Where the Magic Happens...Or It Did?

UPDATE: I started to write this a few months ago.  Since I wrote this, and these pictures were taken, I have had to move all my belongings into storage.  So, my beautiful craft area is wrapped in plastic and stored away while I look for a job and apartment in Michigan.  I still wanted to share this with you, though, because I hope to recreate this craft area --ONLY BETTER-- in the future.  So, enjoy and stay tuned!

I LOVE seeing what other people's craft spaces look like, don't you?  I always think it's great to get ideas for storing different products.  I took these pictures before I left for Michigan in January, and I'm FINALLY getting around to posting them.  My craft area is a little out of control, but I love my supplies!  Here's a chance for you to see the insanity! 

My craft area is primarily made up of drawer units.  Some of them are the AMAZING and MAGNIFICENT drawers made by elfa (sold at The Container Store: www.containterstore.com  If you've never been to one of their stores or checked out their website, GO NOW!  They are the #1 storage and organization store, perfect for organizing every aspect of your life and every room in your house).  Elfa drawer units are customizable (width, height, and depth of the drawers), and they come in different colors (white or platinum with options for the top, including a butcher block wooden top).  They are easy to assemble, and I have them in EVERY room in my apartment.  Considering their overall quality and function, they are a great price, too!  However, last year, I struggled a bit financially, so I had to supplement my craft area with some more economical drawers.  I found these awesome 10-drawer units at Sam's Club for under $30 each!  I think they look nice with the elfa drawers, and they have wheels which make them easy to maneuver (note: elfa units can be put on wheels, too).

So, let's start the tour...

TADAA!!!  Here it is!  These are my main storage drawers.  To the left is a large, round table where I can work and store more stuff.   The white mini drawers in the left of the picture are full of scrap-size pieces of paper, organized by color and texture, of course!  Above these, you can see my ink color charts for reference!  The binders you see in the middle of the picture are full of my clear and cling stamps, organized by brand name and theme (Christmas stamps in the red binder!).  (Hint: I use baseball card sleeves for storing small cling stamps.)  The cubbies on the right of the screen hold catalogs and idea sheets.

This blog post would last forever if I went through every single drawer with you, so I will just show you some of the "highlights."  

Here is my drawer for Stickles and Viva Decor Pearl Pens and Glitter Liners.  

I own all the colors, and they are organized by color (ROYGBIV is my friend!)

This is my Hero Arts rubber stamp drawer:

Moving over to my Sam's Club storage drawers, they are organized as follows.  The drawer unit on the left contains all my Christmas stuff (top 3 drawers are DeNami Design, then "non-DeNami-national" stamps, and the rest are Christmas embellishments and papers, organized by Brand/Collection).  The middle drawer unit is full of only DeNami Design stamps.  The right drawer unit is full of 12 x 12 papers, organized by collection/theme.

This is my DeNami Design drawer unit.  

Yup...10 drawers of DeNami magic (minus the Christmas stamps, which are in another unit).

Top Drawer: Frames

2nd Drawer: Borders, Backgrounds, Flourishes, and misc. minis. 

(Hint: See how the mini stamps are in little boxes?  Those are from the Tim Holtz print trays.  I love those things.  They are awesome for artistic projects, but they also make the world's best drawer organizers!  You couldn't find anything else that size and with that many little removable compartments for $14.99 if you tried!)

3rd Drawer: Sentiments

4th Drawer: Chickies & Animals

5th Drawer: Food Stuff

6th Drawer: Leafy Trees, Vines, and Ornamental Flowers

7th Drawer: Flowers (Daisies and Roses)

8th Drawer: Misc. Flowers & Plants

9th Drawer: Misc.

10th Drawer: Mimi's Boutique

And NOW...here's the Christmas drawer unit!   

Drawer #1: Mini DeNami Christmas & Sentiments

Drawer #2: Elegant DeNami Christmas (Holly, Trees, & Decorations)

Drawer #3: "Vintage" DeNami Christmas

Drawer #4: Hero Arts Christmas

Drawer #5: Penny Black & other name brand Christmas Stamps

Drawer #6: Stampendous, Inkadinkado, Memory Box, and other stamps

That concludes my picture tour.  I didn't want to bore you with drawers of grosgrain ribbon or folders full of papers.  At this time, I organize my papers using manila file folders.  I write the brand name or theme (ie: Jillibean Soup, Graphic 45, or "Polka Dots," or "Plaid") on the bottom of the folder, where the fold is.  This allows me to flip through the stacks of folders, since obviously the 12 x 12 papers are bigger than the folders. 

UPDATE:  As I mentioned above, these drawers are now in storage, and I'm hoping to get an apartment in Michigan soon where I can bring all my belongings with me (I'm currently staying with some amazing friends while I try to get all the details of my move figured out).  I DID, however, bring a survival kit back with me this time.  I simply couldn't go without my craft supplies anymore, so I packed up some of my papers, a selection of stamps, and most of my inks.  And yes, I DID pack ALL of my Stickles.  I started to just grab a couple, and then my OCD reared its ugly head and demanded I bring them all.  LOL!   

I will keep you all updated of my progress in Michigan.  I'm still going strong with my wonderful boyfriend (over 5 months now!).  I still miss my Dad terribly, but I was lucky enough to get some wonderful time with my family this summer.  I kept bouncing back and forth between Michigan and Indiana while I helped my mom, moved my stuff into storage, and spent as much time as possible in Papertrix.  However, I am now back in Michigan full-time.  I am just hoping to find a job here that makes me as happy as Papertrix does, and then I can get an awesome apartment!  Woohoo!  Wish me luck!

Happy Crafting!
Amy