So….I wasn’t planning for this to be my first blog post….but you have to start somewhere….and I got a big push…maybe shove is a better word….from an innocent post I put on a Facebook page for Stampin’ Up! demonstrators. This is the picture I posted:
I got waaaaayyyy more comments and questions than I was expecting, so as the title of my blog implies…I’m jumping in!
I’ve only been a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator for about 2 months, but I have managed to accumulate 33 ink pads. That’s like buying one every other day! First I bought a set of the Regal colors and they came in a nice handy little box. Then I bought a few random ink pads…13 of them. But that still wasn’t enough. I wanted more…so I bought a set of Bright colors. But….I didn’t have a good place to store them and more importantly see them when I was trying to choose what color to use. It was cumbersome pulling out multiple boxes and containers. I needed organization!
I store all my crafting supplies (I scrapbook too) in multiple IKEA expedits (now named Kallax) so I wanted ink storage that would fit my shelves. I searched (googled) and found nice wood ones that fit the shelves, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to shell out the big bucks. So I decided to make one. Seemed easy enough…All I’d need was foam board and a hot glue gun. I bought 2 pieces of foam board at Dollar Tree and headed over to Michaels for glue sticks. Apparently I gave away my glue sticks when my husband and I moved to Poland so they wouldn’t melt in storage. You can read all about that here.
While I was wandering around….because what crafter can go to Michael’s and not look at everything?? I saw this square basket crate. 
It was on sale, plus I had an extra 20% off coupon….how could I go wrong?
I tried a couple different ways to figure out how to make shelves and spacing, but finally just cut the length of the shelves so it fit really, really tight and didn’t really need support between the shelves. I put a little hot glue on spots where the foam board met the wire part of the crate. I was so proud of myself that I posted a picture on facebook. And then the comments exploded! And then came the questions! And several comments made me rethink what I originally did…like maybe it should be more sturdy. So I modified it just a bit. This is what you need:
- Wire Crate (from Michael’s)
- 2 pieces of foam board size 20″ x 30″) Mine said they were 20 x 30, but they were really 20 x 29
- Craft knife with a sharp blade
- Yardstick
- Pencil (and eraser for when you make mistakes)
Directions: Foam board #1: Measure 11 Shelf pieces 4’ x 11 ½”
Foam board #2: Measure 2 pieces 11 1/2” x 4” for the dividers/supports
Hint: My foam board was 20” wide, so I made marks at 4”, 8”, 12” and 16”) across the top and bottom and then drew lines). I then measured down 11 ½” and 23” on both sides and drew lines). Ta-da! 10 shelves marked off! The 11th shelf you have to cut in the other direction.
For each of the 11 shelve pieces, measure and make a mark at 3 3/4 inches, 4 inches, 7 5/8 inches and 7 7/8 inches. Line up your yardstick on the marks straight with the edge and then measure up 2” from the bottom of the shelf pieces. You have just marked where you are going to cut a notch in the shelf. Mark all the shelf pieces the same way.
For the 2 dividers pieces, measure out 4 pieces 2” x 11 1/2”. (Draw a box 8” x 11 1/2” and divide it into 4 equal size pieces.) On the two middle lines place your yardstick on the line lining up the edge of the yardstick with the edge of the foam board. Make a mark 1/8” on either side of each inch line (ex. 7/8” and 1 1/8”) and continue doing that for every inch mark.). This is the cheater’s way of measuring without really measuring.). Use the yardstick to draw a lines connecting the marks. When you are done it should look like the picture below. I scribbled on the pieces that will be cut out. Ta-da! All ready to cut! (Don’t forget to use a cutting board or mat so you don’t cut your table!).
See how the two divider pieces are mirror images of each other?? That means your shelves will be even!
Once you have cut out all the pieces, put the two divider pieces in the crate as shown. Add the shelves one at a time starting from the bottom. When you are finished, you’ll have room for 30 ink pads!
I bought 2 additional crates as I can fit 3 of these into one spot on my shelving unit. Because the openings on the shelf are 13×13 and the crate basket is 12 x 12, they slide easily in and out. Plus…they are lightweight and easy to take it out and set on my desk when I’m stamping.
I only have 33 ink pads….but potentially space for 90! Might need to buy more!
Happy Stamping!
P.S. If you were alert you might have noticed that in the original crate post picture, I had room for 33 ink pads…the exact number that I own! (for now…..). but when I added dividers to make it sturdier, the dividers took up a little of the space, so I can only fit 30, but it actually works out good, there are 10 colors in each color family….so you can fit each color family in a column!
