Aug 21, 2013

Operation Organize-Tackling the dreaded paper piles!

 

Jennifer here with your dose of OPERATION ORGANIZE. 

Dealing with the P word today......PAPER—it's a bad word. It is a messy necessity.

We HOARD it (maybe a lot)(like me). It piles up and it is hard to find the perfect way to organize it. It comes in a variety of sizes and comes in single sheets or in pads, and the SCRAPS—we need to hold onto those.

PAPER—we NEED it to craft.

Hopefully today I can help you tackle that pile of paper.

SCRAPS... Pain to organize, but don't want to toss them. This is how I do it. I have this 6 drawer plastic storage chest underneath my crafting desk. The drawers are: #1 "special" kinds of paper, full sheets (mostly gold and corrugated).  #2 Black, Brown and Neutrals. #3 Pink, Purple, Blue and Red. #4 Green Orange and Yellow. #5 Pattern Paper and #6 Die cuts, Embossed and other pre-done elements. When I need a small piece of paper, this is where I start.


Next is 12x12
I don't have a lot of 12x12. I only have 2 baskets with that size. I store them in these baskets from the container store, in a Expedit from IKEA.


In one of the baskets are my 12x12paper pads. I label the pads with my label machine along the spine.
And in the other one are my single sheets of paper. They are in the basket by brand, alphabetically. I use these plastic folders (you can find them all sorts of places) and they work PERFECTLY!
Next up is 8x8
If you remember my embossing folder organization (here), I use the same metal CD baskets for this size paper.

The third size is 6x6
Now, this is the one that I have the most of. I find them perfect for card-making. And the little size is just so cute! I store them on my desktop in a vintage baking pan just like this one, but the size is about 6.5" wide by 18" long. I told myself that I can only have as many pads that would fit in the tray... as you can see, I broke that rule.

The last size is 8.5x11
I have 5 different "groups" of this size. Organized ROYGBV by brand. They are stored in a vintage vertical paper sorting tray that you can easily find at thrift and second-hand stores. 


I will leave you today with this card featuring stamps from these two awesome sets. I also tested out my new LYRA Aquacolor crayons. I am getting used to them (a little).

Don't forget to check out the new release! !!! 3 wonderful new stamp sets. 

-and-


I hope that this inspired you to get to organizing your paper. Please don't forget to follow my blog, as this is my last post for Sweet Stamp Shop. Until next time.
—Jennifer

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6 comments:

  1. Thanks for all the organizational tips, Jennifer! I'm dying to see your craft space, I bet it's pretty fantastic!

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  2. soooooo organized! Love your storage!

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  3. love it! i am always trying to find new ways to store my papers. Great tips :)

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  4. I have some great green containers that are holding my cling and clear stamps, as well as my 6x6 papers.. I just wish I could find another dozen or two of them.. they are awesome little boxes. Found them years ago in mandarin orange boxes :)

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  5. OK, I feel so much better about my paper stash and keeping all those scraps! I also now know that I am not the only crafter out there who ADORES her label maker! Great card, super organization tips! Thanks!

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