At Best Craft Organizer, we love seeing your crafty spaces! Leslie recently sent us photos of her beautiful craft room and told us more about her creative journey. Now, we're excited to share her story and her inspiring space with you!
Let's Meet Leslie...
BCO: Tell us about your crafting background.
Leslie:
I was raised on the Maine coast. Sailing, fishing, and being involved in many types of arts and music were integral to my love of creating.
My crafting started in my 20s when my mother was involved in "dough" art ornaments and fabric draping. Using her homemade fabric stiffener of white glue and who knows what else, she made large three-wise men for Christmas decorations, which she sold. I helped her on many occasions between raising children and working.
I studied art in college and returned in my late thirties to take marketing classes. I loved selling, knowing my market and demographics, and connecting with people and businesses.
Fast forward to my late 40s when I went to my first scrapbook "home party" at a friend's, and was first introduced to paper crafting. Work and family took up a lot of my time, so crafting wasn't a priority, nor was there the volume of paper crafting supplies during that time. I realized my knack for organization and time-saving methods at my job was part of my constant reminder to myself, 'There is a proper place for everything.' Craft organizing is tricky as there are many mediums, ideas, tools, etc.
I now live in Foley, Alabama, near the Gulf Coast. Over the years, I have developed a love for card making, journals, watercolor painting, and machine embroidery on tea towels. I participated in local craft shows along the Gulf Coast, selling wholesale and retail. My paper crafts and tea towels were great sellers!
At 70, I completely retired from craft shows and store sales. I am now absorbed in card and journal making and many papercraft creations.
BCO: How did you plan the layout of your space?
Leslie:
I was fortunate to travel near an IKEA® almost seven years ago, and I decided to replace my "okay" workstations. This was my first big move towards organization. After going to the IKEA® website, my husband and I went in with a plan for what I needed. My husband decided I needed several more items that have become essential to my creative space. Smart man…
As the years continued, storage was paramount to finding my supplies effectively, especially as I was selling my "creations." Years ago, there were no specific craft storage solutions, so storage cabinets to fit my needs were hard to find. After the Christmas holidays this past December, I told my husband, "Time to revamp the craft room." I had discovered Stamp-n-Storage a few years earlier and have many of their products, but now I needed to add serious storage cabinets. After finding the Best Craft Organizer website, it was time to eliminate three bulky cabinets that didn't work for my current crafting needs.
I had bought various storage units over the years, and they just didn't work together in the craft room. They either prevented me from adding vertical storage or were unstable if heavier craft tools/supplies, such as machines, paper, etc., were stored. I had to find quality, well-built storage to work with my IKEA® furniture, and BCO was the answer.
Storage and organization are ongoing processes. As new crafts, tools, and machines were developed, I had to be able to find space and the proper furniture. I was spending more time looking for craft supplies than creating. I needed to find storage solutions to have the craft tools and supplies I use the most near my workstation, where I have creative fun.
I started by spending almost two weeks measuring my space, all four walls, the floor space, and my large closet in my craft room, a.k.a. the second bedroom. My room is only 13.5 x 13.5 feet and square! Then I looked at all my craft supplies, tools, etc, to get a good idea of what sizes of Drawers, Cabinets, and Inserts I would need to make my "dream craft room" come true. I knew it would not be an easy task, but after a couple of days, I was seeing great results, and it became easier to let things go and to decide on what storage I would need.
The next three weeks involved going through all my craft supplies, tools, etc., to purge, donate, or pass on to fellow crafting friends and a lot of trash! I started with several moving boxes, of which three were "trash, donate, and give." The remaining boxes were for crafting categories, such as dies, papers, inks, mediums, etc. Some craft items were stored in proper cabinets, but most of my tools, dies, ephemera and paper pads were poorly organized. After a day of purging, I spent many evenings perusing the BCO Design Page to design the cabinets I wanted and figure out what Drawers or Shelves I needed/wanted, including size and quantity. Using the Cabinet Designer Tool made these decisions so easy.
I would screenshot and save a photo of my design, then print it out and take it to my craft room to reaffirm my choices. It was challenging but, at the same time, exciting! I changed my mind several times as I was purging, but I was finally comfortable when it was time to start ordering the BCO storage cabinets. I decided to start with my sewing/embroidery area in another room to get a feel for the new organization furniture from BCO.
It was a winning move, as I realized I needed more Double and Triple Drawers for the craft room and to add Paper Shelves to one column of a cabinet for my "go-to" solid card stock. My first order for cabinets was the most significant investment. Then, over the next month, I ordered smaller orders for Drawer Inserts and smaller storage cabinets to sit on top of the three triple cabinets and my IKEA® desks. Until I filled the cabinets, I was unsure what inserts or additional smaller storage cabinets I would need. Each day, as I sorted and stored in my new BCO cabinets, I made notes of what inserts I needed and added them to my online cart. Then, I would place my orders over the next month. The shipping cost for my orders was flat-rated, so doing multiple orders worked for me. This way, I would not have to buy anything I would not need.
BCO: Which supplies were the most difficult to organize, and what was your solution?
Leslie:
Thinlit/metal and scoreboard dies are my biggest challenge to store and organize. It's taken me almost 5 years to find my niche in organizing my dies. As we are all individuals in our creativity, the best solution was to manage things in various ways. Some are organized by designers, and I often use them! I have other die/stamp sets by theme, such as birthday, mixed media, florals, frames, etc. I use Magnet Cards and Storage Pockets for almost 70% of my dies from Stamp-n-Storage, as the Magnet Cards hold the dies beautifully. Recently, I decided to go vertical with my BCO Large Triple Cabinets by ordering several of the Stamp-n-Storage two-drawer die storage, which coordinates well with my BCO cabinets. Then, I will put my Stamp-n-Storage shelves on those that store mediums and items I do not use as frequently. This will make most of my dies more accessible and closer to my workstation and die-cutting machines.
BCO: How did you discover Best Craft Organizer?
Leslie:
Ironically, I was googling craft storage solutions when your site came up. My favorite part is the impressive capabilities of the Cabinet Designer Tool for choosing by size, columns, and what size Drawers, Shelves, etc, I would need for maximum storage capabilities.
BCO: What do you keep in your Drawers, Shelves, etc.? How do you organize each part of your space?
Leslie:
Going into this reorganization, I knew that my crafting, supplies, and tools would change as the crafting world changes. I am still shifting things (this reorganization started three months ago!), but I have stored most of my supplies by craft type, such as leather, journal binding, washi tapes, staplers, and scissors. My ink pads and most of my decorative paper are stored by brand. Solid papers are stored in color with mixed brands of those colors. I store themed Papers with matching ephemera by brand and theme in mostly Single Drawers in one of the cabinets. Specialty papers, such as specialty foils, adhesive back sheets, shrink dinks, etc., are in a Stamp-n-Storage rolling paper cart until I can label and decide the best way to find those quickly. Most importantly, I have tools and supplies I use the most closest to my creative workspace. I have added labels to the Drawers to identify the contents by brand or type.
BCO: What do you use your craft island for? What do you store or display on the adjustable shelves?
Leslie:
Oh, what's not to love about the BCO Craft Island….I vacillated on whether to buy, as if I did, I would have to get rid of some of my storage carts. So, I thought the Island was pure perfection for my room (after much measuring). I have my guillotine paper cutter and Big Shot Pro on the Island and I still have space for a visiting craft friend to sit and craft at one end of the Island. The storage underneath holds my cutting dies, but it will eventually be storage for my card creations and other ongoing craft projects. The overhang on the BCO Craft Island allowed me to store those small metal rolling carts and an IKEA® rolling drawer unit with two of the other die-cutting machines I use the most.
BCO: How has staying organized inspired your creativity?
Leslie:
Organization is vital in helping me find supplies and tools promptly so that I am not hunting (and getting frustrated) to find what I need to create at that moment. For me, creating is not about the result of what I have created; instead, it is about the process. Now that things are organized for the most part, I can, and so can anyone, permit myself to make messes when creating! When my craft room as a whole was disorganized, I felt like I had messes everywhere!
Having the time to experiment and try something new, different, and challenging is so satisfying—it's just good for the soul! Having BCO storage solutions has reduced the stress of finding my craft supplies, and I have more time to create!
BCO: What advice would you give other crafters struggling to organize their spaces?
Leslie:
I wish someone had told me this a long time ago, as it can be very overwhelming if you have a lot of craft supplies, tools, and machines.
1. Look at your room and budget, and decide what is working and what is not for storing what you have and what you might be purchasing.
2. Start with one corner of your room, a 4x4 space.
3. With bags, boxes, etc, start going through that area to purge items to be donated, trashed, shared, and kept.
4. For the items you are keeping, put them in boxes by category and add similar items from the rest of your room that are visible at the moment (you will find hidden items as you continue through your craft room).
5. When you're done with the first area, pick the next area to organize/clean out. You will add another box or two to categorize the items you are keeping and add them to the boxes you have for donated, trashed, and shared items. As you fill a box, put donated and giveaway boxes in the garage or another area outside your craft area. Stack your "keep" items, if possible, in a corner. I put most of mine in the guest bedroom and on one wall in my craft room.
6. After you have gone through everything, you can decide where and how to store your "keep" supplies. Suppose you order new storage, such as BCO (Hint, hint), set up your new Craft Storage Cabinets while merging with the storage furniture you already have, and begin your reorganization. When deciding on your cabinets/shelves, remember the Drawer Inserts you may need to help organize items within each Drawer, which are also available at BCO.
It sounds overwhelming, doesn't it? But once you tackle that first small area, you will be inspired. And you will find it's becoming much easier to let go of those items you never use and won't use in the future. You will be surprised and motivated when you quickly see the results of each area you clean up. I make it a habit to clean up my work area at the end of the day unless I have not completed my project. I tidy the area, put caps on any mediums (such as glue, paints, etc.), and turn off lights and tools, especially glue and heat guns.
BCO: Is there anything else you want BCO or our crafters to know about you, your space, or your organization?
Leslie:
I am impressed with BCO's customer service, quality products, and fast shipping. Using a reliable company with excellent customer service is best when investing in storage. I contacted customer service about two missing rails for the Drawers in one cabinet, and they shipped them out the next day. The BCO person I spoke to was wonderful!
I am blessed to have my craft space and a supportive husband. Many years ago, I started with one small desk and a plastic drawer unit to hold supplies, and I have been grateful for the craft areas I have set up over the years. I am sure my mother is looking down, saying, "Job well done." She would have been so excited to see the development in crafting over the years.
My greatest joy is giving one of my cards, especially Birthday-Themed cards, and the recipient says, "I always look forward to receiving one of your beautiful cards."
Thank you for sharing your space with us, Leslie! To inspire craft organization ideas and win a $50 Best Craft Organizer store credit, send us pictures of your craft space for a chance to be a Crafty Spaces winner!
Here are a few tips for your submission: clean up your space, snap some photos (4 or more) from a few different angles, and include some comments about what you love about your area and your Best Craft Organizer products. You will be entered into our monthly drawing. Email your entry to contact@bestcraftorganizer.com.