both sides for people to look at.
Gradmas table is lovely I would center it and put the other table behind the treadmill coming out into the room.
Hope this helps.

Off to do some more cleaning and take pics scrap desk, cabinet and sewing table are all in place. and I'm very very happy the window area is wide open.  little bit longer and I'll have the pictures  up for you all.


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## hopemax

Pixieflip, what does the wall that the treadmill is on look like?

Does the treadmill get used regularly, and needs to be out?  I am wondering if the cutout would better be used as storage.  You could get a tension rod to hang some pretty chocolate curtains to hide it.  If the treadmill gets used occasionally but not regularly, I'd maybe put it in there, on one side and on the other side, a bookshelf for holding, maybe, your CM stock, like a stock room.  If the treadmill needs to be out, maybe you can put the extra chairs that it looks like you have.  That would clear up a little more wall space for additional vertical shelving.  

Is the table to the right of the cutout is that a family table?  I think it might look more coordinated if maybe your grandma's table was over there, and the folding tables were together?  It's so hard to get scale out of pictures some times, I don't know if an oval table against a wall would look okay or not.

Other ideas, make sure you use utilize the space under your display tables.  Iris sells a lot of different drawers units that fit, office type boxes, etc.  Also, you might want to look at installing some floating shelves above your display tables which you could use for lighter, prettier stuff.

Christy, you go girl!  I'm so happy this thread motivated you to make big changes.  I hope your Dad will be back to his old self soon, and can help you get your new pieces.  I'm sure having a project to look forward to will help in his recovery too.


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## Pixieflip

Joyah, thanks for the ideas.  I was thinking the same thing on the awkward corner.  Custom would not be in my budget, but I could pick up another matching bookcase.  I could do a lot with two of those in the corner.  Will check the sale papers, maybe someone even has them on sale today or on the new papers tomorrow. 

I'm sorry, I don't really understand what you mean by putting the table in front of the other bookcase.  Do you mean perpendicular to the current wall?

Doesn't really matter - i have so much junk to clean out first!!   

I need containers for personal supplies that are just thrown in the broken desk drawers.  Actually, I forgot, it is a broken dresser, three full drawers of stuff.  

I need a bunch of IKEA stuff, but those cool boxes aren't available for shipping!  I have them in a smaller size from when we went to Chicago in October.  Hmmm... don't like roadblocks.


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## joyah

uploading photos now.  And as I was in Photobucket looking at what I podted OMG I can't believe that my house looked like that.  I'm getting more trash bags  that was disgusting.  Pixieflip you should never worry about your room.


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## Pixieflip

hopemax said:


> Pixieflip, what does the wall that the treadmill is on look like?
> 
> Does the treadmill get used regularly, and needs to be out?  I am wondering if the cutout would better be used as storage.  You could get a tension rod to hang some pretty chocolate curtains to hide it.  If the treadmill gets used occasionally but not regularly, I'd maybe put it in there, on one side and on the other side, a bookshelf for holding, maybe, your CM stock, like a stock room.  If the treadmill needs to be out, maybe you can put the extra chairs that it looks like you have.  That would clear up a little more wall space for additional vertical shelving.
> 
> Is the table to the right of the cutout is that a family table?  I think it might look more coordinated if maybe your grandma's table was over there, and the folding tables were together?  It's so hard to get scale out of pictures some times, I don't know if an oval table against a wall would look okay or not.
> 
> Other ideas, make sure you use utilize the space under your display tables.  Iris sells a lot of different drawers units that fit, office type boxes, etc.  Also, you might want to look at installing some floating shelves above your display tables which you could use for lighter, prettier stuff.



The treadmill wall also hosts the couch, normally. Not much room for anything else.  The table to the right of the cutout is actually where I usually keep Grandma's table and you know, I do like it there better.  I'm not hung up on keeping it at all, either.  I tried selling it this fall on craigslist, but only sold the hutch.  I figure a workspace is  good.  The wood chairs that go with it that have the mauve fabric seats - those have got to go.  Ugly, uncomfortable and old.  The folding chairs can go back in storage.  I use the wood chairs with the blue back and seats for events.  Very comfy.

I LOVE the idea of a tension rod!  Am looking online for an inexpensive shower curtain or even set of sheets!  Thanks for the idea!


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## joyah

I'm trying to figure out how to discribe it better......

where the table goes into the corner put 2 bookcase together running where the table is now use upper space for display for retail stuff.  Since the tables are skirted you could put your totes on the bottem selves.  Slide the skirted table back infront and  you have instant vertical storage and display.  Just trying to think outside the box.  as for the builtins Home Depot has/had a company called Mills Something Pride is coming to mine all the pieces to make units in a box much like the bookselves may have been you could buy pieces as you have the extra.

On to my mess I mean new room.  still have lots to do so here you go
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	








as you can see the bedroom lost the battle  the piece holding the tv is one dad built
















so that is where it's at I've got to get busy if I plan on sleeping in my bed. I'll be back after I find the bed.


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## Pixieflip

Oh, yes, now I get it.  I like that idea.  My son has a white bookshelf he wants to get rid of anyway, so there's one.  Of course, that creates a ripple effect of projects up in his room, but I digress.

Looks like a clean sweep is in order for both of us! 

I think that's really what I need.  I'm going back to the post with all the direction for this week.  Thanks for the discussion and motivation everyone!

BTW, love all the wood in your room. So warm and cozy!


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## Pixieflip

Of course, I still have to put away my Christmas tree. 

Giving myself a little slack on that part.  Just got home from 2 weeks at WDW on Sunday night!


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## joyah

found 1/2 the bed someone please kick me started again I'm wiped out!!  boys and husband are going north to a hunting expo so I'm hoping I can finish the sorting and organizing.

Once this is done I'm taking the rest of the month off!!! 

Kids will be getting their own dinner tonight maybe cooking for me too.


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## Pixieflip

I'll race you.  Who can fill up more trash bags tonight?


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## hopemax

Take a 20 minute break.  Surf the web, hydrate, have a little sugar/caffeine.

Then...

Come on Christy! 

You can do it! 

Focus on how great your space will be

BTW, since you mentioned not having space for the bookshelf/filing cabinet.  Have you considered rotating the futon so it is on the loft wall?  It looks like it is short enough.  That would give you some space on the other wall for a piece.


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## joyah

I just finished my 3rd bag. but now I need to cook something for supper then I'm done!!!
I've found the bed and the floor on both sides so I'm calling it good for today.  But keep going see if you can beat the 3 that took me all day.


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## joyah

Hope 
I actually put the file cabinet next to the desk on the back wall, it fit perfect with out blocking the window area I'm trying to keep open.  I had thought about putting the futon that way but Bailey (the puppy) likes to sit on the back and I'm afraid that she'll jump! she definately has some not so bright moments.  The bookcase is tom's that his dad made him as a little kid so I'm leaving it up to him.  I'm not even sure we need the books on it but they are his so I'm leaving that piece till last. thanks for the motivation!!!

I just physically couldn't do anymore once I sat down for dinner so I crawled upstairs to my shower and cleaned up man was I yucky.  As I went everything got wet dusted and vac'd. I think once everything is away and in it's place I'll be  I'm thinking i'm headed for bed that way I can get an early start in the am.  Mom will be picking the boys up for church and sunday school at 7:30. then I'll be free.


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## Pixieflip

Okay, tables rearranged, one bag of trash filled, 6 chairs ready to go to Goodwill!  Had to stop to feed the fam, but heading back down to sort some more!


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## joyah

You go!! I want to see progress pics when I get up in the am.  I think i made some head way with 3 trash bags.  I should have at least one more in the am.


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## Pixieflip

I will after church.  Feels good so far!  The get rid of pile consists of 7 chairs, 1 box and 4 bags of trash.  Boy do I have a lot of outdated catalogs, etc. Yuck!  Cleaned off the dresser and shelves.  Wait till you see my album collection.  They have been scattered all over the house, but gathered in one place they look impressive, if I do say so myself!  I would say I even feel inspired to add to the shelf right now.  That's a good thing.


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## lovingthemouse

Ok, I spent a number of hours getting it all rearranged, and will get a picture up today.  Those jetmax cubes are wonderful. I fell off the bandwagon and bought 3 more last week, but for the best of reasons.  They had them for $20 at ACM.
A number of bags and boxes are filled and out in the garage for this week's trash. Have to admit it was worth the time.  Caroline


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## joyah

Morning ladies
I'm up and at it. Not quite so much energy today but I'm determined to finish as much as I can.

Tom's desk area is DONE!!   That is truely the only complete thing in the room but I'm very proud of the way it turned out.

Srap desk is cleaned off.  I found one of my display shelves (from craft shows) fits nicely to give me a bit extra height on the desk top.  Mom is going to get a new laptop table for the rv that fits a bit better so I will get her old one.  that will work perfect for the futon or I can wheel it over to the desk and multitask.

I have piles on the futon to sort, scrap stuff on the cabinet behind the desk to give homes to, and the boys desk and railing to clean off.

I need ideas on memoriblia and how best to store it so I'll use it I have a HUGE pile of that to deal with.

Left in the bedroom are pictures to go in my closet Top shelf out of the way.  there are lots of the house build and our life before kids, I'll get to them someday.

Back to work.

Yeah Caroline doesn't it feel good.  I don't count that as falling off the wagon cause you used them rightoff they arenot sitting in a pile.


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## BernardandMissBianca

joyah said:


> Buffy anyluck being able to store the furniture yet?


Not really but we did go to Ikea and I showed DH the shelving unit I want. And he spotted the drawers and doors. So I'm getting there. Then in the kitchen space we found a great butcher block top island with 2 shelves and 3 drawers. Knock on wood, I'll get them some day. 



lynner said:


> BAMB has a really cute embellishment holder that I'm sure she altered herself, just looks great, and something like that would fit nicely on your shelves.



I do??? the ones that I covered in paper?  I have this one but need to one with the longer drawers. But sadly my Ikea doesn't carry them anymore. Or at least they didn't have them or the displays yesterday. These house my stamps, ink pads, embossing powders etc. 








Pixieflip said:


> I need a bunch of IKEA stuff, but those cool boxes aren't available for shipping!  I have them in a smaller size from when we went to Chicago in October.  Hmmm... don't like roadblocks.



Just noticed that. ERGH!! I need those boxes! I don't see why they can't ship them, they are nice and flat. 




lovingthemouse said:


> Ok, I spent a number of hours getting it all rearranged, and will get a picture up today.  Those jetmax cubes are wonderful. I fell off the bandwagon and bought 3 more last week, but for the best of reasons.  They had them for $20 at ACM.
> A number of bags and boxes are filled and out in the garage for this week's trash. Have to admit it was worth the time.  Caroline



Way to go Caroline!!! 
Don't worry about the ban wagon if you are buying stuff to get organized, especially if it's on sale. Just watch your pennies for your cruise.


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## BernardandMissBianca

Well I got about 1/2 of my disney stuff in my scrap rack bag. I didn't have room for characters or Magic Kingdom but I will eventually. In my bag I have general Disney, MGM, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Pirate and Princess Party, Disney Christmas, resorts, restaurants, and transportation.

So now I have room to redivide my binders of seasonal, holiday, and kids stuff and get those up off the floor. I also moved the linens out of the bottom of the buffet and into the corner cabinet and I'm moving supplies into the bottom drawer but I'm really trying to not stuff everything in there willy nilly. I'm trying to be smart about it. 
I'm going to ask DH to take the old plasma tv out today (it's not working and DH just stuck it there. But I have 8- 8th grade bins for the dances in my dining room so I can't do much cleaning today. The dance bins were a huge mess and someone dumped more stuff in the closet last week. I just couldn't take it anymore!!


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## BernardandMissBianca

here is the workbench I found at Ikea


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## lynner

BAMB - yes, I love that embellishment holder!  I probably would have purchased something like that before I bought my MM embellie shelf, but I had never seen it before, and then when I saw that you and others had altered it to match your scrap room....well, it is on the list if ever I need to expand   I told you guys that I have been lurking for a really long time!  I love that butcher block table too.  

As soon as I can, I will post a picture of my table.  Last night I finished 3 of the 4 Jetmax cubes and loaded them up....I was able to get rid of one unsightly banker's box and unload one nice Ikea box that I can now use to stash stuff...what I do sometimes when I do a quick clean up is just throw stuff in a box with a lid and then take the time later to sort and toss...now I can use a pretty green box!  Today will be putting together my last cube, getting my Disney papers organized in it, and then maybe sitting down to scrap - yay!


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## hopemax

joyah said:


> I need ideas on memoriblia and how best to store it so I'll use it I have a HUGE pile of that to deal with.



I have a 7 drawer Iris cart.  Mostly, I just have vacation paperwork, so each trip is in a bag, and then the bags are put in the drawers.  If I ever got to actually scrapping my pics, I would go through and use stuff in my books.

Other ideas would be those 12x12 Iris storage boxes, or just file folders.

I just remembered, on the Wookiemouse blog, there is a category for memorabilia.    http://wookiemouse.blogspot.com/2009/11/organize-your-stuff-challenge-week-24.html


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## AlexWyattMommy

Did you buy that work bench Buffy?

How big is it in person?

I'm in love with IKEA stuff.


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## BernardandMissBianca

AlexWyattMommy said:


> Did you buy that work bench Buffy?
> 
> How big is it in person?
> 
> I'm in love with IKEA stuff.



not yet. It's 69 x 26. Slightly longer then the current table (6 seater table) but narrower.


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## joyah

Good for all of you. We are getting there.   Buffy I  that island!

Mommy guilt hit me today so I went to the hunting expo with them.  It was a nice relaxing day but NOTHING got done.  Alot of the kids events the money is donated to a camp for kids with cancer they even can do chemo at this camp Takumpa (?).  so that's  the type of thing I don't mind paying for.

Now I'm staring at all the stuff that I DIDN'T get done and thinking I need to get busy.


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## New England Eeyore

joyah said:


> I need ideas on memoriblia and how best to store it so I'll use it I have a HUGE pile of that to deal with.



My ideas are similar to Hope's.

What I do is, for a vacation, I keep everything in a 2 gallon ziplock bag, and when I'm ready to scrap that trip, I go through the bag at the same time I go through my pictures. I'm a note-taker when I plan my pages, so I'll make my notes like, "MNSSHP intro page, 1 photo, map, wristband,"

For stuff that doesn't get its own ziplock bag, if the memorabilia is smaller than 4x6, I put it directly with the pictures that go with it so it's readily accessible. If it's bigger, I make a notecard reminding myself about it, including where it is at the moment, and put that notecard with the matching pictures.


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## joyah

Hope thank you for the link I've spent the last hour lost over there.  WHY my brain never thought three ring binders I have no idea.  I think that will work perfect ..  Not only do I have trip stuff but special things from the boys.  I want to put their report cards in their books and right now those are thrown in a box, they are separated by kiddo.  That will be tomorrow after works project IF and only if I find homes for all the stuff on the cabinet behind me.  I'm hoping to finish it tonight.


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## BernardandMissBianca

Well, you can almost see my table!!!! 

And the floor isn't covered up either. LOL


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## joyah

WTG Buffy.

Work was canceled for me don't want the older people on the roads. so I'm HOPING to finish the room today.  
I plan on at least getting my areas done and sort through all the paper.  I'll give the kids some and the rest is out of here I could NEVER use it all in a year (well maybe) but there are alot that I just pass by and those will be the first to go.


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## BernardandMissBianca

my table is clean!!! Well it was until DS13 came in and spread his homework out. 
My short term goal is to keep the table clear. The buffet is covered up again and I have plastic drawers in here that I didn't want but since Ikea is out of the wooden boxes I didn't have much choice. 

Now I need to start sorting through things as I still have stuff stashed in 2 1/2 gallon zilpoc bags in the basement. But one thing at a time. I have a clean place to work. I think if I just sort one thing at a time then I'll still be able to clear the table. 

New Years Resolution!! Do not just stash stuff in her until it finds a home!! Put it away or throw it away!!!


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## joyah

good job Buffy

I'm not half as far along as I'd like just can't seem to get in the groove today.  I ssem to be making more piles than actually cleaning.  The desk is covered in pics that were scarttered all over the room (at least they are in one place now)    
the end table that was burried has been found cleaned and put next to the boys desk and the games are underneath.
the cabinet behind me is almost done Still have to sort the 2 drawers.
Futon still has 1 pile and the boys scrap desk well I'm thinking about being mean and making them do it.  but then it will never happen so I might as well do it.

I'm going to make my self a list and see what I can get done after lunch.

talk to you all later


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## joyah

okay futon is done except flipping the mattress.

Left to do and most of these are small things I should be able to hit at night after all the activities or between work and kid stuff.

Picture sort 1 pile and Larger of the 2 baskets on my desk.
2 drawers in cabinet behind me
sewing basket cleaned out of desk
boys scrap desk
1 tote of memoribilia to sort plus a bit still in our room.

so I will move those couple of things out and take pics for you all in a few mins.  since it all has to be sorted it's going out and coming in 1 thing at a time.


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## joyah

Here are the final pictures. and you all deserve some credit to get me through this.  I have a few hot spots that I listed above (most I moved).





walking into the room like I said the boys desk is still a mess.




just off the the left of the boys desk so you can see the open space infront of the futon someone could actually stay in this room now.




Toms desk corner




standing with my back to the futon and desk. Yes his bookcase is stuck in the hall he can't decide what to do with it.

I should have taken a pic looking at the open space under the window but you can see it in the corner of the desk picture.

Hope you are all still motivated to get more done.


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## hopemax

Your room looks awesome!  You should be so proud of yourself that you took on and tackled such a big project!  And it looks like you have a little extra space if you wanted to bring in something small at the end of your cabinet, or next to the boys desk by the futon.  

 Yay, Christy!


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## joyah

Hope I have a TON of extra space in here now.  I bet 30 people standing up would just touch each other.  It'a  awesome.  I can't wait to actually scrap now.  I think I'm going to have dad build me a bookcase for the finished books and put that at the end of the cabinet, maybe.......  so much room I just can't decide what to do with it.  Although now I can have friends over to scrap up here.  

Thank you for you help.  It was your rearrangments that got the brain moving.


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## morgansmom2000

Really looks great, Christy, good for you!


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## TinkerBean

Looks great Christy


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## Pixieflip

Back at it today and have made some progress - I'm actually really excited!  Thanks for the inspiration, everyone! 

Here's my bookcase for CM product for sale, though it's not all loaded up yet:





Here's a look at that unusual nook.  The case on the left holds all my business items like catalogs, order forms, items I need for my team meetings, etc. The case on the right holds all my personal product.  This is where I need a lot of organizing.  





This is what I'm most excited about!  The case around the corner from my personal stuff is holding most of my completed albums!!  There are so many when I pull them together!! I love how it makes me feel and I sure am ready to do more!





My two display and tools tables are still a disaster as I work through everything.  I removed a card table from the corner to make room for that product for sale bookcase - it was amazing the junk that has accumulated underneath.  Sames goes for the other tables.  So, still plugging away.  I really need about 10 Power Sort Boxes to organize it all in, but I'm just not spending that for a temporary fix.  

Question for all of you.  How do you organize your paper and stickers and everything?  I see a previous poster talking about the ziploc baggies for vacation memorabilia, great idea.  Do you then keep all your Disney scrapbooking stuff together?  And  your baby stuff together?  Or is it just paper and then by color?  Just wondering on philosophies. 

Might not get anymore done tonight, leaving for gymnastics for both girls.  Back late.

Keep working and posting everyone.  Very fun to be in this together!


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## rlovew

Good for you all- You inspired me to work on my room. I have 3 walls in my area- 1 is actually a sliding door and I keep my table for using my cricut on there and I kept that there. I have one wall that has a window at about my shoulder level across the whole wall and then another wall with a small window on the end. My work table had been across the window wall and my high stacks of stuff (2 wire shelves of paper, a loofi block set, and a stack of 8.5 by 11 drawers for swap items). I switched these 2 sets of things freeing up the srea over my table for additional shelving. 

Now I just have to sort out everything out and firugre out where I want to keep things but I do have more room this way.

Rebecca


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## BernardandMissBianca

Cindy, my paper is sorted by color White, ROY G BIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet), Brown, Grey, Black. I have some paper sorted by line like Basic Grey, CM, etc. Then Disney, seasons, holidays, travel, kids, then patterned paper by ROY G BIV. 
My stickers and other embellishments are sorted the same way in binders with page protectors. I use baseball size protectors for small things, 4x6 protectors for medium things and 8 1/2 x 11 for large items and sheets of stickers.


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## hopemax

Here is the link to last year's version of this thread:  http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2045077

It's a long thread, but there are lots of pictures with different ideas people posted.

I use the Cropper Hopper storage system.  For $25 Michaels sells a vertical paper file, that comes with 4 smaller pockets.  I would buy them with a coupon.  The larger file is for my cardstock, the smaller ones for my patterned paper.  Basically sorted the same as Buffy.  Primarily theme, with a little manufacturer, and some by pattern.  My stickers are sorted in Sticker Envelopes also made by Cropper Hopper.  Most of my stickers are Disney, which are sorted by character.  The envelopes have multiple pockets for different sizes, so I actually store a lot of paper and my swap stuff in those envelopes too.  So I have Cinderella, Mickey, Belle, etc.  Other stickers are sorted by theme.  It's mostly different holidays, animals, beach, cruise, other travel.


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## BernardandMissBianca

I've sorted all my loose paper. Got all the 12x12 sheets put away and now I'm working on scraps. This is where I get frustrated because I have all my scraps sorted by color and brand and it's a pain in the butt matching stuff up. I'm tempted to toss it all. LOL
I think I will put what's not sorted back into the scraps bin and call it a night on that part.


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## BernardandMissBianca

Thanks for the reminder Hope. 
Disney stuff is sorted by park, then by land. Characters are sorted in alphabetical order, then resorts, restaurants, transportation, general, halloween, Christmas, and Pirate and Princess Party. Characters are all in binders, everything else is in my new Scraprack bag which is like a bigger version of a binder.


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## morgansmom2000

joyah said:


> Hope I have a TON of extra space in here now.  I bet 30 people standing up would just touch each other.  It'a  awesome.  I can't wait to actually scrap now.  I think I'm going to have dad build me a bookcase for the finished books and put that at the end of the cabinet, maybe.......  so much room I just can't decide what to do with it.  *Although now I can have friends over to scrap up here.  *
> 
> Thank you for you help.  It was your rearrangments that got the brain moving.



That sounds like an invitation to me!  Road Trip!


----------



## joyah

That it is Jennifer!!  I would love to have you all here.  
Thank you for the comments ladies. Just got in from a basketball game guess this town teaches them young how to play nasty.  But we won by 1.

Pixieflip  Love the pics your getting there!!
Buffy toss them it's a freeing feeling.  I must have tossed a 2" stack. 
Rebecca glad to help

Once all my little fires are put out I plan on attacking the sticker issue.  Right now they are okay just don't like them in a box or in the 3 ring binders. or i need an easier/closer to me spot so I remeber them.

for now the room rests and I'm going to as well. It's been a long day. And if could be a long week, game tomorrow, practice and a concert on wed,thurs swim, fri practice and swim, sat swim meet and sun ccd.  I'm going to need a day off Plus they have no school fri and I think mon for inservice days.

Good work everyone!!!


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## Pixieflip

Yep, I heard an invitation, too!  And I will also extend one too. Obviously I can have a bunch at once, after the clean sweep, of course.  Wouldn't that be fun?

You guys definitely have way more stuff than I do, but I do have Grandma's 65 years of marriage, Mom's 40 years, plus all my stuff- 17 years.  That's a lot of photos.  That's my logjam right now.

10 bags of trash!  Feels great. 

I have the containers for my stickers and paper, but needed to think what order to do.  I've been doing the roygbiv, but have accumulated some kits.  I think I will keep the kist the way they are.  I'm overthinking it!

I'm scrapping at my friend's house tomorrow.  Yeah! We are planning our NSD retreat.


----------



## joyah

Cindy 10 bags of trash YOU ROCK

I filled 4 and I'm sure once I do the memorilbila I'll have another.  but 10 holy cow you did a great job purging.  

You will definatly have the bigger space for gatherings.  someday I'll take over the finished protion of the basement probably be to old and feeble to get down there.  Better yet that can be the guest room, office, man cave.


----------



## Pixieflip

Yeah, why was I hanging onto catalogs from 2005??  That'll add up to 10 bags in a heartbeat.


----------



## BernardandMissBianca

morgansmom2000 said:


> That sounds like an invitation to me!  Road Trip!



Oh, we can take the BlinkMobile when we get it!!!!


----------



## joyah

I 93 north ladies, change to I89 to I 91 and you're there about 2+ hours north of boston just into VT If 91's easier follow it north for about 60 miles once you cross into VT  Only 7 miles off the interstate
 You name the date.


----------



## New England Eeyore

Great job to all of you who are making such terrific progress!!




Pixieflip said:


> Question for all of you.  How do you organize your paper and stickers and everything?  I see a previous poster talking about the ziploc baggies for vacation memorabilia, great idea.  Do you then keep all your Disney scrapbooking stuff together?  And  your baby stuff together?  Or is it just paper and then by color?  Just wondering on philosophies.



I use Iris cases and 12x12 Sterilite drawers. Themes like Travel, Baby, Christmas, other Holidays, Cat, all have their own drawer where I keep all paper and embellishments together. So I just have to pull out one box/drawer when I'm working on that topic. (The exception is Disney, because I have so much of that it is multiple drawers/boxes.) If I have a topic that is not enough to justify a whole drawer, I use these 12x12 plastic envelope type storage from Cropper Hopper and those are stored vertically on a shelf. I used to keep all stickers together, etc, but I found I would never remember what I had so this way works out better for me.


----------



## Pixieflip

joyah said:


> I 93 north ladies, change to I89 to I 91 and you're there about 2+ hours north of boston just into VT If 91's easier follow it north for about 60 miles once you cross into VT  Only 7 miles off the interstate
> You name the date.



Funny, if you hadn't given the Boston reference,I would have no idea where I-93 is!  I live near/west of the intersection of I-29 and I-80!  Probably about a two day commute from you all!  I'll let you chomp on that for a while.

Another funny thought...this is probably the only scrapbooking website where we all have to put in caveats about having so much Disney scrapbook supplies that we have multiple drawers for it.


----------



## morgansmom2000

BernardandMissBianca said:


> Oh, we can take the BlinkMobile when we get it!!!!



That's what I was thinking!


----------



## BernardandMissBianca

this is the one we are looking at


----------



## TinkerBean

I  it...

Ours is a 22ft 1987 GMC Escaper - I would love to get a newer one, one that I wouldn't have to bungie the fridge door shut when traveling


----------



## TinkerBean

Found a pic...


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## BernardandMissBianca

Very cool!!

We got a great deal on a show price. Now I just need to see what our tax refund will look like.


----------



## joyah

As long as it is under 28' otherwise you won't make my funky RR bridge.    Then still you may want Tom to bring it over.  even the Firedepartment is chicken of it.


----------



## lynner

Hello!  After every Mousefest, I end up with a bunch of stuff like lanyards, magnets and pins that just don't go in a scrapbook very well.  All the paper stuff, maps, trip reports, schedules, even business cards, are put in pockets at the back of my scrapbook for that particular trip, but I have been accumulating bags of this lumpy stuff.  So what I decided to do is use cork squares to put all of the pins on, along with some stickers and decorative items, and then put the cork square in a one of the 12 x 12 scrapbook/memorabilia frames.  I started on this project last night, and I do have 2004 all neatly organized in a frame.  I am going to add my 2005 stuff to it as well, but I did leave a few empty spots in my scrapbook for scans of the pins, and haven't actually gotten around to scanning them.  I did end up throwing out a bunch of stuff that just simply didn't hold the memories I thought it would.

My next attempt at organizing stuff is to take all the stuff from the fish extender on my 2008 Disney cruise that I got and put that on some cork squares.  Eventually I will arrange it all in a nice wall display.


----------



## BernardandMissBianca

joyah said:


> As long as it is under 28' otherwise you won't make my funky RR bridge.    Then still you may want Tom to bring it over.  even the Firedepartment is chicken of it.



Oh we clear that easy!! It's 13 feet 4 inches tall.


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## joyah

loooooong 

My Sequoia and 25' travel trailer are tight I wont do it I make him do the dirty work.  MIL's rv is 28' long and so I know that makes it over no problem.

Some day when railroads are gone I might get a real road in and out.


----------



## BernardandMissBianca

ooooohhhhhhhh. 

Yeah, no. It's 34' drat......


----------



## joyah

Well just scrap at mom's in that case she's a couple miles up the road and you'll fit there.  they just sold their 40' and dropped to a 35'.  So see you can all still have your road trip.  Dad even installed a dump station to their sewer system.  you can stay for weeks.

Her house is MUCH bigger to.


----------



## BernardandMissBianca

KEWL!!!! A dumping station?? Really?!?!

your dad is too cute! I can sleep 2 in the master, 2 if you want to get cozy over the driver seat, and 2 really short people on the dinette and the fold out couch. And DH is building a bunk for over the couch, but Danica is probably the only one who can sleep there. You'll have to be light as a feather to sleep up there.


----------



## joyah

Yep when they built the house in 2000 the 1st thing to go up was his barn for his baby.  People drive up and think it's the house   then they realize they have to keep going.  At the same time my mom's oldest sister had an RV and they would come and stay for weeks at a time.  So it is all ready for the Blinkmobile to visit.  we'll send dad and the boys to the ocean and we can scrap for as long as we want.  mom has a little bit of overflow room for sleeping or they can always come here.  It's only a mile through the woods on the 4 wheelers.


----------



## AlexWyattMommy

I know where I want to spend Summer 2011 Vacation.

I wonder if you can rent those RV things for not an arm and leg?


----------



## BernardandMissBianca

You can rent but mileage kills the wallet.


----------



## joyah

Ann's coming to play!!!!?????  I have no idea but I know a few of the locals rent so if it's on milage you might be better to fly out.  we also have a KOA just 6 miles (15 mins) away In Quechee.  It's right off exit 1 on I89 in VT.

Course you could just come stay in ours, if you can stand the roosters crowing at  3 am


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## AlexWyattMommy

I can see that.  Have to think of something else then.

ETA: Can the puppies come too?


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## joyah

Of course.  we have the 2 dogs Bailey would LOVE another puppy to play with. Or old man can only play for so long with his pinched nerve.

couse they have to play nice with all the farm animals.


----------



## ZeroToHero

BernardandMissBianca said:


> KEWL!!!! A dumping station?? Really?!?!
> 
> your dad is too cute! I can sleep 2 in the master, 2 if you want to get cozy over the driver seat, and 2 really short people on the dinette and the fold out couch. And DH is building a bunk for over the couch, but Danica is probably the only one who can sleep there. You'll have to be light as a feather to sleep up there.



 I was skimming, and my name popped out at me.

I didn't know I was invited on this RV trip! I've always wanted to travel in one!!!!


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## AlexWyattMommy

Then you will have lots of fun planning the trip.


----------



## BernardandMissBianca

ZeroToHero said:


> I was skimming, and my name popped out at me.
> 
> I didn't know I was invited on this RV trip! I've always wanted to travel in one!!!!



Yep, your coming!!


----------



## Pixieflip

Making lots of headway on my clean sweep!  Today I am confirming some previous photo organization.  I've got some major mixing up of the photos from 2000 and 2001.  And my girls are 2 or 3 and 1 or 2, so I'm really having a hard time!  And we did the same things with the same people every year, so..  Anyway, hoping to get back down there later but I'm sure the teachers would appreciate it if I paused to pick up the kids.  

Touch base later.


----------



## lizavance

lynner said:


> Hello!  After every Mousefest, I end up with a bunch of stuff like lanyards, magnets and pins that just don't go in a scrapbook very well.  All the paper stuff, maps, trip reports, schedules, even business cards, are put in pockets at the back of my scrapbook for that particular trip, but I have been accumulating bags of this lumpy stuff.  So what I decided to do is use cork squares to put all of the pins on, along with some stickers and decorative items, and then put the cork square in a one of the 12 x 12 scrapbook/memorabilia frames.  I started on this project last night, and I do have 2004 all neatly organized in a frame.  I am going to add my 2005 stuff to it as well, but I did leave a few empty spots in my scrapbook for scans of the pins, and haven't actually gotten around to scanning them.  I did end up throwing out a bunch of stuff that just simply didn't hold the memories I thought it would.
> 
> My next attempt at organizing stuff is to take all the stuff from the fish extender on my 2008 Disney cruise that I got and put that on some cork squares.  Eventually I will arrange it all in a nice wall display.



I just found this thread an am fascinated! I take the pins and use the dremel tool to remove the pin and sand down the back. Then it is usually thin enough to fit in the album without creating too much bulk.


----------



## disneyfan97

I just found this thread. Great job organizing ladies!! You are inspiring me to really think about my next scrapbook space.

In about 3 weeks, I get to reorganize my scrapbook/craft/sewing stuff into a new room!! We are getting rid of our guest room (eek!) by giving DS a queen sized bed and putting a twin bed in my new scrapbook room for single visitors.

I would love some help with figuring out how to organize and best use the space. I get to start from scratch in terms of placement of furniture/shelves/tools. I'll sketch out the room over the next few days and give a list of my current (mostly IKEA!!) furniture to work with.

Love reading all your ideas and progress!!


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## hopemax

I should have had this up earlier, this weekend, but I wanted to get my swap done and then I had to fix the house, after being so swap focused.

I have to do this week's task myself.  With the paper packs I bought at Tuesday Morning, and the Martha cardstock I got from M's, I have already outgrown where I had my paper.

I bet you all have paper still in bags from recent purchases, SO GET THEM OUT!

Here's the link to Wookiemouse's blog:  http://wookiemouse.blogspot.com/2009/06/organize-your-stuff-challenge-week-4.html

My paper storage solution is basically identical to hers.  Labeled Cropper Hoppers.  I do keep my stacks separate.  Those are stored horizontally in Jetmax cubes.

Cardstock:  Mine is Pink, ROY_G_BIV, Brown, Gray, White, Black.  For each color, my Bazzill cardstock is sorted by texture.  So I have all my grasscloth, then criss-cross, canvas.  Discontinued cardstock is at the end.  Bling is kept in its one Cropper Hopper.  I also have a CH for non-Bazzill cardstock.

Patterned Paper:  Mine is primarily by theme (Disney, vacation, cruise, pets, holiday).  I do keep my favorite manufacturer lines together (Basic Gray, Imaginesce, etc).  This accounts for 80% of my "loose sheets."  The other 20% are organized by patterns (dots, striped, flowers, etc).

I try to avoid buying paper, just because it's pretty.  So when I come home, it makes it easy to put away.  I have a pocket for papers that aren't Disney branded, but I thought they reminded me of Main Street, or Adventureland, or Port Orleans.  This helps me with my swaps, because I can go to that pocket and see what I already have that would match my theme.  I organize that pocket by land/park.  I also have a pocket for the paper I bought for my Trans-Atlantic cruise.

While you are going through your paper, consider what your plan for that paper is.  If you store some of it by intended project, maybe it will inspire you to actually work on that project.  And if you can't think of a particular use for it, maybe it is time to purge that paper?


----------



## BernardandMissBianca

Wow!! Wookiemouse sure does have a lot of paper. 
Mine is pretty organized and I used a ton this weekend on the caterpillar for school. I may week out and purge some of the older patterned paper that I doubt I'll use.


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## ZeroToHero

_Psstt....Buffy.... I'll take it... _



I was going to say she has a lot of paper too, and then I remembered what our downstairs looks like... so I don't know if I can actually say that.


----------



## PinballFamily

(You're just jealous!)


----------



## BernardandMissBianca

ZeroToHero said:


> _Psstt....Buffy.... I'll take it... _
> 
> 
> 
> I was going to say she has a lot of paper too, and then I remembered what our downstairs looks like... so I don't know if I can actually say that.



you really want my paper??


Mom, is that ok???


----------



## PinballFamily

Sure - the poor kid - she only has thousands of sheets.  Practically down to nothing! 

She'd adore them, I'm sure.  Thanks for offering!


----------



## ZeroToHero

You're the one with thousands!

I only have... hundreds... I lurrveee paper.

If you really wouldn't mind, that would be awesome... if it's a hassle, don't bother! You have enough on your plate for the next 2 weeks.


----------



## morgansmom2000

Can someone locate the pictures of Jennifer's paper storage (JandJ)?  I think it's Ikea?  TIA!


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## BernardandMissBianca

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30104322

it's called Alex


----------



## morgansmom2000

Thanks, Buffy.  I wish I had thought to look for them yesterday.  I neeeeeeeeeed some organization stuff.


----------



## ckdsnynt

You guys are inspiring me! I currently have all my scrapbook materials in plastic tubs and sliding drawers in our study. I have about 12 scrapbooks in different boxes in the closet - not one has been started. Apparently, I just like to buy the stuff but I have a phobia about actually putting them together. But, thanks to y'all, I am becoming inspired to do someting with all this material. I may actually use some stamps, cut up some paper or put some pictures in those books! If all my adhesive hasn't dried up in the many years since I bought it!

All kidding aside, I saw a program today at Staples for scrapbooking "made easy." Do you think it was meant for regular scrapbooking or for digital scrapbooking? The cover did not say. I thought it might give me a jump start if I could use it for regular scrapbooking but I don't need anything else added to my computer than I won't use! and Sorry, this probably shouldn't be here on this thread but I am desperate!


----------



## ohMom

joyah--- did you complete your organization project??? pictures!!

my shelving is up and ready...sadly my carpet re-tacking has been delayed a week!   it's like it's waiting there for me.......


----------



## BernardandMissBianca

ckdsnynt said:


> You guys are inspiring me! I currently have all my scrapbook materials in plastic tubs and sliding drawers in our study. I have about 12 scrapbooks in different boxes in the closet - not one has been started. Apparently, I just like to buy the stuff but I have a phobia about actually putting them together. But, thanks to y'all, I am becoming inspired to do someting with all this material. I may actually use some stamps, cut up some paper or put some pictures in those books! If all my adhesive hasn't dried up in the many years since I bought it!
> 
> All kidding aside, I saw a program today at Staples for scrapbooking "made easy." Do you think it was meant for regular scrapbooking or for digital scrapbooking? The cover did not say. I thought it might give me a jump start if I could use it for regular scrapbooking but I don't need anything else added to my computer than I won't use! and Sorry, this probably shouldn't be here on this thread but I am desperate!




If it was a computer program I would assume it's digital. I can't find it in Google.


----------



## joyah

I posted pics of it withe the few little things that needed to be done I think by now they are page or 2 back abt 1/25 was when I finished the main move.

Sadly I keep saying I'm going to finish the last few things but a couple of them still remain due to lack of time.  the boys desk did get done though.

3 guys have an ice fishing derby in the am so I'm planning on tackling some more of it in the morning course if the -20 wind chill happens we are all staying in bed.


----------



## joyah

So once again I ignored the piles and instead I cleaned the bedroom and hoed out a pile for good will and a pile for the garbage.  I finally threw out the dress I wore for my college graduation (92) and what I wore leaving the wedding reception (94) along with outfits I wore when both boys were baptized.  I managed to clean out 1 4' area in my closet that I can store the extra sewing machine, batting and totes of fabric that there just isn't room for in the office.  
In the process of the bedroom cleaning I also sorted all the memorilbila and dumped the 1st 3 quaters of the report cards.  Today is the day I get a handle on all that. so off to work I go.


----------



## hopemax

Is everyone still out there?

Week 4 - Paper Scraps

Mine are stored in page protectors in binders.  I think I am up to 5 binders now.  A 4" one for patterned paper, another 4" for most of the Bazzill, smaller ones for the rest of the Bazzill, Bling, non-Bazzill patterned paper.  I have used my label maker to label the page protectors that are current Bazzill colors, so when I use it and I need more, I know which color to order.

You can buy page protectors in a box of like 200, for ~$15 at Office supply stores.  My binders I get at garage sales, thrift stores, because those things are expensive at full price.

And yes, in this system, I use my scraps!  Looking at the Event swap, I used my scraps for:  orange Mickey heads, all the layers for the Gravedigger, Pooh guys paper piecings, layer on jingle bells, zebras, giraffes and masks, and the embellished shape flowers.

Out of curiosity, I decided to see how long it took to clean up my scraps.  I was in 8 groups in the Event swap.  It took 15 minutes to trim the scraps, and separate them all out.  It took another 15 minutes to put them in the appropriate page protector and binder.  Certainly, not fun, but since it was the only thing I worked on that day, it was manageable.

Here's this week's link to WookieMouse's blog:  http://wookiemouse.blogspot.com/2009/06/organize-your-stuff-challenge-week-5.html

Week 5's challenge is photo organization, so also try to pull those together and start thinking about it.


----------



## joyah

I have sorted through all the memorilbila for both boys and have now put it in the binders.  I think i'm going to like this system and it diffinately keeps it contained and able to be found and looked through fairly easy.
And I'm right on track for next weeks cause the last pile that was ignored is the pictures.  Mostly they are ready to be worked with but as I cleaned up the room I found piles here and there.  they were all put into one tote so when sorting time came they were at least in 1 place.  I was hoping to get to that pile today but I don't think it will happen.  
I still have yet to scrap in the new space and that is bugging me but I refuse to until these last piles are dealt with.

How is everyone else doing thread has been kind of slow.


----------



## BernardandMissBianca

I'm here. I've got something funky going on with my joints and my hands look like baseball mitts so I haven't been doing anything but sitting on the couch. 
But my paper and my photos are in good shape, I just need to snake in the new cardstock I bought, had to replenish the colors I use a lot.


----------



## MazdaUK

I've got a little unit which will hold my punches, and have two shelves for other bits (like boxes of stuff) which are currently in a pile of totes, falling off shelves, etc Its only small so i can put it in the conservatory and just lift it in when I need it (its plastic, from Ikea about 8-10 years ago) Just need time to spread things about (when DH is not around to say "How come you have so much stuff)


----------



## PinballFamily

*Since it relates to scraps, I thought I'd post this here too, but just posted this as a separate swap thread... *

Ok - I had an idea - let me know what you all think!

I added scraps to our sorted (by color) bags this morning and thought "Wouldn't it be fun to have a 12x12 page swap made only from scraps from our collections?" We've got some great paper in our box, but not enough to do a traditional swap with any of it.

Each page would be different - no two would be alike because of the scrap bits we all have. You could use a "new" 12x12 piece as your base paper, but everything else would have to come from your scrap stash. Photo mats, tags, journal boxes, title topper/space, etc. would be options, but perhaps not include other embellishments. The recipient could add those as she needs/wants.

Participants could sign up for as many pages as each wants, and each would get the same number of pages back - and of course, none of your own. I'd divide them up so each person gets pages from as many other participants as possible.

Z2H and I were thinking that perhaps this could be its own swap or I could hostess it as piggy-backed onto her color swap later this year. It might be cheap or free to add these pages if you're already participating in that?

I'll post this here and in other threads to get feedback from as many folks as possible.

Thanks!
Pam


----------



## BernardandMissBianca

piggy backed with the color swap would be good. Especially if you are already sending 12x12's because postage has gone up so much.


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## MazdaUK

Sounds good! I did start cutting scraps into pieces of a size to make elements but I got bored!


----------



## LindaBabe

Good Morning!  
Don't know WHY I never noticed this thread before . . . yes I do, it's because I usually just go directly to the scrapbooking board from whereever I was previously.  Can I get on the train late?  

Just read the whole thread - you gals are doing AMAZING, given all the constraints you've had to work with!  You inspire me!

My little space is overflowing.  

One of the issues is - because we don't have an LSS - I buy tons when I get to one, and have to store the stuff until it's used.

The next is - my storage is all 'repurposed' from what I had, and it doesn't work very well for the awkwardly shaped items like punches and memorabelia.

Every time I've purged I've lived to regret it because sure as shooting the next week or month, I need something that went!

Thought I had found the perfect solution in a cabinet from IKEA http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80157134

But I don't have any wall space for it on the same floor as the scrapbook area.  Actually, I don't have any free wall space ANYWHERE in our 1200 sq ft townhome, because the 3 outside walls are taken up with windows.

Ok.  Get off the computer and get to work on the mess.


----------



## BernardandMissBianca

I purged my scraps! Well I'm only 1/2 way through but I did it. I cut everything down to 4x6, ATC size, and my CM tag punch. I've emptied 2 binders so far and have 3 to go. 
It has cleared a ton of space in my bookcase!


----------



## PinballFamily

Great, Buffy!

I'm still interested in doing the scrap page(s) swap.  (Just haven't taken the time to think more/post about it lately.)  The little bit of research I've done on the topic:  other folks just do a scrap swap where they package up their scrap paper into an envelope and mail it off to someone else as the swap.   That just doesn't sound like great fun to me - would feel like the neighborhood yard sale where the participating households just swap their crap with other people's crap!  To me, making useful pages out of the bits feels more fun and creative.

Thanks all, who have said you'd be interested (even the cheater-wheaters who say they'll play but shop for new paper to use!)


----------



## rlovew

Well I have gotten my new shelf up and sorted things out a bit- my space is much more useable. As i scrap I keep and Iris box beside me and all my scraps go into that and then from time to time I cut them all down to flat sides and then put them into my scrap file drawer. I do pull out scraps when I am cutting for paper piecings and such.

Right now my scraps are under control- I have most things housed although I need to switch out drawers so I have those I use the most on my desk instead of against the wall. 

Overall my scrap room is fairly organized at the moment and I only have the rements of the sketch swap I finished yesterday out.

Rebecca


----------



## MazdaUK

I've sorted my plain scraps by colour in the binder where I started cutting into element size and got bored It doesn't really make more space but I'm more likely to use them, so that's good I also sorted my sock drawer


----------



## LindaBabe

My scraps are done - I have a 9x11x2 box.  Bigger than that, it's filed with the color.  I don't keep fragments smaller than business card size.  Without substantial amounts of fresh paper, I probably couldn't make more than a couple pages with what little I have.


----------



## hopemax

It's Photo time!

There are two parts to this week's organization, digital and physical photos.  Last year, I did well to get my physical photos organized.  I use your basic photo box.  I have one for negatives, one for my trans-Atlantic cruise, and one for all the photos that I have printed.  Most of these, are DH's older photos from the pre-digital, pre-me age.

I am more concerned about all the digital photos that I have never had printed.  I don't even have all of them stored on my laptop, because it would fill it up.  Which brings me to the first, and most important task to do this week.  If you do nothing, but this, you should feel proud.

BACK UP YOUR PHOTOS!!!

I have not lost any yet, but I thought I did, and that was enough to make me cry.  Recent photos, I have:  Copy on Laptop, copy on external HD, copy on old Desktop that is used only for scanning things and photo backup.  I also should have a copy on CD/DVD, but I have been lazy in making those backups.  I will work on them this week.

My primary project this week, is whipping the digital organization into shape.  It had been awhile since I opened Picasa.  The newer updates have made it extremely easy to tag photos with keywords.  They also have a photo recognition tool, so it will identify faces and tag them with a name.  This is what I started doing yesterday.  So far, it is so so.  It misses some people, and then you have to go add them manually.  It seems like it doesn't recognize a person if they are holding something in front of their mouth, like food.  The other big problem, is in Disney pictures it pulls out lots of faces, so I spend a lot of time telling it to ignore faces.  

But it is going fast enough, that yesterday, I was able to get through all the 2009 pictures.  Which included 2 Disney trips.  I can do it while watching TV, and today is a big TV day.  I hope that tagging my pics will help me with the organization so that when I pull out my swap items to use, I can do a quick check of how many photos I have for that event.  I did this with the Gingerbread House at the Grand Floridian, and it seems to be doing good so far.

Here's the Wookiemouse link:  http://wookiemouse.blogspot.com/2009/06/organize-your-stuff-challenge-week-6.html

And remember:  BACK UP YOUR PHOTOS!!!


----------



## MazdaUK

Need to back up on my external HD but everything else is sorted


----------



## New England Eeyore

Now that I have a new computer and don't have to keep all my photos and music on an external hard drive to keep it from running too slowly, I finally subscribed to an online backup service so I have that extra security for all my photos, etc. I still have the external hard drive but I no longer leave it connected all the time, so that's still a 3rd location where they are.


----------



## PinballFamily

Hope - thanks for the kick in the pants on this topic!

This is an area in which I can (and need to) do much better.  DH does do frequent backups of our machine (and the Macs do it themselves easily, too), but I need to take better precautions - and build in redundancies - in handling our digital photos and files.

I just signed up for a special free 3-hour Apple class/open project time (we have a special one-year membership plan) where they help you out with your questions and projects.  I'm going to learn more about the software we already have (that I haven't yet tried to use) to help manage photos.  Whee!


----------



## BernardandMissBianca

DH just installed a bigger hard drive last night so now I can finish gathering all my photos and back them up. This will be Wednesday's project if we are snowed in.


----------



## ohMom

everyone!

i have been waiting (im)patiently for 3 weeks and FINALLY the carpet was tacked back in place yesterday.  my girls and I spent 1.5 hr unloading the mass of boxes from the crawlspace and have a righteous mess now!  and...i'm going away until Sun-----but, then, i will return with progress!

i know scrap week is over, but i wanted to share my recent epiphany, with a little help from a friend.  I have a small box (multi-tampon actually) that i'm going to cover in paper.  it is divided into 3 sections...so i'm saving small circles from punches/coluzzle scraps, one-inch any length, and one-inch squares.    the one-inch squares are cute to line up coordinating pieces as a border on a card.


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## BernardandMissBianca

hey Hope. 

I'm ready to get back into this and I found the thread on 2peas. 

Where are we at this week?? I may have to start over......


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## hopemax

Where we are...at a standstill I guess. 

I'm thinking now that we are 3 months into the year, people aren't feeling the energy to organize so much anymore, given the lack of posts.  So I guess we can be where ever you need it to be!

I actually finished a pretty big project today.  I finished completely sorting 4 years of swap stuff.  I had started with a bunch of 1" binders, but those filled up quickly.  I had been collecting 2" binders at garage sales, but hadn't been good about getting everything put away.  And some categories had just too much stuff to fit even in those.

At M's clearance, I found a bunch of file folders in a black & white pattern, with either a hot pink or lime green on the inside.  They were 6 in a package for $1.99.  I flipped them inside out, so the pink is on the outside, so it better matches my room.  Then I taped the sides shut, so things wouldn't fall out.  I used these for all my Animal Kingdom, Cruise and Color swap pieces.  

I still need a couple more binders (or better yet, scrap stuff, so I have more room in the binders I already have), but I sorted stuff into page protectors.  The ones without a binder are standing up in a tote.

I also finally got my Jetmax drawers labeled, when I had my label maker out for the binders.

So anyone else ready to recommit to organizing?


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## joyah

I need a kick in the pants please.  I got it all reorganised pulled out a bunch more to go through and there it sits.  I've got to move.


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## Pixieflip

What happened to all of us??  We were doing so great and then we dropped off the map!  I'm pretty much in the same place, not worked on organizing in months.  Now we have a meeting next week and I'm volunteered to have an example project of using our organizational products.    Guess I needed a deadline to get myself back to it.  Tackling Grandma's 65 years of photos and cleaning up a big mess in the process.  THAT will be good.

So, where are the rest of you?


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## BernardandMissBianca

I'm here but sadly other things have gotten in my way and I haven't touched anything other then cleaning off my table over and over. LOL


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## ohMom

BernardandMissBianca said:


> I purged my scraps! Well I'm only 1/2 way through but I did it. I cut everything down to 4x6, ATC size, and my CM tag punch.



  is THIS what you all do with your scraps?  that is brilliant! i could do a cleanup in my scraps...after grad album is finished 

i never did post pix of my finished scrapbook corner -- this first pic is of the whole space...it may look clutters but it's organized   i have way too much stuff!


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## BernardandMissBianca

LOL I purged in Feb, needless to say there was some paper breeding involved and now I'm back to square one!! 

You can not see my floor, table, walls, buffet, etc anymore. There is crap everywhere!!!

However, I did empty all but one box out of the basement of crap..... I mean scrap stuff. The one tote left has empty albums and extra page protectors. 

I was just in there while dinner was cooking. It was bad, real bad!  I'm skeert to go back in!!


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## joyah

Well I'm still around too.  I scrapped some this last week and weekend and now my corner looks like it blew up.  Guess I need to start over for a good cleaning.  Oh well no time this weekend may try to pick at it this week.

Oh Mom I'd kill for that much space.  It looks great to me.


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## LindaBabe

OhMom!  That is a terrific space!  You got so much storage on your walls - WOW. Thanks for posting it.


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## CityGirlLost

I've just started putting together a scrap room in my unfinished basement.


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## BernardandMissBianca

Love your room!!!
where did you get the cabinets?


DH finally gave me the go ahead to get rid of the dining furniture and get some more scrap friendly stuff, he even picked some things out. 
So I'm packing up my room completely (except for my swap stuff) and moving the furniture to the storage unit until we get it appraised. 

I plan on painting as soon as the kids go back to school.


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## hopemax

Well, this thread basically fizzled this year, but I hope everyone is making progress on their space.  Just posting a reminder, since I am doing it today.

BACK UP YOUR PHOTOS!


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## a1tinkfans

Wow, I just wanted to tell you ladies how Inspiring you all are...and those pictures of the rooms....Lovely!
Hope you are all well and Happily making Progress with your clean ups!


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## BernardandMissBianca

there is hope for everyone. 
Here is a thread with my before and after. 

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2602901


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## joyah

I miss my clean room from those pics.  I need to re find it.  won't be this week though for sure.


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## joyah

any chance of starting a new version of this thread for 2011?

I've started my cleaning for this year.  3 school projects (halloween, thanksgiving & christmas) plus 1 3 day crop sure don't make for a clean room.

Since last year the layout has stayed the same but I need a new piece of something for the E it won't fit on the table I had the baby bug on.  I also need to have Tom build a second shelf for baskets of  the kids supplies that need to be kept but stored.


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