Patty's Stamping Spot

New Raised Countertop in my Stamp Loft

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 New Raised Stamping Space Countertop... whohooo!

I realize that a raised countertop may not be the most exciting news to a lot of people.. but in case you are a crafter who likes to stand when you craft, cut, or die cut, or, maybe you are on the taller side like me (almost 5'-8"), you will appreciate this idea...

My hubby got some free countertops and we were going to replace my existing stamping loft countertops, but.. then we got this idea... if we put the NEW countertop on TOP of the OLD countertop and put a spacer in bewteen, then it will be higher and more ergonomic for me when I stand to cut cardstock or do die cutting on the Big Shot!

Bless my hubby.. he was so kind to do all the measuring and cutting and installing! So here was the process...

We decided to leave the existing old green countertop in place, and build a maze of 1"x6" dividers on top ... this will form a platform for the new countertop, but even more exciting... I will be able to fit plastic storage container boxes in between the old counter and new counter!!! See next photo..

ABOVE:  you can see how the new counter sits on those vertical dividers and creates a space for the plastic storage boxes in between the 2 counters!!!

Since my space is very tiny.. only 8'x8', I need to make the most of my area, so those extra 8 plastic box storage cubbies are PERFECT!

He still needs to finish the trim on the front, but other than that, it's a GREAT new space for my paper cutting and die cutting and I don't have to bend over!!

Ya, I know it looks like a mess... but that's only a sign of a busy crafter :)

On the other side of my stamp loft, my hubby added the matching new black countertop.. this is where I sit to stamp... of course now it's covered with STUFF.. but this is when we first put it in ... yep.. trim needs to be finished, too...

We were blessed that these countertops were no longer needed in the office they were being used in, so they were free... whohooo! Gotta love free!

 

 You can see other organizational ideas in my stamping loft here.

 

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There are a lot of things that can make me really happy..

this is truly one of them...

This is my Stampin' Up!

Punch Drawer of Awesomeness!!

I've been slowly switching over from the old style of Stampin' Up! punches to the new ones.. and now I have a drawer full of punches... that makes me SO happy!

You can find all of the Stampin' Up! punches online here

and there are 8 punches on the

STAMPIN' UP! CLEARANCE RACK HERE

 

 

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Stampin' Loft Redo - my "Lightbox"

I've been sharing photos of my stampin' loft with you over the past month or so.. I'm glad you are enjoying the ideas for storing and organizing your stampin' and crafting stuff, I mean SUPPLIES! : ) 

The last part I have to share with you is my new "lightbox".

Once I was done with my "redo"... I looked at one of the shelves and said..."HMMMMMMMM I am thinking this would be a GREAT place to take photos of my projects..."... it was at eye level (no more stooping over), it was near an electrical outlet for the lights, and right there in MY SPACE!!  In the past I've taken photos in the living room on the floor, in front of the window, on the couch, in the stairwell under the skylight.. you name it I've tried it.. . I even tried pix in our huge bathtub since it's white and has great natural lighting... so I was READY for a "lightbox". 

It is just a piece of white paper from a roll of paper taped to the wall in back and then brought forward and tucked under the front of the bottom shelf, with a 12x12 white piece of cardboard (from the Stampin' Up! Designer Paper packages) on each side!!  The lights are from a home improvement store and have "daylight" bulbs in them. They clamp to the shelf above.

It works for me and the total cost was under $20, and I am really pleased with it :)

I'm Happy to report that I have kept my floor cleaned up ever since starting this "redo" several months ago... and it feels so good!

I hope you've enjoyed the Stampin' Loft Tour.. thanks for visiting me!

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Stampin' Loft Redo - "the bridge"

Just a quick shout out... thank you to all my faithful viewers who visit me... today I celebrate 4 years of blogging... I can't believe how fast the time has flown!  But Thanks for your visits and kind comments!

Continuing with some pix of my reorganized stampin' loft area...

My stamping area is in a 2nd floor loft space between the front and the back of our house.  A bridge with a railing overlooking the living room connects the front and the back of the upstairs level and I kept piling "stuff" across the length of the bridge.. finally we bought some white cubes at a big box store and hubby assembled them for me so that I could organize all my "stuff".  :)

more loft photos here

I decorated the end with the Long Stemmed Silhouette Decor Elements piece from Stampin' Up!  Click the link to view the entire Decor Elements line in the Definitely Decorative catalog.

 I also used the Flower Garden Decor Elements and a Stampin' Up! sticker to decorate some of the boxes:  (click to view larger)

I supposed it will look more impressive if you also see the "before" shot...

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Patty's Stampin' Loft "REDO" - part 3

As promised.. here is more of my tiny 8x8 stampin' loft space... did you see on youtube that Stampin' Up! is having a contest for Shelli Gardner to come redo your stamp room!?  I thought .. wow.. how cool would that be!!  Good thing I already got it pretty much cleaned up ... a "redo" from Shelli would be amazing!

(more of my loft here)

so moving along over to the right side of my loft space, I have a small TV (thank you hubby), and my stamping space.  I got the 3 drawer units from an office that was tossing them out about 13 years ago.. whohoo!  We put a countertop piece on top (from a home improvement store) and voila.. super cheap desk space :)

to the left of my stamping space I have 3 of the Stack & Store Caddy's.. they are so great for holding all my embellishment containers!

I know I will be asked.. so I'll just post it here...  the ink pad holders were made my a company no longer in business, but if you google wood ink pad holders you will probably find some if you are looking for something similar. 

in the drawers to my left I have the ribbon I use all the time, watercolor crayons, pastels, and other assorted accessories.

above the ink pads I have cups holding scissors, crop a dile, a container with my clear blocks, and I also have my markers within easy reach as well as stamp cleaner, bone folder, cutter, and clean up pad.

More of my loft to come on another day... hope you are enjoying the tour.

FUN NEWS.... tomorrow I should have my MDS 2-1/2 hour video lesson available for sale on my blog ... check back for the details! :)

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Patty's Stampin' Loft "REDO" - part 2

As promised, I'm sharing more photos of my stampin' loft "redo" with you ...  this is the left side of the space... this houses my Big Shot, my cutter and my scraps.  The stamps are on the wall on this side of the loft on shelves.

From left to right on this counter, i have my scraps, my cutter, by Big Shot and all my dies and my craft pads.... I organize my scraps by size... small, long strips (which I seem to have a million of) are together, then scraps about the size of a card front are together, and then small scraps.

Hubby raised my cutter by a few inches for me with some scrap lumber... since I'm tall (but he calls me short), it's nice to have it a little higher.  Under the cutter.. another Elfa cart:

This Elfa cart holds my extra ribbon rolls, extra glue, extra sanding blocks, extra glue dots, Stampin' Up! bags, Stampin' Spots, and probably some miscellaneous stuff..

This counter holds my Big Shot and Big Shot dies, and the craft pads.

I got his acrylic holder in the kitchen dept at the Container Store and it fits my Embossing Folders, Big Shot plates and the larger dies just perfect!

And i store my embosslits and sizzlets in the little plastic boxes that the personalized stamps and some A la Carte stamps come in:

While it may not be beautiful, it's functional... my XL Big Shot dies are on stacked letter trays...

We'll continue the tour next week.. be sure to stay tuned...

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New Color Labels and Organization

I have been trying to upload and link to the new color label files as a Word Doc for you .. something is not cooperating with typepad today.... however, thanks to Nancy Dawson, here is the doc converted to a .pdf file for you .. DOWNLOAD LABEL FILE HERE.  You an print this on an Avery 5167 label sheet (80 per page), or you could simply print this on a full label sheet and punch them out... SEE BELOW for punch information.

This is what I was working on all weekend... labeling my new cardstock, pads, etc.

Aren't the colors just YUMMY!! :)

I used one label on my ink pad and one for my pack of cardstock.

Use the WORD WINDOW PUNCH to punch out the labels and add them to the ends of the ink pads!

In case you are curious.. I got the literature sorter (paper holder) from Costco about 12 years ago, and the ink pad holder about 11 years ago from a company no longer in business.
  

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My Big Shot Die Storage

As my collection of Big Shot Dies grows, I was faced with the problem of storing them.  I am sure most of you can relate.  :)

My dies were piled all over and some were in an old ink pad holder, most were stacked here and there.. so I googled Big Shot Die Storage and found several options.  I opted for the holders that could stack along the wall as oppsed to a spinning rack.. I just don't have space for that. 

I have 7 of the racks stacked side by side on top of my Craft ink pad holder. Each rack holds 10 dies. My Embossing Folders and Texturz plates are stored on top of the racks. 

After googling them, I simply opted for the company who offered them the cheapest.  In keeping with Stampin' Up!'s new policy I will not post a direct link but you can find them easily on google. 

Close up views:

I write on the ends of my dies... I indicate the size of the paper I'll need to cut for each die.

And I make my own labels because I can't read the small print on the labels that come on them.  The joys of aging eyeballs.

For my Sizzlits and Embosslits, I store them in the small Stampin" Up! containers that our personalized stamps come in:

UPDATE:  Tip from Kim Schneider who credits Kimberly Moynihan and her mom Barb Schafer  for this idea... you can use empty CD cases to store 4 sizzlits, or 2 embosslits.. nice idea! Thanks!

and my XL dies are stacked in stacked letter trays... super inexpensive storage solution!

and I suppose you'll want to see the BEFORE shot... ugh... such a mess.

Thanks for tuning in .. have a GREAT holiday weekend!

EDITED TO ADD ON 9/6/09...

Many of you have asked if I would post the minimum sizes of paper for all of my dies.. you can see from the photos that I write that info on each die.  Thanks to Sarah Paraday for typing up the list for me.. I've filled in all the sizes... these are MINIMUM sizes of cardstock/DSP you will need for each die:

Top Note - 4-1/4" x 5-1/4"
Petal Card - 4-3/4" square
Scallop #2 - 5" x 5"
Oval Scallop - 5" x 5-1/2"
Scallop - 5" x 5"
Envelope - 4-1/2" x 5-1/4"  (see THIS POST for how to make the envelope larger)
Lattice - 3-1/2" square
Scallop Square - 5" x 9" for folded card, 5"x5" for square
Rollodex - 3" x 4-1/4"
Clear Flower - 4-3/4" square
Clear Circle - 4-1/2" square
Two Tags - 5-1/4" x 5"
Butterfly - cut at 10"x 5-1/4" and FOLDED in 1/2
Daisies #2 - 5" x 5-1/4"
Snowflake - 4-1/4" x 4-1/2"
Ovals - 4-1/4" x 5-1/4"
Tags - 5" x 4-1/4"
Circles - 4-1/4" x 5"
Leaves #2 - 4-1/2" x 5-1/4"

Decorative Accent - 5-1/4" x 5"

Tulipe - 4-3/4" x 5"

 

Bigz XL dies - I usually cut them all at 6"x12", except the Flower Folds (needs more than one piece) and the MatchBox die - VIDEO can be viewed HERE for cutting instructions. 

Big Shot Die Storage

Many of you have asked... how do you store your dies for the Big Shot machine?

My Solution:  At the end of the counter where my Big Shot resides, I had a "literature sorter" sitting there empty, so I started putting dies in it, then I added 3 "in/out letter trays" above that to store the rest of them.

  In the center of the photo, you'll see the small Stampin' UP! plastic boxes.. those store the sets of 4 Sizzlits really well.  

I've printed my own labels for the dies with large text.. a hazard of "old eyeballs". 

Hope this helps!

You can click the photo to view it larger.

 

My elfa cart

I've been having a great time organizing my new elfa cart << click there for details on the Container Store site!  Since I can't do anything downstairs, I have been having fun in my loft!

Here is my new cart:

I filled it with my punches, sponges and all my Stampin' Spots.  It's TERRIFIC!

and say.... don't ya just LOVE our new dining room set??  LOL!!! Gotta find humor in all this reconstruction!

2 more days of drywall contractors.. then on to painting!

Organizing my Chipboard

I finally did it.. took the plunge... what better thing to do when you are trying to stay quiet and recover from a migraine!?  Organize your Chipboard shapes of course! 

I popped all the On Board Chipboard images OUT of the 12x12 sheets:

and sorted them into containers:

then labeled them and put them on my shelf!

The BIG ADVANTAGE for me is that I know what I have now.. I really didn't like looking through those packages trying to figure out if I had enough flowers or stars, etc., for a class or a swap... now I KNOW I have ENOUGH !!  LOL

I haven't sorted the new On Board Blossoms packs yet... not sure if I will.  And I think I'll leave all the alphabet chipboard sheets in their packs too.  Anyone have a good solution for organizing the alphabet pieces, other than A's in a bag, B's in a bag, etc. ? 

More Stamping Loft photos

Maria asked what I do with all my scraps... well, I do know one thing is for sure.. they MULTIPLY AT NIGHT.  Do yours?  ack! What is up with that?! 

Anyway.. They are not really "organized", but more like "stuffed" into 3 boxes.  The box in the front of the photo has any scrap smaller than 6x6, the middle box is mostly 6x6 or 5x7-ish pieces and the box in the back has "strips".   I also have a separate box for Whisper White scraps of all sizes. 

And yes, you are right.. I don't use that paper cutter.. I have a Carl Cutter next to it that I use most of the time.

Here are a couple more views in my little loft... storage on the shelves.. old set of markers, old SU! Portfolios (idea books), my 6x6 Technique Books from classes I've taught,, Pretties Kits, Hodgepodge Hardware, In Colors and other assorted junk.  Guess I need to clean out more.

And here is how I store my wheels and small items like glitter, brayers, googlie eyes, pinbacks, craft reinkers, etc.

OK, so now that you've seen most of my junk.. anyone wanna come over and help me clean out more?  It's really funny, because after looking at all these photos, I can see other/better ways to organize some of my stuff... guess I'll be doing that today! 

And speaking of organizing:  After reading Maggie's comment to my previous post, I took a look at her blog, and I found this great stamp room from Nancy Riley referenced on Maggie's site... check it out for some really great ideas!!  She has some close-ups of her pegboard organization here.. again.. great ideas!

My Stamping Loft

I really enjoy looking at other crafters stamping and scrapping rooms... so thought I'd take a few pix of mine.  Not that it's anything spectacular, but I know how fun it is to get organizing tips from other stampers, so maybe you'll see a tip or 2 here that you like.

By the way.. it must be a holiday weekend {wink}.. our house just filled with the delightful smell of BBQ LIGHTER FLUID (ugh!!).  I'll have to go thank the neighbors later.

So... back to my stamping loft...  I only have 2 walls and the other 2 "walls" are open railings.. it's a loft, not a room.. so I don't have a lot of wall space to hang things... but the upside is that it makes it nice and light and airy and open and I can kinda keep an eye on the rest of the house from here.

Here is where I do all my creating:

Here is how I organize my paper and Simply Scrappin' Kits (think I have enough STUFF?) - the white paper shelves are from the Container Store and the wood one was from Costco about 10 years ago:

I keep my stamps handy on open shelves organized by categories (flowers, sayings, Christmas, alphabets, etc.):

and I like to keep my most used accessories handy in drawers to my left and right:

and I got this drawer unit at the Container Store which works well to organize my punches, ink cartridges and all my Stampin' Spots:

Sponges and Sponge Daubers are together in a drawer (they multiply at night), and I found this "drawer organizer" at the Cont. Store years ago, and use it to keep the 4 color families of reinkers organized:

The Stack & Store Caddy (from Stampin' Up!) is a must in my book for organizing brads, eyelets, buttons, etc., and who doesn't have 25 packs of SNAIL on hand at all times?? LOL!!  We go thru this quickly in all my classes!

Well, hope you've enjoyed the tour.  If you have pix of your craft room on your blog, post a comment in my comment section... I'd love to take a peek!

Have a great, safe and fun Holiday Weekend!

~Patty