October Afternoon

Workspace Wednesday

Hello everyone! Suz here to share with you an adorable little workspace organization project by the talented and resourceful  OA DT Member; Jill Sprott.

For those of you that may not know, Jill lives in the part of the world that is both beautiful, but also has salty air and a fair amount of humidity (Hawaii). And while Hawaii a enviable place to live because of its beauty and many other things, the weather can alter and vintage-fy some metal household and scrapbooking items--namely the OA Tin Pins. 

 

No worries though! Jill has the perfect solution for those beloved and hoarded Tin Pins! Here is what she created:

Isn't it fabulous?! What a great way to showcase all of your super fun Tin Pins that you have collected.

Happy Tuesday!

 

 

 

Workspace Wednesday

Hello OA fans! Melanie here today with another installment of workspace Wednesday!! Last week I shared a glimpse of my scrap space, today I’m sharing a full view of where I create.  As I previously mentioned, my scrap desk is now located in a corner of our master bedroom, which is a work in a progress. My lovely and supportive husband doesn’t seem to mind one bit. Since I have so very little space, organization is a must and hoarding is not allowed. If I don’t use it, I can’t keep it.

Luckily for me, the only available spot in our room was under a window, which is perfect!!  I love the natural light or working when the window is open. My desk and chair are from Ikea, very simple and basic. Under my desk are my sewing machine and my PL albums.  To the left side of my desk I keep my go to items in a Raskog cart from Ikea.

On the wall to the right, I decide to add frames and inspirational quotes, along with a dedicate space for my latest layout.  I do try to keep very little items on my desk, especially since I can’t really hide a mess as I would in a dedicate scrap room.

Little containers are perfect for keeping things neatly organized. In this metal tray, which I purchased at Winners, I keep my October Afternoon roller stamps, along with odds and ends and washi tape. Since I have very little space I had to get rid of my Cameo, but I still love to use my punches, which I keep neatly put away in a wire basket in my Raskog cart.

My armoire from Ikea, it is one of my favorite items in my room; it stores all my scrapping supplies. If it doesn’t fit in the armoire or hasn’t been touch in 6 months it will be removed and given to someone who will enjoy it. My armoire is the perfect location for my Cuttlebug, spare albums, PL accessories, random embellishments and stickers. My October Afternoon supplies also have a dedicated space in a wire basket on the bottom shelf.

As you can see, it is possible to have a scrap nook even in a small space. The trick is organization and wire baskets that will keep your scrapping treasures out of sight and away from curious little hands. My girls do love to come around and look at my supplies, they love to be involved and will often ask for my leftovers, which I am more than happy to share.

We would love to see your scrap space, make sure to share it with us, upload your scrap space to the October Afternoon Flickr gallery, post it on our Facebook page, or connect with us on Instagram via #octoberafternoon. Happy workspace Wednesday!!!!

Workspace Wednesday

Hello October Afternoon fans, Melanie here today for a workspace Wednesday edition with a bonus layout! I couldn’t do a blog post and not share a layout, hope you all don’t mind.

First of all my scrap space, it is more like my scrap desk because I do not have a dedicate room for my scrapbooking. I have taken over a small corner in our master bedroom, my wonderful husband doesn’t seem to mind, or if he does he isn’t vocal about it. Since I have a small space a couple of things are crucial, lots of baskets for organization, keeping things tidy and in their rightful location and not hoarding my supplies. I do have a dedicate armoire in our bedroom which holds all my supplies, it’s beautiful and works perfectly. The beauty in a small space is that less is more; I am more selective about what products I bring home, what I use and how I display my supplies, because in the end there isn’t any space for anything that will not be used.

My October Afternoon supplies are located in a small wire basket which is kept in my armoire and a larger plastic bin which is kept in our master bedroom closet. I pull out these containers when I work on my projects and once I am done everything goes back in its appropriate location.

While thinking about today’s workspace post I started pulling out my supplies and was immediately inspired to create a quick and fun layout. In an effort to use what I have I pulled out my favorite OA collection, Girl Talk, which I have been hoarding. Now is the time to put it to good use! I wanted to use the 3x4 card as the focal point of the layout, this song is my oldest daughter’s song, so very perfect for this layout.

Another one of my favorite OA items are the roller stamps, they have a permanent spot on my work table, as I use them on almost every single project/layout I create. For this layout I decided to use them in two different ways, one as an accent to my photo and the other as part of my title work.  I really love the versatility of these roller stamps and I’ll be honest, roller stamps are so quick to use, no fuss and that makes me happy.

I hope you have enjoyed a glimpse into my scrap room, I will be back to share more very soon. In the meantime, make sure to upload your layout to the October Afternoon Flickr gallery, post it on our Facebook page, or connect with us on Instagram via #octoberafternoon.

Workspace Wednesday with Emily Spahn

Hello! Welcome to Workspace Wednesday. Emily here. This is my first ever Workspace Wednesday here on the October Afternoon blog. I am very lucky to have a scrap space in the refinished attic of our home. It's bright and big and perfect! We moved into our new (90 year old) home a year ago this week, and I still have probably six boxes of scrap-related stuff to unpack. Although it's been a year, I still don't feel like my space is as organized as I'd like it to be!! Right now the space is a mismatch of furniture and a mess of product. I must admit, however, that the area has seen a huge transformation from where it began! I thought I'd share some progress photos so you can see how the space has evolved over the last 365 days. Sometimes when I'm feeling glum about the state of the space, I look back and see how far it has come!

November 2013 - This first photo is from the listing photos when we bought our home. The previous owners had used the attic space as an office and as a space for their teenage children to just hang out. As you can see, the family that renovated the space did a fantastic job!  I must note, because people always seem to see this photo incorrectly, there is NOT a giant hole in the floor. ;)  The wood framed rectangle you see at the bottom of the photograph is part of the wall around the stairs that go down to the second level!

December 2013 - The first thing we did was set up the black IKEA Expedit bookshelf.  In my previous space I had lower shelves, and we used the Expedit as a bookcase, but there was no place in the new house for it, so into my scrap room it went! My desk is also from IKEA, as well as the aqua kitchen cart. Okay - pretty much everything in this picture is from IKEA!

January 2014 - The content of my Expedit is always changing.  I don't think I will ever be happy with how things are organized.  At this point, most of my scrap supplies were still packed away and I was only scrapping with items that came from design teams.  So, while the shelves may look relatively organized, they were only holding a fraction of my supplies!  You can even see the tape that is still on my plastic drawers - meaning that at this point they hadn't even been opened since the move!

March 2014 - In March I got a cute little vintage serving tray that works perfectly to hold my washi tape holder (it's storage for storage!), my patterned paper, and various other supplies. At this point, the kitchen cart was over away from my desk. It didn't stay there long.

April 2014 - In April I purchased a giant piece of furniture for my space - a 10 drawer cabinet from the local store that sells old items from the University.  I have no idea how my husband and I managed to get this huge thing up the stairs without killing ourselves! I can say this - it's probably never coming back down again!  The cabinet is much deeper than it appears in the pictures. I still have a few empty drawers, but it stores my inks, punches, ribbon, stamps, paper pads, and all my embellishments.

 

August 2014 - Throughout the summer I continued to add things and change things. Here is a photo from the summer.  

November 2014 - And finally - the most current photo of my Expedit shelves. I acquired a vintage 7-up crate that I need to fill. I also finally unpacked all of my boxes of embellishments and filled up most of my drawers. I moved around many items so that I could utilize my white plastic drawers better than I had done previously. I did not take a full photo of the desk and the floor because, well, it was pretty messy! ;) (Excuse the crazy color.)

 

And finally, here is one of my favorite little spaces in my area - it sits on top of my button cabinet on my desk.

Thanks so much for coming along on a little tour of my space over time!  I hope it will continue to change and evolve and one day be perfect!  For now, I am so thankful for my own place to create! I would love to see your spaces, too! Play along on Instagram by using the hashtag #OAWorkspaceWednesday. Have a great day! 

Workspace Wednesday: Organizing On A Dime

Hello October Afternoon fans! Mandy Koeppen here with you today sharing a fun post about Organizing your scrap space on a dime. We all love scrolling through Pinterest, flipping through design magazines, and hitting up out favorite scrapbookers blogs for organizing inspiration but as you know some of those spaces are just too far out of our budget. Sometimes the stores that one person has isn't in our neck of the woods so it's almost impossible to get that must have organizer- this reminds me of the famous raskog cart from ikea. Somethings like awesome vintage tool boxes or container just can't be found or replicated so you spend years still looking every time you go to a flea market. Well here's an idea why not reuse or DIY your own organizing containers for your scrap space? I scrolled through Pinterest and here are some of the idea I thought could come in handy when organizing those precious October Afternoon supplies.

Links below will take you to the project on Pinterest and the Pin. 

Cereal box drawer organizer would be great for small embellishments and tools. Do you see the October Afternoon pattern paper used here?

 

Tin can  tool holder. This is so cool! Pens, brushes, scissors, mists(use a tomato can) etc. could be stored in the cans. 

Aluminium Foil washi dispencer? Some of you this could come in hand while others will more than likely need the next organizer lol.

Skirt Rack Washi Holder this rack shows ribbon but I'd switch it out for washi. These skirt racks are pretty handy not only for washi tape but you can hang projects from them, store spools of ribbon & thread.

DVD folder Stamp Storage . Ever wonder what to do with those clear DVD/CD folders laying around? Why not store clear stamps or cling stamps in them? Label and stamp image so you know what the folder contains.

Another Cereal box but different use.This organizer would be perfect for small embellishments like October Afternoon Miscellany, buttons, Daily Flash supplies.

Last but certainly not least Paper Storage. Mostly likely you get some kind of package shipped Priority. Have you thought about saving those boxes to use for paper holders? You can spray paint them or cover them in wrapping paper.

Or maybe you get a kit in the mail monthly save the boxes they are great for storing paper. If neither of these are an option for you then you can find ThEsE BoXeS that are are like the ones kits come in. 

I hope you leave inspired and perhaps try creating something from this post to use in your scrap space. Thanks for joining me today! ~Mandy 

Workspace Wednesday | Roree Rumph

Hi everyone! Roree here with this week's Workspace Wednesday post.

For today's post, I thought I would share with you where I photograph my projects. My scrapbook room is in the formal dining room of my house. We are not really "formal" people and we have a breakfast room off of our kitchen where we eat, so the room would go unused if I didn't take it over for my scrap space. Besides, I really like have a separate space for my craft room but being close enough that I can still be a part of what is going on.

Having my room in this area of the house means that I have a large picture window in my workspace that is perfect for taking pictures. I get a lot of indirect sunlight in the late morning and afternoon, which is when I normally take my pictures. For those pictures, I use a Nikon D40 camera with a Nikon AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm lens.

I can just swing my chair around when I am finished with my project and take a photo on my little sewing table that normally houses my Cricut machine. (I moved it, along with a BUNCH of other things, for today's post. It is a catch-all for everything!)

I get really good light coming in at this angle. Here is a project picture with the photo untouched:

After that, I use Photoshop Elements to crop and lighten & brighten my photos. That is where the real magic happens. Here is my project after being touched up:

So where do you take pictures of your projects? Is there a special spot in your home that catches the light just right? Do you use a light box or something else altogether? We want to know! Just use hashtag #oaworkspacewednesday to share your space with us.

Workspace Wednesday with Shanna Noel

Happy Wednesday! I am so excited to be back here with you today! Last time I was on for Workspace Wednesday I shared where I keep my October Afternoon goodies, today I wanted to share a different storage option I am loving in my craft space! 

 

 

I love these old pepsi crates (and don't tell the others this but THIS yellow one is my fave!!) they are perfect for an open storage solution that is just SO much fun to look at. When I decided to use this in my craft space I took out the dividers (they just slipped right out) so it provided for more storage options. 

 

Then I slipped three cigar boxes in the crate (my husband picks them up for free at a local shop) they just make great little containers for soemthing like this! I used the back space (that didn't have containers) to put all my alphas in. I love that they all fit perfectly (I also use this as a guage for when it is time to purge) and they are super easy to flip through. 

Then I used the three boxes to store all my roller date and design stamps. These don't fit in my traditional stamp storage options so they needed their own home and let's face it, they look adorable peeking out of this box!! The October Afternoon decade stamps are perfect to have on hand for some of the vintage projects I am working on! 

 

I hope you are having fun in your workspace on this beautiful Wednesday. Share on instagram #OAWorkspace and I will make sure to leave you some love!!! 

 

xox

Shanna

 

 

Workspace Wednesday with Mou

Hi everyone, Mou here with a post today about organizing your washi tapes. I have a ton of washi tapes. Obviously, I was hit by the washi trend big time! If you go to Pinterest, you'll find many lovely ideas of storing this crafty product. I have tried many of them and over time, narrowed the options to what works best for me and my space. So here are a few of those options.

This is a cup holder. It was originally used in my kitchen. But then our kitchen organization changed and this piece was no longer needed. It eventually found its way to my crafting table. Usually, this is where the latest washi purchases get flaunted.

This paper towel holder washi organizer was my very first washi holder. I didn't have too many at the time and life was simple. Found the paper towel holder at Goodwill. Needless to say, it was outgrown much too quickly!

This ribbon holder was bought on a COLD December morning from JoAnn as part of a doorbuster deal! Because before I started collecting washi tapes, I collected ribbon spools. When the washi rolls beat the ribbon spools in number, the storage was dedicated to washi tapes.

Okay, I'll admit... I stole this trouser hanger from my husband! What can I say, I have more washi tape rolls than he has trousers. He didn't mind and I made it up to him. But look at how many rolls you can fit on it!

Now, I don't always work in the same spot. So, I need mobile storage. If I'm working with a few designs, I take those rolls out and put them in a container like this piece of pottery I found in Goodwill and take them where I'm working. Helps a lot!

And sometimes, I splurge... found this washi tape dispenser at Anthropologie - my most expensive washi tape storage purchase yet! I thought it was perfect for a scrapbooker. And so it holds just one roll that came with the purchase and I love it :)

So, there you have it... my washi tape storage details! Thanks for stopping by. 

Workspace Wednesday - Patricia Roebuck

 Hello and welcome to another Workspace Wednesday.  Patricia here with you to share how organize my products.

First, I'll show you how I organize my October Afternoon products.  I prefer them to be more spread out in other organizers, but to save room, I have embellishments and stamps grouped right now.

 I usually go through and pick what I want to work with, so this is a great way for me to 'see' what I have.

I love the roller stamps, my favorites.  A quick way for me to see which I want to use was to save the packaging.  They show you what is on each stamp.  So I just put them on a big ring.

I did the same with the washi.  The packaging has an example of the washi already on it, so just put on a big ring as well.

Then for each roller, I used a Sharpie pen and marked what they were on the tops.  

All of these containers were purchased at Target.  I have a separate container for washi tape, but I want to keep all October Afternoon togther, and this works great for me.

 My space is the smallest room in our house, and is more of a practical work area than it is a formal 'studio.'   

 My daughter shares this space with me.  Between the mess she can make and my mess, we are quite a pair.

 I keep most of papers by teams in these Itso bins on the other side of the room.

Jill and the team were discussing 'keeping it real' with our workspace, this is not nearly as messy as it has been, but thought it would be fun to take a picture of how my room looks right now.  It is not unlikely that I'll have one project going on my main work desk and then another there on the left near the Silhouette and my computer.  Sometimes I am pressed for time, and I work well under pressure and in a complete mess.  But I usually will have everthing put back and ready for the next project.

You can find other OA Workspace Wednesday shares by searching the blog here or on OA Facebook wall. On Pinterest, October Afternoon has begun a "Workspace Wednesday" board. On Instagram you can find OA workspace shares by doing a search of the hashtag #oaworkspacewednesday. Feel free to share your OA organization and set ups too! Be sure to use the aforementioned hashtag so that we can find them! We may just highlight them here on the blog in the future!

Workspace Wednesday: Organizing October Afternoon Products with Suz

Hello everyone! Welcome to October!! Suz here with you are bit of my workspace and organizational tips to share; with a few ways I currently house my October Afternoon goodies. :)

 

Here is a glimpse into the current state of my scrap desk. NOTE: Current state. I assure you, it only looks this way for posts such as these! ;) Normally it is cluttered with what I call my "Craftermath" (thanks for the term Pinterest!) of scrapping sessions.

 

As you can see, I keep my printers; Canon MG5320, Canon CP900 (I have the newer model at our cabin since it's in a remote area and I don't need a Wi-Fi hot spot)  and Fuji Instax Share Sp-1 on my desk as well as my iMac and Silhouette Cameo. These are the tools I use daily so they get the prime real estate on my scrap desk. You may notice the little red kitchen timer to the right of my printers. I use that to keep me focused and productive. For example, when I check emails in the morning or surf, I set it for 20-30 minutes and when it goes off?

I am done.

Moving on to the next task.

Like tidying up some aspect of my workspace that needs attention for example. (There is always something needing attention, and while 20-30 minutes doesn't get to it all, doing this daily helps to make positive progress towards a cleaner, more organized space. And that my friends, leads me to more creativity and productivity.) Try it sometime! ;)

I store the Daily Flash "Flash Chip" and Daily Flash Alphas in this little angled basket I purchased from one of the big box craft stores.

  

For my OA stamps, I currently have them organized by collection in this drawer storage that is located just to the right of my desk. Eventually I will be going to IKEA (no store located close to me yet) and purchasing an Alex cart and a few other items to store the stamps and other OA collections.This is working for me right now though.

 On the wall to the right of my desk, I clip up label stickers (wooden arrow clips are a Target Dollar Bin score from last year) and Mini Market alphas on book rings while I am scrapping. When I am finished, I put them away in another drawer next to the one where I store my stamps.

 

My current OA Design Team collections are housed in these zipped crop bags. I like having the majority of the collections, if not all, in these bags. I like that they are all in one place and it's super helpful when I am headed to our cabin and scrapping there. I just grab a bag or two and a few tools and I am good to go!

Thanks for stopping by today! I will be back later in this OA Workspace Wednesday series to share more of my scrap space and how it's organized.

Looking for more inspiration for OA goody organization?

You can find other OA Workspace Wednesday shares by searching the blog here or on OA Facebook wall. On Pinterest, October Afternoon has begun a "Workspace Wednesday" board. On Instagram you can find OA workspace shares by doing a search of the hashtag #oaworkspacewednesday. Feel free to share your OA organization and set ups too! Be sure to use the aforementioned hashtag so that we can find them! We may just highlight them here on the blog in the future! ;)

Suz