So today I popped awake at 6am!  What?  For those who know me this is crazy!  I am a total night owl.  But it was 6am and I was awake.  I felt a burst energy with this early morning waking so I popped out of bed and was ready to start my day.  Breakfast first.  

With this little critter actually.

Apparently the bunnies like to be up at 6am too.  I had cereal, he had dandelions.  He just sat there eyeing me and munching the tops off the weeds.  Then I folded a load of laundry and started a new one and then realized...it was way too early for me to be up!  I mean WAY TOO EARLY!  So back to bed I went! :)  It was just a small moment of insanity.  One I hopefully won't repeat!

Totally strange since I have been on the go since I returned from Arlington.  With my ear infection and my hubby's blood infection there hasn't been any down time.  If anyone has a man in their lives they know that they sometimes are not the best at sick bed time.  At first he was too sick to care about anything.  But by yesterday he was starting to feel tired of laying around.  Not enough strength to do anything but mentally wanting to do something.  But I solved that little dilema.  I made a quick trip to the video store and rented a new game for him and made him park his butt on the couch.  I am pretty sure he thinks I am the best wife ever!  Seriously - being forced to sit on the couch and play video games???  What could be better to him?  Oh ya, best wife ever!

So, back to scrapbooking. 

Well, I haven't had any time for it lately.  I mean, I have seen lots of people scrapbooking but me, myself?  Nope, nada, zip, ziltch!  So I thought another storage solution was in order.  I showed you my stacking ways and my hiding spots but I do have one solution that falls into the pretty category.   These little jars.

They line the top of my shelf and hold all my tiny embellishments.

Buttons, brad, sequins, rhinestones, flowers, etc.

Anything small that fits.  I just open the packages and dump them in.  They line up the whole length of the shelf and I probably have about 25 of them.  I just bought enough to fill the shelf.  I didn't have enough embellishments to fill them all at first but knew as time went on I would get more items that would fit.  When planning your storage you need to make sure you leave room to expand otherwise you will shortly be re-doing it again.  Pretty much all the jars have something in them now.  I do end up using up some items completely over time (like a package of flowers) and will have a jar empty and ready for something new.  For me it seems to be just the right amount of jars with the volume of scrapbooking I do.

You know what I like about these jars?  First, they are clear and I can see the contents.  Second, they are easy to grab off the shelf and dump on my table to sort through until I find what I want.  Just as easy to scoop up the contents to dump back in (nice wide opening).  Third, they look pretty.  I admit it.  I love how they look all matching and lined up along the shelf.  Sort of adds unity to them even though they hold a wide variety of items.  Even a messy girl like me can love pretty!

I also love they they were originally intended as spice jars.  They come in 4 packs and were nice and cheap.  Of course I got them at Ikea (have I mentioned I live next to a big city that has about 4 or 5 Ikeas?? Whenever I want cheap storage this is where I head.)  I love that they can stand like a regular jar...

but they have one flat side so you can tilt them (sort of remind me of old fashioned candy jars). 

This is why they look so cute all lined up together. 

So that is my pretty storage solution.  Pretty but functional. 

***

Oh and one more photo to leave you with today - just 'cause.  New critter in the front bush.  One day old. :)

So this is where I am today.

• Where have all my tea towels gone?  So, so completely weird.  I have done all the laundry and folded everything yet I cannot find one single tea towel  in the entire house.  What?  How is this even possible?  I mean, seriously, where could they have gone?  My house is not very big and only has one floor!  Please expect wet dishes if you come over and heaven forbid you actually spill something.
• Magnus asked me what metaphorically meant yesterday.  Huh?  I had to ask him to repeat himself 3 times ‘cause I was so shocked.  I mean how to do you explain "metaphorically" to a four year old?  Plus, where did he hear that ‘cause I am pretty sure it is not part of the everyday language of our house!  Oh and he has also started adding blah, blah, blah to the end of stories he is telling.  As in - Nana came over the other day and blah, blah, blah...  I have to admit it makes me giggle.  He says in such a serious voice and with just the right inflection that it seems completely adorable in his little kidlet voice.
• Homework is punishment for parents.  I think teachers know you did stuff the night before when you were a kid so they convince your child to do the same to you.  The good news is I think I deserve an A+ on my project!  It really rocks!  (OK, before you think I did Harper's project I am not that mom.  I cracked the whip and made her work like a dog to get it done.  The lesson should last for about four weeks until school is finished. :)  Next year I am sure this lesson will need teaching all over again!)
• And then back to tea towels.  They are fairly new too.  Still fluffy and absorbent.  The laundry room is literally right next to the kitchen.  Open concept between the rooms actually.  I just don't get it!  How. Can. They. Disappear. Completely???  Shaking my head...

Ok now on to my Momma Bear.  As we were hanging out in our jammies yesterday morning (I figured as long as she was sick I might as well participate in the lounging in the jammies part...) we were talking about my house looking like a small tornado when through it (also called kidlet 1 and kidlet 2).  I am forever feeling like my mom has a perfectly tidy house and mine looks like, well, a tornado went through it.  She, being the super awesome mom that she is, is always reassuring me that my house is fine and that her house was always messy when we were little.  (I have a hard time imagining this cause I always remember house cleaning perfection.)  I, of course, mention you and how I was blabbing to the whole world my love of stacking and my messy ways and you know what?  She let me in on a secret.

She loves drawers. 

More specifically the magic of a closed drawer. 

She swears that the next time I am over if I look in her drawers I will find mess.  Now I have to admit I am skeptical.  I mean my mom's house is stunningly tidy.  Always has been.  (Maybe if we analyse me we will realize that I just still rebelling over a tidy childhood... LOL . Nope.  Too big of girl for that! )  So, back to my mom and her tidy perfection.  She claims that she needs everything to look tidy but she says that if I open drawers I will find she shoves things in when she is cleaning.  I am pretty sure I am going to have to take her up on her offer to look in her drawers because like I said I am pretty skeptical.  I think her "messy" and my "messy" might be two different things.

So why bring this up?  Well, as way to introduce my next storage solution naturally! 

Drawers are amazing for storage.  Especially 'cause they hide things that are hard to store neatly.  I don't really have too many drawers in my scrap space but I do have boxes.  As I mentioned before I store most of my stuff in my shelf from Ikea.  I rely heavily on the open basket concept for most of my supplies.  But I have hidden a few things with these.  What I like to think of as "closed" baskets because you cannot see into them.  This is what it looks like. 

 

I have the whole bottom row filled with baskets that you cannot see into unless you pull them out.  And you would not believe what they hide!

Want to see? 

I know you do. ;) You are secretly enjoying my messy ways 'cause it makes you feel better doesn't it?

Storage for extra supplies that I like to have on hand so I don't run out.

Fabric pieces - yup I just toss them in!

This is my favorite - a basket that holds blank mini albums and items ready to be altered.

And one basket for the kidlets and their art supplies.  They can just take out what they want and then toss it back when they are done.

Now, how do I decide what goes in these?  Well it is all supplies that I don't need to see to remember to use.  I know that if I want to start a mini album that I will look in the basket to find one that inspires me.  If I think a page needs some texture and want to use fabric...Well, you get the idea. 

Supplies that I need to see such as embellishments, stickers or chipboard I keep in open baskets.  Supplies that I don't need visual cues from are hidden away.  This helps to keep things looking tidy (even if it is just surface tidy like my Momma Bear says). 

I also have boxes like this that serve the same purpose.

Inside I have stuff like this.

My paints - upside down so I can see the colors.  I just roughly group them into warm and cool colors.  The lid goes on the box and you don't see it.

And, umm, my ribbons.  I swear it normally looks better but I dropped the box last week and I have been too lazy to straighten them. :)

I guess what I find is that I like to have some things out in the open 'cause if I don't see it I don't use it but that doesn't apply to ALL my supplies.  If I had EVERYTHING out in the open I think I would get overloaded which can hinder my creativity. 

I would suggest looking for supplies that you reach for all the time that you know you don't need to see to remember to use.  Those are the ones that are good candidates for hiding in closed baskets or drawers. 

I mean, messy people can't pretend to be neat with EVERYTHING!! 

First let me say I am so happy to hear that there are other like-minded stackers out there! :)

And Michele L. left me this comment yesterday...  (my other blog)

But my question is this: how do you stack brads, buttons and flowers? LOL

Love your sense of humor!  I did imagine taking a photo of brads somehow all stacked up just to make you laugh but then realized that I would probably spend too much time on it...:)  

Obviously stacking doesn't work for everything but I do have a few more tricks up my sleeve. ;) Today I thought I would show you my storage for my scraps.  You know, those little bits of paper that as a scrapbooker we all feel the need to hang on to?  I try to be "tough" with my scraps and only save what realistically I will use but I make a lot of scraps!  For the longest time I used something like this except that mine was one big pouch - not divided into three sizes.  It was 12x12 and had a handle on the top so I hooked it on the back of my chair.  It worked for me for a long time except that the small bits always slid to the bottom and I was constantly digging out each section of the pouch to see my options.  Eventually it was time for an upgrade.  So off to Ikea I went and found this.  Super cheap and just right for my purposes.  

Remember I scrap on a dining room table so I decided to utilize all that wonderful empty space under it with my little rolling cart from Ikea.  The unit has three drawers so I divide my paper scraps as follows - warms (reds, oranges, yellows), cools (blues, greens, purples) and neutrals (blacks, whites, browns, greys).  The cart sits right next to me (my chair is to the right of the cart).

And you know what?  I use my scraps all the time now.  They are so easy to grab and since the drawers are big it is easy to rifle through looking for just the right piece.  My kidlets also know that this stuff is fair game for homework (Harper) or random cutting/crafts (Magnus).  I really, really love this system.  I think what always happened to me before was I tried to put my scraps into too small of a space and it made looking for scraps feel like a bit of a chore.  Not now.  It is so easy to grab something from here and get right to work.

For me organization needs to be easy to maintain but it also needs to be easy to see/use.  If I don't see it, I don't use it.

That's it for today.  Seems a bit more normal than yesterday doesn't it??  LOL  Back tomorrow with more :)

 

I'm a stacker.

Yup, I like to pile things.  It seems like a good solution to me when I am quickly tidying.  Stack it all up into a pile and it instantly looks neat (to me at least!).

Want to see?

My bed side table.  A quick stack of all my various bedtime reading materials (and other weird kid debris) and it seems organized to me.

All my class materials and samples.  One stack and they are all together (and I know where to find them).

Umm, maybe this one doesn't look neat but here is it - stacked felt.  (I am serious when I tell you I stack!)

Magazines I am reading.  Stacked nicely beside my work area.

OK, now before you start imagining me as some crazy lady with stacks everywhere in my house I don't stack everything.  :) Nor do I compulsively stack, lol. 

I have been struggling with neatness for my whole life (I did mention my mother saying a mess follows me everywhere I go, right?) and I am trying to improve. BUT after spending forever trying to be neat like others I realized that it wasn't working for me.  So I started to look for things I that I did naturally without a lot of struggle.

I stack.  After the kids go through the DVDs to find a movie (how is possible that they need to take out EVERY movie to decide??) I stack.  So quick and painless.

So I started to apply that idea to my scrap stuff.  As most of you know scrapping can get messy - fast!  And it gets hard to create when there is too much mess.  BUT I don't want to feel like I am spending forever cleaning up.  I need it to be quick and painless.  I certainly don't want to waste valuable scrappy time, lol.

So I started to stack my supplies.  But of course it doesn't work for everything so I adapted.  Remember of the simple storage solution last week?  Think of those as stacks on their sides. 

One thing I do truely stack is my paper.

Above is my cardstock and below is my patterned paper.

WHAT?

I know what kind of solution is that? But you know what it works for me.  I add the paper to one cubby of my Ikea shelves and it stays contained.  No need for something fancy - I told you it wasn't going to be magazine solution pretty.  I am quite happy to have all my paper jumbled up together.  Can I find things?? Well, of course I can!  I just grab a stack and flip through it.  Do I have to worry if I pull out five options and then only use one?  NO.  I just quickly add them back to the top of the stack.  Five second clean up suits me!

I find this especially helpful with cardstock.  I love happy color accidents.  You never know when two unusual colors are going to end up together and make a happy color accident.  That cetainly is not going to happen if I have all the reds together and separate from all the greens and purples!  I cannot tell how liberated I felt when I realized that I didn't have to do it the way I was "supposed" to do it.  

Now I am not saying this is going to work for everyone.  I know having papers all stacked up and jumbled up together is going to drive a few of you over the edge.  But you know what?  That is ok too!  What I guess I am trying to say is you need to look at you and find out what works for you.  Stop comparing yourself to picture perfect scrap spaces and figure out what works for you and your space. I can bet you will be happier with your space if you do!

I didn't stop there though. I found another paper solution that works with my stacking love.

Paper racks that fit right into my shelves (I can't find these any more so no links - sorry).  I used these to keep a few things separate from my "main" stacks.  Projects I am working on, specialty papers or even just some new supplies that I want to play with.  No real rules to it.  Just what I feel I want to have separate - and it changes all the time.

So side by side this is what my paper looks like right now.

Seems organized enough to me.  And I am definitely happy with it.

And because organization is never done...

I have been toying with the idea of adding these to my paper solution.

I am not sure if vertical will work for me but I was thinking of breaking up my patterned paper a bit.  The pile is getting big (got to stop shopping!) so I thought it might help but I am thinking I will probably go with these. (but I do want to give vertical a chance - you never know!)

My system is definitely not finished and I am always working to make it better.  I don't want elaborate solutions because I know I will not maintain it.  I know myself well enough to realize that storage and organization needs to be as easy as possible.

Ok so now I feel just a bit naked in front of you all!  Please advert your eyes....;)

*******

More crazy Crystal storage solutions tomorrow.  Bet you'll be back just to read how strange I really am!

*******

Hope everyone in the US is having a great Memorial Day today:)

 

I am not very good at organization.  I can admit it.  My mom likes to say an explosion follows me where ever I go.  And she is right.  Even now as a "grown-up" I still struggle with messes.

I am trying to improve this but as any messy person knows it is an ongoing battle!

So how can I possibly offer a simple storage solution? 

Well, I have found a scrappy storage solution that really works for me and I figure that there has got to be other messy people out there who might like it. :)  Plus, since this post, I have had a lot of emails asking how I store my rub-ons all together.

So here goes. (**warning** - photo overload ahead - I got a little crazy with the camera!!)

Open baskets are my friends.  They give me visual reference to my supplies and they contain my messes.  I use these shelves from Ikea (baskets too).  I have two baskets for flat packages and they are divided by - alphas - and - embellishments.  Yup, that is the only classification they receive.

They then get put into the basket with order only being determine by package size.  Small packages at the front - large ones at the back. (If you look at the first photo you will see I also stand a few items on the side that are too big for the baskets.)

Pretty easy.

Then I just flip through them and find what I need. (And I just know you are dying for an action shot so here it is!)

Now the only other thing you need to know is I place a cardboard sheet at the back of the basket to support the packages that are too big to be put in sideways.

This is so they don't flop around and get bent.

There are two things I like best about this system.

1) Easy access to my supplies.  A quick flip refreshes my memory and it is easy to pull out a few packages before deciding what to use on my page.

2)  Clean-up is easy.  Complicated clean-up is the downfall of a messy person.  I know I need clean-up to be easy otherwise after a few times I start to slack.  It just takes a few seconds to pop the packages back in the baskets after I am done a project.

I apply this system to most of my supplies and it really works for me. 

And the last photo from snap-happy photo taking...an aerial shot ('cause I know you need it to understand this super complicated storage method!  LOL)

So that's it folks - for today and until next week actually.  It is a long weekend this weekend in Canada (I think in the USA too) and we are making it an extra long weekend by taking Friday off too.  This means I will be back Tuesday with more ramblings...

Have a great one everyone! :)

(oh - if this posting has even more typos and spelling errors than usual blame the keyboard - a few letters are sticking and it is driving me nuts!!)