The blog prompt on UKS at the weekend was about your scrapping space. I guess my scraproom is one of my favourite and most treasured rooms in the house. The pictures are small but if you click on them you can see them a bit bigger.
I love it. I share it with Nigel, who has a desk and a cupboard on the other side of the room, and although I would have more space if I had the room to myself I love that we are always in there together, both enjoying our hobbies and relaxing.
The room was newly fitted out just over a year ago and I am blessed to be married to such a perfectionist. I do try and remember that a lot. It’s not always easy! I am a ‘That’ll do!’ sort of girl and he is a ‘draw it, plan it, measure it, plan some more, draw again, measure again’ sort of chap. Makes for interesting times!
He was determined to make sure the room worked for me, fitting out cupboard and units specially so they held things I needed to store. He is not really very good at DIY – it certainly doesn’t come naturally – but he takes his time and lavishes care and the end result is simply superb.
The desk has cupboards underneath it. This one cupboard was fitted out to store all my artbins. (well it stored all of them at the time – but you always get more don’t you!)
I went a bit mad with the cropper hopper storage and they have sort of spilled over into a second shelf now. The shelf is not bowed - honest - it is just the angle of the picture.
The black files and boxes hold lots of bits and pieces and all my paper scraps – all labelled of course. They are all just matt black but the flash has flared on them. And yes I probably spend more time sorting and looking at my stash than actually using it, but I am manically tidy in my scrap room. I wish I could apply the same discipline to the rest of my house. It’s just more fun in here. Things are pretty.
Thanks to my friend Jakki I use Tesco kitchen roll holders for my ribbon storage. It holds literally hundreds and hundreds of ribbons, all in little baggies (actually two or three in each little baggie and then the baggies are linked together with book rings. Its really cheap. 300 little bags were only a couple of pounds, the holders were just over £1 and the book rings were in packs of 16 so just a few of those. You can then just take off the ring you need to go to a crop or such like. And yes, all colour coordinated. Just the way I can bear it!
My brads and eyelets are all colour coordinated too. I store them in twenty eight day pill dispensers - one for brads and one for eyelets. They were 99c each from walmart on our last trip and the lids are really secure too.
His real incredible feat was my embellishment boxes. They are the big boxes from B and Q that each hold 4 drawers with little compartments and they are about 16” wide. They have nig yellow handles but they come off and I only re-attach them if I am taking a unit to a crop. I store so much in them and had no idea where to put them so he figured a way of sliding them between shelf supports so I can still slide out individual drawers or take the whole set of four in its cradle out with me. He’s a clever old hector.
Inside they hold so much. This is my letter drawer and one of my thread drawers
His other star piece was my prima storage built to fit on the side of one of the cupboards. Now that is what I call decorated. It is right by the side of my desk and I love looking at them all so pretty sitting there. One day I may even use some of them LOL
I have loved sharing a little of my room with you - but I guess the whole point of it was a room to scrap in, so I figure it is time to stop writing about it and actually get on and do some scrapping in it.
These drawer units are some of my favourite storage under the desk. There are so many good sized drawers for all sorts of things.
One of the reasons for the furniture we bought was that the large shelving unit had several shelves tall enough for the cropper hopper storage files. Yes …. I am very anal and they have to be colour coordinated if they are card and then in baggies according to range and manufacturer.
Wow, Dolly, I am so very impressed! I thought I had a lot of stash, but you definately have more than me. And very organised too.
Posted by: Victoria | January 23, 2007 at 07:51 AM
How beautiful & tidy!!!
I love all the drawers & colour co ordination. I would love to be tidier. I have even decided to sort my ribbon & keep it wrapped up neat!!!
Posted by: Paula | January 23, 2007 at 09:40 AM
Wowee Karen! That is amazing. I love all the units. Are you hiring Nigel out? Maybe he can insprire my Martin to make me something similar? I love your prima collection, it's amazing. If I had mine all displayed like that I wouldn't want to use them either.
Posted by: Sarah | January 23, 2007 at 01:54 PM
Wow it looks abs fab...lovely lovely prima bottles.
Well done Nij
Posted by: jakki | January 23, 2007 at 05:34 PM
Oh this was one of my confessions!! I do so ENVY you your hobby room!! Love your colour coordination and your flowers!
Posted by: Jennie | January 23, 2007 at 09:06 PM
Wow Dolly that is a lovely space, but I must confess I would spend far too much time gazing at all those lovely prima jars they are so wonderfully bright and cheerful, I would be very upset if I had to use them LOL
Im building up my craft room, only this weekend I turned it from a spare room to MY room LOL
Clairex
Posted by: Claireb | January 23, 2007 at 10:34 PM
It is a wonderful space, well done Nij getting it all to fit, that is quite a challenge. You make good use of this wonderful room Ms Dolly so its all good :D
Posted by: Heather | January 24, 2007 at 07:30 AM
Oh my God ... your room is scrapper heaven to me!!! :)) What is Nigel's hobby?
Posted by: Eleni Gratsia | January 24, 2007 at 08:00 AM
What a lovely (and well stocked) scrap room. It's so tidy and well ........ lush! I hope to have my own 'scrap space' one day :-)
Posted by: Michelle | January 24, 2007 at 08:19 AM
OMG! Karen, your scrap room is AMAZING! No wonder you produce such amazing LO's!
Erm...could Nigel come and sort mine out? I'd feed him!
Posted by: Gilly | January 25, 2007 at 07:10 PM
Karen, I have been so inspired by your scrapping room! I use Floss bags for my cross stitch supplies and I hope you don't mind but I now intend to utilise them for my ribbons too. What a fab idea! I so envy you your room!
Val
x
Posted by: Val | January 26, 2007 at 06:58 PM