Crafts: Organize your scrapbook room
Tips to get you from cluttered to coordinated.
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Sort and store embellishments together in a labeled drawer or box.
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Scrapbooking can be addictive. Creative individuals browsing through a scrapbooking supply store often find themselves purchasing items for which they have no immediate use or future plan. A particular pack of paper is too pretty to resist. A certain embellishment is new and exciting. A kit would be just right if a friend has a baby. Eventually, the supplies begin to overflow a box, then two boxes. Papers become dog-eared or torn.
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Such people eventually begin to despair. They don’t want to give up the craft of scrapbooking, but it takes up too much space.
Perhaps you’re in the same predicament. These suggestions will help you organize your scrapbook room.
Divide and conquer
Begin by dividing your scrapbook room into two areas. The first area
will be for working on scrapbooks, and the second will be for storage.
The work area will need a table or a desk that is large enough to hold a large album, papers, photos, other elements and tools. If you enjoy working with other family members or friends, select a table that provides space for three or four workers. Provide comfortable chairs for your scrapbook room so your back is supported while working. Good lighting is also essential in the work area. And add a big wastebasket.
An adequate, organized storage area in a scrapbook room will make your work easier and keep your supplies fresh and clean. There are many ways to store scrapbooking supplies. You can purchase furniture made especially for scrapbook rooms. Scrapbooking desks offer drawers of various sizes to fit the most common supplies. Scrapbooking paper storage units are often similar to those used in large offices. Clear plastic bins that stack are very useful. You will need different kinds of storage for different products so they will stay organized.
Once you have divided your scrapbook room and acquired the necessary furnishings, it’s time to organize things.
Albums and paper
Scrapbooking albums are probably your largest items. Keep them on a bookshelf where you can easily select the one on which you want to work. If you have more than one size, arrange them by height to give your scrapbook room an organized look to go with your organizational efforts. If you have idea books or instructional books on scrapbooking, put them on the bookshelf as well. Magazines can be stored there, too, or can be placed in magazine holders from an office supply store, which will keep them tidy.
Scrapbooking papers and cardstock are the next largest items. These can be organized in a paper station, such as scrapbooking stores use, or store them in clear stacking plastic bins. Sort all your papers and get them safely out of the way before moving to another scrapbooking element.