Artful Organizing

Recently my friend Becky, of Seattle Rainwater Soap Company, posted on Facebook that she had just gotten a new cabinet for her soap making supplies. She had recently moved and was getting her new work space organized. Just the mention of this sent me into a frenzy of organizing. This week the studio was in good shape, but thanks to Becky I cleaned out the spice cabinet in my kitchen and an entire closet in the living room. 

Okay, I'll confess. If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a bit compulsive about organization. In my studio prints are ready to mount, finished clock faces in a cabinet, magnets, bookmarks and alarm clocks and labels are all organized in alphabetical order on the shelves. Paints and beads and pencils are organized by color. I have lists on the wall of where to find things that are not in plain sight.

Not that my studio doesn't get messy. Oh, believe me - it does. 

All the time.

But then there is always a moment after days or a week of being absorbed in other things, when I look up from my painting table or computer, look around the studio and see what I perceive as chaos and I suddenly feel completely and totally frazzled. It's a neurotic reaction I'll admit, but I Cannot Do One More Thing, I cannot focus or relax until everything is back in order. 
So the cleaning frenzy commences. 
I love feeling organized, but what I love even more is finding ways to make the supplies decorate the studio when I organize them. 

For instance, these beads just make me happy, sitting in 
their little containers. I leave them out even when I'm not working on a bead project, I love the way they look so much.

And when I found this amazing magic bookshelf for my art books, I was thrilled. The growing pile, while neatly stacked, felt like it had been cluttering my painting table for years. Now, suddenly, they became part of the decor. (By the way, you can get this wonderful bookshelf that makes a stack of books float on your wall at the MOMA store)

And Ikea! Don't even get me started on Ikea. That's where I got these great little drawers for organizing my acrylic paint, not to mention a myriad of other cool little boxes, notebooks, filing supplies and all of my office and studio furniture, including the kitchen island I use for storing supplies and packing orders.

I was looking online yesterday for new ideas and found these. I love them! (If I knit or did textiles, all of my walls would be used for displaying and storing my colorful supplies.) These are actually wine racks. Now how clever is that?

I'd love to hear your studio organizing ideas and solutions. (and if you can post a link to pictures, even better!)