Help needed... no workspace! Storage solutions required..

Hi there. I make metal clay and polymer clay jewellery. The problem that I have is that I don't have a designated workspace in my home. Which is a monumental pain to say the least! I end up working on my dining room table which comes with its own problems.... If I am in the middle of something it is invariably left all over the table, so we cannot eat there. Secondly, because I don't have a good storage solution, sometimes if I feel like creating, but I don't bother as it is too much effort to dig out all my goodies and then have to struggle to put them all away. Do any of you have any creative suggestions for storage solutions that are organized and possibly a little bit mobile? Thank you! Marianne

hmmm... well i think one of the main things with PMC is keeping it moist and contained so you don't lose any bits you could reconstitute. I work my PMC on one of those teflon baking sheets. I nicked it off my mum but I think it came from Lakeland? you could have a small work area on the upside down lid of a plastic airtight cake box, so when you need to pack up you can just put the 'bottom' of the box down on the lid and shove it under the sofa or something.

I was pretty much as you when I first started and I used one of those multi layer tool boxes such as this http://img.en.china.cn/0/0,0,30,1848...4,473dfad4.jpg, (Cookson do one similar but as they have no picture of the expanding part this image was better to show you what I meant) which gave room to store all the bits and bobs and the bottom section big enough to keep work in progress safe, plus being plastic and relatively airtight helped to keep the PMC moist. Of course it was still a bit of a faff to get it all out and put it all back but it served me well till I freed up a spare room to make a mess in :0)

I see those threads of peoples workshops and though I now have plenty of room I would be ashamed to show the mess my workbench is compared to others, all of course "organised chaos" as always said by the untidy ones.

Hi Marianne,
If you can find a corner anywhere that will accommodate a small children’s' desk from Ikea, then you will have a permanent work space and some storage for plastic boxes. Your life would be turned around at a stroke. Hope you succeed, Dennis.

Hi
I know the problem. I just have a corner of the "spare" room and am using a small computer table and a small bookcase which holds storage boxes (and books) and tools. I've adapted different wooden storage bits and bobs from Ikea for keeping tools together - their wooden stationery box has different compartments which hold hammers, pliers, and so on. The set up just about works. I tend to solder in the kitchen, though. Otherwise there is this: Blue Peg Craft Bench.

There are other ideas on the forum about workbenches and people's set up which range from fabulous purpose built workshops to a desk in the bedroom. It's helpful to see how other folk manage!

i swear by really usefull boxes. they come in all shapes & sizes, very handy for small stuff as well as really huge stuff that needs storing safely.

i may be biased though, as i get these from hobbycraft, using my sisters staff discount :D so theyre dead cheap, but they arent too badly priced if you are buying them full cost. you can also get them in sets from argos.

I also use ALOT of the really useful boxes, Staples have a wide range of sizes in them. They stack really well.

I'm in a similar position, and it does put me off as it's such a fag getting things out and putting them away again. I too use a lot of stackable boxes and, for smaller items, box files with the clamp bit ripped out. I have 6 of these on the bookcase downstairs (lying flat of course:)) holding pliers, clasps and chain, jumprings etc. They look quite tidy and they're easily accessible.