My Latest Project: Papercrafting in a Box

So things at work have been nuts lately and I needed a project to work on at home that kept me from logging on the my work computer and working until all hours of the night.  I came across the Martha Stewart Office in a Chest project on Pinterest and immediately had a dozen ideas on how to make a scrapbooking center out of the storage chest my mother gave me for my bridal shower.  This time I decided to actually attempt to implement some of these ideas.

I started with a plain white storage chest: 

First I added two ribbon holders.  I screwed 4 eyes into the lid of the chest and looped yarn through each. I slid a dowel through each set of two yarn loops. Simple!

Next I took an old metal board (found on the clearance rack at Michaels), removed it from the wooden backing and screwed it to the lid of the chest.  (Since my box has a rounded top this was a bit of a pain, so I would recommend using a flat top box or mounting the metal to a piece of wood first.  Plus I had to add molding around the edges to hide the spots where I inexpertly bent the metal).  Now I have a place for all of my magnetic containers to hold brads, funky paperclips, and all sorts of other small trinkets.

Next I mounted hanging file folder rails (which I am willing to admit my father had to help me make since I do not own a table saw!) to the left side of the box.  Now I have plenty of storage for my 12" by 12" cardstock!  The right side of the box is left open for general storage.  Though, if anyone has a better suggestion for what to do with that space, I am open to suggestions.

After that, I screwed hooks into the middle railing to store my papercrafting scissors.

Next, since I don't like to waste anything, I took the wood the metal board used to be mounted on, attached it to the side of the box with hinges, added legs and voila: a "table"! (the yarn is cut to the appropriate length to keep the legs at a 90 degree angle to the tabletop).

 

 

Finally, I mounted a self-healing cutting mat to the table soI always have a safe place to do my cutting.

And there you have it... all of my papercrafting supplies in one neat and organized spot!

Now on to the task of using my new papercrafting center...