While I never meant for this to turn into a week-long series on storage ideas, I keep getting asked for more and more.  I will make a trip down the road this weekend to get the spice rack name.  I use the same racks for my little punches.  I wish I could say that I "cleaned" the area like I said I needed to to take a picture, instead, I moved everything out of the way – took the picture, and moved it all right back.  Please tell me that you have done the same thing so that I don't feel guilty today!

I rec'd about 12 emails asking me about how I store my Framelits and Edgelits from Stampin' Up!  Do I put them all on a magnet sheet?  No.  Do I hang them from jump rings?  No.  Do I have a shoebox and just dump them all in there?  Tempting, but no.  I have found a very easy way to store them and it cost me $.99!  First, when you buy them from Stampin' Up! they come in a super groovy, extra durable folder.  I have found it is just best to keep them the way they arrived, minus the ultra sticky paper that they come on originally.  I just tuck them in their folders when I am done. 

While donating to our local Goodwill one day, I decided to just kill some time and walk around.  And when I came to the storage/bins area, I found this gem of a goody.  What is it's normal function – it is a CD holder.  What is a CD?  Come on, I know some of you are thinking this… It is what we played music on before iPods and MP3 players.  It is where you got your music to put on your iPod and MP3 before iTunes came to be.  And these CDs came in a plastic case, and you would slide these cases into this holder.  Now that our history lesson is over – this is what I use to hold all of my folders.  One day, I will get around to mounting it to my wall.  Make sure you get one that you can do that with.  My key advice when trying to organize your papercraft area is to get as much as you can off your work surface, it is your key real estate. 

I also get asked a lot of questions on stamp rooms vs. stamp spaces.  Do you have to have an entire room in your home to devote to a stamp room – yes!  Just kidding.  No, you don't.  When I first started, I used my kitchen table.  And I had the Iris bins on wheels that I actually stored underneath my kitchen table. 

Then, as I got more stuff, I mean absolute must have supplies, I bought another Iris bin on wheels and stored that under my table.  Then as it grew, I started looking for another place.  Where did I go next?  Into my living room.  I bought a cabinet off the internet and put everything in there, and then I could close the doors so my mess was not exposed to the world.

Then we moved, and I got my first "room".  I used it as part relaxation where I could sit with a cup of coffee and read and on the other side of the room was my stamping.  Then hubby said that since I was wanting to quit my job and be a stay at home mom, that maybe I should be a work at home mom, since our income would be cut in half, and maybe I should start doing this "stamping thing" for a business.  So I did.  Goodbye comfy reading chair, insert filing cabinet and bookcase.

Then we moved and I got a smaller room.  Yes, I did say smaller.  But that was what we found – do not even ask me about our move, it will bring on an instant migraine.  And one of two things had to happen:  1. I had to get rid of a lot of stuff.  (I think you know that was not going to happen) or 2.  I had to get really clever with my space.  I have bought and returned more "systems" that were "guaranteed" to make my space and my life happier.  Uh, yeah, um, not!  Instead, I started thinking outside of the box.

I hope that you have enjoyed this much longer than I planned it to be blog post today sharing with you two different ways that I store my papercrafting must haves!  If there is something else that you would like to see, please post below.  These are just my favorite ideas to store my small punches and my Framelits from Stampin' Up!