Hello and welcome to storage Sundays
This will hopefully be a regular posting focusing on different areas of my craft room.
Yesterday, in preparation for this post (and because it was desperately in need of a tidy up), I reorganised my 12×12 paper stash. I’m hoping this method works for me, I will keep you posted with any changes I have to make. I have tried a number of storage solutions in recent years; drawers, boxes, stashed on a shelf, and I suppose this follows along the same lines, but with the added bonus of being able to find what I’m looking for!
I have the IKEA expidit 4×4 shelving unit. I love it, although I currently have to share it with J for his college work.
My 12×12 has always had its own compartment within the unit, along with my current scrapbook, a box of Becky Higgins page protectors, and my misting box (just because I don’t have quite enough paper to fill the whole shelf). However, it has just been put there, shoved onto the shelf, and then sort of abandoned because I couldn’t see what I had, what were full sheets or just scraps. So I haven’t really used it!
That was until yesterday. First of all, I cut some labels. I would dearly love a tab punch, but I cant find one I like that someone still actually makes! But I do have the Tim Holtz Alterations Tiny Tabs and Tags Bigz Die from Sizzix, so out came the Big Shot, and a piece of 12×12 cardstock in a colour I am unlikely to use for anything else (strange sort of yellow, I’m not all that keen, but it’ll do for this purpose), and I cut myself a whole pile of tabs.
Grabbing my stapler and a pen, I got onto the floor, and sorted through all that paper. I decided to organise by brand. Until a couple of months ago I was a member of the Studio Calico Scrapbook Kit Club, and so have a lot of certain brands; Studio Calico, American Crafts, Crate Paper, etc. but I have also bought collections packs from other companies; Echo Park and Papermania, as well as a pad from K & Company (which, is very thin paper, and only get used for proto-typing) and a stack from core’dinations.
Each section got a tab, stapled to either; the front sheet (if it was a collection pack), or a piece of heavier weight cardstock. I find that I know what sort of papers I own from each company, and so find it easier to organise that way rather than say, by colour. But its about finding what works best for you, and if you find yourself thinking ‘I need a blue paper’ rather than ‘I think something from October Afternoon would work’ organise that way.
So, the final reveal. I’m pleased with the result, I did a bit of crafting after all my organising, and found what I was looking for pretty quickly (and sorting it all out helped me find a heap of stuff I’d forgotten I bought!).
Back with more crafts, cards, and storage solutions soon
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