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When I get into a creative frenzy, my crafting area takes over the dining room, the kitchen table, the computer area, the TV area (small house) - it takes over everything. And I need to see my stuff otherwise I won't know I have it and it doesn't get used.
So I have Gelli prints, card toppers in stages, printed sentiments and foiling station, craft table for bling and ribbon, Cameo station, Big Shot station, on and on.
I do get the urge to 'put it all away' once a month, but it will start to expand again in a month or two.
I live alone, so there is no one nagging my to put it all away (thank goodness). My sister is worried. She told me I wouldn't find a man living like this. LMAO!
Oh how I was just telling my DH yesterday that I needed more space. I have a craft room and it stores my quilt stuff. We moved all my card making stuff to the dining room. Yesterday I realized the dining room table is not large enough to actually craft on and I used the living room table to use my big shot. LOL! Now I do reset and start over for every card put it all away. But in the process of this weeks cards I have been covering my table and cabinet as we have been doing construction so trying to find anything was a real nightmare. Thankfully that is nearly done. Oh and did I mention I am FINALLY cleaning up my white paper scraps? Yes I save every scrap and if it is large enough to punch out punches from my smallest punches then I save it until I have time to punch it down. Well the white gets out of control and about 2 weeks ago I started cleaning it up. LOL I am nearly done but oh what a mess that has been to clean and punch down those scraps.
In a word, yes. There is no tv or radio where my stuff is so I often bring a stage out to the LR to work. Or if I am doing a run like I just did of 36 cards for the holiday. (Yes I am late) I used to have a boom box in there that broke so I need a new one. Lord only knows where it is going to go.
But I have a DH so I have to take it all back pretty quickly. The upside is he sees how much work goes into even a simple design, esp on a big run.
That would NEVER be an option for me. My DH is a neat freak... I'm lucky, I have a small craftroom in our Basement. I have slowly but surely gone outside my room. I have 4 cabinets with doors on the wall outside my room...They look tidy when I remember to shut the doors LOL. Not too long ago my husband told me I needed to clean up my craft room. He said he would be embarrassed if someone came over and he was showing them the basement and they saw my room. We have been in our house 35 years. I think everyone we know has seen our basement and will not need a tour of my craft room LOL But that told me it was really bugging him...Poor old Dude just can help that mess and clutter bugs him. So I did clean it up... truth be told, it was to the point that I had about a 4 inch spot to work in and could have broken a leg if in stepped on the stuff on had piled up on the floor. I am really trying to get in the habit of cleaning up after a creating frenzy. I will be retiring December 1 and we have a place in Florida and I will have to craft on a folding table in our Kitchen. Will Need to clean up after I'm done everytime. So it is a good habit to cultivate.
__________________ Bev
Organized People are just too lazy to hunt for things!!!
When I get into a creative frenzy, my crafting area takes over the dining room, the kitchen table, the computer area, the TV area (small house) - it takes over everything. And I need to see my stuff otherwise I won't know I have it and it doesn't get used.
So I have Gelli prints, card toppers in stages, printed sentiments and foiling station, craft table for bling and ribbon, Cameo station, Big Shot station, on and on.
I do get the urge to 'put it all away' once a month, but it will start to expand again in a month or two.
I live alone, so there is no one nagging my to put it all away (thank goodness). My sister is worried. She told me I wouldn't find a man living like this. LMAO!
Does your craft(s) expand like the universe?
We are crafting sistahs from another mister! After reading no less then 10 books on organization, I finally accepted that I work best with a "creative" mess around me. But stuff on the floor is getting to be a real hazard. So I ordered that rolling cart from IKEA that all the crafters are crazy about and hopefully that'll help keep things in eyesight without being spread out all over.
And anyone who visits and gets offended by my mess need to not come over anymore. It's a great way to weed out the uptight and those who worry about the small stuff :grin:.
I have never wanted a "dedicated craft room" to actually sit in and make things. I like to be out in the open and not shut up in a room when I'm creating.
I have a spare room where all my crafting supplies live, but I bring things out to a game-type table in my open living area to actually work on them. The TV is there, and the kitchen and my computer are steps away.
I'm retired and don't have to worry about children getting into things, so I can leave them on the table as long as I need to.
My hubby is very tolerant of my "stuff" staying out in view, as he has pretty much taken over the kitchen table with his things most days. He likes magazines and cross word puzzles and I have my cardmaking. Live and let live - it's great! We enjoy our days together.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
I don't have to worry about mess with a dedicated craft room, I don't mind being in there alone (that way I don't have to clean if I'm in the middle of a project) and with all the store and cubes I have room for everything without it taking up floor space!! At least not very often!! Our house is not an open concept anyway besides there are too many people in and out every day to have the tables covered in the rest of the house!!
I have a TV and computer in my room, if I had a bathroom or kitchen in the same room I would never come out!! Or so DH says.
I have a friend who has made cards and art journals and paints - dabbles in everything - for 15 years. Her craft room is so neat, everything put away in cuboards and drawers. It amazes me that she can craft that way.
But then her craft room is the dining room and it's huge. Her husband is military - I should ask her if she cleans up every day because everyone walks through her area all the time and it would drive her husband crazy if he saw the clutter.
Sometimes I feel so blessed that I live alone and can spread my crafts as I want. The dog loves me no matter what, and the cats are forgiving as long as their servant (me) is on time with their food and pettings.
Ok, I can see a difference in processes. Some folks work on one card at a time and then clean up. Some of us work on multiple projects at the same time, so it's always going on.
I do zip lock projects up and put them into a Pending box when if feels like I'm wading through generations of brilliance or trash, depending on the day's perspective.
Do you bag up your pending stuff, or work on one project at a time till it is complete?
I tend to work on one project at a time until it's done. I usually make multiples of cards, with the occasional "special" one for a grandchild's birthday.
When I'm making a whole bunch alike, I do sometimes put everything into a flat box if I need to take a break, so that all the components will stay together until I can get back to it. But I usually finish a project at a time, whether it's multiple cards, or just one.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
Well, I'm just the opposite of everyone else's crafting habits. I can not work in disarray and I can't walk away from it either. I often times will stop mid project and reorganize. Doesn't matter if I'm sewing or papercrafting.
I'm the same way at work. My desk must be tidy at all times.
Sounds like a bad case of OCD to me. I'm sure there's a pill for it, but then I would have to admit it is a problem.
__________________ A good dog, a sewing machine, and an old guitar......
it depends on what I am doing and how close the deadline is.
if I am doing something messy ( like gelli plate prints or heat embossing type things) I tend to do a stack of them and let them drip dry over everything. I will walk away from that. if I am doing just one card its no big deal to put it all away after. and I do that, and finish the inside of the card and package it with a paper envelope inside a clear one at the same time.
but, my space is also ( kid free and the dog doesnt get into things) and is an open corner of a shared hobby space with hubs. ( sometimes it is annoying to see his stuff all over the place. ( he collects lures and started reorganizing a few months ago, got * ooh shinny* distracted with hunting season and you cannot walk through his part of the room still.) but, its all good.
every now and again someone local will want to flash my space at their hubs to show them "they" really don't have so much stuff after all (compared to mine) and I do have tours go through. ( If I know in advance I put away more things)
Ok, I can see a difference in processes. Some folks work on one card at a time and then clean up. Some of us work on multiple projects at the same time, so it's always going on.
I do zip lock projects up and put them into a Pending box when if feels like I'm wading through generations of brilliance or trash, depending on the day's perspective.
Do you bag up your pending stuff, or work on one project at a time till it is complete?
I have tons on the go at any one time! I put the all the stuff from an unfinished project into acid-free page protectors then into a basket on the side of my table (new system – used to file them away but then they're filed away and I never thought about them again). If I'm really loopy and tired, I throw the experiments into a small box right next to my table on the floor :shock:
I have tons on the go at any one time! I put the all the stuff from an unfinished project into acid-free page protectors then into a basket on the side of my table (new system � used to file them away but then they're filed away and I never thought about them again). If I'm really loopy and tired, I throw the experiments into a small box right next to my table on the floor :shock:
Our house is sort of an open concept, living room, kitchen and small family room all connect. 2 bedrooms and bath in the back of the house. Anyway, I made the family room into my craft area. It used to be my TV room before I starting card making because football season is my hubby's hobby.
Now I don't even turn on my TV when I'm creating. I hear his TV and that's enough noise for me. I wish I would take more time with my hobby though. I start something, make a bunch of cards and am so happy, but then I don't seem to get started again. I have no idea why?
I have good intentions lying in bed in the morning planning out my day but then "life" takes over and before I know it, it's supper time. I can't craft at night, I'm too tired and the lighting just isn't bright enough for my old eyes.
I have a dedicated stamp room I wish was twice as big and it usually looks like a bomb went off when I'm in the throws of a creative frenzy. Our house is always what I call "company ready" so there is no overflow. DH wouldn't complain, it's just that we both like the living area to be free of clutter and somewhat tidy.
I kep a neat room. Every night everything is cleaned up. I lie to come into a clean area each day. My sweet friend ran out of space in herroommover a 3+ car garage so she built a 3300 sq foot stamp cottage. Its top of the line everythig and gorgeous! It isnt neat whilecwe work but its beautiful allnte other imes. Tere are 8 workstations. A die cut room with dies from everywhere and many die cut machines to choos from. Its dreamy!
I worked really hard to find a place for (mostly) everything. And I left myself about 20"x20" of crafting space--which is perfect for the actual crafting but . . . I just realized that I need more table space to keep my crafting from spilling over to other areas.
I need room to set aside the trimmer when I'm using my ScorePal, to set aside the ScorePal when I'm inking, to set aside the ink when I'm using embossing powders, etc. In other words, I need an open space of about four or five feet to use everything without getting up and down and going crazy. Either that, or I'm going to have to find a new, permanent home for my most-used, large items within arm's reach.
My 20-something son is the neat-nick of the family. His room is neat and orderly but he does not complain about the clutter in my bedroom or craft room.
I'm fortunate to have a dedicated craft room which is clean and orderly right now ; ) I'm definitely OCD except when I'm in the throes of a creative frenzy. Then every available surface is covered with stamp notebooks, paper, diecuts, dies, embossing folders... Then after I'm done, or there's no path to walk or place to sit, I'll tidy up.
I like to play with a new technique or tool, and end up with multiple unfinished projects. I was filing them away in plastic bags and drawers. Out of site, out of mind is all that happened. I now have a couple of small bins on my table for my extras. I'm using my extras more now.
I kep a neat room. Every night everything is cleaned up. I lie to come into a clean area each day. My sweet friend ran out of space in herroommover a 3+ car garage so she built a 3300 sq foot stamp cottage. Its top of the line everythig and gorgeous! It isnt neat whilecwe work but its beautiful allnte other imes. Tere are 8 workstations. A die cut room with dies from everywhere and many die cut machines to choos from. Its dreamy!
I am pulling out all those 'half finished projects' because if I put them away, I won't find them for another 2 years.
I remember my dad at 85 yrs old used to keep all his food on the counter. When I went to his house, I would put it all away in the cupboards and clean off the counter tops. And he went out and re-bought it all and put the new stuff on the counters... I used to get frustrated that he had to have everything on every surface. But I'm starting to get it.
I actually do have a dedicated room but cannot use it because it is a disaster zone and there is no where to work. I actually currently craft in the living room or dining room. My stuff is ALL over the house. We've been planning to switch my craft room from upstairs to downstairs so that I can more easily access the room with the dogs around (I don't like for them to go upstairs - I have a young dog who I can't really trust!). We are even collecting furniture for the "new" room. I hope we can actually get it together this winter. I am so tired of having everything everywhere and I don't know where stuff is.
__________________ Julia Gluten free on 9/15/2008. I am a Celiac. 1 in 133 Americans is a Celiac and 97% of those who have Celiac Disease are still undiagnosed. Are you one?
[QUOTE=poppydarling;21070379] So I ordered that rolling cart from IKEA that all the crafters are crazy about and hopefully that'll help keep things in eyesight without being spread out all over.
What cart is this? I'm sure I need it. Do you have a link or the name of the cart?
Ummmm....lets see....I have a beautiful craft room down stairs that I love but....My stuff has migrated into the dining room under the buffet and in the drawers of the hutch then it also went into the computer room/grandkids sleep over room where it has taken over an entire closet full of shelves. Moving along it has also taken over a section of the mud room in the closet there as well as one of those stand free pantrys and the top of the freezer. Sometimes it's a bit difficult to locate something since there are so many places to look. Wish I could get it all back to the craft room, but I doubt that will ever happen! LOL
So I ordered that rolling cart from IKEA that all the crafters are crazy about and hopefully that'll help keep things in eyesight without being spread out all over.
What cart is this? I'm sure I need it. Do you have a link or the name of the cart?
So I ordered that rolling cart from IKEA that all the crafters are crazy about and hopefully that'll help keep things in eyesight without being spread out all over.
What cart is this? I'm sure I need it. Do you have a link or the name of the cart?
I tried crafting within a contained space, but found that my creativity became contained as well...not good. So, the dining room has become my work space. Visitors enjoy seeing my latest cards or mini albums. TV and computer are right there, too. Each project is kept on a cookie tray (with a raised rim) as I create or gather the parts/elements. Mini albums can easily be put on hold while I work on a card or two. When I have too much stuff on my table, I can't find anything! That's when I know it's time to tidy up my table/work space. By the way...that funny old joke is true...choosing crafting over husband did give me more space and time to create! It was the right decision for me! Keep on creating those cards and mini albums!
Based on the response to this thread I see many of us are in the same boat! I have a separate room which stores all my craft stuff and is also my computer room, however, there is no room to work. So it means hauling everything to the dining room table which is huge or smaller table off the kitchen area. I really hated having to put everything away each time I wanted to "create" so I found I wasn't taking the time to do what I loved doing. About 3 months ago I decided "to heck with it", so I pulled out my stamps, inks, EF's, markers, papers, embellishments, and everything that goes along with it, and started having fun again. I hate leaving everything out but it is the only way to make it easier to be creative. I did do one thing however, that helps somewhat. We do lots of entertaining so I have many long beautiful tableclothes. After I'm finished making cards, books, art canvases, boxes, or whatever, I simply pull a tablecloth over the MESS and it looks so much better! I'd still rather have a neat, uncluttered space, but I can live with it! OH, and thanks Poppydarling for the info about the IKEA cart. That might just help the situation.
OH, and thanks Poppydarling for the info about the IKEA cart. That might just help the situation.
You're welcome! I bought mine in charcoal gray, with the idea that if it doesn't work out in my craft room I will use it in my living room for all of the junk I usually have around the television and coffee table :eek: It's supposed to have a small footprint so I could see a few of those carts lined up in a dining room or living room and not being too obtrusive.
I'm a huge supporter of leaving creative items out to encourage daily creativity so however you make that work, I think it's a good thing!
Like several of you, I have a dedicated room where my supplies live -- but I create somewhere else. Fortunately, my kitchen bar (where I work) is only steps away from my combination craft room/guest room. I live alone, so no one nags me about leaving my stuff out on the bar -- which happens quite often. The only guests who spend the night are my sisters, both of whom are also crafters. So they don't mind sleeping with the stamps/paper/dies/embossing folders/embellishments/etc., etc., etc.
Ooh! it's not just me then. I live on a narrowboat on the English canals (57ft long and 6ft 10 inches wide). Not much room for living in, let alone craft. My work station is 2ft square which has to be cleared for food preparation and I have about another 2ft x 2ft to play with using the top of the cooker. OH has let me use one large cupboard but I have managed to scrounge space in others. He also let me have a big black, tin cabinet which is housed on our moorings which contains most of my stuff. Not much use when we are out cruising though. Once I have spread myself out it is mealtime and I have to move it all out of the way. Oh how I would love a craft room - or even a dining table.
Ooh! it's not just me then. I live on a narrowboat on the English canals (57ft long and 6ft 10 inches wide). Not much room for living in, let alone craft. My work station is 2ft square which has to be cleared for food preparation and I have about another 2ft x 2ft to play with using the top of the cooker. OH has let me use one large cupboard but I have managed to scrounge space in others. He also let me have a big black, tin cabinet which is housed on our moorings which contains most of my stuff. Not much use when we are out cruising though. Once I have spread myself out it is mealtime and I have to move it all out of the way. Oh how I would love a craft room - or even a dining table.
"Ok, you win." she said begrudgingly. And vowed to make more of an effort to keep her life�s chaos better contained. She has made this promise before, but this time it felt different.
Excerpted from my future memoirs� LOL
I have too much crapola. I could do with a good clean out.
I have a dedicated craft room work room that is REALLY used everyday. I like working alone with all my supplies neatly stored nearby. I work on a month's worth of cards at a time that are all the same theme, but not the same format, style, technique as that is how I get to try new things. So in the process of making those, I have lots of stuff out everywhere. I usually clean up and put away after each project, but then I often immediately start on a new project. That being said, I like to spend evenings with hubby watching TV or movies, so try to have something to bring out to the great room to work on then. Since I also sew in my craft room, I can usually bring out some hemming or other handwork to work on in the living room. I try to finish up what I bring out, but that doesn't always happen, so I either take it back in to my craft room, or put it in a basket that can sit in the open without looking too messy. I'm a neat freak and cannot work in too much of a mess. I also love organizing almost as much as I love to craft!
Yes!!
I have a dedicated craft rom/area.
Ii has a customs build desk along one wall (my hubby made it for me) with 2 desks, one holds my sewing machine the other my PC. And then a small desk size table from Ikea in the middle of the room - which is where I am supposed to be creative.
Yet every time I sit down to make something I tend to expand all over this desk, the sewing desk the computer desk, my shelves... you name it it's covered in supplies.
I tried to stay more organized and use only the actual craft table, but I tend to not be as creative when I do so. Guess I need the clutter for inspiration ;)
[QUOTE=Janet1000. And I need to see my stuff otherwise I won't know I have it and it doesn't get used.UNQUOTE
Oh yes. I have just had a fantastic remake of my craft room (and the "office" side for household admin stuff ) with soooo much cupboard/shelf/drawer space. Everything is now neatly and tidily tucked away but I just know that I will never find some stuff again . Definitely a case of out of sight, out of mind!
Just today I searched for over an hour for that foam that has adhesive on one side. High and low, pulling out all the drawers and going through all the shelves. I knew I had bought that stuff, and I could see it in my mind's eye where I had it stored at one time.... but in a re-org to clean things up, I moved it to a different storage location.
Putting things away is nice. But I do notice that I spend time searching for things and getting frustrated.
So glad to know that I am in such good company-lol!! I have a "craft room" that is 11 x 13 and has wall to wall rolling shelves and dressers...this is technically my storage room now (where my overflow papercrafting and fabric "live" ) :-)
It was so crowded that I could no longer work in the room so I moved quite a bit of my stash to our unused DR that opens to the LR...all of my stamps (well, almost all), current inkpads, necessary tools, embellishments, etc. are now within arm's reach in the DR. It is crowded (I have 5 of those IKEA-type shelf units that I bought at Sam's Club at a much better price than IKEA), plus a large map chest file cabinet filled with stamp sets in the old clamshell style cases from SU!, a dresser filled with stamp sets in the drawers and ont top with rotating DVD shelving and several other type of carts (the "room" is 8 x 12 and again, open so only 3 walls and I am sharing it with the buffet and corner china cabinet as well)...
I do use the floor for my dies in their Artbin cases (4 cases), trimmers, scoring board, clear stamp storage and scrap storage and I only have approx 24" x 12" of actual work space on the table, but this set-up has been extremely helpful for designing :-)
Luckily, my hubby does not mind and he is able to sit in the LR now while I craft and we can at least see one another :-) I did have to purchase him a headset for the TV (since he likes to watch sports and has been recently diagnosed with an over 35% hearing loss in both ears) - the headsets were not that expensive and have saved us from many arguments- lol!! I listen to movies on my laptop as I stamp, so when he has his headset on, all is well :-)
My two kitties are with me constantly and they do not mind the stamping stuff that has invaded their home at all :-)
We are one happy family, and unfortunately, we rarely have anyone over to visit (our home is small and we really do not have enough room to entertain).. We used to live just in the back half of the house- I would be in the current "storage craft room" and hubby would watch TV in our BR so we were not really using the LR and DR...Now the entire house is being used and while I wish we had more space, if we did, I would most likely just spread out the crafting area to take it up anyway!
Now the entire house is being used and while I wish we had more space, if we did, I would most likely just spread out the crafting area to take it up anyway!
You know yourself well. Yea, the more storage space I create/claim, the more stuff I have to store. I swear, the supplies are listening! When it hears about more space, it expands to over fill it. Just like my car or appliances can hear that I have disposable income...
And you are in the best of company! I'm so glad that I am not the only one who lives like this and thinks it is fine. :-)
I have read each post............and you all are such wonderful ladies........your talent...if you are a neat freak or like me...spread the love...giggle.......it just makes me smile to know you are here and so much fun.........enjoy!
Tell me I am not alone...
