I’m in the process of reorganizing my Studio. After 20 years of Paper Crafting, it is a HUGE undertaking! I’ve tried so many different types of organizational products over the years but I think I’ve found some really good ones this time and I wanted to share them with you.
I am still cleaning and purging, organizing and reorganizing so it’s going to take a while to complete it. I’ll post a video tour when I’m done but I wanted to start sharing some things with you now that I love, love, LOVE!
When my Craft Space was originally designed (a looooooong time ago), it had traditional drawers and cabinets from Home Depot. Paper Crafting has so many small items that it was time for drawers better suited to house those items. I went to Ikea and bought a few Alex Storage Units. They come in two sizes. I bought three large and 1 small. The larger units have drawers that are wide but not deep. The Smaller Unit has deeper drawers.
Once they were put together and rolled into my Craft Studio, (Yup! they large ones are on wheels! #IkeaIsAwesome!) I made a quick trip to Walmart for little organizing bins and baskets for the items I use most – Adhesive, Markers, Embellishments and Washi Tape. I wasn’t quite sure what I’d need so I just bought a bunch of different sizes. They were pretty inexpensive. Here’s a photo of the two types I used:
I was thrilled with the storage! But…there always seems to be a “but” – But…I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t fit more into the drawers so I decided to continue my search – and, boy, am I glad I did! It just so happens that OrganizeMore creates Craft Organizers specifically for Ikea Alex Drawers! As Yakov Smirnoff (comedian) used to say – “What a country!” They’re called Cubby Drawer Caddies and these things are incredible! And…they condensed everything so I actually can fit more in each drawer! Here’s the side-by-side of the same stuff in the same drawers with the organizers being the only difference:
This is the Embellishment drawer. The before is on top with the Organize More Drawer Cubbies on the bottom. Two “drawers” fit in the large Alex.
The Marker Drawer is AWESOME! You can see that my Distress Markers were all piled on top of each other with some of the markers in the back of the drawer which were harder to reach.
TIP – The Alex Drawers have a little set of screws that you install to stop the drawer from coming all the way out. I removed the screws from some of the drawers so I could pull the drawer out farther.
One of the best features of these organizers is that you can pull it out and put it on your desk while using it and then just return it back to the Alex drawer. Here’s a pic of one of the organizer out of the unit. This unit is right next to my desk so I don’t even have to remove it – but it’s nice to know that I can if I want! Also, they have little felt pads under them so they don’t scratch your drawers.
This is the drawer that holds all of the things I use most – Acrylic Blocks, Adhesives and misc. items like an Adhesive Remover, Mono Eraser, Pencil Sharpener, etc. It’s pretty amazing that all of this stuff fits in here!
There’s a tiny space in between the organizers and a little bit in the front (or back) so I just dropped a couple of other items in there as well.
The drawers come in lots of different configurations. The Adhesives are in two 4-Cubby Drawer Caddies. The Markers are in two 8-Cubby Drawer Caddies. I think the most fun drawer is the 14-Cubby Drawer Caddy for Washi Tape. I was shocked at how much Washi Tape fit in the Cubbies! Check out this before and after:
I know I have a ridiculous amount of Washi Tape! haha – But, I promise, there are crafters who have LOADS more than I do! I don’t actually use tons of it but I absolutely love having it when I want it. The rolls last a loooooong time! I’ve actually made cards that are all Washi Tape. (You can see one HERE.)
The 14-drawer Washi Tape Caddy has little wood removable inserts to help lift the Washi Tape out. The Tim Holtz Washi (LOVE IT!!!) stays in the containers so I don’t need the inserts. They easily lift out and I store them in the back.
I hope these pictures do the organizers justice. I hope you find this information useful. They sure do make me happy! I have some other cool surprises coming up and I promise to share with you as I find the best products to organize my craft supplies.
The above post contains affiliate links. I purchased all of the above before becoming an affiliate which I did as a result of loving the items, the service and the quality of the products.
If you have any other ideas, drop me an email at Cathy@StampsAndScrapbooks.com.
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂