I think I made a big mistake... scrapbook room overhaul!

 I didn't know you moved from TN!!! GOOD LUCK IN BIG TEXAS!!!

I've recently painted my space and now can't remember how I had things situated. LOL I should have took photos, I guess. I've been on Pinterest a million times searching for good organizing ideas that don't involve lots of money! Looking forward to reading what others post here.

I went through the same thing. I had everything dumped in the middle of my room. Big mistake! I felt like I was shuffling things around instead of organizing and purging. I moved things out of my room, my DH added new furniture in the room for me, and then I made staging areas where I want everything to go last weekend. I have been organizing and purging this week more easily. Now, I think I have more shelving than I need. My luck, lol. Least it's better than not enough shelving. Good luck.

I do the same layout thing! Only I use graph paper and cut the furniture out to size out of it so that I can move it around the "room." It really helps me to visualize how it will fit. 

I started that way - from the time I was a kid and rearranging my bedroom for the upteenth time!!  You can get angles that excel can't do.  But then I lose the the furniture pieces all over the house. So I started using excel.

I just did this a couple of months ago. The only way it worked for me was in stages. I moved from the basement to our spare room. I started with a dresser, an armoire, a bookcase, and a sewing cabinet I made into a desk. Then I moved my jet max cubes up in sets of ten I have 30 of them. Then I put everything away in each set. My spare room space is about the same size as the basement portion I was using but I couldn't use the same furniture pieces. It took one weekend of getting everything up and put away. But I have been reorganizing and purging stuff ever since. I think I finally have it where I want it. Then DH made me an island out of two bookcases and a counter top so I have a big surface to work on.

I've moved my craft room three different times in 7 years. Each time the room got bigger! I decided long ago that I would use what I have furniture wise and added storage from yard sales with the exception of a few items. Little by little it all came together. I truly enjoy my room. What I love is about my room is that it is mismatched! I felt that if I kept the storage stuff cheap I'd have more $ for supplies!! 

Okay, Ashley... {hugs} This is a big undertaking with a baby! So don't put too much pressure on yourself. I'm assuming that the supplies are in the actual room? If not, then getting them out of any other space in the house and into the room is priority [HASH]1! (So little ones won't eat it, and it won't eat them LOL, and the visual reminder doesn't stress you out!) Otherwise, I feel like there are several distinct issues you have identified here, and you are overwhelmed by trying to solve them all at the same time. There are lots of ideas that can help you can attack these problems with more sense of direction. I just recommend setting your mind on one problem at a time and not thinking ahead. Our old Calorie-Cropper motto is a perfect fit here: Progress, Not Perfection!

1) You are generally overwhelmed by this process.
-Stop looking at scraprooms online. Comparing what you've got right now to other people's finished products may serve its inspirational purpose at other times, but right now it's stressing you out.
-Stop looking at storage options you might buy. You don't know what you need to fit in any new storage pieces, and it's stressing you out because you're unable to be confident that any item you're considering purchasing will ultimately fulfill your needs.
-If you *need* to google or pin something, search for a specific category such as "stamp storage" to get creative ideas that are much more likely to help you while thinking through the next step, and less likely to overwhelm you.

2) You do not know what you have
-Continue to sort your supplies into categories until you've got everything placed in a category.
-You can make your categories broad or specific, or some of each: group them however your mind naturally groups them. You are free to combine or divide as you work through your stuff-there are no rules here except to put each item in a category.
-One of your categories should be "Tool Caddy," of the most-used items you want to keep in front of you on your work space as you create. You're a very experienced scrapper, so you probably already have a set-up like this-just don't forget to make your tool caddy a consideration as you sort your stuff.
-I strongly recommend sorting each category into it's own container(s) as you sort, rather than free-standing piles. They will be much easier to keep categories separated and move around as needed. Nothing fancy here-shoe boxes or shopping bags will do perfectly!
-Label those containers as soon as you designate them for something (again, not fancy-I'm taking post-its and a sharpie), so you can easily come and go from this process as you need to and pick up without mixing up your previous hard work, or looking in each bag 27 times saying "what am I putting in here again?"
-You CAN use your new empty shelf space during this sorting process if you are out of space on your floor or other work spaces. Really, it's okay. Later in the process, when you need that shelf, you can move the bags of stuff that are in your way.
-If you purge anything, great, but don't put pressure on yourself to do this now, it will only make this part of the process drag out. Label a purged item container so you don't re-sort these items after you've taken a break.
-*JUST* Sort Categories, do not organize within each category. Do not sort paper by color/pattern/manufacturer, or cardstock into bazzil/glitter/texture/flat, do not sort alphabet stickers into thickers/chipboard/tinytype/flat, etc... There will be plenty of time for that later, when everything is on shelves and you can think this through with much less stress. You will not be able to finish this level of detailed organizing now, and you will not feel gratified after all the effort. And, your stuff will continue to sit in bags on the floor.

3) You do not know what items to store on what shelves.
-Once you have all of your supplies sorted into categories, this will be much easier to tackle.
-To the extent possible, depending on your shelves and the containers you've used, don't empty the contents onto the shelves just yet. Put the containers on the shelves where the items will live. This gives you easier flexibility if you notice changes that need to be made as you work your way through your categories.
-First, place tools/appliances that have limited options (die cutting machines come to mind), because they need an outlet or a specific amount of space at a certain height to be functional.
-Next place supply categories that are related to any tools/appliances that are already in place and/or have limited options. Cartridges/dies should be as close to cutting machines as possible, for example.
-After those items are placed, start with the category that takes up the most space. My guess would be paper, but maybe it's not! For paper as an example, even if you don't have all of the matchy paper-holding-devices you would ultimately like, just stacking the paper or using a mish-mosh of holders is good enough to get it on it's designated shelves. Progress, not perfection.
-Work your way through your categories from largest space needed to smallest space needed. Consider how often you reach for this type of item and whether or not the shelf that can currently accommodate it is convenient enough. If not, set that category aside and skip to the next. (Example: if you reach for stamps and ink for every project, but the only shelves with enough space to hold them all together are a foot from the ceiling and require a ladder to see what you're choosing, you need a different solution.)
-Keep close to your thoughts, a couple of alternative storage options that could accommodate a category better than a shelf even if shelf space is available, both for better convenience and practicality. For example, many people find over-the-door shoe holders work better than shelving for punches. Set these categories aside.

4) You do not have enough storage space.
-After steps one and two, you should have a pretty good general idea of what items your new storage pieces need to accommodate.
-This is my personal recommendation and it doesn't have to be this way for everyone, but I suggest NOT purchasing a new storage option for a category, that will not hold the entire collection you currently have of that category.
-Start your list with the practical alternatives from the last step (ex: over-door punch storage).
-When you make your list, write ON THE SHOPPING LIST what you're planning to store in that item.
-We've been very no-nonsense up till now, but this is the time to starting thinking Practical AND Pretty! If you have categories that don't have homes on shelves, consider what fancy, decorative, off-the-shelf storage could work. Think magnetic strips or hooks on the walls, sides of shelf/furniture units or even under shelves, think tiered/hanging baskets... this is where it starts to get fun
-Prepare before shopping: 1) measuring the space where a new piece of furniture will go and writing that down on the list is probably obvious, 2) measuring the length and depth of your shelves and the height between shelves may be slightly less obvious (and write it down!), 3) Before you leave, take quick photos with your phone of the collection of items in each category you'll be buying any kind of containers for (from shelves to mini-drawers, jars, etc.)-it's not an exact measure of volume or anything, but just having the visual of what you need to store can help you choose something that will accommodate what you need to store.
-If you're really ambitious, photograph each category in a standard rubbermaid-style shoebox (may mean several photographs of a given category) and take note of how many shoeboxes a given category requires. Bring one shoebox shopping with you for visual reference. (Not just for volume-if you see items in the photo that go end-to-end in the shoebox, but the drawers you're looking at are shorter than the shoebox, the drawers won't work.)
-Keep all of your receipts for every large and small purchase you make for this project in an envelope. This is empowerment in your hand-you can return anything that doesn't work once you bring it home. This takes the worry about regretting a purchase off the table.


I'm sure there are a lot more tips that can help this process! I think the most important consideration for you is to break it down and not look ahead. You can and will get this done, and it will be awesome. You just need to take realistic bites so you don't feel so much pressure. You can totally do this!!!

Sadly enough, my space never gets bigger - I have too much stuff. I'm focusing on using up my stash more quickly instead of trying to find creative ways to store it. Not that I'll ever stop envying all the pretty craft rooms I see on the 'net.

Thanks for all the tips, my problem is that I'm such a big hoarder, I really can't bear to throw/give things away incase I need them at a later date. I need to pull on my big girl panties and get sorting out