Get Organized Week #18 Tools, Adhesive & Equipment

Transcription

1 Get Organized Week #18 Tools, Adhesive & Equipment Materials Needed Sturdy containers that can hold the weight of your tools, containers for adhesives, and a label maker to label your containers The Challenge To have primary and secondary tools residing in their own containers, accessible at all times, and to incorporate a system into your studio for storing adhesives so you ll know when you need to replenish your supply. Can you believe we ve come so far? I praise and admire those of you who are sticking with this life-and-art-changing experience. Good job, keep going, this is worth it! Organizing and storing your tools (both hand-held and larger equipment), and adhesives is a very personalized process, since we all have different things we use (heck, trimmers alone must come in eight different sizes). Tools can be small, sleek, bulky, heavy, obsolete, etc. I ll share some suggestions for organizing, and then leave it up to you to figure out the best storage method for YOUR stash. There are really three basic organization methods for tools and you can use them alone or in combination: 1. Frequency of use 2. Function 3. Size You also need to decide on the following: 1. Are you going to keep your tools together, or with the products and supplies you use them with, i.e., in the centers where you use them? Ask yourself where will you store your heat gun? Will you keep it with your tools or your embossing supplies? Think of how you work and what makes sense in your head, and stick with it. Also, when grouping tools, decide whether to keep ALL your tools together, or put some of your less-often-used tools out of the way. By splitting up tools, you can gain workspace. But you also risk forgetting what you have. 2. If you often attend crops, now is a good time to make your life easier. Decide to invest in a second set of tools that will be packed and ready to go when you are, or find a tool-storage solution that is portable. 120

2 Here are a few storage ideas: Recycle cans or canisters, decorate and embellish Over-the-door organizers Tilt bins Clear plastic shoeboxes Multi-drawer chest Photo storage boxes Tool caddy Tackle box Desktop tool carousels (Pampered Chef has one or you can make your own using a lazy-susan with containers on top) Hanging on a wall (no pegboard needed) Pegboard Stacy has her tools sorted by frequency of use. Her less-frequently-used tools are in a lazy-susan tucked away in a cabinet. She regularly uses an Exacto knife, so she keeps spare blades in a film canister near where she stores the knife. She also has a second film canister with a slit-cut in the top that holds used blades. When the canister is full, she places tape over the top and throws it away--no loose blades to cause possible injury! Tip: If you don t have empty film canisters to hold used blades, consider using this easy tape and chipboard method. Find two small scrap pieces of chipboard that are larger than the blade you want to dispose of. Tape the used blade to one of the pieces of chipboard. Then, place the chipboard pieces together with the blade sandwiched in between. Tape around all edges to seal the blade inside and place in the trash. More Insight from Jill When sorting and organizing tools, I categorize them into two classes: 1) hand-held tools and 2) larger tools that need a home on my workspace or on shelves and in drawers (e.g., cinch binding tool, electronic die cutter, large Xyron Sticker Maker, etc.) Once I categorize them, I sort them further: 1. Primary - used for most projects 2. Secondary - used occasionally (but I still want them close to my workspace) 3. Infrequent - rarely used but still valuable to have when needed 121

3 Primary tools make it into my prime spaces within arms reach of my main workspace. My Stamping Center includes two work areas. One is desk high so I can lean into stamps when using them. The second is a tempered, glass-covered end of my island where I can emboss or mist. Secondary tools are a few steps away in plastic drawers on the built-in shelves in my closet, or nearby in a drawer in my island. Infrequently used tools are also labeled and in drawers in my closet. I use Making Memories Carousels for my primary tool storage. They have been discontinued but other knock-offs are available in hobby stores. Mine have nameplates with identifying verb labels of bin contents (see below). There are plenty of compartments, and the units spin. I sanded and painted my carousels black (they were white) for two reasons. First, they work better with the décor of my vintage-inspired space. And second, when the paint chips from daily use I can easily touch-up the dings with a black Sharpie or Copic marker, delaying re-painting. I thought I d share my nameplate label titles for those who might find the information helpful: Distress Paint Cut Write Write - Copic Mist Staple Punch Attach 122

4 Most of my primary tools fit into one of the above categories. Also, I have one compartment for staplers (attachers) and one for other attachers: anything I use to attach something to a page, i.e., needles, tweezers, brad setter, etc. A magnet is glued inside one corner of the Attach section for my needles. No more lost or misplaced needles to worry about. I removed the nameplates on the front of a few sections so my hand-held corner rounders and punches can hang over the edges. You can also add magnets to the front of sections for items you want to grab quickly (certain adhesive cartridges or tools have a magnet glued to them). Adhesives After years of digging in several places for my adhesives, and feeling frustrated that my favorites would get discontinued or become obsolete, I changed my thinking. Now I only purchase adhesives that have been on the market for a long time. I then gathered every adhesive I owned into one place and began a sorting and organizing marathon. I made a list of adhesives I used most often, gathered them into a pile to see how much each took up, and went shopping for a container to hold them all. I looked for a container that would hold these adhesives on my workspace and coordinate with my carousels. I found two desk-top organizers at a discount store that would work, if glued together. Once glued, I painted them 123

5 Get Organized black, and added Tim Holtz decorative feet to the corners. Now I have ONE place to go to for my most-used adhesives. It can be easily toted to my Stamping Center or desk area in one quick motion. The tape gun cartridge I use most often has magnets glued onto it and these magnets also line up with magnets on my tote. I always know where this cartridge can be found and where to return it after use. My bigger tape guns fit into a drawer in my island, where I store secondary tools. My secondary adhesives (the ones that stand up) are in a tray on a shelf behind where I work. I put them on a tray so I can pull it out and get to the items in the back. The tray also enables me to move the whole thing to use in a different location or for cleaning purposes. Secondary tape rolls, glue sticks, tape gun refills, hot glue sticks, etc. are in the shallow-drawer tower in my island. They are sorted according to type: dry, tape, liquid, hot glue, etc. Large cans of spray adhesive, refills or bottles too large to fit on the adhesive shelf are in bins Jill Davis and Scrapbook.com LLC 124

6 Get Organized Alcohol (and a little elbow grease) will remove adhesive from scissor blades and my workspace top. I keep individually wrapped alcohol wipes in my adhesive bins. If my grandkids get into them, I m not worried about toxicity. These bins are on a shelf below my adhesive tray, so I have a complete Adhesive Center that looks great and is highly functional. I also keep hand cleaners and gloves in a bin in a cupboard under my island top which completes my adhesive needs Jill Davis and Scrapbook.com LLC 125

7 Equipment Electronic die cutting equipment is on a shelf by my scanners, printer and computer. My secondary die cutting equipment is in my Die Cutting Center in the closet on the bottom shelf. Binding equipment and supplies are in a bottom drawer in my Stamping Center where there is more room to access and use it. Think about the larger tools and equipment you have, and decide where they will work best within your systems. Summary Unlike the age-perfected tools one would find in a man cave, our tools can be obsolete in a few years (this industry is still evolving and improving). Knowing which tools to keep and which to discard is a necessary skill if you want to avoid clutter. It s time to gather up your tools and adhesives, make your decisions, and get busy. When you re finished, do a happy dance and meet me back here for Week #19 when we ll tame your raw chipboard, albums and page protectors. 126