Organizing scrap area's

found the article below online from the Scrappers Challenge Yahoo Group

From Messy To Clean: 10 Tips from the Scrappers Challenge Messy Room Contest!
Submitted by rockester on May 20, 2003 - 22:00 (below are excerpts)

Keep these ten tips in mind. Whether you have a room that needs organization
or you just finished the challenge, read on for some scrap room organization tips.

1. Large or small, any size scrapping space can benefit from organization. If you keep it neat, you probably have just as much actual work space as your neighbor who has a whole studio! Strange but true! Regardless of the room size, don't feel sorry for yourself, just keep it neat and you'll be ahead of the game!

2. The floor is not a storage device. Why do we all seem to think the floor is a bookcase, filing cabinet, tool holder, paper sorting surface, and a trash collection point? If you catch yourself putting something on the floor--STOP!!!!!! 40% of the messes in the messy room challenges are on the floor. So just put things away as you go in the RIGHT spot--not on the floor until 'later.'

3. Can you reach it? Riddle. If a scrapper has a lovely large desk and clears it all off leaving several shelves on it empty except for a photo of her children and a vase leaving many square feet of space on those upper desk shelves empty but yet sets her most used tools and adhesives across the room on a bookcase, how many times will she have to get up? Is this efficient and truly organized or just 'clean'? If your paper trimmer and adhesive and straight edge scissor are not within reach on your desk, they should be. Whatever you use the most should be the closest.

4. The most common complaint I hear overall is 'I have no room'. I often rely, 'What is on your wall?' This sort of goes with the floor tip in #1 and the Can you reach it tip in #2. I learned this from the IKEA store. Can't you utilize that space better with a set of shelves? Place it on your 16 feet of new linear shelf space!!!!! Even those who rent their housing can put up a bulletin board or pegboard screen in a frame and hang it on the same nail as the artwork used to be on. Or lean it against the wall behind the desk for storage.

5. Get rid of those things! I am so proud of the gals who not only clean up their spaces but actually sit down and THINK about what they own and what they really like to use and get rid of what is not working. Why store it if it is just not the right tool or supply for you? If you hate stickers, don't keep them. Don't keep paper or supplies or tools you don't LOVE. If you wouldn't sit right down this minute and use them, don't keep them. Buy only what you love from now on. You need the space and the peace of mind more than you need that other stuff. I don't care what they cost. Bless someone else with them.

6. Find a system. Any system. And stick to it until it shows that it is not working. Ask around what works but don't debate it forever. Choose a system. Some system is better than chaos. I like the work stations approach for the most part. (work desk, computer desk, stamping area, and inspiration storage area) But find one you like and go with it. Maintain your system.

7. Visibility is key.Store things so you can access them easily and SEE them easily. Storage is only half the organization picture. Retrieval is vital which makes clear storage faster than something you have to open to search to make sure you even have the right tub. Visibility can mean
good labeling too if you don't like see thru container items. So choose containers so you can SEE what is inside and label well. Save yourself a few minutes each time and time will add up in your favor.

8. Unless you use it daily, store the big stuff higher up. I don't mean heavy big stuff that could hurt you if it came down wrong--but rather stuff that is larger and lightweight. Put big stuff up if you can and you can grab and pull it down as needed. All things being equal, storing one big thing like a xyron on a top shelf makes more sense than storing 50 small tupperware containers up there. It is easier to grab the big thing now and then than to have to grab so many little things just as often each. If the frequency of use is the same, keep more small items closer to you. You'll have to reach less distance less often.

9. Don't fret. Don't fret about perfect pages and don't fret about not having the scrap room space someone else may have. This world is made up of about 6 billion people and I have less than some but much, much more
than most. I don't fret about whether my scrap room is a taj mahal. I worry about getting nice pages done.

10. Personalize your space. For me it is Mary Engelbreit art. Include something fun or funky or meaningful. One small thing that makes you smile. Be happy as you work. It will show.

Let's get organized so we can get scrappin'!!

Now to rethink some storage - mine already goes to the ceiling. The top shelves have the least often used items up there, with the lower ones having everything I constantly use (those are also the ones in the most need of cleaning)

Paper is a never ending nightmare. I know I bought it, but where did I put it? I finally have a sort of system for papers - swap stuff goes into bags right away (otherwise the bazzill will never find its way back) and then is kept on a shelf away from everything else until I am ready to use it. Then the entire bag is kept and used the whole way through the project (and sometimes is the bag everything is mailed in as well ). Then I found a large storage container (I think it was originally an organizer for shoes). Anyway, it is large enough that I have it divided by paper types:

embossed/flocked/specialty
cardstocks
patterned

only trouble - it is hard to keep open for access - I put a sliding shelf on top - guess where everything ends up:fufufu:

However, my stack addiction is showing I have an 8" pile of stacks that don't fit in my regular storage space (part would be due to Christmas gifts, so it is a happy reason) and now I need to figure a way to keep them so the paper eating cat doesn't get them. (Re-doing my design for the Scrapbooking swap items - he ate the corners off my cs and one of the pp's I had - only took him the 5 minutes I needed to help get the calf back where she belonged )

Who are they kidding?
1. "If you keep it neat, you probably have just as much work space as your neighbor who has a whole studio. "No way!!
2. "The floor is not a storage device." I NEED the floor!
3. "Can you reach it?" My space is about 5 ft. by 6 ft. I can reach it!
4. "What is on your wall?" Windows, windows and more windows along with a library file cabinet. antique pie cabinet and a few storage cubes.
5. "Get rid of things." Trust me, if I haven't used it yet, I will later.
Etc.
The good news is that I have a job interview tonight. If I get the job, I plan on creating an actual scraproom downstairs. There will be no more scrapping in the end of the dining room for this girl!
The bad news is that I will really miss the view!!!!!!!!
Robin

Good luck with the interview!!!

Yep - your view is totally hard to beat (looking out over a large lake), but being near your klic n kut would be a huge plus

Good luck Robin! If anyone saw my space they would not believe it. Maybe I will take some pics and post if I can get over the embarassment...lol. I know I have waaay too much stuff but I cannot help myself. I know I need a new storage system before the baby can walk...she could get hurt in there lol!