As the judge of the last four quarterly ScrappersChallenge Messy Room contest, I have learned a few things that might benefit all of us. Keep these ten tips in mind. Whether you have a room that needs organization
or you just finished the challenge, read on for some scrap room organization tips.
1. Large or small, any size scrapping space can benefit from organization. Large room or small room, messes seem to grow into the size room you have on hand. Having a large room doesn't protect you from having a mess. LOL So take heart if you have a small scrap space. If you keep it neat, you probably have just as much actual work space as your neighbor who has a whole studio! Strange but true! Regardless of the room size, don't feel sorry for yourself, just keep it neat and you'll be ahead of the game!
2. The floor is not a storage device. Why do we all seem to think the floor is a bookcase, filing cabinet, tool holder, paper sorting surface, and a trash collection point? If you catch yourself putting something on the floor--STOP!!!!!! 40% of the messes in the messy room challenges are on the floor. Not the shelving or the desk or the counters. hmmmmm This cannot be good for your back either! So just put things away as you go in the RIGHT spot--not on the floor until 'later.' Besides, you might trip on all that stuff!
3. Can you reach it? Riddle. If a scrapper has a lovely large desk and clears it all off leaving several shelves on it empty except for a photo of her children and a vase leaving many square feet of space on those upper desk shelves empty but yet sets her most used tools and adhesives across the room on a bookcase, how many times will she have to get up? Is this efficient and truly organized or just 'clean'? I notice that this error has been committed several times in our past challenges. If your paper trimmer and adhesive and straight edge scissor are not within reach on your desk, they should be. Whatever you use the most should be the closest. Move the vase. ;)
4. The most common complaint I hear overall is 'I have no room'. I often rely, 'What is on your wall?' This sort of goes with the floor tip in #1 and the Can you reach it tip in #2. I learned this from the IKEA store. If you have a 4 foot square space in front of your scrapping area that holds a piece of artwork from 1982 and a 7 inch photo of someone you love (but it is not even centered on the wall with the 1982 artwork) you can't use it at all. Can't you utilize that space better with a set of shelves? Remove the tired artwork. Get a nice frame for the photo if you insist on having it in front of you and place it on your 16 feet of new linear shelf space!!!!! Don't tell me there is no room for your stuff unless you have gone vertical up the wall. :) Even those who rent their housing can put up a bulletin board or pegboard screen in a frame and hang it on the same nail as the artwork used to be on. Or lean it against the wall behind the desk for storage. A neat shelf unit with coordinated containers will look JUST as nice as that tired artwork. Probably better if you do it right. 16 more linear feet of space, think about it.
5. Get rid of those things! I am so proud of the gals who not only clean up their spaces but actually sit down and THINK about what they own and what they really like to use and get rid of what is not working. Why store it if it is just not the right tool or supply for you? If you hate stickers, don't keep them. Don't keep paper or supplies or tools you don't LOVE. If you wouldn't sit right down this minute and use them, don't keep them. Buy only what you love from now on. You need the space and the peace of mind more than you need that other stuff. I don't care what they cost. Bless someone else with them.
6. Find a system. Any system. And stick to it until it shows that it is not working. Ask around what works but don't debate it forever. Choose a system. Some system is better than chaos. I like the work stations approach for the most part. (work desk, computer desk, stamping area, and inspiration storage area) But find one you like and go with it. Maintain your system. As my grandpa used to say, 'Even if it is half-assed, it is better than sitting on your ass.' (Excuse my language) LOL
7. Visibility is key.Store things so you can access them easily and SEE them easily. Storage is only half the organization picture. Retrieval is vital which makes clear storage faster than something you have to open to search to make sure you even have the right tub. Visibility can mean
good labeling too if you don't like see thru container items. So choose containers so you can SEE what is inside and label well. Save yourself a few minutes each time and time will add up in your favor.
8. Unless you use it daily, store the big stuff higher up. I don't mean heavy big stuff that could hurt you if it came down wrong--but rather stuff that is larger and lightweight. Put big stuff up if you can and you can grab and pull it down as needed. All things being equal, storing one big thing like a xyron on a top shelf makes more sense than storing 50 small tupperware containers up there. It is easier to grab the big thing now and then than to have to grab so many little things just as often each. If the frequency of use is the same, keep more small items closer to you. You'll have to reach less distance less often.
9. Don't fret. Don't fret about perfect pages and don't fret about not having the scrap room space someone else may have. This world is made up of about 6 billion people and I have less than some but much, much more
than most. I don't fret about whether my scrap room is a taj mahal. I worry about getting nice pages done. ;)
10. Personalize your space. For me it is Mary Engelbreit art. Include something fun or funky or meaningful. One small thing that makes you smile. Be happy as you work. It will show.
Well that's it. These are the top ten things I can share with you from the wonderful gals in the Messy to Clean room contest on Scrapperschallenge yahoo group. Those gals worked so hard! Congrats to them! But even if you didn't participate as a contestant in that cleanup challenge, you can still be a winner if you implement the new tips they all learned the hard way! :)
Let's get organized so we can get scrappin'!!
