5 Ways to Maximizw Space in your Craft Room

We all have too much supplies and not enough space for it. It doesn't matter if you have a craft room, a corner in the house or just a closet. These tips will help you get more space for all the supplies you need to store.

1. Stack
I have a thing about boxes.Most boxes have lids on the top which means you can put anything on top of them because youneed to open them up right? WRONG! Stack your boxes. Put one on top of the other. In a perfect world you would put the boxes one next to the other but in real life we have to make compromises. Use coordinating boxes in size and in pattern or color soit will look nice as well as being practical. And if you need something from the bottom box just move the boxes on top, alittle exsercise for the hands.

2. Adjustable Shelves
I baught shelf units in IKEA so I can adjust the space between the shelves according to the space I need. Unlike on a pre built shelf unit I don't waste space when things are smaller and I can fit tall stuff as well as more shelves.

3. Use the walls
If we all had huge craft rooms we could fill the walls with our creations but unfortunately that is not the case. If there is no room in drawers, shelves or cabinets move to the walls. I found some great ideas in the kitchen section in IKEA (again...I know it's affordable) that I could hang on the wall. It's a great solution for supplies that can be stored in containers and don't take a lot of room.

4. Under the Table
There is a huge space thatis usually missed...the space under the table. Your legs onlyneed somuch room to move...so why not utilize this space for storage. I have some large boxes with all kinds of supplies, as wellas my Etsy shop packing materials and allthe stuff I sell at the store. It's all carefully wrapped and organized.

5. Remove Packages
Packages can be complicating things. They're not flexible and usually much bigger than the product they hold inside. I took all the supplies out of their packages and put them in little containers I arranged in a drawer. If the manufacturer or product name is important add a little note on the bottom of the container.

Bonus Tip
Purge Often - between you and me...I'm sure there are some supplies you don't need or want. So purge, donate, sell, give...less supplies need less room :)

Even small spaces can have plenty of room for all our supplies if only we organize them in a creative way. I hope you'll try some of these ideasor come up with some ideas of your own.

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Have fun creating! 

My Storage Solutions

There is no one way to store your craft supplies. There are so many products out there, DIY ideas and solutions. But not everything you see in the stores or online is suitable for you. Maybe it cost too much,  you don't have enough room or not the right supplies' mixture. Today I want to share with you some of my storage solutions and how I make them right for me.

First let me say I don't have a color coordinated, beautiful, themed and styled craft studio. Whenever I find something I can use I use it without regard to the design or color.

Papers
I don't store my pages according to theme, color or pattern. I remember each page that I have (don't ask me how) and where it is, so where I need it I can get it. The only requirement is that they'll be upright so I'll be able to flip through them.

I didn't want to buy the pages' plastic boxes so I created my own. Fortunately my husband's shoe size is large enough so the shoe boxes are a perfect fit to a 12X12 paper while standing on their side. I cut out the top of the box and covered it with bookcloth. It makes the box strong especially at the seams. Then I covered the front with paper, which I admit is not so nice and I need to replace.

Trims & Ribbons
I keep my few trims in glass jars. Each jar is for a different color. This makes it easier to see what's in them and also because I like to arrange them in the order of the rainbow colors so it brights up the room. I got the jars in a store that sells dishes and kitchen supplies, it was much cheaper there than in a craft store.

Stamps & Stickers
I like to be able to flip though my stickers, letters and stamps freely, so all of them are stored in open containers. Some of the containers are boxes without the top and some are baskets, I love baskets. And boxes...a lot! I got most of them at IKEA

Bulk embellishments
I especially find it difficult to resist buying sets of boxes, those in different sizes that fit one inside the other. So I have two sets which I got at Home Depot. I keep all my small metal embellishments, gears, clock parts etc. which don't have a package but need to be in a closed container.

Punches
My big punches are stored on two narrow shelves. These are kitchen racks for spices which have a slit for the spices containers my husband found. That is really handy for the big punches which I put against the wall while the slit serves as a stopper. The smaller punches are stored in a plastic drawer chest I got at the dollar store.

Art Supplies
I store me brushes, pens, crayons, alcohol inks and more in open containers and hanging shelfs I got at IKEA. This makes them accessible whenever I need them.

Recognize this? This is the organizer I build from TP rolls that is now sitting on my desk. You can find the video tutorial here.

I'm working on a studio tour for ya'll which will show the other storage solutions I have in my room.
I hope you found these ideas inspiring and that you are convinced that functionality is more important than beauty. I think if you can get a container for a $1 but the color doesn't match your other boxes go for it anyway!

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have fun creating!

Behind the Scenes - Q & A

I get a lot of questions about what is really happening behind the scenes of my Youtube videos, project designs and blog posts. This is your lucky day, because all your questions are going to be answered! I'm revealing all the secrets!

Q: How does your craft space looks?
A: My craft space has two distinct modes: presentable and "oh my god!" It's basically a repeating process of organizing and putting everything away and then slowly taking things out but not returning it to its place. I'm going to share my craft space and organizational tips in detail in a future post.

Q: I wonder how does the table look outside of the frame?
A: well it looks like a big mess! Everything always looks so nice and organized on a video tutorial but the space you don't see is not organized at all! I just grab things, put them aside in no particular order and after awhile it gets cluttered and often dirty especially if I'm creating a mixed media project.

Q: How do you come up with your projects?
A: My process is sometimes a riddle to me too. Sometimes i start with the type of project I want to do, let's say a mixed media project. At that point that's all I know, I have no idea how it will look. Then I try to think what I want to say or what material i want to use or which technique and when I decide on that I start working. Sometimes the ideas start to flow and if they don't I go and get some inspiration online, outside, going through my stuff etc.

Q: How do you decide what Saturday MIXTRAVAGANZA project to do?
A: That's even more stressful because I'm on a deadline. The video has to be ready by Saturday. I usually decide what type of project I want to do first according to how busy my schedule is. The busier the schedule the faster the project. The secret is...I do the videos on Friday and edit them on Saturday. Lucky for me there is a time difference...
The process of actually creating the project is like what I described earlier.

Q: What equipment do you use to create your videos?
A: I use a Full HD Samsung Smart OIS camera with a Slik Pro 300DX tripod. I edit my videos on Movie Maker. All the narration is a voice over and the music is from royalty free stock music download sites that operate according to all copyright laws.


Q: How do your projects look so perfect?
A: That's called editing! You don't see all the mistakes that happen and the long pauses I take to think about what to do next. Sometimes there are projects which were a complete disaster and don't even make the cut to be a video tutorial...

Q: Are you ever afraid you'll run out of ideas?
A: I used to be, but then I learned to tryst myself and my creative process. I work best under pressure and I know myself well enough to know that when I need to, a good idea will pop into my head. Some might call it God, I call it intuition.

I hope these answers gave you a better idea of how things work around here.
Please leave me a comment with anymore questions you have or just show me some lovin'

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Have fun creating!

CHA Convention – Day 1

I'm finally here! After a long wait and too many hours on the plain, I have arrived to the show. This first day was filled with exciting workshops, meeting old and new friends and walking, a lot of walking. Of course this is just the beginning, because the major walking will start tomorrow when the show floor will open. One of the main exciting things today was handing over my Craft Studio innovative creation. Craft Studio is a special CHA Designer member project in which 24 designers received one type of material to create a project from. Each designer is also required to demonstrate the innovative technique used in the project and the way it was designed. I can't share the project with you yet except its name: Scrappin' wire.  Meanwhile, here are some photos of the Craft Studio sign. 

Another highlight of the first day was the workshops. One of the workshops was the Tombow Technique workshop, where we had a lot of fun with a few new products and techniques. I especially liked the Craft Collection which is a collection of double brush colored pens including a blending pen that can create all kind of fun and cool effects on paper, flowers, metal, wood and more. Another great product is a new glue pen with a pin point to allow detailed gluing. It can also be used in a resist technique in combination with the colored pens.

I can't wait for a lot more fun tomorrow….

Einat