My Scrap Space

Today I want to give you a look at my scrap area. It is messy and imperfect, but it is mine and I love it! Michael and I are blessed to rent a nice house with a detached garage. Our landlord converted the garage into his "man cave", so it is carpeted and heated. The cupboards and drawers came with it, and provide plenty of storage. That was a huge reason why we chose this house. Scrapbooking is a necessity for my existence, and it takes up a lot of space! There is also room for Michael's computer stuff. We enjoy spending time doing our separate hobbies together! My work space is a tool bench that was already in the garage. I cover it with vinyl tablecloths so I can make lots of messes, and then change them out every so often.

Here we go! PS: I'm sorry for the cell phone quality pictures.

Here is an overview of my area, as you walk into the garage.

In those cubes I keep ink pads, card making supplies, older stickers and rub-ons, and some patterned paper that I have no intention of scrapping with, but might use to make cards. On top there is an album, PL page protectors, and some pages that need to be adjusted or fixed.

I have an office organizer here where I put my hot glue gun and some extra supplies (such as backups of my beloved Maggie Holmes, which have since been open and loved). I have some larger die cuts from my Silhouette machine just sitting there so I can see them/use them. That white bin has my small collection of punches in it. I keep Larabars handy for when I get hungry.

I keep all my acrylic stamps in this cute little container from Big Lots.

I love this page from an older issue of Real Simple. It's pretty much my life motto!

Here is a look at one of the cupboards above my scrap area. I have some random craft supplies and spare wedding stuff that needs to be dealt with.

I have a Recollections tool caddy with the Recollections faux clip it up. On it I keep small frames, small sticker sheets, bling, and other random embellishments.

I keep my most used thickers in this little fabric bin that actually holds quite a lot! I hang my open Maggie Holmes frames on that clothespin. The fabric cube (and the one that holds my punches) are from the Jetmax piece in the picture below). You can also see my basic supplies that I always keep out: my adhesive runner, glue stick, and inks in black, grey, and brown.

I got this Jetmax piece for dirt cheap! I wasn't sure what to use it for at first, but it's perfect for my 6"x6" pads, twine, mists, and other current embellishments. It is right in front of where my chair is, so I keep my newest stuff there for easy access and inspiration.

You can see my trimmer, cutting mat, washi over flow, and embellishment storage. This tool compartment storage thingy from Lowe's was the best $20 I ever spent. It works so great for storing my embellishments! I love that I can just pull out a drawer and set it down by my work space. Here is what I keep in my drawers:

Washi, Teresa Collins embellishments, dimensional embellishments

More washi, tags, ephemera and die cuts

clear/acetate embellishment, silhouette die cuts, Jenni Bowlin embellishments

random embellishments, more random embellishments, sassafras die cuts

chipboard, Heidi Swapp color shine embellishments, journaling cards/cut outs

wood veneers, basic chipboard shapes, journaling card pads

I keep a few random sticker sheets and 4"x6" PL cards on top of the tool storage.

I keep my most used papers in these slots. It would be too complicated to explain how they are divided, but it makes sense to me :)

In these drawers I keep ribbons and buttons.

On the bottom shelf of the tool bench I keep more paper...

...and my scrap bin.

Next to Michael's computer desk is my Silhouette station. Yes, this is as clean and nice as it gets. It's usually much worse!

There you have it! This area is not good if you're afraid of spiders; it's still a garage after all! It's also difficult to scrapbook in the winter, because it's so dreary and depressing. In the summer, however, it's gorgeous! I love opening the big garage door and scrapbooking in the sunlight. The best part of it all is that I get to spend time with Michael without boring him to death. We like to chat, listen to podcasts, and watch movies while he computers and I scrapbook. I'm so glad I have a place to enjoy my favorite hobby!