iCubes - Attractive, Sturdy Storage Systems for Scrapbookers at Very Nice Price
Friends, I take no credit for finding these.
This is a story my friend Jen told me.
My daughter surfs some of the arts and crafts web sites I have bookmarked and she was the one who found this awesome storage solution, which she wants for her bedroom.
Now, I imagine the icube storage modules first caught my daughter’s attention because of the name. These days “i-anything” means “cool”, so she sent me her Christmas wish list in an email with the link to this and other must-haves. In fact, you can go check out the very cool iCube yourself.
(Humor me with a mom’s perspective for a moment. You have to love this: my daughter and I live, eat, play, and go places together daily, yet she still sends me emails from the same computer we both use. Not that I’m complaining -- I love it, in fact – but it’s just funny to me.)
Alas, email issues aside, I’m not as savvy with “i-this” and “i-that” technology, so I was really surprised that the iCube , made by a company called Purple Cows Inc.,turned out to be a storage system. A really cool one. And one that I want for my workroom, too!
So What Makes the iCube System Special?
Made for Scrapbookers
When you first see it, you may recognize the ubiquitous box system we’ve all seen before. But look closer and you’ll discover that the cube shape itself is the only similarity. For one thing, unlike the storage systems you get at the big box stores, these boxes are large enough to hold scrapbook paper! When you lay a 12x12 piece of paper flat, there is a good 3/8 inch extra breathing space on either side. You won’t find that anywhere else – and those inside dimensions for me were the strongest features.
But why would my daughter want these? As much as I’ve tried, I can’t get her to catch the scrapbooking bug, like I have, so why are they so inviting to my tween?
The allure is in the details! See, each cube is exactly the same. You simply snap it together (no tools!) and personalize it your way. From the website, you can order white, black, or choose from 7 trendy colored side inserts which slide into the acrylic outer sides to give your cubes a glossy candy coated look.
Not your average colors, either – they include offbeat hues like melon, pistachio, and steel (“sky” was my daughter’s fave). You could mix and match your outer shell color, or just stick with one color and spice up your other options with color. Drawers and bins in fabric, wicker and plastic are all ordered piece by piece, and there are many pretty ones to choose from.
Practicality is built in because you tailor the configuration to your needs. For example, you could build a cube tower of three: then choose to keep it open, or add a divider and two half drawers, a door, or even quarter drawers. And if you decide to change it, you don’t need to disassemble the whole thing because each cube is able to accommodate a shelf and a door. You just need to switch the accessories. A door comes off one cube and snap-locks onto another one. Same with the shelf. Easy.
Regarding style, I’m always interested in other people’s workspaces. Clutter tolerance is such a personal thing. I know one friend whose house is lovely and simple, but her workroom looks like a flea market because she prefers to see all her odds and ends as she creates. Another prefers a more elegant look, and hides everything behind doors and in cabinets. For extra storage, I think either type would appreciate the options with the icube system.
Whatever Your Style, We're ALL Looking for Value These Days!
The best part about the iCubes – the prices. A basic cube is $19.95. Accessories are also super reasonable: for $13.95. A shelf for $5.95. Really, if you’ve looked around, you can’t beat those prices. iCube offers a bit of a price break if you order a pre-selected option to fit four cubes, sort of a one-of-each configuration for $119.95. I may take advantage of that package and simply stack the four cubes one on top of the other. (In my room, the footprint has to be small, so I build UP.) Remember, you can attach them to each other in any combination that fits your space.
For me, the value is still in the dimensions. I remember looking for storage years ago and thinking, “Now why doesn’t someone make storage to fit 12x12 paper?” It was a no brainer for us scrapbookers. I settled on a filing type system I found that works pretty well. But finally, we have some storage solutions coming on the market that really fit our needs, and our budgets!
THANKS Jen!
