Anyone who has been scrapbooking for a while has most likely noticed that their hobby has begun to overflow throughout the home. Obviously, you want to be able to guarantee the safety of your scrapbooking accessories, but is it possible to do so without breaking the bank? Yes, it is!
The trick is simply to use some of the creativity that you already have, to safely store all of your tools.
The smaller pieces of things related to your hobby can easily be mounted on to a wall. There are a variety of systems available at your local discount or hardware store. If you’d prefer not to mount anything to your walls, you can also find small toolboxes or tool cabinets in the same type of store.
Any clear, plastic jar can be used to store items like ribbons, stamps, yarn and buttons. Virtually any arts and craft store will carry something like this, but again, a hardware or discount store will carry this type of item as well. The most important thing to remember is that it is important to be able to quickly see what is being held.
You can also choose to display your items, particularly those that you are quite proud of, on shelves.
The shelves in question can be more traditional shelving, like a bookshelf or a corner shelf that is typically used to display knick-knacks. It can also be mounted upon a wall, possibly near the wall storage that you have already utilized.
To keep track of larger items, like sheets of paper and mats, you may wish to look into rolling carts. These are available at a number of locations, and are very easy to hide under a desk or in a closet when not in use. Additionally, rolling carts are available in a number of sizes from 2 drawer to 5 drawer, so you have more versatility and more available space.
An oldie, but a goodie, is the use of file folders and file cabinets. If your crafting area has the available space,for a file cabinet, it’s a great way to save unused or extra paper, and even die-cuts.
Lacking that, hanging file folders will accomplish the same task.
Another interesting choice is an open-bin approach to storage. This provides you unfettered access to your adornments, which for some people is vital to the process of creation. Again, you can acquire an open bin many places, but an especially good place would be the toy or kid’s furniture section of a store.
Options for the storage of your images can include an archival photo box, or any box that is sufficient to store an index card. This could include a recipe box or even a Rolodex.
For larger images, or a mat board, you may wish to investigate the use of document storage boxes.
The sky is the limit for your organizational choices. The most important things to remember are to begin with a system that you will continue to use, and that fits within your budget. It may also be a good idea to look around your home and see if you have any unused items that can be converted for a new purpose.
