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Nov 29, 2011

Creative Chat - Desk Tour & Favorite Tools

It's time for the MFT Creative Chat. The My Favorite Things Design Team Creative Chat is a monthly feature, where we are challenged to explore our creative spaces and share valuable organizational methods, tools, and shopping strategies with you. You'll be able to peek into our creative spaces, ask questions, and share your own ideas in the MFT forum.  This month, we were asked the following questions:  


Show us your desk.  How do you have things set up, and why?  
What are your "go-to" tools?  Tell us what you can't live without.

Visit Kim's Blog for a full list of designers that have taken up the challenge and get ready to delve into the minds of our creative team.

I love when the Creative Chat comes around each month.  It "forces" me to make my stamp room "company ready" and get things clean and organized, which secretly makes me SO HAPPY.  I love sitting down in a clean stampy space (side-note: Dear Autocorrect, please stop changing stampy into stumpy), although it only lasts a couple minutes.  LOL

I made a VIDEO this month where I take you on a desk tour and share my favorite tools with you.  You can watch it HERE or click the "play" icon below!


For those of you not interested in a video, I also am writing it out in a "photo tutorial" format.  I aim to please.  :) 

Here is my stamp desk.  I cleaned it for the occasion.  Normally it is a total disaster.  I took a picture of it "before" and then realized I couldn't use it because I had new products laying ALL over the place.  OOPS.  LOL   I keep my desk pretty bare because once I start stamping, stuff is EVERYWHERE and then I don't have room to work.  LOL  I have lots of stuff within arms reach that I need, but that doesn't necessarily need to be on my desk.


I use a Pampered Chef Tool Turnabout to house my Prismacolor pencils.  I don't use them very often, but I don't like to get up to get those, so they stay on my desk, to the left.  You can also see my iPhone sitting there.  If I am stamping, it is there with me.  I am usually multitasking playing Words with Friends, or checking my e-mail obsessively.  Just keepin' it real. LOL


I always have this little embellishment organizer on my desk.  It houses my most-used "normal" brads in black, silver, pewter, and 3 different sizes of aged copper.  It's looking kind of empty, let's refill shall we?


I buy lots of brads when they go on sale at Hobby Lobby or Michaels and then empty them into these plastic bags.  When my organizer is running low, I just refill it from my stash.  If my stash is running low, I start shaking (signs of withdrawal - joking... sort of).

Ahhhhh, now my OCD is happy again.  (joking again... sort of).  LOL


My two most frequently used ink pads:


I like to keep a nice assortment of acrylic mounts on my desk and accessible.  These are my fave.


This picture drives me nuts.  It reminds me how badly I wish I had bought ONLY Copic SKETCH markers.  Having a mix of Ciaos and Sketch markers drives me insane.  I need the number on the cap.  Every time I convince myself that I am going to replace them all with sketch markers, my frugal side pops in and stops me.  One day...

I like the X Cubes for my Copic storage.  I like to separate things into like categories to make them easier to find.  I also must have my Copic color chart.  I like Sharon's which you can find HERE.  THIS is where I buy my Copic markers (when you "add to cart" they are cheaper than they show on the site).


This is a gift from Arlene that I LOVE.  It's a Surebonder Detail High Temp Glue Gun and I LOVE it for adhering large embellishments to cards and using to create MFT's rolled flowers.  It holds SO well and dries quickly!  (PS: it is on the stand backward right now.  When I used it, the tip goes over the white thing and you can peel any drips right off.)


I keep my smaller tools in another Tool Turnabout from Pampered Chef.  As I was editing this picture, I went and cleaned out some of the stuff in there that I hardly use, so it's not quite as full now.  



Here are my most-used tools from my Tool Turnabout.

  • paper piercer - use for brad holes and removing the liner off sticky stuff
  • quilling tool - use for making rolled flowers
  • pen and pencil - making light, erasable marks on paper, jotting down measurement notes
  • teflon bone folder - doesn't leave shiny marks on your card stock when creasing.  Expensive, but well worth it.
  • assorted scissors for ribbon, misc, and adhesives


I also love my centering ruler.  (Michaels, around $3)

My Teflon Bone Folder.  Love it. 


This is the paper trimmer that I have (and love).  Here are the pros:

  • 6 inch base, so I rarely need the "arm" thing
  • wire cut line to help decide where to cut
  • lightweight and easy to maneuver around my usually messy desk
  • measurement grid is printed from underneath, so it will never wear off
You can buy one HERE.



I use a Scor-Buddy to score my card bases.  I also have a full-sized one, but this one is my most-used.  It's small and cute.  LOL 


I keep my embossing tool and Swarovski crystal heat-setting tool (Michaels) nearby and always plugged in.


Ahhhhh, sweet, sweet Janome Sew Mini, how I love thee.  It's small, cheap, lightweight, and I've been using it for YEARS without incident.  I love it SO much that I have a brand new backup that I store in the closet.  When this one breaks (knock on wood), I'll be prepared.   



  • extra scoring blades
  • Eclipse masking tape
  • sanding blocks (for fuzzy edges of card stock)
  • Basic Grey sanding tools


My most-used adhesives. Red line sticky dots, tape, and dimensional dots.  Love.


My paper-piercing pad takes a licking and keeps on ticking... but I NEED a new one.  Anyone know where to get one EXACTLY like this one?  


Some more frequently-used adhesives: glue sticks, glue dots, mono adhesive, more dimensional dots.


I feel the need to have lots of mounting blocks.  What if I want to use every stamp in a clear stamp set without cleaning them??? (sarcasm)


Shelving unit to the right of my desk, within arms-reach.


Bad lighting in my stamp room = the need for plenty Ott Lites.  I have 5 in there... 2 of them are on my stamp desk.



One last look at my very tidy stamp desk.  Within 30 minutes the desk was TRASHED!  LOL  


Thanks for joining my on my desk tour.  :)  I'll see you tomorrow for the start of MFT Teaser Time!  

21 comments:

  1. Jody, ur sooooo organized...loved it...come organize my room...it soooo messy...

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  2. WOW! LOVE your stamp desk! Love the Pampered Chef tool turn abouts! I'm going to have to order a couple for MY desk! I like your Copic storage too. I like things nice and organized, and my Copics aren't that way right now. I was just thinking about that earlier today! Now I have a solution!!! Thanks for sharing your space with your nosey fans! ;D

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  3. Hi Jody. Wow I love how you are so organized. It encouraging and makes me want to go into the land of no return (my craftroom) and organize it! Thanks for sharing your video.

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  4. I love how organized you are! AND how funny is your giant trash can - I need one of those for sure! Loved the video and the tour ;)

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  5. Jody, we scare me....LOL!! I forgot to picture my two ott lights, but they are two of the 4 that I own, lol!! AWESOME space!!

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  6. Love your stamping space Jody, they don't stay tidy for long unfortunately LOL!

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  7. Love your space Jody. I have to tell you that i've been learning a lot from you. Thank you so much!!!

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  8. crazy jealous of your set up, mostly because it's so clean and organized. I have a solution to your ciao's.....my friend showed me this, she typed out all the Letters and numbers so they would appear just slightly smaller than the letters and numbers on the sketch, printed them, punched them out with a small round punchie and then adhered them to the ends with a glue dot....and viola, you can see the letters and the numbers from your cubes. That's like a 1/4 in round punch. I could not figure out the computer sizing for the letters and numbers, so I just wrote mine in, but OMG, her's are so awesome and I really like being able to see all the letters and numbers. hope that helps you.

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  9. Yup, I labelled all my ciaos with a 1/4" punch and my label maker - just set it on the smallest setting. Your desk is SO organised!

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  10. Thanks for the awesome tour Jody - it's been great to check out your desk area! Some great tips here ;)
    Rx

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  11. Jody, love your desk area! I also love to hear about go to tools. Is your adhesive organized or what!!! Fantastic!

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  12. You are, seriously, an organization maven! LOVE every single bit of your stamp room!!

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  13. Wow, totally organized! I have stuff all over, the living room, enclosed front porch & small computer room. What is in your sketch book? It is so cute, I love it!
    jenny dot naus at yahoo dot com

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  14. Fantastic room! I use the x cubes for my copics too.

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  15. Very cool *tour* Jody!!!

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  16. I'm blown away Jody!! And I'm also laughing hysterically at your writing. Seriously awesome!

    Crafty Hugs!
    Meredith

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  17. Thanks for allowing us a peek into your craft space and all your tools. When I see your supplies, I feel comforted cos sometimes I feel guilty for buying too much (e.g copics) haha. TFS!

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  18. Jody, your organization scares me. Wanna come organize mine?? Mine's more of the messy kind...although it does work.

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  19. Oh wow, I love your stamp desk!! It's so neat and tidy (even if it isn't always!). Everything looks like it has a home, and it's easy to get too! Love it :)

    I have that trimmer on the top of my wishlist... would love to know (really basic question I'm sure)... can you get a score blade for it? Thanks!

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  20. So So organized..Wow
    If you want to add more to your collection of Copic's try OOZAK.com I think you will find them even cheaper there. You must register for the lower price and you have to spend $50 to get free shipping.
    Just saying : )
    Thanks for sharing your very organized space..I'm jealous !

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  21. You are so organized. Thank you for sharing your most used/loved tools.
    CAS

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Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate you reading my blog.

 
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