Details of organization

Okay... yesterday I shared with you the right side of underneath my space.. today... it is the left side on the floor...

There is a bin... which I will show you the insides of that... but the purple notebook!!!!  Do you ever print out things that you like, and things you want to do, and Ohhhh I love that card... I love the way that she made the bow... or I love the layering on that... well you print it out... and where does it go???
Into a pile... and can you ever find it when you want to use it???? NO... so this notebook has plastic pages... and also the 'trading card' pages... the ones with the smaller pockets ... like 9 on a page... it you print out snapshot size, it fits perfectly into those little pockets... just enough to remind you of the detail that you loved...

Underneath are drawers that are filled with things like staplers, tools that are used less often, things like that... but what I want to do is talk about this bin...

I am going to bring it up onto the table... and take the bags out...
Just a minute here...

Okay... now can you see better... it is on the table... and we will start to really take a closer look at details...

When you are organizing your craft area... you need a place for YOUR things... mine might not be the same as yours... but  these are suggestions that you might be able to use for the same thing... or something similiar...

When I punch something out ... I might not use it... and I then I punch something else out... and before you know it... I have about 5-6 things punched... and decide to use ribbon!!!!  Now what do you do with all these things... throw them away??? NO NO NO....
But what... I will never find them when I need them... or could use them.. ...  .... Oh yes you can...
Thus this handy... convient bin... with plastic zip lock bags... how inexpensive is that... and it is very effective in so many ways... you can add other things... but this is what I am talking about...

You are in the middle of making a quick card... and need some trim... oh my goodness... I just need 3 inches... Out comes the bag with all the excess Martha punching...

and you pick something out... something that if it wasn't organized you would never find it quickly and would punch another one... this way... you might have your choise of 5-6 things... that you punched yesterday and didn't use on that card... and this matches perfectly... and it is used...

WOW... how convient too...

Have you ever sat and just punched things out... trying to make something...??? I do lots of times... and I might get three sides perfect.. and need four perfect sides for  this card... but some other card I only need 3 perfect sides... oh what a life saver this is...

So as you can see... all kinds of things that are punched are in here..

Now here is another bag...
You have a good friend over who is sharing all her new punches and toys that she bought at the most recent convention... and you dont' know what you are going to use these for... but you LOVE this new idea... and you choose a few colors... and punch a few to use on SPECIAL cards...

What do you do with them... you organize into a trading card page... and slip into a bag and put into the bin... you know where it will be... as this is the first place you look for things already punched and ready to use...

Aren't these pretty...    Marie shared this great punch and I made a lot of these... we also use them on a card... and she won a challenge with it on ODBD.... wow... talk about powerful punches...

And how many times have you shared embossing folders and have a ton of pre-embossed sheets just waiting to be used... I have way too many... and love them all.. and need to be able to find them quickly... especially when in need of one...

So another bag with all the pre embossed sheets... even ones that you have inked and don't like for a particular card... but might use it for another project... I love creating things from just this bin... and I limit myself to just using from this bin... a challenge in it's self at times...

Okay... one last bag... how about all the digital images that you print out... when I print them... I might print 6-8 different sized so that I get the correct one for the project I am working on...

And then when done... I have a whole sheet of extras... and quite a few loose ones... so into the bag they go... I generally will always use them... not a problem... besides... I certainly am not going to throw them away... someone will certainly use them... someday... right???

I jsut recently won 16 digital images and they were sentiments... so I printed them up, so that I would have them handy... and I know exactly where they are!!!  No problem at all...

So this is the bin at my left leg... all kinds of t hings... I can ceratinly add bags, or take away bags... but the idea is to know where certain types of things are...

and with this system I do...
Hope that this helps you in some way...

Have a fun day... organize a little bit each day... dont' get frustrated... and if you don't like it... live with it for a while... and then change it around... just enjoy playing in between all these projects... and you will be surprised at how creative your mind will get as you clean up... you will find things that YOU HAVE TO USE... so stop what you are doing .... and USE IT... and enjoy...

See you tomorrow... with more tips on organizing your spaces...  

Love, Light and Peace...Bonnie...

Series on Organization

I have had a lot of requests on organization... and so I grabbed the camera, cleaned up the studio... a little bit... and hid some things... LOL... and took some pictures... I have a couple of really larger projects that I am working on this week.. .and will share with you as time goes on... but need some time to play... serious time that is... So this will help me...

I am going to start out with reminding you that my space is a space with multi purposes... I teach, I have friends over to play... and also like to spread out when working on large projects... also I need a space to unload orders... package up orders etc... so this is the space I do all that in...

There are special areas where certain things are done... this first area is MY WORK AREA... where my tools, embellishements etc are located... as I go along this week you will see all the areas... have no fear... I will show you all of it...

When sitting at my work space... over to my right since I am right handed... is my large tool container... in here are a number of things that are used on a daily basis... Up at the top... glues... all kinds of glues... then different types of pens for all kinds of 'special' uses...
Tapes and glue dots, pop dots... a whole drawer of them... and then cutting boards, and instruments... circle cutters etc.. and special templates that I have made and use. 

I bought this container at Staples... and you will see that I have a lot of them in the studio... I have found that they were a very good investment and that they hold up very well... also Staples stands behind things... so if something happens to them... they will go back... but I have had no problems... they are on rollers... but as you can see I have carpet on the floor... so they are not really all that functional ... the rollers that is... 

To the left of that ... moving onto the work space you can see that I have a selected area for some books that I am presently working on... also some people ask why the candle is so very important...  don't forget... I live way out in the middle of NO WHERE... and the electric goes off for a number of reasons.. so a candle and matches are in each and every room of the house... some rooms even have two candles... or more...

My work table.... are just that... work tables... they get dirty and messy and they are cleaned up... they are used well.... and you will see that also.. They are 8 feet long.. and about 30 inches wide... a nice work/storage area...

Moving along down the table...
I have taken pictures so that you can see the item that is in this picture as well as the next item...

Okay.... I love plastic containers... don't you??? They can be used for all types of things... building as well.. LOL..  My husband is always shaking his head in amazment as to what I have build... and how unsafe it is... I generally don't have problems with things falling... but I am careful if I think it could fall..

This is my Just Rite Stamper holder... I didn't want a container... I wanted to be able to grab what I wanted when I wanted it... and not have to fumble... quick and easy... a little cabinet with carboards for open drawers... holds them all really nicely... the drawers are stored in another area... I don't throw them away... because next week I have another idea to do... the bottom two white things... they are 7 day pill savers... and I have brads in them... I love them... because they hold a lot of different kinds and are easy to gt to...

Below are more embellishments... brass charms, little birds... all that kind of thing... small tiny things...

Okay... now this is an area that has changed every other day since I started this collection of pens... I have had the zig memory pens... and love them... but some of them started to dry up... they were 10 years old... so I think I got my moneys worth out of them... some still work... so I wanted to buy some new markers... and choose Tombow... a good pen... not smelly, not toxic, just my type of pen... I have a lot of other types of pens too.. and wanted them to ALL be in the same area...

So I took took many different things to create this type of holder... and this week... this is what I have... I think you have to be flexible when creating for your space... so this is cardstock... rolled into rolls that will handle the number of pens for a particular color...  in other words... the tube for the turquiose is larger than the yellow one... today that is... doesn't mean that in a few weeks the yellow will not be larger... but the tubes are easy to replace... and my pens are organized ... by color... easy for grabbing and using ... and I can see what I have at all times... Next that that are the handi wipes... I use an organic handy wipe... and the funniest part is that it removes Stazon inks... go figure!!!!  I have a container of these at each work space... and some areas have a couple... jsut in case of a larger mess... or more people in that area...

This I call my Kit bag... it has all my personal things in it... scissors, rulers, pencils, glues that I use all the time... all my necessary tools... that I use ALL THE TIME....

Handy and very organized... but I can pick it up-.... put it into my bin and go to my group meeting or to a friends house to play... so it is versitle that way also...

My $1.00 glasses from the Dollar store hang on the side... for close up work... helps to see the really little tiny things I need to cut...

Oh Anne... thanks  again for the card... as you can see... it is in my work area...

Sort of next to that... but pushed back a little bit is my work space for my Pretties by Bonnie area... it doesn't need much space... but it does need some... in the little wooden box on the left are printed digitals I can use... and in the box on the right are ones that i have colored and haven't used yet...

Underneath are sketches of things I want to do... and also some other ideas...

A timer so I can play and upload pictures at times... dial up is so slow... that 20 minutes playing goes faster when making something than when sitting and wiating... so the timer is VERY IMPORTANT...

When sitting at this space... down by my right leg... I have this container... it is where I keep a 100 glue sticks... (yes 100 fit in the drawer..)  and then pearls... and then gem stones, and  copper mesh screen and stickers... all kinds of embellishements that I use often... they are easy to reach and very useful...

That white note book... I haven't planned on showing that... but it is not a secret... it is a notebook, with about 40 clear protective  pages in it... the kind that in reality are a huge POCKET.... which is what I use it for...
I make something ... and then I dont' really like it... or want to finish it right now... but dont' want it to go into a pile of stuff that will never be used... so I put it into a pocket... when I need a quick card... I go to that book and flip thru the pages... find something ... add to it, or subract something ... and glue and it is done... well not quite... but you get the idea...

So I try not to create piles... I have areas where I store half finished things...

That book is just one of many... you will see... believe me when I say that..
Tomorrow another section of My Studio will be shown... so see you back here tomorrow...
Hope you enjoyed this ... and thanks for stopping by...
Love, Light and Peace...Bonnie