Tuesday, July 16, 2013

A Solution for Craft Supply Organizational Chaos (My Ugly Confession)

This post brought to you by The Original Scrapbox.

Today's alternate title is "A Tale of Two Rooms." I've been biting my fingernails over writing this post. Like any of you, I hate feeling judged. But today I'm taking a risk and giving you a one hundred percent real look at two rooms in my house, in hopes that I'm not alone and some of you also struggle with keeping craft clutter (or any clutter) in check. Confession: my craft supplies are in complete chaos. Today is about showing you my problem areas and coming up with an organizing solution with The Original ScrapBox!
Craft Supply Chaos (The Original ScrapBox to the Rescue!) at Serenity Now



Have you ever seen the episode of Friends where Monica is forced to reveal her "secret closet"? The secret closet is an utter disaster and Monica is completely embarrassed when Chandler discovers her shame.

Yes, that's pretty much me today. 

This room used to be Natalie's nursery.
Craft Supply Chaos (The Original ScrapBox to the Rescue!) at Serenity Now
Craft Supply Chaos (The Original ScrapBox to the Rescue!) at Serenity Now

When Natalie moved into a larger room to share with her little sister, I had every intention of turning the old nursery into a guest room and craft area for myself. I stashed a few of my craft supplies along the wall, and even bought a few bins to store them in. 

Things went downhill from there. What started as "I'll just store a few crafty things here on the wall" turned into "Don't have a place for it? Toss it in THE ROOM." It was pure laziness; and after awhile, the craft mess became a swirling vortex of disarray. It was too overwhelming to even think about where to start getting it under control, and it took me forever to find any of the lovely supplies I'd received as part of various campaigns.
Craft Supply Chaos (The Original ScrapBox to the Rescue!) at Serenity Now
Craft Supply Chaos (The Original ScrapBox to the Rescue!) at Serenity Now

Seeing that positive pregnancy test a few months ago was a real wake-up call. I certainly couldn't let the baby sleep on a box of hot glue sticks, could I?

I've been planning my dream craft room for ages. I even started a Pinterest board dedicated to craft rooms.

In my dream craft room, things are:
  • easy to find
  • displayed neatly
  • there are pretty pops of color for inspiration
  • I have room to work!
It's so much fun to dream, but at some point you also have to embrace reality, look at your problem areas, and find a solution!

Natalie's old room needs to be a dedicated nursery for the new baby, so what could I do with all my crafty things? The answer for us was to use some space in our addition, which is currently a dedicated play space for the girls. Case in point:
Craft Supply Chaos (The Original ScrapBox to the Rescue!) at Serenity Now

Obviously, this room cleans up quickly with bins and a built-in unit for various play things (not pictured, on the other side of the room). But that photo is a pretty accurate shot of what the area looks like during the day while the kiddos are at play. It was time to find a way to combine mom's "play stuff" with kids' play stuff and create a space that all of us can enjoy together. 

With some help from The Original ScrapBox, I am excited to make this dream a reality!

If you haven't heard of ScrapBox, they make the most amazing craft storage units. The cool part is that they come in several different sizes to accommodate your space and lifestyle. My eyes were immediately drawn to the larger pieces.

The EZ View Desk has a clear top that allows you to see your supplies as you need them. It also allows for more than one configuration, making it customizable for your space. 
The Original ScrapBox EZ View Desk
The SewingBox can house your sewing machine, fabric, and notions...and it provides a sturdy workspace!
The Original ScrapBox SewingBox

The CraftBox can store your crafting supplies and keep them safely away from curious little hands. 
The Original ScrapBox CraftBox
And, finally, the granddaddy of all craft storage units, The WorkBox. I chose this unit based upon the sheer amount of space to stockpile items. With bins and shelves, pouches and a fold-out work table, I'll be able to organize my creative supplies and have a dedicated workspace. 
The Original ScrapBox WorkBox


I'll still need to go through my stash and scale down on things I don't need or use any more, but I can't tell you how excited I am to work with ScrapBox and finalize a solution for that chaos I created! 

To me, the beauty of The Original ScrapBox is that they offer products that can blend seamlessly into your existing decor. I needed a storage piece that wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb. Our addition can be seen plainly from the entry, so a big set of plastic shelves with baskets just wasn't going to cut it. The WorkBox comes in a variety of finishes, so I was able to choose one that would work with the room. With two growing girls and a baby on the way, I wanted to be able to craft alongside their playtime, and then close up shop without leaving a room full of paper, fabric, and glue everywhere.

As much as we'd all love a room completely dedicated to our crafting hobby, sometimes it's just not a possibility. The Original ScrapBox makes it that much easier to spend more time crafting and less time digging through piles. Keeping supplies organized in an attractive and sensible way is what sparks my creativity. I'm looking forward to having a space in which I can enjoy my hobby and my kids!

I hope you'll join me on my journey to a more organized space. My WorkBox will arrive in the next few weeks and I can't wait to show you more features!

Looking for ideas for your own craft space? The Original ScrapBox has a page full of inspiration. You can also connect with them on Facebook and Twitter

What does YOUR ideal craft space look like?

If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, I hope you'll click your "Pin It" button to add this post to Pinterest, or a +1 for Google+. And I always appreciate kind comments.

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Disclosure: This is not a paid post, but I will receive product from The Original ScrapBox in exchange for an honest review.

30 comments:

  1. I think we've all got areas of our home that we'd be hesitant to share with the world! Super excited to see how you get everything organized with your Work Box...I need one!!

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  2. DYING over all those wonderful organizational cubbies & drawers in their units! how awesome are those! wow.

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  3. ooooo, that's going to be AWESOME! I can't wait to see how the Work Box works for you!

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  4. WOW!! This is simply amazing! What great storage and beautiful too! Great post! Work Box has crafting and storage all figured out - yay!

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  5. I LOVE the Scrapbox products and have been wanting one for a long time. Can't wait to see what you do with yours!

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  6. The Workbox is going to be great for your supplies. I like how it looks like a piece of furniture and when guests come to your home, they won't have any idea that it's really a storage piece. Isn't it going to be great to be able to craft while the girls play and the baby sleeps while you are all in the same room?

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  7. Oh my goodness!! This system is amazing. I was seriously drooling over all of the pieces. It would be so hard to choose! I cant wait to see what you do in the room. Thanks for sharing this great site with us!

    Heather

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  8. This room and my craft room could be twins. For reals. No judging here. Can't wait to see what you do -- I'll follow your lead. ;)

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  9. That Work Box is amazing! Holy cow that would be awesome to have all that storage space! Can't wait to see the transformation.

    I think we all have a space like that. I don't have a dedicated craft space so it's sort of everywhere.

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  10. OHmygoodness, totally jealous of you!!!! I can't wait to see your space once you receive your Work Box. Eek, so exciting!!

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  11. Can't wait to see how you use the new craft box!! Amazing piece.

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  12. I have all my crafts (which is mainly scrapbooking items and pictures) in one large storage container. These items are so cool!!

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  13. haha I have a "craft" room that looks a lot like yours. We accidentally-on-purpose call it the crap room. ;) The storage systems will be a great help!

    And I've never seen gluesticks repurposed as a crib, but I'm thinking it could be the next big trend. Right up there with chevron and typography.

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  14. My craft room is just like yours. My husband calls it the Crap Room.

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  15. I think you described what happened to my craftroom to a tee!! If you don't know where it goes just throw it in. Now there is no where to walk!

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  16. I just started to organize my kitchen yesterday because I want to paint it and at it's current state it would be impossible to get anything done. I realized that if Momma gets things done My Lilly (that's my 18yr. old daughter) gets things done too!

    If Momma gets organized, everyone in the house gets organized!

    Love all the storage units from craft box!!!

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  17. Fantastic! I suffer from the same chaos - no matter how hard I try to organize, it's always a pile of creativity waiting to happen. I'm excited to see what you do with your space as you get it all organized and pretty!

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  18. Oh my craft room is so much worse than yours so don't be embarresed :) I need to get several of these scrapbox systems - I think it would really help me!

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  19. Don't be embarrassed..we all have rooms like that! I'm a confessed 'fabric hoarder'..I just cant help myself when I see some great fabric on clearance!!

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  20. Can't wait to see the before and after ( and little man's nursery!)

    Susu

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  21. Love it. I am making over a room our daughter left when she went to college. Hummmm 12 yrs ago...yikes. anyway want it to be a craft/sewing/ guest room. I love the boxes but way beyond my budget....anyone want to give me one....hehehehe

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  22. It pains me deeply that that dirndl has sat in that exact spot since I brought it back from Germany:-/ I'm excited to see it finished - I hope you go crazy and do some big bold colors!!

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  23. That looks like an awesome product! I've never heard of this company before; thank you for the introduction. And thank you for sharing an honest look at your space. Beautiful whole rooms dedicated to crafting would be a dream come true, but most of us just don't have that kind of space. A product that provides a dreamy kind of space even if it's not a whole room sounds like a real winner!!

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  24. This honestly made me laugh out loud!! "I can't very well have the baby sleep on a box of glue sticks, can I?" hahaha I can totally relate to the chaos though. I luckily do have a whole room for crafting since we don't have any kids yet, but I still can't keep it all clean and organized! I'm working on it though! I can't wait to see how your craft area comes together.

    Steph :)

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  25. My craft room looks like it threw up. Several times. ;) I don't have a door to close for my space to hide so I feel like I'm constantly "tackling" the hoard. The Scrapbox collection looks like it will be wonderful for hiding everything out of sight! I can't wait to see what you do with your space!

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  26. Awesome!! I can't wait to see what you do with the space. And PS. I totally have like two or three or twelve secret closets of shame ; )

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  27. AHHH! So excited for you! Way to have the guts to put your secret room on the interwebs.

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  28. Oh my these are fantastic!! Can't wait to see how your room comes out.

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  29. How exciting! I want one too...I have the same craft room wish list as yours!

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  30. Yay how exciting! Can't wait to see how it turns out!

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