My Space... with Jodene Tripp

Jodene Tripp has been kind enough to give a tour of her amazing craft room where some serious magic happens, but she's has also given us a few top tips and photo's to get us inspired. We couldn't believe just how highly organised Jodene's space was, so we had to ask just how she did it...

Has this always been your craft space? Like a lot of other crafters, I started with a small box of supplies, which grew to a crate, which grew to some drawers and a desk, then a closet (all in the corner of a room) and now 13 years later I finally have a whole room to myself! This room has only been mine since July last year when we moved house.

What are your top 3 tips for keeping things organised?

1. P for E and E for P – A place for everything and everything in its place! Although trust me, after even one card my desk is a disaster zone so it is a constant cycle of messing it up and cleaning it up again.
2. Keep the things you use most closest to you
   
3. Have regular clean outs and get rid of anything you think you won’t use. Schools love to get my extra cardstock, paper and embellishments for kids crafts!

What's your best storage idea that you would like to share? Not that it’s storage, but I love having a work table at bench height so I have the option to stand, this has made a huge difference to me. I got a table from Ikea with extendable legs so I always have the option to return it to desk height at any time.
 Where do you keep your stamps? All sets are on shelves behind me, where I can reach them easily! Individual wood mounted stamps are in drawers and clear unmounted stamps are stored in folders using cling mount.

How about your punches? My commonly used ones are stored on Ikea kitchen rails right beside me (again in easy reach) and others are just behind me in a basket.

Ribbon and buttons? Some ribbon are in spools beside my desk and the rest are stored in jars by colour which are on my wall shelves (same for buttons).

Tell us 5 tools/items you can't live without when you're about to make something.  My Score-Pal, My cuttlebug (I use it for my nestabilities for matting all the time), Ribbon, Border punches, Tape runner.

What do you do when your mojo needs a kick start? What always works? Doing online challenges! I especially love sketch challenges and colour challenges. They give you a great starting point.

Tell us about the wonderful way you store your scraps?  I have just sorted my cardstock into a rolling cart file system (see below) and each colour has a folder for scraps and whole pieces so they are all together. Helps me to remember to use them rather than reaching for a full piece every time.

What was your last major storage investment? I have to admit to not spending a lot on storage. Most of my items are inexpensive jars and containers from places like Ikea, discount shops and Woolworths (my ribbon jars are from there). I guess my Clip-it-Up and Stampin' Up! inkpad caddy have been my most expensive organisational items. Even my bookshelves were a freebie from an old warehouse that was closing down – gotta love that!

What items are guaranteed to end up on your desk after you've made something? Ribbons, stamps, my pencils and blending stumps, and of course lots of card/paper that did or didn’t make it onto my project.

And finally, (and be honest, we're all die-hard paper crafters here) what do you have waaaaaay too much of? Patterned Paper! I hoard it like nothing else.

Well, I hope you enjoyed a tour around Jodene's space as much as we did. You can visit her blog Did I Say That Out Loud by clicking here, make sure you pop over there and say hello and check out all her amazing work while you're at it.

Thank you Jodene for letting us nose around your space too! It's amazing and inspiring, just like the wonderful things you create.

Happy crafting,