Firstly how did everyone go with last week's challenge. Did you write your lists and know what stuff you have to work on. Well I did and I hope you did too.
Now this week we are going to get a start on Paper Storage. The main staple of scrapbooking. We can't do without our paper.
Firstly we must decide how we are going to sort our papers before we decide on storage ideas.
CARDSTOCK
Now what I just did was sort my cardstock into colours like pinks, browns, blues, greens etc. You might like to do this or to sort into themes or into manufacturers. I found for cardstock that sorting into colours was very easy.
How do you shop for cardstock and patterned paper? When you come to my crop days or you go to your LSS how do they have their cardstock in their store displayed. Or when you go online to buy do you head straight for your favourite manufacturer and paper line. Do you shop by colour, theme or manufacturer. When you have answered these questions these might help you decide what style you would like to go with.
PATTERNED PAPER
Now I found this a bit harder. I think I had my patterned paper in my containers by colours but when I was cleaning and deciding what I wanted to do in my room I decided it would work better by manufacturer. So that is what I have done. Again use the method above to decide what your style you would like to go with.
Maybe you scrap predominantly event-based layouts, do mini albums on a certain theme or have lots of themed patterned paper, then you will want to organise your papers by theme.
STORAGE
So now you have decide how you are going to store your papers whether it be vertical or horizontal.
One tip if you are using a wire paper rack you need to have the paper on the top of the rack either in a zip lock bag or a page protector so that the dust and dirt does not ruin the paper.
Here are some images of some storage ideas I have found.
There are hundreds of vertical and horizontal storage solutions out there you just need to find the one that fits what you are looking for and of course make sure it fits the papers that you wish to store. Take a piece of the paper/s that you want to store with you when you go shopping. I didn't actually have to go shopping, I used what I had already at home. I will post a picture of my paper storage. I use the wire paper racks. My only problem is that my wire paper racks also come to the crop days to put my patterned papers in. So it means that I will have to take my papers out of the racks to take to the crop days so I think I will be hunting around for some cheap ones.
Consider placing the vertical storage containers on an adjustable bookshelf so you can minimize the amount of wasted space between shelves. Warning: Paper stacks can be heavy, so don't put too much on one shelf.
As inexpensive substitutes for upright shelf dividers, consider stackable plastic sorting trays found at office supply stores.
Whichever storage method you choose, look for see-through containers. It's much easier to work if you can quickly identify the contents inside your bins.
To really cut down on searching time, label your containers as well. If you're using rigid containers, simply computer-print or handwrite a label on a strip of card stock or a tag and attach to the box front. Even when using see-through containers or open, vertical storage, an easy-to-read label will make finding things at a glance easier.
SCRAPS
Now for those other bits of paper that we seem to collect called SCRAPS.
Again how do you store those SCRAPS or another question do you even use your scraps. If you don't touch them (like me LOL) get rid of them. Either donate them to your local school or to a charity. If not put them in the recycling bin.
You can again store them by colour which I think is the easiest way, you can sort them by size or their intended use eg, photo mats, frames.
Now I have a big plastic storage container that has a few drawers in it and when I was cleaning last week I only had one large draw left so I chucked all my scraps in the one draw. Not ideal but at least they are all in the one spot.
I think the ideal way would be to have a similar plastic storage container that has say about 6 drawers and put them in colours.
These drawers from Ikea are only $24.99.
Put scraps in zip top bags - you can hang them from a Clip It Up, a rod, or a skirt hanger, or sit the bags upright in bins or boxes.
Saving your scraps is a great way to stretch your scrapbooking dollar, but keeping them organized is the only way you'll really be able to take advantage of the little pieces.
Here are a few tips from the book Organisation Tips for Scrapbookers on how to Scrap Savvy.
1. Trimming - Make scraqps appealing - trim torn, punched or bent edges befroe filing.
2. Sizing - If you typically need scraps for photo mats and letter blocks or strips for punching, consider precutting scraps to those sizes and designating a bin specifically for each size.
3. Sorting - File scraps with the same system ou use for cardstock and patterned paper to help you locate colours and designs quickly.
4. Viewing - Situate your scrap container where you'll consistently check it.
5. Combining - If you always bypass the scrap bin, store pieces in folders next to your full sheets of cardstock and paper.
6. Remembering - Routinely sift through your scraps first thing when making cards and gift tags, mini albums, die cuts, punches,labels, collages and accents - before you ever look through your full paper storage.
So this week I want to see some photos of your paper storage and I also want anyone else who has any suggestions that might help us regarding paper storage to post them either here or in the forum.
