No Longer In A (Complete) Sea Of Chaos

I've been making cards - that have no sentiments on them. And the reason they have no sentiments is because my stamps were a disorganised mess. I mean, like really a mess. I've been meaning to do something about it, but there were so many other things I had to do... yeah, yeah, yeah. Excuses, excuses.

I've been looking at craft room tours on YouTube and there are so many different ways that people organise and store their stamps. Binders, bags, boxes, baskets... oy vey! Which to choose!?!

I think the best way to organise something is to think about the way that you use it. Not the way others use it - but the way you actually, in real life - not that perfect world we all like to imagine we live in, but the real world where we aren't as neat or organised or as careful as we like to be - yeah, that world... look at the way you really are and how you really use things and care for them.

As you can see from the "Before" picture, my craft room is kind of a mess and disorganised and is likely to get that way again, even after I get all my (expletive deleted) stuff together. And if something lands on the floor, there's a good chance it may stay there for a while. So, knowing myself in the real world, I knew I needed something sturdy that was going to keep my stamps in good condition, even if they fell on the floor or my dogs got loose in my craft room.

Some of my stamps have dies with them (even though I don't have a Big Shot yet, I'll get there!) so I needed something to hold the stamps securely so they wouldn't get ruined if kicked, stomped on or chewed, and it would have to hold the coordinating dies if there were any. So I opted for the dvd box solution.

I found a company online that sells them pretty cheaply and without the dvd holder insert. They also sell adhesive backed magnetic sheets that fit inside the box so that you can include your dies if you have them.

I got them in today so I actually was very good and went right to getting all my stamps in the boxes and labeled. I still have to get all of them stamped into my sample book so that I know what I have when I'm working on a project, but now I at least can see what I have. I was even extra good and used my label maker to put the name of the manufacturer, and the name and number of the stamp set on the front of each box. (I'm now out of label tape.) And I will try to remember to buy thinner label tape as well so that I can put that same information on the side of the box.

I boxed them all by manufacturer as that's how I plan to mark them in the samples book, and I put as many sets in the box as would fit, so some have two or three sets.

I have them here in two dvd holders that I got at Goodwill for a dollar a piece, but they aren't very sturdy. Eventually, I'd like to get all of them in drawers - that I have yet to buy. I'm still working on getting my (expletive deleted) stuff together.

In my craft room, I have a counter-height work surface from IKEA with two sets of 2x2 Kallax shelves holding it up. I still have to figure out exactly where in the room it's going to go. (Middle? Against the wall? Which wall? Hmm...)

I got a great buy on a used L-shaped desk ($25!) that I will get into the room as soon as I get the room painted. Right now, it's red (see picture), which is seriously the wrong colour for a craft room because all of my papers, inks, etc. look kind of pink whenever I'm working on something. We have the primer and the paint, we just have to find the time to get it painted. Sound familiar?

But I have one less disorganised spot in my life tonight, so I'm pretty happy.



Note: I receive no money, products or anything else from this - I don't think they have any idea I even exist - but if you want to know where I got the dvd boxes and inserts, click for TapeOnline.com's Clear Super Jewel Box Disc Holder and Magnetic Inserts. They sell them for rubber stamps and dies, so they work perfectly.