Storing Electrical and Landscaping Update

In my last post, I shared how I was moving my supplies to the photo boxes. I had been using them for awhile for project boxes. But as I rearranged different things, I really liked using these boxes because they fit together in the shelves I have. The reason is their uniform size. 

Electrical Supplies
Previously I had stored my electrical items in two small cabinet drawers and in my last post I shared that I had moved them to a photo-box. Well, I was fine with that although I didn't have that much stuff so the photo-box was overkill. Then I ran across a small pizza box that I had received a kit in. This box was one I couldn't part with (probably because I save things I think can still be useful for organizing) so I decided the electrical items could go here.

Now in thinking about this (using a pizza box) - it doesn't fit the same as the photo-boxes, but then I have other boxes in my supplies section that don't as well (zip bag storage box and the fishing tackle boxes). Another reason I was willing to move the electrical to a smaller box is, I am not likely to outgrow this box as I don't add to that supply except when I really need something that is generally specific to a project. I did feel the need to somehow divide up the open area. I used a checkbox lid, a jewelry box lid and then two plastic containers. (More about the plastic containers below).

During this move, I also took the time to see what I have and whether I wanted to purge any of it. I did choose to purge some items including some were for 1/12th scale and not LED's. I added the scale items to my donate to NAME box and the other will just go in the regular donate box. 


Landscaping Supplies
In August, we went camping and I had my son empty the landscaping three drawer cart. I have done this in the past. See how I use these for camping here. I empty each drawer into a plastic grocery sack and then when we come back they go back in the drawers. Those bags hung around for a few weeks and then it was a question: do I bring the 3 drawer cart back in and keep using it, or do I move landscaping supplies to the photo-boxes? This was a debate I had been having for a couple of months. Since the supplies were already out of the cart, I figured it was time to use the photo boxes. 

Going through these to make them fit into the photo-boxes was a good process. 

• I took the time to combine some smaller bags into larger bags where the product was the same. 
• Some of these were due to have purchased at several different times the same product. Or due to it came in a kit. 
• Also I had bags made up to sell or swap and then didn't. 
• A couple even had product in that because the bag was printed with a picture, I couldn't really tell what was in it. So I switched this to a completely clear bag. 
• Some items were in big bags and so those were moved to smaller bags.
• Another thing I did was to review these for scale. I still had some items that were really for larger scale than 1:48 or smaller. Since my focus is 1:48, I felt it would be better to donate these. 
• Also I had some dried items that were larger that I gave to my daughter for her projects. 

The result of this organizing and culling was the use of 4 photo-boxes for landscaping organized/separated/sorted by color. 

Plastic Supplies
In my last post, I shared how I sorted some plastic bits to make things with. But I also had a drawer of plastic containers. 

When I was swapping often, I needed to have something to package them in. When I get the swaps back, I receive a variety of packaging. I save most of them to have on hand to package the next time. Plus anything else that was plastic but not really small.
This has all been stored in a drawer of my tall drawer cart. 

The 4th drawer down had these plastic items in it.

In the process of the landscaping organizing, I had to get into this drawer and I decided it was time to go thru these items. I had some packaging from my last swap that needed to be stored. So I emptied the drawer and began by putting like items together. 

The results was two boxes and better visibility of the items I have. Items that were plastic but not containers, I put them were they are to be used. These were some plastic plates and their purpose was for painting palates. 

At first glance this may look like a jumble and hardly better than I had before. But this is organized like items together. It also reminded me of what items I had that could be used for organizing, not just swaps or painting palettes. Consequently I used two of the rectangle boxes in the upper left corner in the electrical box. These little boxes have locking handles (blue).  It's a bit of overkill for most of my items and they are super neat, so hadn't been able to find a place for them. But for the electrical items this was great.