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Suggestions for Small Space Apartment Storage & Organizing
Hi everyone,
I am just getting started stamping and live in a city apartment. I was wondering if you had any general or specific suggestions on small space stamping? I will be stamping in my dining room (the apartment is open-concept with kitchen-dining-living in one large space).
If there are particular storage items, or furniture pieces, that would be helpful, please let me know too.
Location: along the bluffs of the Upper Mississippi River
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I've stamped in small spaces the 10 years I've been stamping. I've had plenty of space in both homes but like cozy spaces.
I don't really have a lot of ideas for apartment living but do you by any chance have one cupboard in the kitchen that could hold your supplies? Since it's open concept that seems perfect!
I've seen photos of people who have a stamp area in a closet. You have probably thought of a buffet to store your supplies or a sideboard. I see lots of cool tables with drawers that would work. I'd go with real furniture not crafting storage so you can just close a door or drawer and you would be back to a dining area.
Good luck!
__________________ All I want is the chance to prove money won't make me happy!
I've seen photos of people who have a stamp area in a closet. You have probably thought of a buffet to store your supplies or a sideboard. I see lots of cool tables with drawers that would work. I'd go with real furniture not crafting storage so you can just close a door or drawer and you would be back to a dining area.
Good luck!
Thank you! Yes, I've thought about sideboards and buffets but was also confess that I was looking at crafting storage! I perhaps will need to wait until I get more supplies to know which items would work best for the space as I don't have a firm grasp on stamping supply sizes.
I think you're onto something. If you are just starting out, you don't know what you're going to end up needing to store. Traditional crafting storage is going to assume you use things you might not. Many, for example, provide ribbon storage and I personally can fit all the ribbon I own in a small plastic shoebox. Many people end up using mostly black ink pads because they do a lot of coloring, but I don't, I use many colored ink pads and have to store them. Use whatever you have at hand while you are building your stash and make do until you start to see what you are going to need to store. A pricey furniture purchase at this point might end up being not really what you need.
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
I haven't tried this project myself yet, but I always suggest it because it's so simple, clever and inexpensive. And it looks cute (because Martha Stewart!)
I am fond of rolling and spinning storage for small spaces. I have a huge lazy susan on my desk that holds a couple totes filled with my most-used supplies and a couple coffee mugs where I store pens and non-Copic markers. (Copics have their own separate storage bin.) Some people like the tiered turntable below from Harbor Freight, though I think the bins will be too small for my use. I keep my stamps in three rolling carts with plastic drawers. Mine are the inexpensive and, sadly, discontinued Sterilite version. Below is the popular Iris brand that is still available, though at a much higher price:
Several scrapbooking acquaintances love this big guy below for hauling their scrap supplies to crops. It is heavy duty and can hold up to just about anything you put in it. A few of the gals painted and decorated theirs in beautiful, feminine colors. Unfortunately, loaded with paper, tools, ink and stamps, the FatMax is much too heavy for this old gal to lift in and out of her trunk. But you might find it perfect for apartment use. Toss your items in and roll it away to a closet when you are done crafting.
Depending on the room and wall space you have available, you might consider some sort of furniture storage. IKEA makes the Billy series bookcases below that have adjustable shelving. I also like my well-loved garage sale dresser for storing things like glue guns, paint, embossing supplies.
I haven't tried this project myself yet, but I always suggest it because it's so simple, clever and inexpensive. And it looks cute (because Martha Stewart!)
Several scrapbooking acquaintances love this big guy below for hauling their scrap supplies to crops. It is heavy duty and can hold up to just about anything you put in it. A few of the gals painted and decorated theirs in beautiful, feminine colors. Unfortunately, loaded with paper, tools, ink and stamps, the FatMax is much too heavy for this old gal to lift in and out of her trunk. But you might find it perfect for apartment use. Toss your items in and roll it away to a closet when you are done crafting.
Thank you so much for all of this! I am particularly interested in checking out this rolling FatMax! I don't own a car, and I'd like to see if the handle is tall enough to roll it down the street, in the subway, or on buses.
I was at Ikea yesterday for this purpose too! I currently have a Billy bookshelf that is completely packed with books and resources. I'll have to work on creating space ;-)
To give you an idea of the FatMax handle & size, check out this video starting at about 1:45 minutes:
Thank you so much! This is very helpful. And thank you for going out of your way (everyone); this is such a friendly and helpful forum. I'm so glad that I found it!
Last edited by UnderstandBlue; 01-12-2016 at 04:57 PM..
You have an Ikea close! Go back and get a Raskog cart. This is seriously the best storage investment ever, and it's not much of an investment at $29..99. But it is heavy and heavy-duty. I have one for my most-used crafting tools and another for my coloring tools (Copics, watercolors). I can just roll one up to my desk, and whatever I need is at hand. (They would also be great in the kitchen or the bath.) This is the scrumptious color I have:
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
Last edited by uncbballfan; 01-12-2016 at 05:17 PM..
Reason: Add'l info
You have an Ikea close! Go back and get a Raskog cart. This is seriously the best storage investment ever, and it's not much of an investment at $29..99. But it is heavy and heavy-duty. I have one for my most-used crafting tools and another for my coloring tools (Copics, watercolors). I can just roll one up to my desk, and whatever I need is at hand. (They would also be great in the kitchen or the bath.) This is the scrumptious color I have:
Thank you! I haven't been at an Ikea in over 3 years (don't have a car, have to wait for when a friend with a car is going) and when I'm back again (hopefully soon!) I'll take a look at this!
__________________ Small space stamping | Looking to build community with DMV ladies
They have monthly contests in their forum here where you can win $75 credit against your most recent purchase too
Thanks, Lydia. I did check them out and they have some fantastic items. Unfortunately for my space, I don't think many of their items would suit the size of the space.
__________________ Small space stamping | Looking to build community with DMV ladies
I also have purchased organizational products from Stamp-n-Storage and from Organize More -- excellent quality from both companies and very helpful for organization.
I absolutely LOVE my EZ View Desk from The Original Workbox. According to their website, there is a new version coming out in February. I'm curious to see it - hopefully, they will still have customizable options (drawers, shelves, etc.).
It's a wonderful unit and has helped me organize all of the crazy little things that can get lost in the shuffle, the everyday items, and also the not-so-often-used items that can be tucked in the "way back" of the bases.
Fabulous desk!!!! (Some people in this forum may be really tired of me saying it ;) )
Embellishments have been a problem for me over the years. Everything comes in different packaging in different sizes and drove me crazy because I couldn't organize it very well. I ordered a bunch of 3x4 ziplock bags with hang holes from Amazon for dirt cheap. I empty all my embellishments into the bags (even if it was already in a bag I changed it to have a consistent shape/size) and then sorted by color. Used a loose-leaf ring to hold each color together. The kits/collections that had several colors were separated out too. I had assorted bags of buttons, those were sorted out too. I spent a few hours getting organized and I think I went through 200+ bags.
Saves a lot of space, keeps it organized by color (if that's what you like), you can see everything through the clear bag and you can flip through to get what you want very fast. Works great for me.
I absolutely LOVE my EZ View Desk from The Original Workbox. According to their website, there is a new version coming out in February. I'm curious to see it - hopefully, they will still have customizable options (drawers, shelves, etc.).
It's a wonderful unit and has helped me organize all of the crazy little things that can get lost in the shuffle, the everyday items, and also the not-so-often-used items that can be tucked in the "way back" of the bases.
Fabulous desk!!!! (Some people in this forum may be really tired of me saying it ;) )
Wow! I'm not sure if it would fit my space, but it's something to look into! Wow! I can't wait to see what the new version will bring (with my space issues, this may need to go in-between other furniture, and I'm not sure if I could access the side-storage).
Thanks!
__________________ Small space stamping | Looking to build community with DMV ladies
Mine doesn't have the side or "other side" storage. I have the see-through drawers of course, and then on one side, the base has a shelf; on the other side, the base has a drawer and is open on the bottom. The space in the bases continues to the depth of the desk (from front to back).
Another neat thing is that because even the see-through/top drawers go all the way to the back of the desk, they are really long and well-supported - so sometimes when I'm working and need some extra space (for something not too heavy but I probably push that a bit), I just pull out the top drawers and have kind of a U-shaped desk. Really helps!
And the doors are deep and have the Velcro pouches, so that's some bonus space, too.
I'm curious if they are redesigning any of their other pieces, too.
I'm going to try to attach some photos I took of my desk back when I used it primarily for stamping .
Hi Kate,
I have an NYC apartment, so I totally feel your pain! I get so jealous when I see all these gorgeous craft rooms and I can't even fit enough space for a desk. Some of my lifesavers:
A crafting organizational tote. I have two of the main pockets for clear stamps, one for a baggie full of dewdrop and cat's-eye-sized inks, and one for foam tape, Tombow glue, a punch or two, and some other embellishments. The center holds most of my Spellbinders and other various dies. Around the edges, I can stash my scissors, glue sticks, corner rounder, Silhouette tools, tweezers, some Stickles, and whatever other randomness I have. You can pick one up at Michael's or JoAnn's:
I keep it on a two-shelf bookcase that also has most of my paper and cardstock, either kept vertically for paper pads or horizontally on a 12x12 paper sorter shelf. On top of that little shelf is a plastic 12x12 case for my scraps. It's not organized by color or anything, but I just don't have the space for separate bins of everything.
My favorite discovery is go-organize.com. They sell modular cubes similar to Michael's Recollections. They're not a big investment, and you can expand as you need to. I have these:
I've been a busy crafter this weekend, so right now my stuff is spread all over the floor, but tomorrow I'll see if I can post some pics for you.
I found an armoir computer desk at an estate sale. My plan is to use it as a scrap/card making desk. It has a pull out keyboard holder just right for projects and double doors that close. You can hand shelves on the inside. And storage below.
I have 8 of the Isis 6 drawer units that Melissa59 mentioned. i love that the slim drawers hold so many of the little crafting items we all use. I was able to find them half off and add more as needed over time. I have reconfigured my craft room many times over the years and unlike larger pieces of furniture these are more flexible. I have lined them up along one wall with a board over the top. I have removed the wheels and stacked them as well. Recently I had to give up my craft room and use a space in our family room instead. I used a 30x72 folding banquet table I had and was able to fit 4 units in the front and 2 in the back and still have plenty of leg room. Keeping your storage modular ( like the stacking cubes as well) gives you more flexibility as your needs change over the years. One suggestion I would make is that you eliminate as much visual clutter as possible. If you use shelving, use baskets or boxes to store things rather than see-through containers or loose items. I have lots of the black photo boxes from Michaels in which I store ribbons, precut card bases, etc. Making nice labels lets me know what's inside. I even cut colored patterned paper to slip in the fronts of the Isis drawers with labels just so the contents wouldn't show through. Keep the work surface clutter free as much as possible too. Visual clutter makes a space seem smaller. Good luck!
I have a black file box that I bought at an office supply store that I store all my 81/2 x 11 papers in. It has hanging file folders, one for each color of paper. I especially love this system for storing my papers as it is easy to move around and take to crops and classed.
Also seen you are soon interested in becoming a Stampin Up Demo have you seen the new company Fun Stampers Journey? Check it out, much lower minimums and a very motivated new company. I am a Coach there and it is fabulous!!
You have an Ikea close! Go back and get a Raskog cart. This is seriously the best storage investment ever, and it's not much of an investment at $29..99. But it is heavy and heavy-duty. I have one for my most-used crafting tools and another for my coloring tools (Copics, watercolors). I can just roll one up to my desk, and whatever I need is at hand. (They would also be great in the kitchen or the bath.) This is the scrumptious color I have:
Love my Raskog! It comes in several colors. I got beige so it goes well in my work area.
Hi Kate,
I have an NYC apartment, so I totally feel your pain! I get so jealous when I see all these gorgeous craft rooms and I can't even fit enough space for a desk. Some of my lifesavers:
A crafting organizational tote. I have two of the main pockets for clear stamps, one for a baggie full of dewdrop and cat's-eye-sized inks, and one for foam tape, Tombow glue, a punch or two, and some other embellishments. The center holds most of my Spellbinders and other various dies. Around the edges, I can stash my scissors, glue sticks, corner rounder, Silhouette tools, tweezers, some Stickles, and whatever other randomness I have. You can pick one up at Michael's or JoAnn's:
I keep it on a two-shelf bookcase that also has most of my paper and cardstock, either kept vertically for paper pads or horizontally on a 12x12 paper sorter shelf. On top of that little shelf is a plastic 12x12 case for my scraps. It's not organized by color or anything, but I just don't have the space for separate bins of everything.
My favorite discovery is go-organize.com. They sell modular cubes similar to Michael's Recollections. They're not a big investment, and you can expand as you need to. I have these:
I've been a busy crafter this weekend, so right now my stuff is spread all over the floor, but tomorrow I'll see if I can post some pics for you.
Michaels has those storage components and they are frequently on sale. Sometimes they have free or reasonable shipping too! I love my craft tote. I keep lots of my tools in it. I put it on floor by my desk to use the tools then haul it to card making group or to my mountain home.
You have an Ikea close! Go back and get a Raskog cart. This is seriously the best storage investment ever, and it's not much of an investment at $29..99. But it is heavy and heavy-duty. I have one for my most-used crafting tools and another for my coloring tools (Copics, watercolors). I can just roll one up to my desk, and whatever I need is at hand. (They would also be great in the kitchen or the bath.) This is the scrumptious color I have:
OOOOooooo! DO THEY HAVE RED????? I LIKE THIS!!! :p
I have a console table next to my desk that I store a lot of things in & on top of---on top, is for my paper cutter & Big Shot & some dies. (You know what is said, if you want to use it, keep it close...) I only have a corner in our bedroom for my crafting space. But I have to say, I do over-flow into the hall & into the kids bedrooms too. Yes, everyone puts up with my mess! I live with tolerant people! LOL If you're a crafter, sorry, you're somewhat of a "messy" person! LOL (Just my thoughts! That's why we're ALWAYS looking for ways to organize! LOL) ;-)
OOOOooooo! DO THEY HAVE RED????? I LIKE THIS!!! :p
I have a console table next to my desk that I store a lot of things in & on top of---on top, is for my paper cutter & Big Shot & some dies. (You know what is said, if you want to use it, keep it close...) I only have a corner in our bedroom for my crafting space. But I have to say, I do over-flow into the hall & into the kids bedrooms too. Yes, everyone puts up with my mess! I live with tolerant people! LOL If you're a crafter, sorry, you're somewhat of a "messy" person! LOL (Just my thoughts! That's why we're ALWAYS looking for ways to organize! LOL) ;-)
LOL I went to see if they had red. :( I too thought of spray painting it! LOL AND the gray WOULD WORK! ;) I've seen them on blogs, but NEVER KNEW they were so cheap! I looked on Amazon & they weren't as cheap there.
LOL I went to see if they had red. :( I too thought of spray painting it! LOL AND the gray WOULD WORK! ;) I've seen them on blogs, but NEVER KNEW they were so cheap! I looked on Amazon & they weren't as cheap there.
They are well made and sturdy! For the price they are a steal!
I am fond of rolling and spinning storage for small spaces. I have a huge lazy susan on my desk that holds a couple totes filled with my most-used supplies and a couple coffee mugs where I store pens and non-Copic markers. (Copics have their own separate storage bin.) Some people like the tiered turntable below from Harbor Freight, though I think the bins will be too small for my use. I keep my stamps in three rolling carts with plastic drawers. Mine are the inexpensive and, sadly, discontinued Sterilite version. Below is the popular Iris brand that is still available, though at a much higher price:
Several scrapbooking acquaintances love this big guy below for hauling their scrap supplies to crops. It is heavy duty and can hold up to just about anything you put in it. A few of the gals painted and decorated theirs in beautiful, feminine colors. Unfortunately, loaded with paper, tools, ink and stamps, the FatMax is much too heavy for this old gal to lift in and out of her trunk. But you might find it perfect for apartment use. Toss your items in and roll it away to a closet when you are done crafting.
Depending on the room and wall space you have available, you might consider some sort of furniture storage. IKEA makes the Billy series bookcases below that have adjustable shelving. I also like my well-loved garage sale dresser for storing things like glue guns, paint, embossing supplies.
Instead of buying every pack of paper you love the color of, limit yourself to color families you know are your favorites. Also, split packs of paper with one or two friends. I put my stamps on sheets of clear plastic or acetate and keep all my stamps in Avery Elle plastic sleeves, and those are all in a clear plastic refrigerator or pantry container. Once I eliminated the boxes my stamps came in I had lots of extra space. I am thinking of going to mostly black ink and coloring things in. That would save space too. Jennifer McGuire's You Tubes of the second time she did her stamping room has some great ideas. Paper is stored in job ticket sleeves from the office supply store. That's shown on Jennifer's You Tube. Saves a HUGE amount of space. I'm moving into using the thin dies versus having a ton of punches. I will keep basic shapes of punches like some small circles and squares. Have fun!
Mary, I like your idea of the bags...but please take me a step further...how do you store / organize all of those bags?
I sort by color and then keep them together with a loose-leaf ring. They get stored in a drawer unit. When I need to use them I pull out the whole drawer.
Go vertical! As much as you can. Tall book cases are great. Fill them with the same boxes for a streamlined look. And you don't have any marks on the wall that way.
I have an area in our basement, but we go camping and I have to contain my supplies when we go. I use divided cloth craft cases and stacking plastic cabinets in a small closet in the camper. One of the BIG space savers is unmounted stamps. I keep them in baseball card sleeves in binders. Had so many wooden stamps that finally decided to take the less expensive ones off their blocks. They're organized according to theme and then I have a reference folder where I keep all the info about them...like company, artist, how much I paid. Saves tons of space and they're easily portable in their folders ;)
Best wishes ~
This is not a storage system idea but a philosophy. I don't have a dedicated stamping room , My things are in the dinette area , in my closet or under the bed
One thing I found if you have limited space every year to two you need to go through your supplies and see what you didn't love enough to use in the past year or two.
Our interests change and we may have lost interest in using something like ribbon or buttons or punches . Those supplies need to be donated to make space for new supplies.
I just did a mass purge of my punches. I use dies and except for a couple of punches I don't use the others anymore . The Sunday school is getting a box of punches :cool:
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rachelrose
I think you're onto something. If you are just starting out, you don't know what you're going to end up needing to store. Traditional crafting storage is going to assume you use things you might not. Many, for example, provide ribbon storage and I personally can fit all the ribbon I own in a small plastic shoebox. Many people end up using mostly black ink pads because they do a lot of coloring, but I don't, I use many colored ink pads and have to store them. Use whatever you have at hand while you are building your stash and make do until you start to see what you are going to need to store. A pricey furniture purchase at this point might end up being not really what you need.
Oh, I agree! Everything in my stamp room is repurposed/upcycled! I was thinking more if she already had a sideboard or buffet or came upon one at a resale shop or rummage sale. I agree with use what you have.
__________________ All I want is the chance to prove money won't make me happy!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by uncbballfan
You have an Ikea close! Go back and get a Raskog cart. This is seriously the best storage investment ever, and it's not much of an investment at $29..99. But it is heavy and heavy-duty. I have one for my most-used crafting tools and another for my coloring tools (Copics, watercolors). I can just roll one up to my desk, and whatever I need is at hand. (They would also be great in the kitchen or the bath.) This is the scrumptious color I have:
I just ordered one of these! I'm so, so excited! I never buy storage....almost everything I have is repurposed storage. I had read somewhere they didn't have the blue anymore, but they did! The few times I've looked at IKEA online they didn't ship anything I wanted (I was looking for children's items though).
I'm so glad they would ship this. I'm three hours from IKEA in Minnespolis and rarely get there!
I so need this! Yay!
__________________ All I want is the chance to prove money won't make me happy!
Suggestions for Small Space Apartment Storage & Organizing
Storage
