Tag Archives: organization

Wrangling in the Chips

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That last post on what to do when getting ready for a crop has got me thinking about organization.  Actually, it has gotten me thinking more about organization–it has gotten me to DO something about it, which is an altogether different thing entirely.  While I really don’t think about myself as a sticker hoarder, I mean user, I am actually.  Case in point:

 

 

 

Ridiculous right?  But I’m guessing I’m not the only one out there organizing their stickers this way.  Hmmmm….

And so, I decided that I would find something that would work for me.  The thing is that organization, no matter how good it is, sometimes outgrows your collection of stuff.  I don’t often buy sticker letter and numbers, so this method works fine for me.  The important thing is to remember HOW your individual system works.  How do you create.  I mainly operate off of color, so my organization system, no matter what I am organizing, needs to be based around that.  Here is my miracle…I mean answer:

Isn’t it great?  The most important thing to make note of with this tote is not necessarily the built-in color system, which is fabulous, but the bottom of the tote.  You can’t really see it in this photo, but the BOTTOM of the tote e-x-p-a-n-d-s.  So key!!!  The result is that everything is laid out, organized, and easily accessible.

And now, I am so slim, so trim, and I have officially wrangled in the chips!

A Stampin’ Up! Stamp Solution

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I’m always looking for ways to better organize myself in my craft space.  I think that you have to depending upon how much stuff you have and your personal system for finding what you need when you need it.  While I’ve seen some really great products and great systems alike, the key to any great system is that it works for you.  My way of organizing may not be your way of organizing, and so on and so forth.  So finding what works for you should definitely be intuitive, but it is always nice if can be inexpensive as well.

There are many stores that are dedicated to nothing but helping you better organize your life in general and your craft space in specific.  Once you’ve got your buckets, baskets and bins, you’ve got to invest some time into actually purging, categorizing and organizing.  I did something this weekend that allowed me do just that–I created my own stamp inventory for all of my Stampin’ Up! stamps.

This isn’t revolutionary by any means, but it works for me and just maybe, it may work for you. For the record, I’ve seen several people (especially on YouTube) share their way of organizing their stamps.  And while this isn’t anything new, I think that my take on it may ultimately help you.

A few adaptations to note:

  • While I have other stamps, I decided to concentrate on my Stampin’ Up! stamps because I already kept them separate (being a former demonstrator) and they come in sets in their own individual plastic cases
  • This method could work for ANY stamps, including cling and acrylic
  • This method could also work for any number of supplies like die cuts (ex. Sizzix), embossing folders, and punches (As a matter of fact, if I ever get the time to do this, I will inventory my entire room this way!)

The good news is that once you spend time getting this task done, it’s easy to maintain and to grow as your collection grows.  You can easily see what you already have (so that you don’t buy the same or similar items).  And when you’re ready to purge, you already know what you have on hand.  Ready? 

STEP ONE:  Gather your supplies. 

In this case I have my stamps, my old Stampin’ Up! catalogs, and some leftover garage sale stickers.  You don’t need garage sale stickers though.  You just need several copies of the same sticker. 

 

STEP TWO:  Set up your inventory system.

My system is very simple:  I use a 3 hole binder which I’ve already organized into several sections. (Since these are Stampin’ Up! stamps, I used their categories for my section labels:  “All Natural,” “Greetings,” “Elements,” etc.)  Since fewer stamps have seemingly been retired recently (this is just my observational opinion), I simply pulled out the page that featured my particular stamp set from past years’ catalogs and hole punched them right into my binder.

If you don’t have any old catalogs or if you’d rather not pull out pages from them, then you can copy the page and use that.  Or, if you are like me and have several sets that have yet to be mounted, you can scan/copy the page of labels or case cover (for the newer cling stamps) and use those.  Of course, making a scan or a copy of the actual stamp works too. 

By the way, other than organizing them into these sections, there was no rhyme or reason to my madness.  As you grow your collection, you could organize the pages by year or in alphabetical order.  You decide.

 

STEP THREE: Organize your stamps–your way.

In my case, I already had all of these shoebox-sized plastic bins.  You may not have bins at all because you just stack your stamps on shelves.  If that is the case, you can skip this step. (Or just assign a different color/style for every stamp set you have.)  But keeping them in small bins just makes it easy for me to get my hands on the ones I want when I want them.  However, I had no big decision to make as to which stamp sets went into which bins; I simply fit in as many as I could.  As a matter of fact, one of my shelves is full of some larger stamp sets that wouldn’t fit in a bin.

STEP FOUR:  Assign your stickers.

This is where you start to color-code your collection.  Since I had enough 50-cent stickers leftover for the six stamp sets in the bin, plus two more for the top and the side of the bin and at least one more for my inventory sheet, that’s what I used.  If you happen to have nine pink umbrella stickers, then use those.  It really doesn’t matter because it is not about the sticker, it is about the coding. 

STEP FIVE: Match up your assigned sticker to the location of the stamp set in your personal catalog.

This stamp set is located in my “Greetings” section and I’ve again used my 50-cent sticker on the image of the stamp set.  So while I can always just go into my containers and peruse my stamp collection, it will be much easier to go through my inventory, figure out which “Greetings” set I want to use and then grab the corresponding bin.

Stampin’ success!

PS If you wanted to completely forego using the inventory system altogether, you could just assign a color/style sticker to a section of stamp sets:  “Greetings” could be blue, “Elements” could be purple elephants, etc.  For those of you with extensive collections (congrats, by the way), this could be a simpler way of staying organized.

A Tsk List, A Task List

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While I don’t know what a tisket or a tasket really is, I do know what it means to have a tsk list or task list.  Most folks are already mentally in this mode just by the changes that occur only around this time of year.  As I age I recognize that the holidays only seem to get quicker with time and before you know it, they’re over.  You never seem to have as much time as you think you do and all of the things that you had hoped to accomplish only get pushed back a few more weeks.

Did you know that I am the queen of lists?  I have lists all over the place, written on everything from post its to my paint-covered grid paper, to that recycled small scrap of nothing that could easily (and most likely will) be trashed.  Although a good portion of my lists are in my head and not written down as they should be, they all attempt to do one thing–get me organized.  What is it about starting a new year that makes everything so urgent? Starting a diet, donating old clothes to charity, organizing your scrap space….wait.  Organizing your scrap space?  Why of course!  That has a permanent address on my tsk list, I mean, task list.

I’ve done a really good job monitoring what is going out and coming in.  I’ve even sold some stuff, attempted to sell other stuff that I will most likely donate, and I’ve purged continuously.  However, while I could talk about the fact that there have been some once-in-a-lifetime deals out there that I simply had to take advantage of, I will only say that there is really only one rule when it comes to getting your crafting organized:  If you don’t see it, you won’t use it.  Many paper crafters struggle with the balance of having everything at arm’s length, but not have everything out in the open. 

The product that I review in the video, the Clip It Up, helps to solve this problem.  This first video shows you how to assemble it as well as some tips on how best to use the product.  Let me know if you have any questions (and please comment if you are so inclined).  I will have a follow-up video of the Clip It Up in action soon.  Stay tuned!

Clean As You Go!

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This is something that my grandmother says and it still holds true.  Place a receptacle or basket near your work space that you can use it easily for holding your scraps. This small container can also serve as a place of color inspiration if you get stuck.  Or better yet, to remind you of ready-cut stuff that you can easily transfer and use in your project.  Go one step further and collect smaller bits to recycle.

How Do You Organize Your Scraps?

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I had been itching for a while to do something creative.  I guess as a crafter, I’m always itching to do something creative.  However, sometimes everything else seems to get in the way of finding some time to yourself.

When I did decide to get down and dirty with some paper and glue, I did a little cleaning up as well.  I think many crafters will admit that they don’t keep their space as tidy as they would like.  When I’m in the middle of something and have to stop, it actually stifles me a little to have to put it all away.  I kind of need it out around me so that I can quickly pick up where I left off.

This week I encountered a lot of emotions, most of them not my own.  It seems my circle has been experiencing some serious highs and serious lows.  And so much (read: all) of what I have finished are cards and gifts for them.  It is how I naturally express my concern, my empathy and my well wishes.

However, in between projects, I decided to clean up a little.  I ended up tackling my ever growing pile of scraps.  Some crafters won’t keep anything smaller than 6″ x 6″ of paper.  Others save every…little…piece.  I’m somewhere in the middle.  Some pieces have only a couple of inches cut out of them; others are hacked and doodled all over (I use the backside!).  What I ultimately decided to do was organize them into three piles:  more than half a sheet, smaller than half a sheet, and so small I could do better by recycling.  And that’s exactly what I did.

The one thing amazing thing that I forget about (besides going into my scrap pile more often) is that the scraps always tell me a story about what I’ve been crafting.  I know it sounds a bit cheesy, but it’s true.  For example, I remembered that card that I made for a friend sitting at a crossroads, that trip that I took to Europe, that number book that I made for my son.  I even discovered paper from a page I did in my first scrapbook!

Some pieces I trimmed to get rid of the “dead space” for easier storage.  These were the pieces where I really couldn’t do much else with.  And then I thought, how often are we able to trim what isn’t working for us anymore?  Do we hold on to scraps and pieces of the past because we have learned from them or because we can’t let go of something?  How are you with storing all of that?  Are you running out of space and need to clean up too? I have to admit, I found the whole process a bit prophetic and all I was trying to do was straighten up!!!

So, what do you do with all of your scraps?  Here’s what I did with a few of mine:

"Scrap" Thank You Card

Back to School Again

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It’s true.  Even if you are kagillions of years out of going “back to school,” aren’t you always reminded of how you felt when it was time to go back to school?  For me the best part was getting new school supplies.  I get gleefully cheery when I think of new binders, new pens, folders, paper, pencil cases, and all of those other things that you needed.  Each year the list got longer and longer and longer. But, I loved it.  Even after I had graduated I took great happiness in buying stuff for my younger brother.  (Definitely not his thing.) 

Now that I’ve always got an eye out for what I can use in my papercrafting, I always peruse the school supply aisles for what would be useful.  And now that you can find some super sweet deals, I challenge you to do the same and stock up.  For example, if you are looking for storage and organziation ideas, look at the stuff geared towards teens going to college.  For another take on it, stock up on journals or other types of composition-style books and alter them for cool birthday gifts or for the upcoming holidays. Grab a set of new acrylic paints.  Buy a nice compass to help you create perfect circles.  Organize all those magazine articles you’ve been meaning to read:  pull them out, hole punch them, and add them to binders like I’ve done here. 

If that doesn’t float your boat, study the trends–graphics, prints, colors…the list is endless.  Find inspiration in the design and embellishment.  You’ll often see echos of these trends in recently released stamp sets and paper families.

If nothing else, revel in the fact things are, as with the start of every season, starting anew.  With what will you challenge yourself?  What new, wonderful thing will you discover about your crafting?  Will you adopt (or adapt) a new style or technique?  Find your new-ness, if that is even a word.  Remember, you can always start again. 

Buy a new 49¢ notebook.  Turn the page.  Write another story.  Spin another tale.  Discover yourself.  You are the beginning and the end.  Find yourself in what you create. Craft yourself something new.