Showing posts with label organizing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organizing. Show all posts
Monday, January 10, 2011
Car Display Holder for over the door
This past weekend my son had a birthday party for a classmate (actually 2, twins) and after talking with them and their mom I decided to recreate an over the door matchbox car holder similar to one we received from a friend. Of course I quickly realized that this could be used for all sorts of things from matchbox cars to barbies to trains and tracks...you name it.
To say the least I am super excited with how it came out and can't wait to make more for all sorts of things... Their mom knew what I was planning to make and I am pretty sure she was more excited about the gift than they were, but she said they wanted it hung up as soon as they opened it so I guess it was a win win... Happy Birthday again Miles and Nolan!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Studio Space and Organization
Spring cleaning time has arrived and the one place we should not over look is our office space. With all the different ways to get organized why is it so hard to do it. My personal opinion is that there are too many different ways to store the same things and it gets overwhelming. So I want to share with you what has worked for me. Hopefully it will help you manage your clutter and make your office a place you want to be.
FIRST:
Shelving - I actually think that this is more important than a desk, why? Shelving is what gets everything up and out of the way! This way your desk is for doing actual work. I found this great shelf at none other than Ikea, I know shocking! But Ikea has some of the greatest tools for organizing, including this shelving unit {pictured below} at prices that won't break your budget.
This bookshelf is great for a couple of reasons, you can stand it up or lay it down {as I have it} for the type of space you have. But it also has different sized cubby holes to help keep you organized. As you can see in mine some of the holes have galvanized steel bins in them which you can add labels to to make finding items super easy. If you are trying to be Green and would rather use recycled pieces to hold your items you can find hundreds of sellers on Etsy with a great selection of old crates, boxes and bags for you to choose from.
You can also use floating shelves or wall mounted shelves to display your stuff. You can place ribbons, yarn, beads anything with lots of color in glass jars . Use a cigar box to store paint brushes or other loose odds and ends. Just to give you some ideas.
SECOND:
Your desk - You need to get what you are most comfortable with. I personally have a wood top with 4 metal legs. Super easy and sleek {in fact you could make this after I trip to the hardware store, buy some MDF board, metal pipe and flanges and your are good to go}. If you would rather have some storage underneath for paperwork you can get a filing cabinet or a desk with them built in. Craigslist.com is a great resource for office furniture when you are not looking to spend a lot. Of coarse you can always go to garage sales, this is the perfect time of year for those! Another option is to look for a desk with storage options above the desk or a desk that can close up {great if you have small children that like to get into things} just make sure that your monitor will fit in the place it allows for. I will tell you know if you have a 24" screen {like I do} it will not fit in that hole it's suppose to...
THIRD:
Make sure that you have thought about a place to write notes to yourself, keep orders out while you are getting them ready, and keep packing materials. This will save you tons of frustration later on. Also something to think about if you have kids make sure that you have a space for them in the office too. My son is 2 and loves to "help mom" especially when I am in the office working on things, so I have a second table in here just for him to have his coloring books, crayons, paper and such things. This way he thinks he is getting to help and do what I am doing but he stays out of my way, most of the time.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST:
Decorate with items that will inspire you, not hinder you. Just because it's an office doesn't mean that it has to be a stiff environment. Paint your walls with colors you love, hang art you are drawn to and don't be afraid to change it up. If you have a memo board or magnet board fill it with your inspirations and make sure you look at it daily as well as add to it. Lastly, if something isn't working fix it, don't live with it. I hope this helps you in your quest for an office space that you can actually work in.
If you have other ideas or things that have worked for you feel free to post your ideas here too for others!
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DON'T FORGET YOU STILL HAVE UNTIL JUNE 14 TO GET SIGNED UP TO WIN MY GIVEAWAY!
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Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Organizational KEY, part 1
Organization for a business is KEY, but for so many it becomes a forgotten thought or a last minute scramble. There are many reasons why you should take a moment and rethink your organization, first and foremost it is much easier to stay on top of things when you know where they are and how they are progressing. Second, and just as important, it will help you keep your sanity! Instead of scrambling to put together an order or to know what bills are do when or what you need to follow up on you can keep it all organized and be less stressed. Yes, less stressed! Now I am not talking OCD type organizing (not to offend anyone) just some simple tools that you can implement in your day to day work to put your ying and yang back into it's place, at least for this part of your life.
Now, I took the liberty of asking some of my fellow artists on Etsy to help me compile a list of their favorite ways to stay organized. And after 13 pages of answers and more still coming in, here are just a few of my favorites.
Overall I think the most popular answers were drawers, boxes, bookcases, some sort of object to place all the chaos in. While this is all well and good, most of the time it just becomes a contained chaos. Of course there were some that answered me with their whole system like TheWorldsDresser who wrote me a dissertation on how she kept organized. Amazingly organized! But I am not sure that we all have to go to her extreme. Please don't get me wrong, my goal in life is to be that organized, but I know I will never achieve do to lack of concentration. So I think somewhere between just drawers and queen of organization is where we will aim.
Our first stop is the drawers, boxes and bookcases. One way to keep them from becoming chaos is labels. Use the labels on the outside to let you know what's in each drawer; paper, tools, beads, etc. Then when you open the drawer have it sectioned as well. Do it by what's easiest for you to remember. Color, style, size, type. And the biggest thing to remember is to put things back when you are done! Don't let them get piled on top of each other, you will forget what you have out, lose something, spill something...well you get the idea, chaos.
I guess where we should have started is where you do your work. Have a designated place, even if you are in tight corners you can still have a place to work, it just might be more work on your end to stay organized so you can put things out of the way when you are done. I myself, have an office upstairs, but I don't use it. I now have a 6 month old son getting ready to start crawling at any moment so being confided to my office is not practical at the moment. So I moved everything to my dining room downstairs for the time being. That way I am close to him if he is playing and I can still get some work done. In this space I have my computer, since that is what I use the most, along with my printer, scanner, and a small flat file for papers, greeting cards and other things that I am using at that moment, but that I can change out as I need to. I almost always have a sketchbook as well that I am using to keep my latest ideas and custom orders in. I also have a small card table set up to actually do the physical parts of my work; the painting, cutting, gluing, etc. When it comes to this type of stuff get things that you are able to work around. I got my tables at Ikea, which is a great place to get organized cheap and still keep your style! But for some like kateisgreat80 they buy a fancier cabinet that holds everything and stores it out of the way. Great for small spaces and if you have small children. You could do the same thing with a repurposed Armour or TV cabinet.
If you are working with something that has several steps to it, you might want to think about having different areas set up to hold the items as you work on them. inediblejewelry says that each of the different areas set up for making their charms also has the tools they will need to complete that task. Another great idea, so you are not running around trying to find something especially if you are working with time sensitive materials.
StarletTwinkie had a great idea if you are working with something that needed multiple pieces to it. Use a clear pocketed shoe hanger bag that hangs over a door. Easy access to all your pieces and you can see what's inside them. If you can't find a clear one, just tape one of the pieces to the outside of the pocket so you know what in there.
TheWorldsDresser also recommended photographing every single one of your creations to make a catalog in a power point document separated by medium. Great for these reasons
-When you have a juried show you have a place to pull pics from without looking too hard
-If you have electricity at your show, bring a laptop and have the images rotate - it brings folks over
-If you do home shows it allows people to get a good grasp of your work and helps them decide on custom orders
-If you intend to sell to shops, you have a portfolio of your work all ready to go (have it professionally printed and bound at an office supply store) without lugging every piece over.
Like I said she gave me a dissertation. Amazing!
Design4u says that flower pots are great for holding paint brushes, markers, decorative scissors, etc. I have found that this coffee mug organizer works great too!
That should give you a good start on you product organization, next time we will cover paperwork, final products and scheduling. Hope this helps and a big thanks to all who supplied me with answers.
Below is a list of stores to look at when trying to get organized:
Ikea
Duluth Trading Co
The Container Store
Target
Any office supply store and ebay
Now, I took the liberty of asking some of my fellow artists on Etsy to help me compile a list of their favorite ways to stay organized. And after 13 pages of answers and more still coming in, here are just a few of my favorites.
Overall I think the most popular answers were drawers, boxes, bookcases, some sort of object to place all the chaos in. While this is all well and good, most of the time it just becomes a contained chaos. Of course there were some that answered me with their whole system like TheWorldsDresser who wrote me a dissertation on how she kept organized. Amazingly organized! But I am not sure that we all have to go to her extreme. Please don't get me wrong, my goal in life is to be that organized, but I know I will never achieve do to lack of concentration. So I think somewhere between just drawers and queen of organization is where we will aim.
Our first stop is the drawers, boxes and bookcases. One way to keep them from becoming chaos is labels. Use the labels on the outside to let you know what's in each drawer; paper, tools, beads, etc. Then when you open the drawer have it sectioned as well. Do it by what's easiest for you to remember. Color, style, size, type. And the biggest thing to remember is to put things back when you are done! Don't let them get piled on top of each other, you will forget what you have out, lose something, spill something...well you get the idea, chaos.
I guess where we should have started is where you do your work. Have a designated place, even if you are in tight corners you can still have a place to work, it just might be more work on your end to stay organized so you can put things out of the way when you are done. I myself, have an office upstairs, but I don't use it. I now have a 6 month old son getting ready to start crawling at any moment so being confided to my office is not practical at the moment. So I moved everything to my dining room downstairs for the time being. That way I am close to him if he is playing and I can still get some work done. In this space I have my computer, since that is what I use the most, along with my printer, scanner, and a small flat file for papers, greeting cards and other things that I am using at that moment, but that I can change out as I need to. I almost always have a sketchbook as well that I am using to keep my latest ideas and custom orders in. I also have a small card table set up to actually do the physical parts of my work; the painting, cutting, gluing, etc. When it comes to this type of stuff get things that you are able to work around. I got my tables at Ikea, which is a great place to get organized cheap and still keep your style! But for some like kateisgreat80 they buy a fancier cabinet that holds everything and stores it out of the way. Great for small spaces and if you have small children. You could do the same thing with a repurposed Armour or TV cabinet.
If you are working with something that has several steps to it, you might want to think about having different areas set up to hold the items as you work on them. inediblejewelry says that each of the different areas set up for making their charms also has the tools they will need to complete that task. Another great idea, so you are not running around trying to find something especially if you are working with time sensitive materials.
StarletTwinkie had a great idea if you are working with something that needed multiple pieces to it. Use a clear pocketed shoe hanger bag that hangs over a door. Easy access to all your pieces and you can see what's inside them. If you can't find a clear one, just tape one of the pieces to the outside of the pocket so you know what in there.
TheWorldsDresser also recommended photographing every single one of your creations to make a catalog in a power point document separated by medium. Great for these reasons
-When you have a juried show you have a place to pull pics from without looking too hard
-If you have electricity at your show, bring a laptop and have the images rotate - it brings folks over
-If you do home shows it allows people to get a good grasp of your work and helps them decide on custom orders
-If you intend to sell to shops, you have a portfolio of your work all ready to go (have it professionally printed and bound at an office supply store) without lugging every piece over.
Like I said she gave me a dissertation. Amazing!
Design4u says that flower pots are great for holding paint brushes, markers, decorative scissors, etc. I have found that this coffee mug organizer works great too!
That should give you a good start on you product organization, next time we will cover paperwork, final products and scheduling. Hope this helps and a big thanks to all who supplied me with answers.
Below is a list of stores to look at when trying to get organized:
Ikea
Duluth Trading Co
The Container Store
Target
Any office supply store and ebay
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