Storage options - cabinet vs enclosed boxes

 I am continuing my re-organization of my studio...

Storage options - cabinet vs enclosed boxes

First let me say that I use what I have as much as I can. I also try to make something work, but as I have said numerous times on this blog, its ok to re-evaluate your solutions.

One evaluation I had most recently was to decide that the metal and plastic cabinets have issues I was no longer willing to deal with. These were made for use in a garage environment so concern about dust was probably not considered at all. But for a crafter, dust is an enemy and to be avoided if possible. One way to deal with it I was already doing was just being selective in what I was storing in these cabinets. But when I evaluate what I was storing in them and how it was causing me to divide where I store things, so I was forgetting what I had; I felt I wanted to think of getting rid of them. Not because they don't work at all but just I can find other ways to store items. 

There were three metal tall cabinets and two shorter, wider ones. The tall ones I really used and the shorter ones I didn't. The main reason I didn't was because I couldn't get to them. Mostly I didn't use them because I didn't ever get around to finding just the right items to store in them because they were hard to get to.
Mounting them to the wall was an option but one I wasn't willing to do. These cabinets didn't fit too well in the black shelves and I wasn't prepared to move them to the white ones either. Once I decided to get rid of my desk and move the black shelves I also decided to get rid of the storage drawer cabinets.  But what to do with the items actually stored in these cabinets?

My solution was to purchase more photo boxes. In 2016, I decided that for my project boxes stored in shoe boxes I would replace with photo boxes. I planned that I would do this over time by buying only when they were on sale. I had done so, but used this as  time to buy more. There is nothing wrong with shoe boxes. But the photo boxes provide consistent sizes and that is what led me in that direction. 

I decided that I would also use the photo boxes for storing supplies as well. 

• Ribbon/Trim - keeping the bags I had in the big bin, the only change was to have them 'filed'. But it did take two photo boxes to store all of it. I love being able to quickly find the color I am looking for without having to dig in the big bin. Another thing I did was to give up on the case binder. I really loved the case binders I have but I don't have enough of the pocket pages to fill up. I re-purposed it to another task.
  
  
  
  
• Flower making - I'm not totally happy with this box, but for now the items from the storage cabinets are moved inot one photo box. I plan to get these 'filed' as well.
• Kits - rearranging things from my tall plastic drawer cart to the photo boxes, I split them into Furniture and Misc. and I 'filed' them using the dividers that came in the photo boxes.
  
• Electrical - got it's own photo box. I think I may use some smaller boxes inside to help organize this as it is a mass jumble. Another solution I may consider would be the plastic divided boxes.

Meanwhile...

I visited the thrift store and found 6 divided boxes - these are the plastic fishing tackle type things. I've used some for years for my swaps. 

For the swaps, I had significantly reduced what needed to be stored by making and furnishing my Swaps Mall. So my first step with the divided boxes was to consolidate swaps into fewer divided boxes. 

I even pulled other items like my resin rabbit collection into these. They were previously stored in the drawer cabinet so they needed a new home. Now they are altogether waiting for a new home in a mini project.

Another step was to use only the smaller fixed section boxes for swaps (I have gotten these used at thrift stores, but usually get them from the local craft dept store) and use the ones with flexible divided sections for supplies. 

• Wood strips and bits - all my wood except some wider pieces are now sorted into 3 divided boxes. Yes, 3 because I had them available and also because I had that many scraps in assorted places. I now have wood in 3 places, these boxes, a drawer for larger flat pieces and a large cardboard box for the remaining long pieces. 
  
• Pencils and pens - these were in the cabinets and needed a new home. A divided box worked and a second smaller box for my permanent markers.
• Glitter and sequins - spent a couple of evenings sorting my sequins by color. I know silly, but therapeutic for me. I just love color but prefer it to be organized. The sorting paid off later when I just needed silver and could go quickly to the silver section.
  
• Plastic bits - I previously had most of all this in a shoe box size cardboard drawer. But this way I can find things easier. Larger bits (that I am less likely to use for smaller scales) are still in the cardboard drawer.
  
• Screws and such - I previously had two drawers in the storage cabinet. Oh and various other spots around. So I consolidated it all into one single divided box. This one was an odd ball compared to the others.
  
• Previously, I had a divided box of doors and windows for 1:48 scale but added a second one for other building components. Mostly I spread out the stash into two boxes because I had them, but I also found some of these stored somewhere else so now everything is together.
  

Moving all this around I freed up some other boxes and wanted to find places for more things.

• Tape - it is in a plastic shoebox. (shown above)
• Clay - these was moved from the plastic shoe box I just mentioned into a 3 section snap together box. This way all the clay and tools are together.
  
• Kid art - I keep on hand some kid friendly art items like markers, scissors and glue. These all are in an additional snap together set box.
• Small boxes - literally little boxes. I keep these from when I unpack my swaps or other purchases. These then are used when I need to ship something or for the clear ones I will use for display.
  
• Stamps - I can't seem to part with these (or these pink boxes), a leftover from other crafts. These could easily go in a photo box instead.
• Punches - these needed to move from the cabinet drawers and have found a new home
• Glue and bulky paint - these, for now, are on the bottom two shelves of a black bookcase. I still need to decide if this will be their official home. Can also see the stuff stored in the corner. I left a gap between the book shelf and the wall just for the storage of large flat things.
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• Paint bottles - I have been collecting small mail boxes to use to separate by color. I like this better than the bigger bins I had, but I wish they were deeper to fit the depth of the shelf.
  
• Scissors - the fancy kind and my handle hole punches - these all fit in the top of the medium rack tool box (see below)
• Tools - the extra tools I had stored in the drawer cabinets needed a new home. I finally succumbed and purchased the medium size tool rack system. I decided on the medium size because I felt the larger one was too big, especially since I had the smaller one to hold most of my regular use tools already. I got this one from Michael's with a coupon. I choose to elevate the small one to fill room on the shelf. I do tend to leave my tools out and so the two bins below make for quick clean up. The little shelf was a thrift store find. I also added a piece of foam-board under the toolbox so support the front cover that is sticking out. This is so a divided box has something to sit on. The medium rack box has the front cover removed. These are easy to remove or take off. The shelf above was left that far up to allow the top portion lid to be opened. All my tools including a small hammer (except rulers) are in these two boxes.
  

That's all for now.

Ribbon and Trim update

Last year I shared my ribbon and trim storage solutions - you can view that here:
http://theorganizedminiaturist.blogspot.com/2015/01/all-trimmings-day-12-of-31-days-of.html
This past month I decided that the big tin of baggies of trim was no longer working for me. The tin held it all fine, but I didn't like having to dig through it. I tried to store the bags in a row, but due to the depth of the tin and the amount of bags I had, that didn't last long at all.

My newest solution is to use a photo box. 
Here's what that looks like now

Not a whole lot different than the tin, but it does have dividers. I made the dividers from black scrapbook paper that I cut to the right size. Then I used a white pen to write on them.

Right now this box is really tight so I believe the next phase will be to split this into two boxes. When I do that I know that part of that will also be to add in other ribbon and trim stored elsewhere. 

Future ribbon and trim thoughts
I have concluded that my 3 ring binder with the plastic pocket pages is a fabulous but  cost-prohibitive solution for me. I do plan to finally move those items into this photo box solution. It only took me two years to finally accept this. I just loved the idea too much to let go of it. But in thinking about blogging about this and also that I will indeed use two photo boxes, I decided that it was more important to have everything together than to keep the pocket pages.

Another trim stash that I am considering the best solution for is my embroidery thread. I have it in a divided plastic box - 2 of them actually. I rarely use it, but it is there when I need it. Now I am debating do I combine it with the bags of other trim. It looks so neat and organized the way it is. It isn't hurting anything by leaving it there. When I need it - it is still easy to access. But... am I ever going to do needlework again? Probably not. With that answer combining it with the other bags makes sense. Plus I could actually weed out some and maybe sell a portion of it. Wonder if it is worth listing on etsy?...

Happy organizing!
Preble

Have a Plan to Do More

When it comes to doing more there needs to be a plan.

Don't throw rotten tomatoes, I get it. This is a hobby and planning makes it more like work, but hear me out.

I mentioned previously my friend's motto: It's worth it. Minis are worth doing or you wouldn't have started in the hobby to begin with. I propose that the planning will be worth it too.

When it comes to planning, it can be simple. Prioritizing time to do minis with whatever schedule you choose is a plan.

Secondly, taking steps to keep that schedule is also planning. It could be you put it on your calendar so your family knows this is your hobby time. Or it could be getting a toolbox and project boxes set up so you can use the dining room table and easily put away again. If you don't have  a dedicated workspace that allows you to leave the work in progress unattended, then consider a way to pack it up quick.  Another miniaturist described having a drawer that a tray can go in.  The tray is what they work on and the drawer is where the tray goes when needing to allow things to dry or put away until later. Another way this could work is to have two drawers or boxes.  One that holds the bits and bobs that are part of the work in progress but not used yet or not ready to be put away.  The other then holds the project.  Maybe not with a tray but it allows the project to be put away.

Thirdly, it could be setting goals that this week I will get the kits for this room assembled, next week I will paint them, the next week will be choosing and ordering the wallpaper for the next room or whatever. The OMB challenge on Quarter Connection is one a month bunch, to do one project or portion of a project each month. Remember they're your goals so if you fall short it's ok. No point to dwell on it just keep moving forward.

Working with kits often leaves us to think that we don't have to plan.  But we do.  Every decision that is made including whether to use the colors the kit maker used or not, is planning. 

Having a Journal/Plan – this just means to either think about what you want to do or to actually plan what needs to be done.  This is just one way to get organized that will help to be more productive when you go to a show or the hobby/mini store.  It also helps to know what needs to be done next so there isn’t time wasted trying to do something you don’t have all the supplies for.

Today is the third part of my new series on doing more minis - check the two older posts and come back tomorrow for some more ideas on doing more minis.

Happy miniaturing,

Preble

Swaps - Day 29 of 31 days of organizing

Swaps and Finished item storage
When it comes to storing these, the items stored don't have to be swaps (read more about what a swap is with this link), they could be items purchased or assembled.  These are just items that don't have a home(project) to go to.  

Packaging be gone One aspect of swaps is that they generally have some extra packaging.  I decided a long time ago to discard the packaging for two reasons.  One they take up space and second they make it hard to see what you have.  It isn't just about me being able to see but also I have shown off the wonderful items I have received.  BECAUSE I THINK THEY ARE REALLY COOL.
Who made it
BUT I do record who I got the item from and what it is.  I have learned to be very descriptive in the what so later it is easier to figure how the who.  I like to give credit to the who when the what finds a home.  I do this using Access, but a spreadsheet in Excel works too.  That is what I used before I switched to Access.

Here is my swap boxes.  I call them swap boxes although they do have items I have assembled from kits and therefore not really a swap item.  
I have each end labeled so that when I put them on the shelf, I don't have to worry which way.  
These boxes are fishing tackle type divided boxes.  Some have pre-set divider sections that can insert a divider in the slot and some have non-removable dividers. My preference is the removable ones.

Organized by Theme or Room
I organize the boxes by theme or room.  The one above (an old photo) has bedroom and living room furniture in it.  If I did a specific themed swap, then I usually have those grouped together for when the project gets done.
I do not usually put these items in with the kit they might go with.  Well unless they are both specific.  For example, if I had a project box started for the themed swap,I might. Like when I did an attic swap and we got an attic kit, the attic swaps and that kit were all housed together.  But if a finished item/swap could go in different projects and haven't decided which one yet, then it goes in these general boxes.  I do that because I may end up not using in the original intended project idea.  Could be it doesn't fit with my theme after all, don't have enough room or whatever.

For the most part these items are just inside the divider sections, really small items may get added to a small plastic box with mini-hold on them, but not all items.  If I take the box to show off (like after a big swap), then I use mini-hold on all the items.  But these are all for short trips.

One solution I might consider if I didn't have these plastic boxes, is make my own from cardboard. This would be similar to the trays I have for beads.  However the trays I made for swaps would be deeper to accommodate more items.  But I could still do the stacking within the larger box.  I would definitely add sections to give structure to the trays to keep an upper layer from crushing anything below.  The trays would need tabs at the end for sure to make it easy to lift them out.

Come back tomorrow for more organizing solutions - 2 days left in my 31 days.

Happy Miniature Organizing!
Preble

31 Days of Organizing - Day 7 - Wood

Storing wood all depends on what size and shape of wood is needing stored.  OK, this is true of all things needing stored, but with wood we have an additional consideration and that is warping.  
Wood for miniature projects has a tendancy to be fragile.  Some pieces of wood more so than others.  Also if wood is longer - like sheets or molding these can bend over time and that will cause warping.  

Long Wood and Molding
One storage solution for wood particularly long pieces like molding is to use tubes.  I did this using cardboard tubes like from the inside of wrapping paper.  Add paper to one end and adhere to the sides.  Then allow them to stand upright in a wastepaper basket or box. When ready to use them, I picked up the tube emptying it out onto my table and picked the piece or pieces I needed. I know that some use this idea only they cut the tubes shorter so the wood sticks out a bit.  Also they choose to lay on their side (to help with the warping).
Later on I purchased a batch of wood to make kits with.  The wood just so happen to come in a really nice size box for laying longer pieces of wood inside.  That is what I use today for any longer pieces that will fit.  So far I haven't outgrown this box.  

For other wider pieces I also have a long narrow plastic bag.  I got the bag full of various types and thickness of wood at an estate sale of a miniaturist.  This has worked quite well to avoid warping as some of the wood in the bag is really thick and the combination of them together is keeping them from bending.  But I don't necessarily recommend this.  If warping is a problem, then laying wood flat in on a shelf is a good idea.  

Wood bits
I used to have a drawer in my drawer cabinet full of various pieces leftover from my projects.  This drawer over time morphed into a second drawer.  One day I realized I had another solution available that would save me time sorting through the drawer.  I am all about saving time.  
My solution was to use a divided plastic box.  This one was a leftover from my work and it didn't have a lid.  Actually have two of them.  I sorted all my smaller pieces by shape and similar in size and used the dividers that you add in to have sections  as needed.  

In the second box, I added my longer scale lumber but still fit into these boxes.  These were in special packs that were sold in a hobby shop.  This was a case of using what I have on hand to fit the need that I currently have.
Now when I need a wood bit not only am I saving time not looking through a jumble in a drawer or two, I am also saving money because I don't cut more from a longer piece that I actually had a short leftover.  The shorter leftover previously would have been over looked until later and I realized I had cut a longer piece un-necessarily.
I will say though I have gotten lazy and during a clean up I added a bunch of wood bits to a box and just set that in with the other trays.  This could use some sorting one day when I think about doing it.  

Come back tomorrow for another organizing idea during my 31 days of organizing.

Happy Miniature Organizing!

Preble