Are you ready to do some scrapbooking, make beautiful cards for the seasons, birthdays, get well's and home decor for family and friends. A little pre-planning now can help you get those projects done quickly.
First, let's start with the space in which you will be creating those projects. Is it organized and ready for some crafting? If not, now is a good time to do some fall cleaning of your crafting area to help maximize the time you spend crafting. Clear off the table you use for your crafting, completely. Decide what you want to have at hand and what you use frequently. These are the items you need to have at hand whether on top of your table or underneath.
Having those items you use regularly at hand will help make the most of the time you spend creating. Things I like at hand include: precision tip scissors, paper trimmer, tweezers, bone folder, centering ruler, my ATG gun, a variety of Zots/glue dots, a variety of Millenium pens, brush markers, watercolor pencils & Copic markers. I also have cutting boards on my table at all times and my non-stick mat close at hand as well. I also keep a variety of stamp pads in my desk drawer as well as punches. I keep a container under my desk to easily drop paper scraps into as I work.
After you have accessed the area you have and the supplies you use, see what organizational items you already have and shop for the rest. There are some really cute and awesome organizational tools out there. But, you first need to know what you need. Remember, if you shop first you will probably not have the sizes you actually need. While organizational supplies are necessary to make your studio as efficient at possible, why waste money on organization you don't need instead of the supplies you need to create the projects you love.
Organizational items don't have to cost a lot of money or come from "scrapbook" or "craft stores". Be creative with things you find at yard sales and thrift stores. I store extra adhesives in a small suitcase; cover-a-card stamps in an old metal lunchbox and my embossing folders in a hanging three tiered basket along with my twine. Buttons are in old canning jars and flower pots.
Next, purge your supplies. Decide how you prefer your supplies organized. Is it my color, theme, manufacturer? Or a combination of the three? I prefer my cardstock by color; my patterned paper by manufacturer; my embellishments by color; stickers and the like by theme.
Things that you will not be using, put in a separate box, bin or bag. I will be posting some ideas to use those "what in the world was I thinking" supplies, stay tuned.
Now, start getting your studio organized for an efficient creation season.
