I’m so excited to introduce Kimberly Congdon, better known as Scrap it Girl, to you all!  I think you are going to love her craft rooms.  Did you catch that?  She has more than one craft room!  Check it out below!

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Hello!  I started papercrafting regularly when I was 17. I mainly scrapbooked and made home décor items or gifts.  In the last 5 years I’ve started teaching papercrafts and expanding into card making and altered items. I currently teach 3-7 classes per week at several locations and I started my Scrap It Girl business in January 2008. I enjoy working with local stores, teaching paper crafts, and meeting new people. I couldn’t ask for a better job! Life is good.  Now on to my craft space!

I have over 1,200 sqare feet of finished craft space in my basement. That 1,200 square feet is divided into four specific craft areas – the Scrap It Girl Store, classroom with a wet-bar area and bathroom, my personal craft space and scrapbook storage room for back up supplies and products not used everyday.

Having all of that space for crafting has come at a price.  When my husband and I first looked at buying our home we loved the finished basement. However, I knew we would need to make a few changes to it since I knew it would become my crafting space. We set up a playroom and family room and I took two of the rooms for my craft rooms.  Two days after we moved in and were completely unpacked…the basement flooded.

We had to replace the carpet, wood flooring and the baseboards. Trying to take advantage of a bad situation, we decided to carpet more of the basement so there was more usable space.  I also decided to move the family room into a smaller room so I could have more crafty space.

The largest open area in the basement is now my classroom. I can seat 20 card makers or 12 scrapbookers at one time. There is also a wet bar area for snack or painting projects. I have a bathroom, microwave, coffee maker, refrigerator and television in that area too.

After living in the house for a few years, we had another flood. Then came a new paint job, new carpet again, more changes. I decided my kids no longer needed a playroom so I turned that room into a mini store. I mainly sell products that are not for sale in our local big box stores. I do, however, sell some of my favorite products or items I use for classes and adhesive.

On the other side of the classroom is my personal work area, however I don’t actually work in that room.  There is also the craft room storage room in another part of the basement.  That room is full of cabinets and countertops and I use it for back up supplies, punches, stamps, inks, albums and paper.

So far we’ve only had the two floods, but each one has helped me gain more space.  As of right now, we only have one room left in the basement which is the family room.  I told my husband if we ever have another flood I will turn the entire basement into my craft space.  He has since put in two sub-pumps. I don’t think he wants to lose that room. :)

1. What kind of budget did you have when organizing your space?

I don’t really have a budget. I add to my space as I find new things to use for organizing. I rearrange the room at least once a month and that is when I typically add a new vintage find or take out something. My friends tend to give me pieces of furniture they no longer want and I try to refinish them and add them to the space too. When it starts to get crowded I rearrange and move things out. Some things get moved to other areas of the house, too.

2. What was/is your greatest challenge?

My greatest challenge is having to keep the middle of the room open. I need to keep the center area completely clear at all times, I also need to keep this room clean at all times. My customers and students need to walk through this room in order to get to my classroom and mini store. Everything I work on has to be put away right away. I also need to know where everything is just in case I need something for a class.

3. Are you a “organize it once” kind of girl, or are your storage solutions constantly evolving?

My storage solutions are constantly changing. Sometimes weekly. I get things dropped off from friends when they come to a class, or I pick up something new, or I get an order for new products, so I need to make room.

4. What is one thing you’d like to improve about your storage/organization?

I would like to improve on organizing projects I am currently working on for stores or design teams. I feel like I have piles of projects on my tables. It is kind of out of control. I also need to keep track of what products are being used on what projects. I wish I had a storage solution for each store or design team.

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Isn’t Kimberly’s space amazing?  I’m so jealous!  And if I lived near her, I think I’d take my stuff to her workroom, plop down and never go home!  To see more of Kimberly’s work and see her schedule of classes  (if you are lucky enough to be nearby), check out her blog!