My Craft Space: Questions & Answers About My Scrapbooking Room

A while back I featured my current craft space on a video. You can watch the video HERE on my Youtube layout or you can watch it below. You can also read the entire blog post about my room HERE:



I've had a few questions about my space (and questions you might be wondering about), so I thought I'd answer them here.


#1: What do you use the chalkboard for? The chalkboard serves as an inspiration board. Sometimes it contains photos I want to use or love. Sometimes it includes notes about a project on which I'm working. And sometimes it includes inspiration pieces from magazines, etc. Do you create mood boards like this?


Source: M3 Design


#2: Where did you get your lights from? My lights are Ott Lites, which you can purchase from JoAnn's HERE. Watch for 40% off coupons either for online sales or store coupons. I also love the look of cool, vintage lamps but I need a good, true color light for my videos. If you're not video taping and already have good lighting in your room, then go with a lamp you love and that adds to the creative spirit of the room like this charming vintage version:



Source: Meeha Meeha


#3: Where do you store your albums? Because this is my workspace, and I want every available square foot dedicated to supplies and tools, my albums are stored elsewhere. I have well over 50 albums. Currently I am looking for a bookshelf concept to store them on (right now they're in my walk-in closet). I LOVE this idea from Pinterest. Think of using white albums, black albums, or go crazy with a fun color like tangerine orange:


Source: Indulgy


#4: Why do you store your stamping pads upside down? If you store your ink pads upside down the ink runs to the top of the pad, so that when you use the pad it's all juicy and ready to go. But a very kind reader pointed out that the Stampin' Up stamping pads are designed with the ink pads facing down already. Mind blowing! Look for your own storage solutions whether it's a stamp storage tier like this one HERE in my space or something more decorative like this:


Source:  Scrapbooks, Etc.

#5: Why didn't you paint your scrapspace? Currently I have these large, south-facing windows that drench the room in natural light. Any color on the wall diminishes the bright white light I get. So for now it's staying white. A neutral would also work, but something strong will alter the color of light for the projects I photograph. I do like colors on the walls of other crafters, like this one here because it's both beautiful and yet not distracting:

Source: Martha Stewart Living

#6: Why do you have more than one die cutter (for heaven's sake)? I started with the Cricut machine as the Assistant Editor for Cricut Magazine at Northridge Publishing. I've used it for years, and it's a great machine. Then came along the Silhouette machine. This is the machine I use most often because it is just to the right of my computer. It allows me to pick ONE shape, manipulate it, and cut it all within about 3 minutes. I LOVE that. But I also own both a Cuttlebug from Provo Craft because of its portability, and a Sizzix machine because it's electric. Manual die cut machines cut through chipboard, fabric, and thicker materials. While digital die cut machines, allow more manipulation. Depending upon what you're trying to accomplish, that will be the machine you should look into buying.



#7: Where do you film your videos? I film my videos right at my desk. I have my camera that goes right over my desk. I create the layout in part and then start filming. Since my basic philosophy is not to leave my desk, this works great for me. When I'm done filming, I simply turn around and download the video onto my computer and start editing.



#8: What video camera are you using? I started with a charming, orange Sony Webbie, but the sound was disjointed (apparently Sony's speakers are highly sensitive, which is great for anything except tutorial filming). Now I have this camera HERE and love it. It's light weight, HD, wide screen and the speakers sound just right.


#9: How often do you purge your supplies? I purge as I go. I adopted the "One In, One Out" philosophy a long time ago. I keep a box of "to go" supplies in my office. As I bring in new supplies and start to put them away, I will pull out older supplies or items that don't appeal to me any more and place them in a box. Then when I have enough, I'll either donate the supplies to a local group or I sell the extra items here on my blog. I've also gotten a little bit better about knowing what I use and won't use so I feel like I waste less, which is ALWAYS a good thing.

#10: Insert your question HERE! Do you have a question about my scrapspace? I'd love to answer it for you. Simply leave me a comment in the comments section below, and I'll respond with my answer. Helping each other get more organized helps each of us be more productive so I'd love to hear one or two of your organizing ideas as well. How do you stay organized and inspired in your craft space?

10 comments

  1. You have a beautiful craft room Jen. Thanks for sharing! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Cindy! Yours is one of the rooms that definitely inspired me! :)

      Delete
  2. Just an FYI: Ott lights can also be purchased at Lowe's...and cost less than those at JoAnn's...even with a coupon!
    I love your video and your pages. Thanks for all the inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ann, I had no idea. That is AWESOME that they are cheaper at Lowe's. Thanks for the heads up.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous6:46 PM

    How do you store your stamp pads. I have a ton of Hero art shadow inks. What do you use???

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I store them in the rotating storage tower that I linked in the blog post. It holds fairly thick stamp pads and you can store the facing up or down. Thanks for asking!

      Delete
  4. Your room is gorgeous Jen!! I am green with envy! I just have a corner and storage and space is always a major issue!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful craft room tour, Jen (love the adorable little details, like the pears on the mini shelf)! And thanks for mentioning my vintage lamp, xoxo!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Interesting stuff you have on your scrapbooking room and the nine questions and answers are interesting. I would like to ask. Did you get your craft space inspiration somewhere or it's just that you are really creative? Good job!

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is an extraordinary article you conferred to fantastic information. I truly need to accept that you will form an article about mouse manufacturers . This will be valuable for us.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...