New Things!

So this weekend, I finally sat down to use some of the great new things I got at the A Muse anniversary sale, but I had a few problems.  First was that everything I stamped seemed to be smeary.  I just discovered today that this was because I had re-inked my black dye ink pad with the pigment ink!  UGH!  No wonder it wouldn't dry quickly!  Also my craft table was WAY too low for my increasingly pregnant body.  I tend to bend over really far when I write or color, and bending that low really was not comfortable on my stomach.  So the solution was clear.  A new craft table!  My old one is actually a sewing table that is a split level and designed so that half of it raises up and  hugs a sewing machine so that you have a larger area to hold the fabric.  Now, this is a clever idea for sewing.  But, it means that the table when the levels are together and not being used for a sewing machine are at least 4" lower than a standard desk!

So this is what I had before:

And then thanks to IKEA and along with a few more organizational things.  This is what I have now:

This table has a MUCH larger work space.  Also it's got a glass top with storage underneath.  I like to keep the stamps I am currently working with out on the table, but then they are in the way.  So this table has the perfect solution! I can keep the stamps under the glass in trays.  That way I can still see them, but also have LOTS of work space.  The trays were a bit tricky to figure out since there isn't a lot of clearance.  But, I just found a bunch of Martha Stewart Crafts paper storage boxes at TJ Maxx for very cheap, so I took them apart and used just the lids and they fit perfectly!  The table also has an adjustable height.  Right now I have it quite high and it is just great!  I think I'll even be able to wrap Christmas presents at it instead of on the floor where I normally wrap them.

The only downside is that this room is also supposed to be where our baby boy will be sleeping.  But I'm sure we'll make it all fit in the end.

Also new is the creation of an index of all my stamps.  I used to just stamp them on large pieces of paper and keep them in a binder, but it was getting disorganized.  So, at the A Muse sale I found this cute little white tins that are just the size for 4x6 index cards.  I got some dividers to go with them and put each image on it's own card with the type of stamp (wood mounted, clear, or cling), the company that makes it, and the image name.  I used my Slice Machine for the outside labels and my JustRite DIY stamper alphabets for all the words on the labels and dividers.  I think it turned out really well.