Today I wanted to stop in to check in because I have been so busy with trying to get things done that I keep forgetting to post things to my blog. I have made several drafts the last few weeks and I get all excited about getting the draft done so that I can just add photos and then I completely forget to post the photos. Well I decided that I am going to try not to do anymore drafts unless I have the photos edited and ready to be added to the layout at that same time. I hope that this plan is what I need to do to keep myself on task and posting to the blog on a more consistant basis.

Well I have been scrapbooking I haven't completed a page that I can share (because the other pages were to my kids scrapbooks of the school year and such. And it has lots of photos of other perople on there so I don't really want to share those pages.

But here is a photo of a layout that I have started this week. It is a two page layout and I really like how it is coming together although I haven't finished it at this point.

There is actually going to be another page to this layout. I am trying to decide if it is going to be before or after these layouts. But most of the journaling about building our new home will be on there. That experience is something that was amazing to us. We actually loved everything about it and wouldn't pass up the chance to build a new home again.

I also wanted to say that I love scrapbooking in my new space! I love it because I have done lots of things at my area but I love being able to walk away and see that it doesn't look an absolute mess. It is so nice to open a drawer pull out what I am using and then put it back. I didn't have huge piles of things sitting ontop of things and it just worked better. Now I do plan on working on cards soon and I do think that I might make a little more mess but I still think that it is still an awesome space, take a look...And yes I still don't have the top drawer handles on those drawers because I can't decide which style I like the best since I know I don't want them to match all the other handles.

Two posts in one week...

Well as any of you have come to know that if I start working on something, I have gotta get it finished. Well I have finished the bookshelves and the desk and table have been painted and I can honestly say that I have no plans on painting anything else just yet. I mean really it has been really hot here I think all the days the last week have been 100 or more. I also know that I can't paint anymore in the garage without some type of fan. Although the door was open, it was sooooo hot in there. But I stuck it out and got it done.

Now I want to share of photo of the work so far, but I don't want anyone judging my messy space lol. I mean really I am still unpacking all my craft stuff and trying to figure out exactly how to merge there spaces into one. What I think is going to happen is that I am no longer going to have the kids bookshelves in the office. I mean they have 5 boxes of books but now that I have typed that, that won't work. I am thinking that we are going to have to have some type of bookshelves in the office and something for each child's room. So that is something that I will have to look for this week. There is no rush to get it but it would be nice to get it soon.

I have a couple of things that I need now in order to organize my space in the office, like more vertical paper storage. I am thinking that I should get a few usps boxes and decorate them. I really like that idea although I love the plastic cropper hopper ones, but these would let me bring more color into my space, but I did recently see where someone cut patterned paper to cover the fronts of their CP paper holders. I am planning to do that first and see if I like it and then I could easily coordinate my papers to match the room and then still use a couple of usps boxes.

So here is my work in progress....

Yes it is a mess but it is just the beginning. I am still painting things, looking through boxes trying to find my license plates that I have from other states that we have lived in and visited together. The theme of the office/scrapbook space is Explore/Travel. And I have a bunch of stuff still in boxes, in my XXXL navigator and rolling totes, which you can't see cause I have most of that tucked under the table, outta site. LOL The chair is actually from my oldest's room desk, we still need several chairs for this space (which I plan to paint 2 the color of the bookshelf and 2 some other color that isn't black)

I want to create a sign with a quote but I have not done vinyl in my cutter before and since I refuse to buy anything new for that machine (because I really want one that will let me use MCC without issues) I am holding out. I am also going to try to find another way to get what I want done without me spending money on those items for the sign.

For the record this is what I have spent so far on the room...

Paint $25 Lowes

Paint $25 Lowes

Bookshelves $10 (for both)

Table $14
Desk-Free

I also have to find my frame stash. I have no idea what box they are in and I don't seem to remember what box I packed them in either. I should take a pic of the mess on the other side of the computer desk area but I would feel too embarrassed by that so never mind. But I am glad to show what I have done so far, I still got a ways to do but it is really starting to feel like it could be an amazing place for all of us to us together. Well until next time...Smiles, Tracy

Wow I am posting two days in a row! Yippee! I still haven't gotten any photos to share of projects that I am working on mostly because I haven't taken the time to get the photos done and edited and also because I have been busy organizing and packing.

I had stated on twopeas that I had no plans in the near future to minimize/reorganize my space. And honestly I didn't want to. I love my stuff and I love my space, but I will love my space more if it is in a bright and sunny loft. Or so I think. So I am cleaning my space, and going through my stash and weeding out things that I might not want to carry all the way across the country just to toss them when I get settled into my new space.

I will state again that I have no idea still when we are moving but I do know that we are going to be moving within the next year or so. It really would be a nice (and a miracle) to have our house sell within the next month and a new house bought all before school started in AZ so that we could be there for the new school year.

But besides packing, and sorting, I have been catching up on updating my die/stamp log. That thing is still up-to-date for the most part, but I had come up with the idea a couple of months ago not to put images in the log until I had actually used them. Well that made for a lot of stamps and dies that I needed to put in that binder. And that is what I have been working on for the last day or so. I wish that I had asked my hubby to bring home more cd cases because now that he no longer works there I need tons of cases and I don't want to spend the money on any more. I can't believe that I have over 125 cd cases and I still need more...maybe its time to convert some of the stamps to the larger dvd cases that Stampin Up sells? I just have go to find a cheaper way to get some to see if they will really work for me or not.

Well I don't have any photos and so I am going to close this post for today. Smiles, Tracy

My organization is always changing, especially since I continue to get more stuff! I had been using things that I had around the house, or things that I could purchase for really cheap to organize because they could work and plus it meant that I didn't have to spend too much money, well that can't really work for my space anymore. I had too many little Target dollar spot things and sI want to eliminate some of the bulk in my storage (not my products! lol).

There isn't much about my space that is "wrong" for me but there are some problem areas!
So here is my current storage for buttons pic one is the front side of the cropper hopper embellishment storage container. And picture two is the back of the container, it has a little pocket like section on the back.

I originally got this storage container to store my ever growing American crafts ribbons. This idea was great when my ribbon supply was less than 100 rolls lol but now that I have well over that (remember I have been scrapbooking since 1996) I decided to use this for something else. Buttons seemed to be a great idea until I was asked to use buttons to make cards, and show ways to use buttons on pages and was given tons of buttons to do this with. And so now I have a button collection. And since I am working with a corner in my basement family room, I need to try to make it work better for me. So this is the new container I am going to try. I recently moved my flowers to this system and love it, so now I am going to do the same for my buttons.

And I did this for my brads/eyelets and grommets just a few weeks ago...here are pics of them. Eventually I am hoping to eliminate having 3 drawer plastic containers. Or at least that is what I am hoping. But I love that these are all now together in one space (well 4 containers) and now no more digging through a drawer looking for the right tic tac container! No brads opened at the bottom of that drawer either. Yeah!