Simple scrapbooking: a scraproom ...

I'm not quite sure why I'm smiling here - whether it was an automatic reaction to someone turning up with a camera, or it was fuelled by desperation - but I didn't feel very cheerful...

You probably know how it goes: the initial burst of enthusiasm for clearing out becomes dampened by the sheer enormity of the task. Amalgamating the contents of two rooms was not going to be easy, especially as the space is only about 6.5ft x 8ft. The end result needed to be very compact, tidy, easy-to-use, everything at hand, just like a cabin on board a boat or barge - and yet not feel cramped. Travelling and scrapping 'light' would take some organising and thinking about.

Amazingly, here we are. Order on the window ledge has been restored ...

My two arty friends (I must make them a hat each) have been reunited on my desk ...

and my beloved Mac is plugged in and waiting ...

Behind where I sit, there books and chests of Small and Useful Things ...

... and a wonderfully practical, wooden drop-down flap from Ikea which we hinged onto the shelf to make an extra work surface if needed:

 

Alongside, live my 12x12 boxes of card and paper, with inks and stamps and shallow things below. You know how you see pictures of idiosyncratic pieces of furniture on blogs, and people artlessly say "Oh, I had it made/saw it in a junk-shop/found it on a skip"? Well, this is mine, and sometime I must tell you the story behind it:

Having bored two holes in the edge of each plastic box lid, I pulled a piece of ribbon through and knotted it in order to make the boxes easy to pull out. The ribbon is colour-coded to match the card inside: and plain ribbon for plain card, and patterned ... you get the picture!

On top of one of the wooden bookcases, stand my (and DD's) collection of old mini-suitcases, now holding sewing and painting items ...

Opposite the window stands a shelving unit, with a corner section; I've used the sides to house hanging plastic boxes ...

... and I should point out that the Plaisir Du Vin wooden box holds not wine (alas!) but metal spirals for the Bind-it-All which itself is neatly tucked into a narrow corner between the window and the bookcase with other related cutting and trimming tools:

 

Wicker baskets hold a variety of items:

Some sentimental family treasures have their home here to.  DS's sweet-tin from a childhood birthday on holiday in France now contains not sticky shell-shaped boiled sweets, but book rings ...

Two Mum-related items always make me smile with pleasure. This one is a little pillow pin-cushion made by my amazing mother in her seventies as a sampler to demonstrate lots of embroidery stitches; and yes, the whitework stitches, drawn threadwork and crocheted edge is her own work too:

 

and this one made by my DD when she was seven, for me:

 

So there you have it. Welcome to my creative space! This is where my simple scrapbooking happens. Oh, I nearly forgot - we're going to need to return past the books to the window ...

because - given its compact nature and the need for everything to be shipshape - my scrap-cabin wouldn't be complete without this:

Should you have any photos on your blogs of your own scrap spaces, or useful ways of storing things, I'd love to see! Thank-you for calling in today ...

(Oh, and if you have time to blog hop, I'm also doodling letters over at It's a Creative World today.)

Comments

[Amy]

Alexa, I'm impressed with how resourceful you have been with the space at hand and how you have combined the practical and the sentimental - well done!

[Julie Kirk]

Beautiful room Alexa. I'm forever trying to work out where I can get more in mine ... don't think it's possible at the moment! Glad you have a little spot of calm in the storm. :)

[Amanda]

Well, I think you've shamed me into clearing my craft room up. Looking at your organised space I can see that my room has got more than a little messy ;)I have to say your computer corner looks very serene and as storage ideas go you couldn't get much better than your plastic boxes with the ribbon handles.

I love the little sampler cushion that your mum made, beautiful.

[Lizzie]

Ah Alexa, I'm a bit jealous of how wonderfully tidy and organised it all is! I have a great scrapping space, which is partly sorted out... I just have to buy the timber to fix up the shelves...then organise it all! Currently the room is scattered with piles of boxes and other stuff. There's no room for the sofa-bed that would also make it our "spare room". Frankly, it's a bit of a tip! But it all started so well last November.... http://lizziemade.blogspot.com/2009/12/making-best-of-it.html (one of the posts in my series of "Project" posts!).
I love your unit for your scrap paper boxes - and the ribbon colour-coding is inspired! I may have to steal your idea... The baskets are great too - all matching and neat. I think it would be a lovely room to work in.

[claireliz]

Wow, that all looks so lovely & organised, I really need a bigger craft room but there is no space available, think I may have to move house :)
C
xx

[lin thomas]

Is it national tidy up week or something? Everyone I know seems to be in spring-cleaning mode! I even made a start myself but as you say Alexa it is a daunting task but I started with a bookcase and ended up doing 2 more boxes as well.
I love the little personal touches to your space, especially the cushion, your daughter's plaque and your son's tin and of course the little sailing boat mobile.
Whenever I tidy up my craft desk I always promise myself that it won't get in such a state next time but it always does doesn't it? I wish I had a tidy-up fairy to come in and just wave her nmagic wand.

Love the doodles alphabets too on IACW

[Karen]

What a beautiful space! I'm about to move into a slightly larger space and have been purging before I make the move. I love all the storage areas you have, and would love to have enough room for all those wicker baskets. Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog; I'm so happy to have found yours. I LOVE your blog banner; one of the nicest and most creative I've seen.