Splitcoaststampers.com - the world's #1 papercrafting community
You're currently viewing Splitcoaststampers as a GUEST. We pride ourselves on being great hosts, but guests have limited access to some of our incredible artwork, our lively forums and other super cool features of the site! You can join our incredible papercrafting community at NO COST. So what are you waiting for?
I saw on here I think the idea of using cheap cafe curtain rods- they're a 2pack for like $3- I mount them on the wall and hang my punches on them, and since they expand, I can just pull the rod out a bit further if I buy more punches. There's a picture in my gallery. I also made my own sticker/accessory organizer with an old paper towel holder and cheap page protectors- I just zip-tied the page protectors to the stem of the towel rod, now I can spin the pages to see what I have!
I use the empty cores of athletic tape and underwrap that my husband uses to wrap my ribbon, although I wish I had a way to split them, since they are too wide for half of my collection. The plan is to place them in a large gymshoe box, once covered w/pp and thread the ribbon thru.
I also used two of the plastic containers the tape came in to contain my small collection of SU wheels.
I also save tic-tac and other small dispenser style containers for small items like beads, and brads.
I like to reuses sturdy boxes & $1 spot trays to divide various items like pens, punches and other medium items.
I too am a fan of spray paint!
I'm sure I have more, but I can'tr remember right now.
I love the "clip it up" but it is so expensive so I went to ikea and got the wire curtain rod and hung it up between 2 walls and made my own clip it up the clips were a bit costly so i got the plastic coated paperclips and opened them up so i could hang the pkgs on them and if i cant put a hole in a pack then i use the proper clips and this even holds WAY more then the clip it up
here it is above the tv sorry for the bad pic I had the settings 2 low on my camera
"am redoing the whole room after years of being way too frugal. However, I cannot throw out the nut jars from Target...they are a perfect storage for BIG flowers I am still re-doing but here is a in progress pic of them..they are under the Ikea shelves with the Container store jars...and they have silver lids!! the smaller jars are artichoke jars for smaller flowers."
This is a great crafting area! I want to ask what are those things on top?
The reason I ask is they look like one that I bought at a garage sale and wonder what to use it for. are they tall spools? How are you using them or are they just decorations?
An idea I will share is: I found a 2" ring with about 30 0r so 5" by 3" ziplock bags on it. ( I think it may have been for embroidery floss.) I store my single unmounted rubber stamps in it. I stamp the stamp on cardstock and put that in the bag too, so I can see which stamp it is. Now I have to find more of those bags, because the originals are full.
"am redoing the whole room after years of being way too frugal. However, I cannot throw out the nut jars from Target...they are a perfect storage for BIG flowers I am still re-doing but here is a in progress pic of them..they are under the Ikea shelves with the Container store jars...and they have silver lids!! the smaller jars are artichoke jars for smaller flowers."
This is a great crafting area! I want to ask what are those things on top?
The reason I ask is they look like one that I bought at a garage sale and wonder what to use it for. are they tall spools? How are you using them or are they just decorations?
An idea I will share is: I found a 2" ring with about 30 0r so 5" by 3" ziplock bags on it. ( I think it may have been for embroidery floss.) I store my single unmounted rubber stamps in it. I stamp the stamp on cardstock and put that in the bag too, so I can see which stamp it is. Now I have to find more of those bags, because the originals are full.
I've found quite a few sizes at Office Depot. You might check your local office supply store...
I am redoing the whole room after years of being way too frugal. However, I cannot throw out the nut jars from Target...they are a perfect storage for BIG flowers I am still re-doing but here is a in progress pic of them..they are under the Ikea shelves with the Container store jars...and they have silver lids!! the smaller jars are artichoke jars for smaller flowers. Attachment 162737
eta: that beverage is usually not there when I craft! It was a looong day and it was Miller time....
Something I use are clear plastic containers from the bakery cookies at Sam's Club. Each payday at my job, I am in charge of purchasing two containers of these wonderful cookies and a gallon of juice as a payday treat. I work at a home health agency and the nurses only come in on payday, so this has become a tradition. Anyway, these clear boxes are a great way to store craft items.
almost everything in my craft room is a "repurposed" item.
a huge book case that was being thrown away is my main storage unit, with those stacking drawers on the shelves. all my punches are lined up on the very top and are right in easy reach
my work table is an old butcher block i rescued from hubby's ax LOL its the perfect hieght to stand and work too when i prefer
my chair came from a thrift shop for $5, it is one of the old "ladder back" chairs and some one had painted it a pretty red ( i plan to repaint)
every year my parents order a huge jellies assortment from Swiss Colony, they come in the tiny glass jars. they save them for me and i use for brads and such.
i also use baby food jars, frap bottles, glass spice jars
i had a tall narrow book case in the kitchen for cook books, well i moved the books to a cubby and put the shelf in my craft room. it is just the right size to hold these types of jars.
a store was throwing away a narrow wire shelving unit and gave to me! i have a basket on each shelf that holds my ribbons and trims.
get the baskets at dollar tree
my Slice machine sits on an old iron table that was on our proch. i scrubbed it like mad, and repainted. it is only about 8 inches square and about 24 inches tall. just big enough
for the slice on one shelf and a plastic box to store things on the other 2 shelves. i think it was originally a plant table
shop your local thrift shops and look at things in different ways, you'll be surprised at what you find!
For my markers: I took the butter box, folded in the top cover & wrapped w/ DP. I lay it on the side & the SU markers fit perfectly.
Inks: I keep in the SU boxes or a fax ink roll box w/ one side cut out. SU pads fit very nice in there.
SU wheels: I have a couple of wire baskets that someone gave me, I think they are for your desk. I tied wax string on them & hung them on the wall, put a thin wood dowel thru the basket & the hole on the wheel.
Ribbon: I have a plastic drawer unit & I store all my ribbon on the cardboard spools in the drawers. The drawers are deep enough so that I can put 2 layers in one drawer. I just ask @ Michaels for an empty ribbon box & keep the spools on the top layer in that box, this way it is easy to see what is below. For the ribbon I purchased by the yard I put in a small snack baggie & store it all in another drawer. This way it does not get all tangled up & stays clean & dust free.
12 x 12 Paper: I found a cardboard box slightly larger than 12 x 12 & cut the ends like a mag. storage box. You could cover w/ DP if you like.
Tape runners & glue sticks: Small plastic basket from the $1 store.
Stamp cleaning pads & cleaner: I also use a paint pad but never mounted it to anything. I just use one end of the pad for wet & the other for dry or use 2 pads. I store these in another small plastic basket from the $1 store.
Paper scraps: I use gallon zip-lock bags. I got this idea on SCS & love it. Much better than digging thru that box all the time.
Paper & Catalogs: 8 1/2 x 11 & the 6 x 6 I store in school folder boxes I picked up @ Wal-mart. I just ask for the empty boxes. The 6 x 6 I have laying down & have the 8 1/2 x 11 standing on top of that box on the closed end. My white 8 1/2 x 11 I have in the plastic desk trays.
Cuttlebug folders: I use a small egg crate. The embossing folders fit great in this.
Misc scissors & tools: Target $1 spot metal pails. This keep them all handy, together & easy to find when I need them.
Some people I know store their paper in a pizza box. If you know someone who works there just ask or sometimes the box is clean & can be recycled.
Embellishments: I find plastic boxes @ the $1 store. I think they are for jewelry but they work great. I had a plastic box that was for embellishments but if you tipped the box when it was closed everything was a mess, so be sure that the dividors touch the cover when closed. I also have a bunch of plastic containers that "scotch" black tape comes in & asked the plumbers @ work to save them for me. These are great for lots of differant things including die cuts.
Inexpensive "scrub pad" to clean stamps - I buy packs of two paint pads, break off the curls on the edge, attach 2 pads to a flat lid and instant scrubber pad and easy to clean, too! I attach them with double-sided tape and they've never come loose (they cost about 3 bucks for a pack of two.)
What are paint pads? And do you just use water, or do you have the cleaner? I have a couple old wash clothes that I use. When the towels get raggedy on the edges they turn into dog towels (It takes at least 3 to dry the dog, he's so big). This leaves wash clothes with no towel mate.
I also have Russell Stover boxes with the plastic divider tray(s) in them. I use these for my brads, each color or design has a different type brad in it.
I also bought a couple metal paper divider things (you know that sit on a desk) at a military surplus sale. One has 5 places and the other has three with three dividers hooked next to it, meant for standing papers up. I spray painted them each a different bright (green and blue) color (gray and khackie were not my colors of choice) and use them for papers and paper tablets, and craft magazines, or ideas I want to keep.
When my DD has her baby and starts feeding her baby food, I'll keep the jars.
Nancy
i like using the paint pads for stamp scrubbies too
you can find them in the painting supplies isle, they are flat white scruffy looking square pads, i think thier package will say something about using to paint trim. you get 2 in a pack for like around 3 or 5 bucks. they look just like the pads in the expensive stamp scrubber trays !!!
My late husband's family were big into canning, so I have oodles of glass canning jars - they work great for just about anything you want within reach.
I have two of those spinning spice racks (Rubbermaid) and I put the canning jars on them and I can twirl them around to find what I want.
Check out your local grocery store for "throw aways!" They sometimes get very sturdy display shelf units and either end up throwing them away after use or don't even bother to use them and they're brand new!
Check out your Army/Navy surplus store for things like "military" metal map drawers - they're sturdy and hold lots of bling!
Close To My Heart stamp sets in their plastic packaging fit perfect in cute little crates that are just a buck each at Walmart!
Inexpensive "scrub pad" to clean stamps - I buy packs of two paint pads, break off the curls on the edge, attach 2 pads to a flat lid and instant scrubber pad and easy to clean, too! I attach them with double-sided tape and they've never come loose (they cost about 3 bucks for a pack of two.)
The inserts I've removed from the CD cases I use to store my unmounted stamps work great for ribbon - just wrap the ribbon and the inserts fit very well in a cheap photo storage box!
Still looking for a use for all those darned wood blocks (boxes of them!) from unmounted my stamps....any ideas?
As for the unmounted wood blocks...You can donate them to a local Child Care provider or Child Care center. They are perfect building blocks for young children to play with.
I was at the Goodwill store, and bought a spinning spice rack that had the individual jars in it, with the name of the different spices on it, and I put my brads in there and I can twirl them around to find what I want.
Thanks for the advice about the wood blocks! We recently had a new daycare open in town so I cleaned them all up, stamped numbers and letters on them and let me tell you, the owners and the kids thought it was Christmas! They were thrilled!
I've decided I'm going to go through the rest of my house and any stuffed animals and other things this new daycare can use, I'll donate to them!
I spent about 20 bucks in materials and made my own Stamp pad storage and a couple of other storage drawer things. I bought wood, foam core board, a can of spray paint, and a sample of Parsley Sprig paint! My "drawers" were little storage boxes, I just ditched the lids, flipped them, spray painted them and added drawer pulls (shhh, don't tell DH but they are the tips to some of his golf tees, LOL)
(Ignore the camera hound in the photo, LOL) Homemade storage
Wondering if you would mind sharing your idea, like directions or dimissions???
These are great ideas! Thanks for sharing them. My space is very cluttered. I had to give up my SU! demonstratorship due to $$$, but now the space can be my office/craft haven. It's time to revamp!!!
Wow! There are some really good ideas in here. I personally have reused the smaller coffee cans, then hot glued some cute ribbon around the edge to hold stuff. I also resued some of my coffee mugs and a small plant pot someone gave me, for pens and other tools. I also went hunting around in our storage shed and in my brother's left out stuff, I found some small plastic trays and baskets, and a 3-drawer plastic unit. I had just talked my mom out of one, so now I have 2. I use them for my markers, to keep them flat. I have also reused baby food jars for storing eyelets and brads. I do really need to find something to store my ink pads in other than the old picture storage box. It started to bend and the pads kept moving around. Now, I've also inherited a new desk (it's new to me anyhow) that has slots of shelves on the sides and drawers. Thanks Grandpa! It's an upgrade from my inherited student type desk that doesn't do much except act as a table. No shelf space whatsoever. I say look around in your storage areas to repurpose items, you just never know what you're going to find.
I just had a friend give me an amazing piece, but I'm not sure what to do with it.
Her sister has an accounting business, so it was something they had used there. It stands about 3 feet high, and has slots about an inch tall, and just under 8 1/2 inches wide. I would show a picture, but it is in the back of my small SUV until I figure out where to put it, and what to do with it. So, any suggestions on what to do with it? I am thinking that I might put my Big Shot dies in there. That idea just hit me as I was typing this. I'll have to see how that looks. Now....where to put it..........
I like to save glass bottles and jars of varying shapes and sizes to store embellishments. If I can't see it I don't tend to use it so saving glass works great. Pimento jars, dried beef, artichoke hearts are some of my go to glass. I have a maple syrup bottle that is flat that I use for odorless mineral spirits for gamsol technique. Good will and salvation army stores are also a good source for inexpensive glass. I use glass to store colored pencils, Pencils, pens, scissors etc. Baskets are also a nice go to item since they don't cost a lot and look great. Photo storage boxes house some of my stamps too. Round turntables tucked onto shelves are also invaluable to make items easy to reach. My table and chairs are from our set when I got married 25 years ago. Don't forget to check Craig's list for stuff too!
Hi, I,m the same, I can't afford all those fancy storage solutions (wish I could), nor do I have heaps of space. For my ribbons, I attached two curtain brackets to the wall above my desk, threaded my ribbons on thin dowel and hung on the brackets, I then added some S hooks and added more dowel. Works great and didn't cost much at all. the dowels rods were about A$1.20 the brackets around A$4. See you don't need alot of money for storage, just use your imagination.
Here are a few of mine:
- Old spice rack to hold my med size punches
- no longer used entertainment (or even microwave) stand works great for big shot station
- tictac boxes for embellishments
- yankee candle jars for ribbon conatiners
- from sam's, I pick up the boxes that hold the guest checks that restaurants use for my su clamshells
__________________ Jac-ee Former FSJ Founding Coach and SU! Demonstrator, now crafting for myself. "There is a fine line between 'HOBBY' and 'MENTAL ILLNESS'"
*Finished cards in a clear shoebox that I got at Target for less than $2
*Card stock/Designer paper in the Skubb Organizer @ IKEA. I totally LOVE that store!!
* Studio G acrylic stamps/other co.s acrylics(there about the same size) in those baseball card holders in a binder
* Loose ribbon in large jars from IKEA
* Eyelets/Brads in spice jars from IKEA
* SU! stamps in one of those plastic filing cabinets
* TAC Stamps in CD cases in a CD holder from IKEA, of course. Like I said I LOVE that store!
* Ribbons still on the spools in IKEA's DVD box with lid.
* Sharpies, Bic Mark-its, Copics, etc in these cool wooden boxes with drawers from IKEA
* Small paper packs in in the same cool wooden boxes with drawers from IKEA
* Adhesive in a tin basket I got from the Target See Spot Save section
OK I definitely recommend going to either IKEA or Target for storage solutions.
__________________ Mary Ellen
Would love to share some of my crafting with you - my blog
hello out their!!! If you take those unused wood blocks and put a pre cut circle of velcro on it (the prickly part) you now have that tool that that Tim holtz sells to apply the Alcohol Inks. You can even cut you own felt circles.
Shelley
__________________ Semper Fi !!! Still Suporting US forces in Iraq & around the world!!
I agree with 53queenbee, I use those nut jars for so many storage ideas. They go with everything and can be decorated to suit any decor or put Decor Elements on them! They have proven to be inexpensive (FREE) and nearly indestructable.
I use something like this for my embellishments. The drawers are divided out so I have them by color one half brads the other eyelets. Then say one section of my organizer is alphabets and I'll have it divided A-Z 0-9. I love it. I know where everything is & have all my drawers labeled (OF COURSE!!)
I went out after the holidays last year to Walgreens, and asked for the acrylic displays that held the fancy light up pens. They gave them to me for nothing, they just toss 'em out, so I got handy marker storage free. You gotta love free! I even posted, and sent a whole bunch of other stampers out and it was fun hearing back who scored freebies. If you see displays that are empty or almost empty, and it looks like something you might be able to use, ASK for it- most times they will give it to you, since it's going in the dumpster anyway.
I am loving this thread. I have a bunch of inexpensive starage items in my stamp room. After all, I need to spend my money on stamps & supplies! Here are some of mine.
-I made several ink pad holders with foam core. I found the directions here on SCS. Three sheets of foam core will make two full holders. I have TONS of ink pads & I only use three. I also modified the directins to make a pen holder. I have pics of it on my blog. Maybe someone knows who posted the idea. I'll look for the directions & see if there is a link printed on them.
-I used foam core scraps to make to sizes of ribbon holders. I don't have tons of ribbon, so I like them to be sitting out. I just made a well for the ribbons to sit in. I have one for my larger spools of ribbon-like SU! & one for my tiny spools like I get from JoAnns & Michaels.
-I use cigar boxes to store jars of things like embossing powders & beads.
I got some of those $1 recipe boxes from Michaels. The hold my Cuttlebug folders perfectly. Because of the price, I got three and put different releases in the boxes so I can keep them straight. Mine are kinda cute with a brown & blue pattern wiht a bird on it, but you could always cover the uglier ones.
-I keep my scraps in page protectors & set them on top of their similar colors. I got a pack of them for $1.50 at Big Lots.
-My fibers are stored on tags. I just wrapped them around the tags and they seem easier to use. I'm sure you all have bunches of tags floating around. I sure do.
-I keep the round continers from crystal lite. You know, the one's that are made to make 2 quarts each. They are great for tall brushes.
-I store many of my things on nails on the walls. Not only are nails inexpensive, but so many of my tools are within my reach.
-I have a printers typing drawer that I used to keep little knick-knacks in. I now keep my tiny stamps in it & they are so much easier to use. I've had mine for over 25 years, but I know thrift stores have them.
-My stamps are all unmounted so my Stampin' Up! containers are available for my use. I have some for different pens & things like liquid applique.
-My colored pencils are all out on my desk in plastic cups. I get the seasonal cups they sell at Wal-Mart for 99 cents. I love blue, so I got some dark blue ones last summer.
-I have all of my tools in a spinning caddy. I know people were raving about the one from Pampered chef, but that is way out of my budget. I went to Wal-Mart's kitchen section & got a caddy for under $5. It's black & revolves. It has a main hole in the center & four sections around it. All of my scissors, tweezers, cutting knives & embossing tools are within easy reach.
-Target always has great back to school items. I use the pencil boxes for extra class kits. I teach, so I always have extra basic class kits available. The pencil cases are plastic & kind of like a match box. The drawer slides out of them. I usually get them on clearance for 50 cents each.
There are some of my favorites. I'm sure I have many more of these things in my stamp room. I like to use things in ways that they weren't first intended. JIL
The Foam core ink pad holder I made was designed by Stacey King. Like I said, it was posted here at SCS. Her blog is http://Rebelinker.blogspot.com I also have a website listed for her at http://www.StaceyKing.com Be sure to check it out. Her directions are great! JIL
The Foam core ink pad holder I made was designed by Stacey King. Like I said, it was posted here at SCS. Her blog is http://Rebelinker.blogspot.com I also have a website listed for her at http://www.StaceyKing.com Be sure to check it out. Her directions are great! JIL
What a great Blog! Thank you for sharing! Her ideas and directions for everything are really good.
I have friends on the look out for items that can be re-purposed. They are always thrilled to have found a "great discovery" when they come across one for me.
But my favorite free storage item not yet mentioned, is one of those big ice cream tubs with a handle. I use it to store embellishments. It's big, stacks well and is easily transportable since my supplies are stored in my bedroom closet and my craft "room" is either my kitchen table or my dining room table depending on availability. I'm planning on collecting many more tubs and organizing embellishments by theme. If I took ten minutes I could even decorate the tub with DP and have it look pretty in addition to being practical. Just have to find 10 free minutes around here!
I wanted to share my craft room. The neatest thing I got was a 6' counter top with the 2 cabinets for $5.00. It is agreat work space. It is all garage sale deals! Each time I brought something else home to carry down the basement, my husband cringed. Just click on my name and go to my gallary, because I don't know how to link you to it!
( Now, I can't buy anymore stuff at garage sales. Room is full!)
Regards!
smadson
If you love diecuts, such as QK like I do, I found that a cd case is perfect for holding 4x4 dies! Might be a little pricey at first, but you won't outgrow it anytime soon.
For smaller dies, including sizzlets, the little Ster-lite boxes work great. They hold alot, are cheap. They are clear, so it's easy to see what's in them.
If you use die cuts, any type of plastic box with dividers is great for storing extra pieces that you have cut. That way, if you are not sure what you want to use on a layout, instead of punching a new one, you can get into your stash to see what it would look like, or have extra for your next project.
Wooden clothes pins (the kind that has a spring) are great for winding ribbon on.
My new favorite storage find are outside gutters. They are great for holding ribbon. I also covered crystal light plastic tubs and lined then in the gutters to hope all my markers and pens.
great thread!
