Starlight Musings

     Sometimes, it seems to be more helpful to see how specific items are stored (or is it just me?) .  I've already shared how I've stored my original, Bigz, and Pro dies, so why not continue with my other sized dies?      I have my Sizzix XL dies in a few places.  A few that are more "seasonal" are in my die file cabinet and the rest are in my old changing table.  They're in a plastic box that actually used to be the top part of a record turntable on my brother's old stereo.  I'm guessing I used it to carry something I was wanting to save while tossing old stuff out and it worked well enough I kept it, otherwise, I'd have gotten something else. I used more pieces of the closet backing to divide them into the themes I use.      Thanks for checking my quick idea out.  If you've used/repurposed anything around your house in a new way, please share in the comments below.      No yammer this time - not ...

     I suppose the short version of this quick idea is that I put my Sizzix alphabet sets and smaller dies into a cabinet that doubles as the base of one side of my craft table.      Once my boys were grown enough to stop using a changing table, I took the wooden "guard rails" off.  While unpacking my craft supplies after our last move, I decided to try to use it for some dies and liked how they fit.  I also liked the white color and the beadboard details on the cabinet door enough to make it the end of the craft table hubs made.       It's divided into two sided - a side with "open" shelves and the other with a cabinet door.  Both sides have 3 shelves.  On the top shelf of the cabinet, I've put Sizzix Alphabars and other small sized alphabet blocks, some in their original boxes.      The thinner, Sizzlit alphabet sets stack 3 high on the middle shelf.      The bottom shelf has small dies in p...

     My last post was about the top part of my die cabinet  (here) , so thought I'd share the bottom part where I put my Sizzlits and other thin dies.      I use page protectors.  Loaded page protectors can go into binders, fridge bins, baskets, magazine files, boxes, or even be tied together with string or a loose ring.      My Sizzlits are in either regular page protectors (I sewed pockets into them)  or baseball card protectors, then put into a binder.      My thin, metal dies are placed on magnetic vent covers before going into page protectors and placed into a Ritz box from Costco.      Thanks for checking my quick idea out.  If you have another system or idea, please share - I'm very interested and I'm sure I'm not the only one.      As always, I hope you're doing well and hope that maybe I sparked a bit of creativity or courage in you! (On with the yammer. . .)   ...

     Some might argue that being crafty is all about making things.  I think sometimes it's about using what you have and making it work for you.      I took an unused file cabinet and made it store the thick, steel-rule dies.      Along the right side, you can see the magnetic labels I made to help find dies easier.      Thin plywood lines the bottom of the drawers and create dividers to help keep rows and themes separate, even if the drawers get slammed shut.  This can fit Sizzix original, Bigz, XL, etc. - the small and medium dies could fit, but might be a little difficult to take out.  The only ones that wouldn't fit are the Pro sized dies.  If I were to put the small or medium ones in here, I'd probably put them in boxes or baskets to make it easier to get to them.  I didn't try that because I have them in other areas.      Thanks for checking my idea out.  Hope you're doing ...

     I already had a picture of this idea in a previous post, but thought I'd revisit it to explain the storage idea.  I use an IKEA Gnedby (designed for CD/DVDs) to store my medium sized Sizzix dies.  The unit is deep enough for them, even after I put in scraps of beadboard in the back to give it a detail some other pieces in my craft space have.      I used my Dymo label maker to make it easier to find the die I'm looking for.  I think I'm going to paint it white to match the rest of my craft corner furniture, but don't have the paint and it's not critical, so I'll wait for things to cool off (literally & figuratively) .      Thanks for checking my idea out.  Hope you're doing well and maybe I helped spark a bit of creativity or courage in you to do something with unloved furniture! (On with the small yammer. . .)      Once we moved into our current home, we realized we didn't want to use our Gnedby ...

     Quick post today -      While unpacking some of our office supplies after our move, I came across a metal incline desktop sorter like this.      It was perfect to store my Sizzix Pro Dies!  No altering needed! Thanks for checking out one of my quick organization solutions - hope you're doing well and hope that maybe I sparked a bit of creativity in you! (On with the yammer. . . .)      When I was living in Southern California, I was lucky enough to be able to make it to a Sizzix Warehouse sale where I was able to buy a few Sizzix Pro dies.  I didn't have a machine big enough to use them yet, but they were very discounted and I had access to some Ellison machines at work.  (I did use 2 for work purposes, but they were a great deal and I figured I could always resell them for a small profit if I needed to.)       Some time after moving, I had started unpacking a few crafty things during...