My Improvised "Scraprack"
It seems that organizing a crafting space is a never ending process. I started a major overhaul of my scrap-space earlier in the spring but it got put on the back burner when we did some other house renovations. And since I wasn't in there very much, I sort of just let it as is. Now that I've started using the space again, I need to finish what I started so I can keep on crafting.
I've been home sick the last couple of days along with my son, and I had the luxury of cuddling with him on the couch while he watched movies and I surfed Pinterest and some of my favorite blogs. As I surfed from link to link I arrived at the website for the Scraprack, an ingenious organizational system for almost all your scrapbooking and papercrafting supplies. I had heard of the product but never really investigated it. The site is loaded with helpful hints and excellent video tutorials. The products themselves make a lot of sense, and if I didn't have so many Creative Memories storage items that already work pretty well for me, I'd be tempted to buy the whole system - the Scraprack, Create and Carry bag and the fabulous Crop Crate apron (which transforms an Office Depot rolling crate into a super functional way to get all your supplies to a crop). Ooooh...its all so delicious, and it comes in lots of colors!
As I mentioned, many of my systems work pretty well but the main category of supplies that I still needed to get a handle on was stickers and flat embellishments. Most recently I've tried keeping them in an accordian style folder, clear plastic shoe boxes and the drawers of my cube system. These options worked OK, but I found that when I needed something I would typically have to pull out the stack of items, go them to find the one that worked for my project and then have to put it all away again. As I watched the Scraprack videos I loved the premise that flipping through pages lets you see what you have without having to open a box or dig through a drawer. The less steps you have to take to find the item that works, the more time you have to work on your layout or project.
I thought about what I had and how I could adapt it for my collection of stickers and embellishments. I realized that I still had my old CM Accessory Binder from the early 2000's that had similar divided pages like the Scraprack ones. Remember these...?
I had abandoned it a few years ago because it got disorganized and I hated pulling it out of my cabinet, unzipping it, finding what I needed and then putting it all away again. And I never seemed to have a space on scrap table to lay it so it was always a pain to use. But what if it had a dedicated space to live and could remain opened and accessible, just like the scraprack?
Excited by the idea I thought about what I could use as a stand to lay it on and keep it on an angle for easy viewing. A cookbook holder? Mine was too small to hold the open binder. A plate holder or easel? Too flimsy. Then I remembered that I had a laptop desk from Ikea that I was going to give away because I never use it.
I put it on the counter that held my sewing machine. Would it work?
Yes! Success!
So far, so good. I'll see how it works and holds up in the months to come. It has also prompted me to start purging and organizing the sticker and embellishments I currently have and sorting and organizing them into the binder. I'll let you know how that works out in another post soon.
Now, I'm not saying to NOT buy the Scraprack...but if you already own something that might work, why not try to reuse it and improvise a better solution than the one you have now? I'm betting that many of you have a similar binder from CM or another company, such as Crop In Style. What have you got hanging that might work for you in the never ending quest for craft organization? I'd love to hear and see your ideas!
Happyscrapping organizing!
I've been home sick the last couple of days along with my son, and I had the luxury of cuddling with him on the couch while he watched movies and I surfed Pinterest and some of my favorite blogs. As I surfed from link to link I arrived at the website for the Scraprack, an ingenious organizational system for almost all your scrapbooking and papercrafting supplies. I had heard of the product but never really investigated it. The site is loaded with helpful hints and excellent video tutorials. The products themselves make a lot of sense, and if I didn't have so many Creative Memories storage items that already work pretty well for me, I'd be tempted to buy the whole system - the Scraprack, Create and Carry bag and the fabulous Crop Crate apron (which transforms an Office Depot rolling crate into a super functional way to get all your supplies to a crop). Ooooh...its all so delicious, and it comes in lots of colors!
As I mentioned, many of my systems work pretty well but the main category of supplies that I still needed to get a handle on was stickers and flat embellishments. Most recently I've tried keeping them in an accordian style folder, clear plastic shoe boxes and the drawers of my cube system. These options worked OK, but I found that when I needed something I would typically have to pull out the stack of items, go them to find the one that worked for my project and then have to put it all away again. As I watched the Scraprack videos I loved the premise that flipping through pages lets you see what you have without having to open a box or dig through a drawer. The less steps you have to take to find the item that works, the more time you have to work on your layout or project.
I thought about what I had and how I could adapt it for my collection of stickers and embellishments. I realized that I still had my old CM Accessory Binder from the early 2000's that had similar divided pages like the Scraprack ones. Remember these...?
I had abandoned it a few years ago because it got disorganized and I hated pulling it out of my cabinet, unzipping it, finding what I needed and then putting it all away again. And I never seemed to have a space on scrap table to lay it so it was always a pain to use. But what if it had a dedicated space to live and could remain opened and accessible, just like the scraprack?
Excited by the idea I thought about what I could use as a stand to lay it on and keep it on an angle for easy viewing. A cookbook holder? Mine was too small to hold the open binder. A plate holder or easel? Too flimsy. Then I remembered that I had a laptop desk from Ikea that I was going to give away because I never use it.
I put it on the counter that held my sewing machine. Would it work?
Yes! Success!
So far, so good. I'll see how it works and holds up in the months to come. It has also prompted me to start purging and organizing the sticker and embellishments I currently have and sorting and organizing them into the binder. I'll let you know how that works out in another post soon.
Now, I'm not saying to NOT buy the Scraprack...but if you already own something that might work, why not try to reuse it and improvise a better solution than the one you have now? I'm betting that many of you have a similar binder from CM or another company, such as Crop In Style. What have you got hanging that might work for you in the never ending quest for craft organization? I'd love to hear and see your ideas!
Happy
OMG! I just gave my CM Sticker Binder (filled with stickers) to my granddaughter's preschool director, and my laptop stand is in my store room. They would have made a perfect pseudo-scraprack! - Fawn
ReplyDeleteI was so glad it worked out...but I've got rid of things too, only to come up with a great use for them after the fact! Thanks for dropping by!
ReplyDeleteWOW! Thanks for posting. I do have this binder and it just gets put in the back of the closet and rarely used. Now I can try to use it as a pseudo scrap rack. Thanks for the idea1
ReplyDeleteThis is great. I’ve had a totally Tiffany craft binder on an ikea laptop desk for a few years to make sure it was the method for me.
ReplyDelete