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Scraproom Organization for Scrapbook Tools

Scraproom: Larger Tools
Excuse the piles and stacks of mess above and below this cabinet. I’m in the middle of a long and slow room reorganization (slow as in, I’m moving about two items per month so far).

What I’m really meaning for you to look at is the open cabinet from Ikea (the middle of three) — it’s where I’ve been keeping the tools that are too large to fit in a bin or basket.

(I know the Cropodile is hardly a large tool but it’s larger than all of my other hand tools and I can no longer fit it into my hand tool bucket. Into the cabinet for large tools it goes!)

Level 3 on the “Within Reach” Meter

  • Within Reach: Level 1 – on your work surface
  • Within Reach: Level 2 – off the work surface but within arms length without moving from spot. May require standing.
  • Within Reach: Level 3 – requires a zoom of the chair-on-wheels to a wall behind you or to the side (or you could take two steps if your chair is wheel-less; may require standing up to reach shelves.

Anything that requires more than two steps or a zoom of the chair is not within reach. That would include my closet, the cabinets to the right and left of the tool cabinet you’re looking at, and the shelf that is between my workspace and my closet.

The larger tool cabinet in the picture above is Level 3.

The Tools in my Level 3 Tool Cabinet

From right to left , front to back–

Why Isn’t My Cutting Tool on my Work Surface (Within Reach: Level 1)?

I got really tired of having a cutting tool in my way. I demoted it years ago.

Here’s the thing. When I move onto the embellishment phase of scrapbooking I do not need a cutting tool. Why have it take up so much space?

(Paperclipping Members should know my typical scrapbook workflow by now and why I have an “embellishment phase”).

When I’m mini-booking and using my task-batch mini-book process, I no longer need my cutting tool after the first step of laying the foundation.

Plus, I do other things on my table. I paint and art journal and sometimes I even alter three-dimensional items. Sometimes. I don’t need a cutting tool for those things.

Do You Really Use Your Cutting Tool All the Time?

I love that I can pull my cutting tool out for when I’m cutting, and then free my surface area when I’ve finished that step. Cutting tools are big — even my little Fiskars Trimmer is relatively large when you’re looking at the percentage of surface area it takes.

It goes like this . . .

  • When I’m painting, inking, or misting, I pull out a mat.
  • When I’m cutting paper I get out my cutting tool.
  • When I’m adding embellishments, I pull out my embellishments.

An Empty Surface is Full of Possibilities

I guess for some it could feel as intimidating as a blank page, but I doubt that. Over the past months I’ve removed more and more regular items from my work table until now it is empty except when in use!

Empty!

I love that.

How would you respond to an empty scrapbook work table? If all of your tools and supplies were above, below, behind, or to the side of you, would you be inspired or intimidated? Or something else?

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This entry was written by Noell Hyman and is filed under Scrapbooking Organization. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • jan farnworth

    i found that for my cutting tool it sits right in front of my work space. I have a shelf that my tv and cable box sit on and there an empty space below it. So i scoot my paper trimmer under it and then pull it straight out to cut and then straight back out my way. To my right i have my copic wallets and to the left of creating space on my table is my stamping stuff. On the floor i have my spell binder dies, punches and cuttle bug folders in tubs. Emblishments are my last thing i do and they are behind me in a brad organizer or to the right of the table in drawers.

  • Vickie

    I love empty spaces to start with so I would be more inspired than intimidated by them.
    And getting back to your paper trimmer- I have the same one (fairly new) and although my blade seems to cut cleanly, it feels like it’s dull (sort of drags- hard to explain). I’m wondering if the wire gets in the way sometimes. I do like it though and just try to keep extra blades on hand.

  • http://themermaidscloset.blogspot.vcom Martha Richardson

    My cutting tool is also put away!

  • http://www.paperclipping.com Noell

    Your whole setup sounds perfect! I especially love the way you can scoot
    your trimmer out and back into storage again!

  • Deirdre

    Just came to listen to the roundtable while my youngest naps and I try to find/create empty surface on my crowded table. LOVE this kind of post. And I think too often people wait to share their space until it is “perfect”—I’d love to see the “in process” changes like this one. Thanks so much!

  • Marcy

    Wow, I can’t believe the cropodile got the demotion!

  • http://www.paperclipping.com Noell

    Demotion? It’s not a promotion? ;)

  • Anonymous

    I love to have a big clear space to work on, so I’ve gone vertical. I have the mesh storage cubes you can get at stores like Target, I got mine online at Amazon and Walmart. I use cable ties to devide them into shelves so I have different size shelves. I love to see my things, becasue for me, it’s out of sight, out of mind. I just don’t want it all on my work area. They are all still within reach and within sight, but not on my work area.

  • Erink

    I had never really thought about it, but I guess my trimmer takes up quite a bit of space…I would love to have some place to tuck it out of the way. I don’t have a cabinet…any other ideas?

  • http://www.paperclipping.com Noell

    Do you have a shelf that it can lean sideways on?

    Or do you have a short flat space? There is a comment above where someone
    has a short flat space and she just slides hers in and out of that. I have a
    rolling file cabinet that goes under my desk and there are a couple of
    inches between it and the bottom of my desk. A trimmer could go there.

    For a while I was leaning on my against the wall on the floor at the side of
    my scrap table.

  • Deirdre

    That sounds like where I’m headed—I’d love to see how you have it set up, if you have images posted, please link! Thanks.

  • Deirdre

    I’m planning to hang my trimmer under my desk (to the side)…I end up using it all the time, but it is a space hog.

  • Carmenchernandez

    My trimmer is also not on my desk, it is on the floor between the desk and wall. Easy reach but not in the way since my table is only 4 ft there isn’t a lot of room for it. I did notice that you have your big shot standing up. I would be nervous placing it like that because it doesn’t seem so stable. Although laying flat does tend to take a lot of room. It is also next to my bind-it-all ;)

  • Jenway9

    Noell: I have one of the Zutter Bind it All machines myself. I would love to see you do a mini book video with it. You are so good with the mini books. I haven’t used mine yet but I plan to play with it this weekend. Just a thought, I know you have so much free time on your hands LOL just kidding.

  • http://www.paperclipping.com Noell

    I’m curious about what it is you want to see with the Bind It All. Are you
    wanting to see me use the machine step-by-step to see how to do it? Or is it
    more about seeing a mini-book that is bound that way?

    If it’s the second reason — Almost every mini-book I make I would prefer to
    use the zutter binding. Just about all of them would look great. The only
    reason I haven’t used it yet is because I have smaller wires and my books
    tend to be fat. None of the places I shop from carry the bigger wires so I
    need to find a place to order them from.

    I’m not sure what value I would have to offer (maybe you can clarify it for
    me?) by demo’ing the Bind-It-All in an episode, since there are free YouTube
    videos that show it.

    In my Altered Books Tutorial, Dedra shows how you can alter a book by
    binding a cover and back together with the Bind-It-All and she does a demo.

    I’m not ruling it out — I’m just wondering what it is you are looking for
    in a tutorial on that that isn’t already available?

    Thanks!

  • Cara

    My trimmer is away as well, more like level 2, though. My process sounds a lot like yours except I can’t stand to have a clear table to work, it’s intimidating LOL. I usually have a few leftovers and it works a bit like your pile in the post above. Things tend to fall on top other things and I spot combinations that would work well together. Anyway, my trimmers and punches are in a shallow drawer at the end of my table. It usually just stays open all the time I’m scrapping. Just gives me a bit of extra space. They always go right back in when I’m done using them and I close the drawer when I’m done for easy clean up. It works really well for me.

  • Erink

    Can someone help me out…I know that on one of the PRT episodes some of the girls talked about storing scraps. I remember someone saying they cut them down to certain sizes….anyone know which episode this was? I need to go back and listen to this one again! Thanks!

  • Erink
  • http://www.paperclipping.com Noell

    Are you a Paperclipping Member? I talked about this in my video tutorial on scrapping with your scraps.