I had to run downtown this afternoon to get some groceries, and when I was walking by the local hardware store I saw these in the window!:
AND - they were only 14.99CA each! I think they're meant for ice/drinks as they each had a little chain attached to the handle with a funky bottle opener, so I took those off and filled the one with my Copics *grin*.
My ENTIRE collection fits into one pail - that's 144 CIAO's plus like 18 or so Sketch Markers (some of my markers aren't in this pic) - I have a little room for a few more markers then it will be full. Hence the second pail. I plan to put the refills and other markers as I slowly get them into that pail.
I'm just giddy about finding these (more like they found me *wink*) - I've been wanting to get theA Muse pails for SO long now, but the cost plus shipping to me (since they're so bulky) was just too much (tho I LOVE their pastel colors!).
These pails are almost exactly the same size as the A Muse ones too - they're 9 3/4" wide by 5 1/4" high and 7 1/4" deep.
I love a good storage purchase *sigh*. Just had to share!
Oh and FYI the store was Home Hardware - I found them online here (not sure if you can order them online - I think you can only get them in-store??).
EDITED TO ADD:
Copics can most definitely be stored upright - since they are alcohol based it doesn't matter whether you store them horizontally or vertically. The ink will still flow evenly through both ends. I've been storing mine upright ever since I first got them 2 years ago and not a problem with them :o)
ETA Again:
Sorry I guess I should have mentioned that Home Hardware is a Canadian store (at least I don't think they're in the States? I might be wrong tho). I guess I just assume that EVERYONE knows I'm Canadian (Canadian made born and raised eh?? LOL) so I don't mention it. And to be more specific I'm in southwestern Saskatchewan - thus the name of the blog - PRAIRIE Paper and Ink *grin*
OK I FINALLY can show y'all my stamp studio. I had to re-take the video's I don't know how many times - I kept getting interrupted by the girls, or it was way too shaky (I just use my digi camera to take videos - and it's hard to keep it still and walk and talk at the same time LOL!), or my camera batteries would die in the middle......
Anywho tho I got them done and got all three (yes THREE) videos uploaded and ready to go so here they are:
LINKS:
My desk and the three mini stackable units came from Best Craft Organizer.
My Photo Tent came from here: OBN Photography Equipment
Here are links to some of the things I got at IKEA (the jars I use for my Primas and the $5 wood shelves aren't on the site - that I know of anyway! I couldn't find them):
METALL DUTT Picture Holders (put on walls to display cards)
BYGEL Rails (used to store punches)
..........................................................................................................................................
OK I took some pictures this morning and thought I'd add them here as well - the studio is still all nice and clean. I had to clean it for the videaos - but most of the time it's just a mess LOL - although now that I'm in a smaller room it's been much easier to clean up and keep on top of things. The other room I had all my stamp stuff in when we moved here was pretty much a mess 24/7!
ALSO - I did a little draft of how the room is set up - just playing around with Photoshop:
(sorry this one isn't very clear - I've been having issues lately with uploading my better pics and have to keep switching them all to JPEG format which is driving me nuts!)
And here are all the rest of the pictures - you can click on them to get a new window with a larger image:
And lastly I just wanted to mention that the only NEW things I bought for this space when I re-did it was the roman blind for the window, those two wire picture thingies and the white wall rack for the ribbon. I made do with what I already had or what we had in the garage (which was a lot. I've been stamping for several years now and I know my collection is huge! Y'all should see the boxes of stuff that I'm selling at the garage sale this summer).
I'm a sucker for storage stuff (my bff has said she could just get me cheapo plastic baskets for me as gifts and I'd be happy - and it's TRUE - especially if they're pink!) - so when I find things on sale or find something cool I get it. When I no longer have a use for it or we move things around I rarely get rid of anything that can be used for storage. I'll store it away in the garage or elsewhere and 9 times out of 10 I end up needing it later on (like the EXPEDIT bookcase and the iris carts!!).
There ya go everyone!! I got several requests to see my stamp area - and this is it LOL!!
The plan for a while now has been to dedicate the spare room to be my studio - I decided the other day that I need to get the plan in action. So we took everything out and I started painting.
I just took this picture a couple of minutes ago. After I'm done typing I'm going to get Josie down for her nap and I'm going to head back in there to do some touch-ups and paint all the trim.
THEN hopefully this weekend I can really start getting everything moved in and put up the shelving and whatnot and get it all organized!
Once all that is done I can then show you all my studio as I hope it to be (as of right now where I'm stamping is technically more of a dumping ground rather than an actual studio - don't get me wrong it'd be nice if I cleaned it up and organized it but I just haven't bothered. I'm saving all my energy for the NEW room *grin*) - it's a small space but it will be all mine :)
............................................................................................................................................
The roundup for last week's Friday Sketch! will go live around midnight central. The new sketch will go up tomorrow - possibly later in the day.
All That Scraps is releasing new sets on Feb 2nd (Monday) - one set of which is mine - so sneak peeks for that start TOMORROW as well!!
Needless to say I have a lot to get done - and I'll be covered in paint while I do it (I'm pretty sure I managed to get some in my hair too - nice.....)
I might ba back a little later with an actual card to post - depends on how the painting and whatnot goes!!
**FYI this is a LONG post!! I've received a lot of e-mails and comments about these units so I thought I'd try and say everything at once!! Also I'm not affiliated with Best Scrapbook Shelf in any way - just a satisfied customer. This is all my own personal opinion!!**
I had several people ask me HOW I store my stamps as they seemed pretty surprised that I was able to find them right after my move - actually when you see how I store them there won't be any more surprises:
I got these 3 Mini Stackables from Best Scrapbook Shelf over a year ago.
They are definitely NOT cheap (I saved up for some time to get them!!) but are SO worth it. Even now I still have a few empty drawers b/c they hold a TON.
They come unassembled so you have to put them together yourself. You can also choose how many and which type of drawers and whatnot so they're totally customizable. I chose 5 2" drawers and 9 1" drawers per unit. Putting them together isn't difficult per say - the steps are super easy - the actual putting together isn't. At least it wasn't for me. I had a heck of a time with some of the pre-drilled holes. They seemed a little too small so I kept slipping with the screwdriver and banged my fingers a few times (and swore a blue streak here and there - I was just a little impatient the night I put them together - thank goodness the girls were in bed) - but once I got them together they were FABULOUS.
When I moved I moved my entire craft space myself (in a million degree heat - it just happened to be the hottest day of fall and I was MISERABLE LOL) and all three of these units I lifted and hauled to the truck myself (they prolly weighed well over 50lbs each (the one with the punches weighs a good 75 lbs minimum) but I made it!). I didn't tape down any of the drawers - they all stayed shut and everything went smoothly (a lot of the items rolled to the back of the drawers during "transit" (we moved like 4 blocks away) but that's no biggie).
I store all my wood mounted stamps (except SU stamps since they have their own cases) in the 1" drawers - they fit perfectly.
ETA: If you were to store SU stamps in here they would fit in the 1" drawers themselves but if you wanted to keep them in their cases you're going to need the 2" drawers b/c it's too tight for the stamps AND the cases in the 1".
All my Fluffles, A Muse, Elzybells NA, Inky Antics etc etc are stored in here - and they only take up about 7 or 8 drawers - there's a ton of stamps in those drawers!!
EDITED TO ADD: Glad Alana mentioned something about the masks you can see on top of those Inky Antics stamps - I was going to mention that then forgot. Those ones are post-it notes. But seriously the best thing to get is Eclipse masking tape - that stuff is WAY better since the WHOLE thing is like a sticky note - works much better than Post-it's (and a roll will last you forever - I've had mine for over a year and barely made a dent in it). And yeah I just attach the mask to the wood mount (or on top of my unmounted stamps) so I can re-use it over and over and not have to cut one out every time I want to mask a particular image :o)
All my embossing powders and Fun Flocks are in a 2" drawer with all my glitters in the drawer below.
My stickles, Ice Stickles and Paint Dabbers fit in a 1" drawer.
All my SU inks fit in a 1" drawer and the re-inkers in another one (I made sure to tighten all the lids on the re-inkers before putting them in there - at the very least IF one were to leak it would be contained in the drawer).
ColorBox Cat's Eye inks in a 1" drawer and VersaMagic Inks in another one.
All my SU punches fit in the 2" drawers - I can fit 9 big punches in one drawer (and they hold the weight no problem!!) - THAT is one of the coolest parts.
All my smaller SU (and EK Success) punches along with my SU Scallop punch are in a 2" drawer above the ones shown.
The only thing that sucks is that the Martha Stewart punches don't fit in the 2" drawers b/c of their wonky handles. When I got my units I don't think they had the 3.5" drawers available b/c I would have got one for the bottom of each unit (which would have been perfect for those punches!)
So that's it in a nutshell!! I just showed a smidgen of what I have stored in them - there's a ton of other stuff - sponge daubers, ribbon, adhesives, all my watercoloring stuff, chipboard, etc etc etc.
The FAQ page on their site is REALLY informative if you want more info - that's what convinced me to get mine!!
I did order some of the 1" inserts that should be here on Friday - I've tried so many ways to store all my small embellishments (brads, baubles, eyelets etc) as I have a LOT of those too - I think these will help out with that no problem.
Oh and LOL my pink filing cabinet is from Staples - I got that months ago as soon as I saw it (it's PINK!! How could I not get it *wink*) - I just wish it were a 3 or 4 drawer size (I use it to store all my cardstock scraps and whatnot - SU has it's own drawer and everything else in the 2nd drawer).
I really do love my stackables - I wish I could get one or two taller ones with the paper shelves to store all my patterned papers and whatnot - maybe someday. They're pricey but worth it. The amount they store and the fact that they can hold a TON of weight (they're super sturdy and heavy on their own - not flimsy at all) makes them worth every penny.
Shipping is something you have to look out for too if you want to order directly from the site (they're located in BC Canada) as they're heavy and they ship via Fed Ex. You can find out if local scrapbook stores carry them or can get them in for you too - there's a bunch listed here. I was able to get a deal on these units b/c I got them through a retailer who gave me a bit of a discount on the shipping - still ended up paying approx retail prices but like I said it was worth it in the end.
If you're still reading this far I hope this helped!! ;o)
You said these moved well and were not a problem, but would you reccomend this for someone who does a lot of her crafting at stamp camps or moves from location to location quite freqently?
Ummm well that would be up to you!! They are HEAVY - when there's nothing in them they're still pretty heavy (gotta be a good 25lbs - I don't know for sure) then filled up they can weight up to 200lbs (that's the max the casters can handle per their FAQ page). I know that the one I have punches AND stamps stored in weighs close to 100 lbs if not more (I don't have a scale so I can't find out - some day I'll have to get one and I'll post here what they really weigh b/c now I'm just curious).
When I moved mine I had to roll them outside (at the old place the main floor was about 4-5 feet above ground level) lift them to get them down the steps then lift them into the back of the truck. It WASN'T easy. Only sheer determination and the fear that anyone else might wreck my stuff (LOL) enabled me to move them. When I got them to the new house I rolled them in then had to get them DOWNstairs (thankfully only about 6 steps down) which wasn't too bad.
IF you were wanting to move them (to crops or whatever) frequently and stairs weren't a concern then it wouldn't be too bad. I'm going on a retreat at the end of this month and I might be tempted to load up one of my stackables and take that if it means it will save me several trips back and forth to the vehicle (since I know where I'm going I just have to roll it inside and down the hall - super easy - and I'd make Tim haul it up the stairs and into the vehicle for me *wink*). Plus they are a lot more sturdy than any plastic storage drawer units - it's just the weight that's an issue.....
Hmmmmm you know I never thought about even attempting to take one (or more) of the stackables to a crop or anything - but my retreat is (almost) 3 days and 2 nights long and last year I took a TON of stuff (it was ridiculous really) so I may try to take one of the stackables just to see how it goes!
I get a TON of questions from people regarding unmounted rubber stamps.
First off some poeple don't know what they are (this was me a couple of years ago! I just didn't understand how you could have stamps NOT attached to wood blocks??) - an unmounted stamp is either just a plain rubber stamp - or a rubber stamp that has a cling foam backing (similar to the foam on a wood mounted stamp - but instead of baing attached to a wood block the foam has a "cling" side to it that clings to acrylic blocks).
Secondly people ask how do you store them?? Well there are lots of options out there - but for me it's been an issue of finding the right one - and I think that I finally have!
**FYI this is in no way a paid advertisement - I personally use this system and love it and want you all to know about it!**
I saw an add for the "Store More Stamps" system by Little Monkeys on SCS a few months ago.
The name caught my attention so I had to check it out!
I ended up contacting the owner (Susan) to ask a few questions and ordered a Starter Set - which is this box-like thing and 6 inserts with sleeves.
Susan was awesome to deal with and my set shipped out ASAP.
When it got here I got to work filling it and needless to say it didn't take me long!
The inserts are 8x8" and have a cling side to them (best way to describe them is like heavyweight cardstock with a cling side and a plain side) that stamps mounted on EZmount cling to easily.
**You can also store all your clear stamps on these sheets**
I was able to fit ALL the Bella stamps I own (close to 70 *cough* not including all the sentiments) onto the 8 sheets!
All my Bella stamps are on BLACK EZmount - it's thinner than the gray foam and I am liking it way more (the gray EZmount works with this system too - I am just really preferring the black) - and clings like a dream - I can hold an entire sheet vertically and none of the stamps come off :o)
I still have plenty of room in the box for more sheets too so I plan on getting another set of 6 (in the new Spring Colors no less!!) for the rest of my unmounted stamps and they will all be stored in one box! LOVE
IT!
For now I have a bunch of my clear stamp sets stored in the box where I can see them and grab them easily.
So all in all I give this product a big thumbs up *grin* - I HIGHLY recommend it and Little Monkeys as they have fabulous customer service too!
If you end up ordering one (or more!) for yourself tell them AmyR over at Prairie Paper and Ink sent you!
<------------ Lookie what I got my hands on!!
I had my brother-in-law pick this up for me at IKEA before they came here for Christmas - it's called a BOALT CD rack.
Best part about it is that it was only $16.99 CAN!
AND it will hold 35 cases!
GinaK's tin stamp cases fit perfectly in here, as will Papertrey's plastic CD cases, and anything else stored in CD cases.
It has 2 small holes in the back of it so it can be wall mounted - or it can just sit on a shelf (or floor as mine is now till I can find a spot to put it! *wink*). It's unfinished wood so it can be painted too (too much work in my opinion - I'm going to leave mine as-is).
There is also a DVD one that holds 29 DVD's (same price) - I had wanted that too but IKEA was sold out (Edmonton, Alberta location).
Well I came up w/ a solution to hot to store all the loose ribbon I got from Jody's ribbon share (you can read about my oh-so-awful dilemma here - ROFL!!).
Thanks to all of you who offered suggestions!! Since I needed something NOW and don't have the extra budget right now to order anything - I made my own cards to wrap all the ribbon on. I cut up a piece of medium weight chipboard (I got a few sheets of it from AllThatScraps.com - the 12x12 size) into 2x3" squares and wrapped all the ribbon around them - I was able to do ALL 30 colors using 1 full sheet and a strip off another sheet of chipboard - so for less than 50 cents I got an easy storage solution!
I cut little notches on one end of each piece to hold the ribbon in place. And for now they are all sitting on the racks between all my rolls of ribbon (you can see how I store my ribbon here - new pics will be taken and posted one of these days!).
So that worked perfectly for me - but I'm gonna have to come up w/ something soon b/c I went in on Jody's striped ribbon share and I couldn't resist getting a couple more spools of patterned ribbon when I was at Michaels the other day!! It's a sickness I tell ya!! ROFL!!!
ME!!!!!
My Mom got me this uber-cool clear glass vase for Christmas and as soon as I unwrapped it I *knew* what I was gonna use it for:
Isn't this the coolest??? And this isn't a little vase either - it's around 18" high - and I even took a pic of it w/ an inkpad inside so you can get an idea of just how big it really is:
She told me she got it at Winners (for those that don't know it's a big discount-type store where you can get brand-name clothing/shoes/housewares etc etc etc for less than retail price) and it was only $20 (she left the price tag on it LOL - she's always so proud of the deals she gets *grin*).
Anyway I LOVE it and all my buttons are now displayed so nicely:
(FYI most of these are from Autumn Leaves - their Foof-a-la collections - you can get bags of them in different color assortments. I got mine from my local scrapbook store. I also have some Making Memories buttons and I even threw in all my Stampin' Up! buttons in there too - the more the merrier eh??)
ETA - you know I *did* have some trouble throwing the SU buttons into the mix - I debated it for a while and it was reeeeaaalllllyyyy hard to open all the containers and just dump them in w/ everything else - but once I did it and mixed them all up there was no going back!! 'Sides - I justified it in that I can EASILY tell which button is a SU button - they are completely different than any other button that's in there! The painted finish on them sets them apart. PLUS I now have room in my stack and store for MORE embellishments *insert wicked laugh* (so you see I DO have a method to the madness).
Now if someone were to say that I should mix up all my *other* SU embellies (brads, eyelets etc etc etc) w/ all the non-SU stuff they'd have a fight on their hands! *wink* All of those are in the containers they came in - properly labelled and stored in the order that they are in the catalog (see there's the OCD kicking in! ROFL!!).
{{{{Hugs}}}}
