How to Set Up a Scrapbook Room

Crafts: Organize your scrapbook room

By Anna Hart

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Keep scrapbook albums on a bookshelf for easy access, as well as neatness.

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Sort and store embellishments together in a labeled drawer or box.

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Scrapbooking can be addictive. Creative individuals browsing through a scrapbooking supply store often find themselves purchasing items for which they have no immediate use or future plan. A particular pack of paper is too pretty to resist. A certain embellishment is new and exciting. A kit would be just right if a friend has a baby. Eventually, the supplies begin to overflow a box, then two boxes. Papers become dog-eared or torn.

Such people eventually begin to despair. They don't want to give up the craft of scrapbooking, but it takes up too much space.

Perhaps you're in the same predicament. These suggestions will help you organize your scrapbook room.

Divide and conquer

Begin by dividing your scrapbook room into two areas. The first area
will be for working on scrapbooks, and the second will be for storage.

The work area will need a table or a desk that is large enough to hold a large album, papers, photos, other elements and tools. If you enjoy working with other family members or friends, select a table that provides space for three or four workers. Provide comfortable chairs for your scrapbook room so your back is supported while working. Good lighting is also essential in the work area. And add a big wastebasket.

An adequate, organized storage area in a scrapbook room will make your work easier and keep your supplies fresh and clean. There are many ways to store scrapbooking supplies. You can purchase furniture made especially for scrapbook rooms. Scrapbooking desks offer drawers of various sizes to fit the most common supplies. Scrapbooking paper storage units are often similar to those used in large offices. Clear plastic bins that stack are very useful. You will need different kinds of storage for different products so they will stay organized.

Once you have divided your scrapbook room and acquired the necessary furnishings, it's time to organize things.

Albums and paper

Scrapbooking albums are probably your largest items. Keep them on a bookshelf where you can easily select the one on which you want to work. If you have more than one size, arrange them by height to give your scrapbook room an organized look to go with your organizational efforts. If you have idea books or instructional books on scrapbooking, put them on the bookshelf as well. Magazines can be stored there, too, or can be placed in magazine holders from an office supply store, which will keep them tidy.

Scrapbooking papers and cardstock are the next largest items. These can be organized in a paper station, such as scrapbooking stores use, or store them in clear stacking plastic bins. Sort all your papers and get them safely out of the way before moving to another scrapbooking element.

Sort your paper and cardstock in a way that fits your creativity. Some people sort by color, placing all blues in one location, yellows in another, and so on. Others sort according to occasion. Paper related to nostalgic themes go together, paper that fits a sports theme go in another storage bin, and baby scrapbooking paper goes in a third.

Once your paper is sorted and put in storage bins or drawers, label the bins or drawers so you'll know at a glance what is in each.

Kits should be stored separately from paper and cardstock. Your scrapbook room might have a dedicated box or drawer just for kits. Keep them in their wrappers so all the pieces are together when you're ready to use them. Label your kit box or drawer.

Ribbon

Ribbon can tangle and fray if not stored properly. Invest in a ribbon holder, and make sure each roll is tidy before you store it. You may want to organize ribbon by color, too. If storing them in a box or drawer, label it.

Embellishments and tools

Your scrapbook room is looking better, but the small things are left, and they can cause clutter. Take time to sort through all the stickers, embellishments, eyelets, brads and so on. Place each in an appropriate drawer or box, and label them. A scrapbooking desk, with its many drawers and nooks, is great for organizing these small items.

One last essential for a scrapbook room is to have a place for tools. If they're on your desk, you may not have space to work, so put them away. Remember the saying, "A place for everything, and everything in its place." Put things away when you're done, and your room will stay neat.

About the author: Anna Hart invites you to read more of her articles about scrapbooking at http://www.Scrapbooking-For-Fun.com. She posts new articles regularly on that site. You won't want to miss her recent article on scrapbooking with a designer's eye.

Article Source: www.TheFreeLibrary.com

Published on Feb 18, 2009

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How to Set Up a Scrapbook Room

Source: https://www.cappersfarmer.com/do-it-yourself-projects/crafts-organize-your-scrapbook-room/

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