Amy's Scrap Space ...

AKA The Overt Minimalist.

Shhh, I'm going to let you in on a secret, I didn't really like the idea of showing you all my scrap space.
Why?
I don't have one, and, I can't use the excuse that we have been rebuilding our house for fifteen months, I never had one.

Like Nicole, I have always been a dining table scrapper but that has changed now too. Oh, don't get me wrong, there have been times when I have yearned for those closing doors Di was showing yesterday, and, once this place is finished I have the opportunity to have a room almost entirely to myself ... but guess what? I don't want it now. I like being out amongst the noise, I like seeing what the kids are doing, I like being able to keep an eye on dinner and I like feeling connected to what is going on in the house.

There is one other thing which makes a big difference to how and where I scrap ... the computer.

The majority of my pages are digital so I need little more than a computer with plenty of hard drive space, Photoshop CS3, an external hard drive and a good printer. My scrap space is all about function and practicality, we have a desktop situated in an open plan office space (a deliberate choice for monitoring children on the internet) which sits on top of a hand me down very large desk. If making a hybrid page takes my fancy, this desk more than comfortably accommodates my oversized craft mat.

Now, all this is quite underwhelming as a scrap space, so, I thought I'd show you a couple of other related tools and storage solutions.

My equipment is also quite minimal, and it always has been. I am a fan of using a steel ruler and a craft knife, I have never used a paper trimmer with any success. I like to use double sided tape for adhesive, nothing fancy in a dispenser, just the sort you cut and trim yourself. I used to use the Bazzill colour wheel all of the time when I was paper scrapping, it is still useful but digital scrapping makes those choices much easier. Cardstock? Well, in most cases it is Bazzill, I love Kraft and White with anything, a recent favourite is Ivy, but I also love Nightmist, Java and Paprika. American Crafts are my favourite lettering choices, though, I do love the lettering available through Remember When - colour matching to your choice of cardstock is hard to beat!

So, where do I keep all of my stuff?

Yes, this is it. One Artbin container to house all of my paper and cardstock and four smaller containers, not Artbin - just something cheap from the local craft shop - one for white lettering, one for black lettering, one for assorted coloured lettering and one for my tools ... craft knife, steel ruler, scissors, adhesive, spare blades, one grey lead and a Zig pen. That is it. Apart from the Artbin container, all this fits into a big bag with solid sides that also contains my page protectors and a couple of stamps, literally.

The girls at my now closed down local scrap shop used to giggle with me when I arrived, I was the sort of person who would come in tow with my photos categorised into plastic pockets and I carefully selected my cardstock and papers to match each one .. I would take it home in each plastic pocket ready to go. Now I have amassed much more cardstock, but I am still careful with what I buy and what I keep, having too many choices confuses and clutters me. Prior to my digital scrapping I would purge my supplies each month and donate all scraps/offcuts/no longer loved papers to our pre-school, it worked for me and I always had a little giggle when some Basic Grey or American Crafts showed up recycled at home!

Well, that's about it, there's not much more for me to show you. This set up works for me, I know it isn't for everyone but it goes to show, you can certainly scrap in a small space and with few supplies!
Have a great day, we'll see you here again tomorrow for another SAG scrap space.