Finally the Scrapbook Closet

I am fortunate enough to have a large walk-in closet in my studio that has truly been a thorn in my side. It houses decades of photos. I wish I had taken before photos because the closet was so filled with clumsy mismatched filing cabinets to tons of Sterlite bins. The lighting was so dim I could barely see inside.

I plan to post the progression of this closet. Bear in mind that I used to own a scrapbook store so I probably have unusual amounts of supplies and tools. But anyone can use these organizational principals for their own space.

This photo shows an Ikea Expedit that so many of us have adopted for our rooms. They are an ideal solution due to the 12x12 capacity of the shelves making it perfect for our needs.

I struggled to figure out the type of bin I would use to replace file cabinet folders that were already done. I settled in the Lekman clear bins and I put a 12x12 piece of patterned paper that coordinates with the studio decor in front of each bin to disguise the contents and make it pleasing to the eye.
The magazine files above are all that is left of my giant magazine collection. Most of what is in these files house "how-to" books from punching to paper folding and journaling. The black boxes are photos by year which can be a space saving way to store photos if you don't have as many as I have. The markers are stored in the nifty containers made by EK Success. My husband installed a replacement light that is like daylight now. I can easily get what I am after now.

As you can see I had to alter the bins. Because of the lip that goes around the Lekman it prevents a hanging folder from being attached as I originally anticipated. I purchased the hanging folder racks from the office supply and the hanging folders were already in my old filing cabinet. In my case each bin holds a decade of photos. These folders can be ordered from  www.archival.com . I do not want my photos exposed to acidic elements. If you have boxes full of photos I can help. I have a form I used to help me sort my photos. Let me hear from you if you are interested in knowing more about this topic.