Spring Cleaning

Hidey-Ho, Readers,  

Sorry to have been away for a while, things are poppin’ here in the Burg, at least in my life anyway.  Work has reached a fever pitch, and on the home front, we are down to a one income couple again.  I’m not complaining.  I like to be busy, hate to be bored, and when someone else makes dinner, well, what’s better than that? 

I admit to being in a bit of creative slump.  I was counting on the Scrapbook Expo to jump start my creative noggin’ and it did not disappoint.   In preparation for what I suspected would be a large amount of new stuff, I put ‘clean the stamping room’ at the top of my to-do list.  I’m not ready to cross it off as done yet, but I’ve definitely made some in-roads. 

Below is another little idea I had as an effort to further organize my wafer thin dies.  I like to keep things out so I can see them.  It helps me remember what I have, and lets me explore all my options on a given theme.  

That piece of wood you see spanning the shelving units is a 10x12x2 plank from Home Depot.  Cheap as hell, and very sturdy.  If you wander around the lumber yard looking pathetic, you are sure to get attention from some able bodied individual to help you sling that thing into your car.  Now, those of you who know me, know that is NOT what I did, but I’ve seen it work.  I’m just sayin’… Just make sure you know how long you want it to be before you put on airs.  If you bat your eyes, that same able bodied individual will cut the thing to size for you too. 

While you’re in Home Depot, pick up a package of cup hooks and some thin metal rods.   These items should bring your grand total to something like $13.00.  Now all that’s left is to get it set up.  

If your shelving units are the same size, just toss the plank up on the highest shelf.  If they are different, like mine were, you’ll have to get out your level and jury rig one end.  (I know it looks crooked in the picture above, but it's not, it's just my crooked picture taking.  Note that it is parallel to the ceiling line.)

I used some old scraps of 2x4’s that I wrapped in polka dot paper and some old magazines as the final shim.  Once it’s level, measure your metal rods and screw three cup hooks into the underside of the plank, one on each end of the rod with about an inch of overhang and one for the middle of the rod. 

I like to organize by theme.  So, all the leaves go together, all the valentines/hearts go together, anything for winter is another one, Christmas of course and Halloween.  Then there are flourishes of all kinds, edges, geometric shapes etc, etc and on and on…  Once you have your toys grouped, it’s a simple matter to hang them on the rods. 

I use the metal clips from Simply Renee’s Clip It Up series.  But there are things back at Home Depot that would work just as well.  I just happen to have a boat load of the Clip It Up clips, so that’s what I use.  I made the white dividers from card stock, creasing the long end and labeling that, making it super easy to see where one group starts and the previous one finishes. 

This was an easy and fast solution for me.  The added bonus of a sturdy shelf for my large punches makes this a great addition to the craft cave.  And, it lets me use space, that would otherwise be unavailable.