Do you keep a tidy work area

I'm working on a mini album. Although I always start my projects off with a neat tidy work area, it never stays that way. I end up working along then stopping and cleaning and going again. Kind of a wash rinse repeat thing.

Any tips out there for how you guys manage?

I don't even have a work area anymore except the dining table which is in the living room so although everything is not exactly put away most of the stuff is after every project

I clean up between layouts, but I always make a huge mess while in the process of creating. Sometimes I can't believe how messy I am.

you are so not alone in that Donna!

in one word.....No.....In a sentence, HECK NO

I clean up after every couple of layouts just so I can pull more stuff out. Some people work well in clutter and some people don't.

Unfortunately, no I am a messy!

I do the same thing as 950nancy--drag stuff out for a few related LO's and then put it all away, admire how nice and neat my table is, and then drag more stuff out for another round of work. It may look like chaos, but there is some organization to the mess.

I read the title of this thread, and all I can do is laugh! I am so unbelievably messy while I'm creating! I do tidy up between projects, not necessarily put everything up but at least clear the area a bit.

i am like chocolate! yeah I get messy but its not too bad just lots of paper cluttering the table !!

I work from home, so my desk is all business by day and then crafty scrapbooking stuff in the evenings and weekends -- so it makes me clean up after myself... which isn't a bad thing

at times i get so frustrated with the clutter on my table that i put everything away and the next day i start all over again

I am very messy when making layouts. I have a small desk, so not much area to work on, I am hoping that changes when I get my bigger desk in a few weeks.....but it probably won't....my guess is the mess will just get bigger too!

I clean up between LOs. I have a Waverly stationary holder that can hold more than one 12x12 pad and embellies to keep everything corralled during a LO. I can throw my Grand Calibur, dies and tool bag in my cabinet if I'm totally done for a while.

Im very messy and dont clean til I absolutely have to ....either run out of space or cant find something ....I wish I was neater but its just my style ... guess its a good thing I have a room I can close the door and no one else has to see how messy I am

I clean up between projects. I need the clean slate to get started on something new. while I am working though it is a mess everywhere.

I clean just before I start a new layout. So that means I leave the mess from the previous layout until I start a new one. I tend to lose momentum when I put things away as I am scrapping.

I consider myself "neat" if i have lot of pictures to scrap I will set a day to organize. I have page planners so i will get all things necesary for the layout and put it in a planner. I will 'plan' up to 5 at a time sometimes (as with my vacation stuff now). And I clean up my area nightly.

But WHILE i'm working on a project...all bets are off. I have stuff laid out all over the air hockey table and my worktable lol

Do you remember the character in Charlie Brown called Pig Pen? That's me in the middle of a project. And yes, when you get a bigger table, the mess just expands. LOL. But I do try to clean up between projects.

A week or so ago I had just finished making a card, and by the end of it I was working on the very corner of my work table on a 4"x8" clear spot. My table is 40"x60", plus wrap around countertops on 3 of the walls. ALL of it was covered with paper and supplies except that tiny corner I was working in. LOL.

My flat is too small to have a dedicated craft space where everything can be left out. I also scrap standing up using my ironing board as my work surface so I clean up after each crafting session. But while I'm crafting, I don't typically bother to tidy between LOs. It's a balance.

Also, I'm naturally a very organised person to begin with and a bit on the OCD spectrum so having mess and clutter just isn't an option for me. A place for everything and everything in its place is very much my lifestyle.

I always try to keep a clean desk. It never works out that way. I am glad if I have a tiny space open to play. I am a very messy scrapper.

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!!! I try to clean up between projects.

As of late, I am very messy. I do clean up in between projects but sometimes that does not help.

I try to clean up between pages/projects otherwise I lose my tools in the mess. Putting everything away at the end of a session is a necessity and her name is Sapphire (see avatar).

I once got so frustrated at myself for being so messy that I took a picture of my work space to shame me.

I am so messy and even change projects and layer projects on top of projects. I do clean (especially my mat) in between and sometimes duting projects.

I hope that creative minds like clutter.

• melissadam Said:

This is me exactly lol...EXCEPT that I don't have my own scrapbook room (wahhh!)...I have one side of my bedroom and whew the scrapbook side is a disaster

Oh you funny girl! I do try to "keep it clean", but have to admit that doesn't always happen. I did find, though, that keeping a "put it away" box (or basket) on my desk helps a lot. I just toss the things I've been using, and that I need to put away into that box - like bottles of Stickles, scraps, scissors, embellies, etc. When I'm done scrapping, I just put the lid on the box and it makes things look much more clean than they really are! Woohoo! Then when I get a chance, or can't find something, I clean out my "put it away" box.

OH Gosh I wish we had "like" or "agree" buttons on this forum.
Vae, I am so with you on having a tiny little work space by the time I am done.

It is sooooo nice to hear that other people are messy while creating like me. I swear, all the neat crafter live in my area and go to the same crops. They somehow are able to keep their space super clean while making a page. Meanwhile, I am one of the messiest tables there. You know its bad when you can't find the ATG.

I am a table gets messy kind of scrapper..lol

I'm super messy as well, but I find my room gets the most messy when I have bought a lot of stuff and don't put it away. I always start out with good intentions and then find myself in a mess after a few layouts.

• jaxxan Said:

Haha so true and happens to me ALL the time lol.

Seems as if I'm not as bad as I thought then! I don't have an awful lot of space, and my desk is frequently several layers deep, to the point where the trimmer won't cut because its 4 feet aren't level. It's always cleared before a new project though.

I have a scraps tray on my desk. Into it I put all the scraps from my project as I'm going along. The idea is that I put everything back afterwards, but in reality I clear it out when it starts overflowing and falling on top of me. I need to do that otherwise I predict an avalanche pretty soon.

lol Rosey! Around here we call that a "scrapalanche".

A scrapalanche! I like that

I try to clean up between projects so I can have a fresh start. Sometimes I can have a project on my scrap table for days though so it's usually messy more often than clean.

I am messy. When I can't find my ATG on my desk top, I know it's time to clean.

You're kidding right?

Messy Mary is my name.

I have a nice sized scrap room with lots of table space and plenty of drawers and cupboards. The room looks great once or twice a year and the rest of the time it is a small disaster.

I try to clean up after a work session and somewhat between los but there are always those random things that I just don;t know what to do with that mount up.

*snort*

I actually do clean up between projects, but sometimes I get too many things going and it looks like an explosion of paper, tools and albums.

I try to clean in between projects, but right now I have about 6 projects of scraps that need to be filed so I can find the top of my desk again.

Red Squirrel mentioned having a scrap tray on her table to put her scraps in as she goes. When I've finished a layout, I generally make up a card or two using my layout scraps. That way, you already have coordinating papers, brads, etc. out and ready to go.

I just scrapped a page this morning and cleaned up right after it was complete. That's my style. I clean as I go. On the rare times that I'm a human tornado I try not to stress over it.

I have my area clean then it just get mess when I work on layouts and other projects. then I leave it and then clean it

One of my biggest issues is not putting new stuff away when I get it. The bags and boxes kind of pile up over weeks if not months, especially the paper after going to the scrapbook conventions. This weekend I probably emptied out a dozen bags abd a few boxes from online orders and put stuff away. If I could just do that as soon as I get things it probably wouldn't be quite so bad.

I used to have a problem with keeping a tidy work area. Now that I have things arranged just how I like them, it's much easier to put things away as I work.

my space is always immaculate. The one and only thing that helps is cleaning as I go. I'm already organised in the most efficient way possibly, so it's just a matter of maintaining that while I craft. This means every stage I'm making something, especially something that takes a long time like mixed media stuff, it has to be cleaned up after. It's not a chore for me though, that's the thing. I like organising and I like working in a clean area. It's practically physically painful being around husband's computer desk because it's piled high with papers and junk and dusty mess. Mine? wiped down with water or alcohol at least once a day and completely dust free. Which, trust me, is a tough job living in a forest with three pets.

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

I know some do, me not so much, I try but
not hard enough!!!!!

I straighten up between layouts but that's about it. I don't keep a lot of tools out and just have what I need, but still. Mists, stamps and inks, little piles of embellishments, scraps of paper--all the fun stuff, is just inherently messy.

I had a little pile of scraps waiting to be punched, and tiny bits that I didn't know what to do with. Yesterday I sorted it all out and cleaned the desk. It only took up about 6" square, but it feels good.

I keep trying to reply, but then I start laughing too much at the thought of a clean workspace and can't type...sorry...gotta stop to giggle some more...

LOL Judy I'm still waiting to see that pic of your scrap space

I just finished a layout and I'm working on cleaning up now. It's amazing how much faster it goes if I clean up between every layout.