Mission Organization: Ink Cube Storage

Are you in the organizing mood?  There is something about January that makes me want to organize.  I guess it's the new year and knowing I have much crafting fun ahead of me.  I want to be as efficient as possible during my crafting time.  I will build up a card stash...I will scrapbook more this year!  I believe if I can get everything in my craft room neat and tidy then I will indeed be more productive and achieve my crafting goals.

I work better if everything is visible and within easy reach. If I have to dig for a specific item I will not craft with it. I have shared with you some methods of organization in the past. Some of these storage system I still have in place and will not be changing them.  So if you want to check them out click here to get to my older posts. I still store my larger ink pads as I mentioned in the ink pad storage post.

I have started to favor ink cubes verses the full size ink pad.  The lower price point is a great way to collect many ink colors.  I don't even buy the reinkers right away because these little cubes seems to hold a ton of ink.   Plus I stamp with my MISTI stamping tool 99% of the time.  The ink cubes leave less ink on the lid of the MISTI when inking up the stamp.  I began to accumulate many colors and needed a different way to store them.   I liked the Tim Holtz distress ink tins but didn't want to have to sort through many tins to figure out which ink I needed.  I wanted a holder that would hold more cubes of ink.  So I surfed the net and found this amazing video by KWCardDesign.  Kari had a clear plastic case that held 32 cubes.  I was amazed! I just knew this would be the perfect solution for my ink cube storage!  Check out her fab video by clicking HERE.

The first set of inks I bought were Momento.

This is a clear plastic case with lid that snaps securely shut.   Which is wonderful if you travel with your ink.  It is made by Darice.  It is  13.7 x 8.6 x 1.37 inches.  Kari mentioned she found hers in the bead section at Walmart.  I couldn't find any at my Walmart so I ended up ordering the cases from Amazon.  Click here to see the cases on Amazon.  As you can see in the photo...the two slots by the handle are smaller than the rest so I could only fit 30 Memento Dew Drops in here but fortunately that is all I had.

Next, I started collecting Papertrey Ink cubes.  I really like the colors of these inks so I am slowly accumulating all of them.  They fit perfectly in the cases too.

The little spaces by the handle are perfect for the round blending sponges.

Above you can see the case closed.  The see through nature makes it easy to which ink is in which case.  I simply stack all 4 of my cases on top of one another on my metal shelving unit behind my office chair.

Oh and one more tip abou ink cubes.  The lids sometimes seem loose so I have found a solution for this:

Do you remember the rainbow loom?  My kids each got one as Christmas gifts a few years ago.  They were obsessed with these things.  We made keychains, necklaces, bracelets, all kinds of stuff!    Now though they hardly ever use these things.  So I discovered the loom bands are the perfect size to wrap around the ink cubes to secure the lid.  My daughter donated this color because she says she won't need it.   Just in case you don't know what I'm talking about...you can find the loom bands on Amazon here.  Some of the loom bands are thicker and better quality.  The ones I linked are from the Rainbow loom company so chances are they are better than the ones I have shown here.  I think we got these at Ollies when they were popular so they are a bit thinner than other brands.  I can't remember having any break though.   I haven't tried them but if you can't find any loom bands I would try the hair bands as they are similar in size. Oh and these bands tend to blend in with my tan desk and get lost easily.  So I am going to ask the kids if I can have some brighter ones.   So keep the color of your work space in mind before shopping for bands.

As you can see in the photo above distress inks fit nicely in it too.  The rectangle you see is an extra piece of stamping rubber that I cut into a rectangle to use to make my ink swatches. (Tip:  If you don't have extra stamping  rubber simply use some fun foam cut to size to stamp your ink swatch with)  I use Jennifer McGuire's ink swatch system.  She uses coin pockets to store labeled ink swatches.  This truly is an amazing system and I am thrilled with it! She even has printable downloads on her blog for many of the ink brands. Check out all the deets on Jennifer's blog here.

I am still collecting PTI ink colors.  One of these days I will have all the ink but until then I write in pencil the color of Momento ink I have that is similar to the PTI ink color so I can use that until I get their ink.  Once I get the ink I can simply erase the pencil markings and stamp in the swatch.   If you click on the photo to make it larger you will see I have tangelo written on the orange zest spot.

See that asterisk in the left hand corner?   This denotes that I have a reinker in this ink color.  The ink cubes really do stay saturated with ink for a long time.  I bet I have some cubes that are  2 years old and still don't need reinking.  Anyway, when I notice an ink pad is getting dry I simply look on my swatch book and if I don't have an asterisk there I know to add the ink refill to my next order.  Plus certain techniques require the use of reinkers.  By looking at my swatch I can see which colors I can work with for those techniques.  On the back of ink swatch pocket I put the matching card stock swatch (more on this later).

Items needed for my ink cube storage and ink swatch system:

Darice 1157-11 No Spill Organizer 13.7-Inch-by-8.6-Inch-by-1.37-Inch 

Rainbow Loom bands

BCW Pro 20-Pocket Page, Pocket Size: 2" x2", 20 Pages

White Cardstock you normally use for stamping

Printer with black ink to print your swatch cards  
Ring Clips

I have been using this ink storage system since for a year now and really love it!  I am so glad I stumbled upon Kari's video!  Thanks Kari! I am definitely on a mission to organize my craft room so stay tuned for more posts in the future.  Thanks for stopping by!

*Just to let you know I am not affiliated with Amazon in any way.  I feel you should shop wherever you can get the best price and best value for your money.  I just provide you with links so you can see exactly the products involved.  But...I will say Amazon is an easy way to get everything you need for my ink storage and ink swatch system all in one stop.  Amazon has excellent costumer service too so if something isn't right they will fix it.  I have been a customer of theirs since 2007.  

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Mission Organization: Swatches and Color Combos

Hello!
My goodness I honestly don't know what happens to time lately!  When did 2013 appear....where did Jan go?  Have I really not blogged for almost a month? I'm sorry!!  So much for the resolution of trying to blog more this year!!  I will totally try better in the future.  I am toying around with some regular blogging topics.  Would you be interested in seeing tips on frugal living?  Things like making laundry detergent and household cleansers.  How about posting a few favorite recipes each week?  I know many of you liked my mission organization series.  So...I have the next installment to that ready..read on!

I ordered the sampler pack of cardstock from Papertrey ink.  I absolutely loved it!  I loved their ink too so I wanted a way to make a sampler of ink and cardstock.  I also wanted a way to keep track of my favorite color combos.   Many ideas inspired me to make what I am about to show you.  So first let me give credit to
Capture the Moment, Color to Paper, Handmade by Leanne, Rainbow Gardens, and Triple the Scraps.  Thanks sooo much for the inspiration ladies!!

I used my Monthly Rolodex file to cut swatches of each piece of cardstock.  Then labeled each tab with my trusty label maker. 

Behind the tabs I placed several white index cards.  Using my Monthly Rolodex file and my KNK makes it a breeze to cut several index cards at once.  A great time saver!  I used the computer to capture samples of my favorite color combos and placed them on the index cards.  The color combos comes from sample cards, color challenges and even fabric swatches.

Above you can take a closer look at the tabbed and index cards.  Click on the photo to make it larger if you'd like.  On the back of the tabbed card I used a solid stamp to match the ink color of the tabbed card.  If the ink is a brand other than PTI I list the brand and name of the color.  I also stamp again (like a stamp off) without reinking since sometimes a lighter ink is just in order.  I decided to stamp an outline stamp also.
PTI lists the three Copic colors that match their cardstock so I took a hexagon stamp and colored each hexagon in with the appropriate color.  Eventually, I'd like to take a Versamark ink pad and stamp on the front of the index card so I can see what a watermark stamp would look like on each color. 

PTI has a wonderful hexagon stamp set.  Nicole Heady showed  a great way to use this stamp set.  So I decided to keep track of my favorite hexagon color combos in my rolodex too above you can see one of the cards.

I am thrilled that my rolodex contains cardstock swatches, ink swatches and also color combos in a very small footprint!

If you would like to make your own rolodex you can purchase my file by clicking the preview below or here.  Before you do I have a coupon for you to use!  Simply enter the code SS_organize when checking out and save $1.00.  I do hope this inspires you to get a little more organized.  If you do make one of these yourself I'd love to see it!  I just love the way others put their unique touch on my files!

Oh and look I did manage to put a new file into the store.  It will get you ready for Valentine's Day.

 I hope to have a few more V-day files soon too!

Thanks for visiting me today!  Please come back again!  It is very cold here...-3 this morning at the bus stop.  So my goal for today is to stay warm.  If it is cold where you are...I am sending warm vibes your way!

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Mission Organization: Embellishments

I am back as promised (albeit later than I had planned...sorry!) with a new organizational post.  This week we are going to talk about embellishments.  As mentioned in my first organizational post here...I sort items by color.  When I start a project color is usually an important factor.  I used to store all my embellishments by type but got tired of looking through soo many bins to get what I need.  Sometimes I knew I needed something purple but wasn't sure what so I'd have to pull out all my brads, eyelets, flowers testing to see which suited my project best.  It was just not working!    So now I store all embellishments of one color together in a snapware container. 

The snapware containers all snap together to create my embellishment tower.  I labeled each "drawer" in rainbow order using a light scallop circle, a darker circle and also a white circle stamped with a stamp from SU's circled Circus to make it look pretty!  These labels match my paper scrap storage labels but all you really need is one circle to designate which color is in which "drawer".

 Above you can see he inside of the green "drawer".  Some of the stackware came with the 3 compartment inserts...but not all.  I'm not sure why but they only give you enough for a few of the drawers.  The snapware I bought after Christmas on clearance didn't include any of those compartments.  That's okay though...I have a solution for that.

 As you can see in the orange drawer above I put some rubber shelf liner on the bottom to keep things from sliding around.

I keep baker's twine in small zippered baggies found in the beading department at Wal-mart.  The little boxes actually are used to store microscope cover glasses.  I ordered them from JDTtwo on Etsy.  She is a wonderful seller who is great to work with and ships fast!   You get a ton of these boxes.  They fit perfectly in these snapware containers allowing me to separate brads, eyelets, buttons etc.  I prefer these over the zippered bags.  You can find her boxes here. Oh and pictured above is the brown "drawer".  I don't have many embellishments or ribbon in brown and black so I just store them in the snapware instead of in my jars as shown in my ribbon organization post.

I ran out of snapware drawers so I store my gold and silver embellishments in a double sided fishing tackle box found at the Good Will store.

I love white embellishments!  I can easily color them to match my projects with Copics.  So I have a ton of white embellishments.  They are stored in the top drawer of the plastic storage container that holds 12 x 12 paper.  The bottom two drawers have my most neutral card stock in them.  Hmm some of those flowers look pretty sad...I think I need to donate them to the kids!

This storage system is great for showing you what color of embellishments you are lacking.  I went nuts with the pink when my daughter was born so there isn't much more room for pink things.  However, red is lacking!  So I now know when I see that totally cute pink glittery flower that I should back away and reach for the red one!  Another great pro to this storage system is that it's a "snap"...(tee.hee..pardon the pun) to take to crops.  Just make sure all the levels are snapped together and grab the handle..never worrying you'll leave something behind!

Oh and I apologize for the poor photos.  I did take them outside in natural lite and edited them in PS but they still don't look that great.  Hopefully, if you click on them to enlarge them they will give you any details you need to see.  

Items needed for my embellishment storage:

Snap 'N Stack  6"X9" Rectangle 2.5" 

small zippered bags or small plastic or metal storage containers (optional...you can just throw everything in the "drawers" and not separate anything if you wish)

rubber shelf liner (optional...keeps smaller containers from sliding around when you travel)

I am going to show you a few specific ways to store specific embellishments in the rest of this blog post.  I am only going to highlight some unique ways. You can see more on my Pinterest board here.  I will continue to add to this board as I find new storage options.

I absolutely love Karen's brad storage as shown above!  It would take a while to do but the results are a stunning artwork display that easily lets you see what you have and make use of it!  Check out more info on her blog here.

Isn't that the cutest button storage you have ever seen!  Linda did a great job displaying Stampin Up buttons on this baking sheet!  Linda used the containers the buttons came in and placed magnets on the back and then labeled them soo sweetly!  I bet you could do this with those containers that hold spices too if you don't buy SU buttons.  Check out more on Linda's blog here.

This is yet another wonderful button storage solution!  It is from Mallia.  It involves a bunch of buttons stored in little clear tubes with an actual button glued to the lid so you can see what is inside the tube at a glance.  I think this would work for brads, eyelets, small flowers etc.  This is a flickr photo so I don't have any blog to direct you to...sorry!

Did you see what Marthe created!  OMG!  A whole table filled with flowers!  This reminds me of something you would find in a craft store not a craft room!  How amazing is this!  I don't have many of these purchased flowers but have admired those who use them on their cards.  I think they look great but...since many of them come in bunches with the stems on..they would be very hard to store.  If you have the space this is a great way..don't you think!  Check out a tut on how to make your own floral storage table on Marthe's blog here. 

Okay that is all for today...I think this post is long enough!  I hope I gave you some ideas on how to store your embellishments!   Thanks for stopping by!   Check back again...I'll  have some inventory posts for you...sometime in the future!

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Mission Organization: Paper Scraps

Hello everyone,
So do you keep all the scraps of paper that are left over after completing a project?  Do you hate to throw away that 1 x 1 inch square just in case you might need it for something?  Are you scraps in such disarray that is takes too much time to sort through them so you just grab a new piece of paper instead.  Well then listen up because this is one thing in my craft room that is totally organized and I am totally happy with! 

I have shared with you my methods for storing scraps before but I am going to cover it again here just in case you are new to my blog or "gasp" you have forgotten!  LOL! 

First up let's talk about solid card stock scraps.  I love saving card stock scraps.  I do a lot of paper peicing.  In fact a card I made yesterday involved using that 1 x 1 inch square of red.  So it is very practicle for me to save even little pieces of card stock.  But...how to store such small pieces without them getting lost and still make them accessible....

 I don't remember where I saw this idea originally but I have seen many people put it to use since I first started using this method.  These are simply Sterlite plastic storage organizers.  I got mine at Wal-mart but I think just about any department store carries them.  I labeled them with scalloped circles, two colors of cardstock (light and dark) and a stamped image from Stampin' Up Circled Circus set in rainbow colored order.   These drawers are great for pieces around 8.5 x 11" or less.  Perfect for scraps.  I just toss the srap in the appropriate colored drawer after creating.  When I need a scrap of a certain color it is easy for me to find the size of scrap I need.  Oh and that black box you see is where all the paper goes after I finish up a project.  When it gets full like it is now then I trim down the scraps and store them away.

Next up is the patterned paper.  This has got to be the hardest type of scrap to store.  Many papers are multi-colored making it hard to sort.  So...when I came across Jennifer's brilliant idea I knew it was for me!

What Jennifer's suggested to do is to cut your scraps to the closest inch.  Yes that means you could be cutting off a 1/2" strip that could be used.   This was hard for me to do but I gave the trimmed off pieces to the kids and they loved making use of them!  Now stack all the pieces of the same size together putting the longest pieces in the back and the shortest in the front.  Keep it all together with a binder clip.  (Similar to a wallpaper swatch book)  This makes it easy to flip through the papers and see which one (s) you need.  I keep mine in a larger plastic storage drawer unit under my desk so it's easily accessible.  But you could put the tines of the binder clip in the up position and hang them on a hook on a wall too.  I absolutely love this method!  The other day I was making some origami boxes and needed a 4 inch x 4 inch sheet of paper.  So  I pulled out my 4" scrap pile and found the perfect pieces already trimmed!  2" was the smallest I went anything smaller went to the kids.  When I started trimming my scraps I soon realized all scraps could be cut into only 6 sizes.  Now I did have more than one stack of certain sizes like the 2" ones. I also love that this system doesn't take a lot of space to store! 

Here is what you need for my scraps storage:

Cardstock Scraps:

Sterlite 3 drawer organizer

Labels for drawer colors (optional...drawers are clear so labels aren't really necessary)

Patterned Paper Scaps:

Paper Trimmer (optional.... makes cutting paper to the nearest inch easier)

Various sizes of binder clips

I do have a few other methods for storing scaps I will share with you but I did not find a lot.  Hopefully something will strike your fancy though.

 

Scrapfreak.com uses an over the door shoe rack to store scraps of paper.  This would work hanging on a wall too I would think.

Rachel uses labeled magazine holders to store both patterned paper and solid scraps.  Her sons have access to this too.  This would be a great way for my kids to store their scrap papers.  It would even help my daughter prep for Kindergarten.   Right now we have all their papers in a big bin.  Check out more of Rachel's wonderful scrap room on her blog here.

Leslie uses glassine bags attached to journal pages to store her small paper scraps.  Check out more amazing storage ideas along with some beautiful floral photos on her blog here.

Denise made her own as she puts it "El Cheapo Clip It Up" using badge ID clips, page protectors, a dowel rod and cup hooks.  It costs her less than $2.00!  Amazing!  Check out more info on her blog here.

Barbara has a great idea for useable scrap storage.  She makes mostly A2 cards.  So when she needs a mat to place on an A2 card she cuts a full sheet into quarters..uses one and stores the remaining 3 quarters into this box...labeled by color.  This works really well if you use one brand of card stock.  Check out more on her blog here. 

I mentioned this in my mission organizational post about 6 x 6 paper storage but it's worth mentioning for scraps too.  Betsy Veldman cuts down scraps into 6 x 6 sheets and stores them in these cute little plastic cubes you can get at the Dollar Tree.  After cutting she still has a lot of leftover strips so then she .....

makes new paper by gluing the paper strips onto a sheet of 8.5 x 11" of card stock.  Don't these look great..who knew soo many patterns could be mixed like that!  Check out the wonderful cards Betsy made using her "new" sheets of paper here.

Okay that's scrap paper storage in a nutshell.  I hope you find something that inspires you to get a handle on your scraps and helps you make use of all that paper you invested in. Be sure to come back again!

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Mission Organization: Paper Storage

Hello,
I am back with another installment of my mission organization series.  Today we are going to discuss paper storage.  All of the paper I am going to show you is 12" x12" but most methods should work with 8.5" x 11" paper too.  I am a total paper addict especially patterned paper!  I just love paper!  I have a ton of stamps and keep telling myself I can use these stamps to make my own customized paper.  I can also create my own paper digitally and print them out.  I don't need any more paper!  It never fails though.  A pattern catches my eye and I must have it! Sigh...how does the saying go...whomever dies with the most paper wins!

I feel one of the most important things in organizing your paper is purging.  Take a good look at ALL your paper.  If you have ever bought collections of papers you know that in most instances  at least two sheets of each paper comes in the collection.  Will you use both sheets?  Are there patterns in the collection that don't fit your style or that you simply do not like in the least.  Well then put them in the purge pile.  Now I'm not telling you to throw these away (gasp!).  I go to a crop in which we are allowed to sell unwanted items.  What isn't my cup of tea may be another person's treasure.  I sell my paper cheap 10 cents a sheet.  Now this doesn't seem like much but if I make even a little money off of the papers that better than having it sit in my cabinet going to waste.  Remember purging gives you room to buy paper that you love!  If you can't find a market to sell your paper then contact a school or nursing home and donate your paper.  I do give some of my paper to my kids and they just love adding paper to their crafting stash too.

Organizing my paper has been something I have always struggled with.   My current setup isn't ideal but I am using what I have and don't want to buy anything new so I will make it work. I do apologize for the bad photo.  It was dark by the time I got my paper organized. I have a cabinet with moveable shelves that I store my paper in.  I can close the cabinet doors and know that light will not damage my paper. 

Now I will go through the letter and describe what is in each.

• A-homemade paper holder using a used Priority Mail box (will post a website later on in this post that tells you how to make this yourself).  Contains Christmas paper.  I thought about covering this with wrapping or contact paper but since it's behind closed doors I figured why bother.
• B-Cropper Hopper Paper Storage.  Solid cardstock organized by the rainbow color system (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet)
• C-Cropper Hopper Paper Storage.  Mixture of patterns.  (More details later in the post)
• D-Smaller Cropper Hopper Paper storage.  Complete collections of papers that don't have any embellishments to match.
• E-Cropper Hopper Paper Storage.  Mixture of matching papers.  (More details later in this post)
• F-Box of K and C company classic patterned paper (sold in this box).  
• G-Accordion Paper Holder (got this at Ollies several years ago) Holiday themed and seasonal papers.
• H-Accordion Paper Holder (got this at Joann's it came with paper in it...several years ago).  Chatterbox papers only (got this paper as a huge stack deal several years ago..not sure if this company still exists..but I love this paper!)
• I-Cardboard file box with hinged lid and folders (got this at Joann's several years ago and it has seen better days...but it still works) Contains Basic Grey papers only.
• J-6 x 6 paper storage as mentioned in this post.
• K-Creative Memories accordion paper storage (very old as this was when they made papers odd sized..8.5 x 11.5 or something like that....need to sort through this yet)
• L-Art Bin Super Satchel (won this at a crop...if you like to store your paper horizontally this baby holds a ton of paper).  Contains all the paper I have purged.  I will take this to the crop simply set it on the table and write my info on the lid and let the dimes roll in! :)

 As promised I will explain my Mix and Match labels on C and E in the first photo.  When sorting through my paper I noticed I have some printed paper that is nice but does not have any coordinating paper to go with it.   I still like the print and may be able to use solid colors to enhance it or stamp some papers to match it therefore it goes in the "Mix" box.  I sort these as best as I can by the rainbow system again.  However, most patterns have multiple colors.  I find the dominant color and file it away using that.  If the pattern has any hint of pink or purple on it..it will go in those colors because I won't use them on my boy scrapbook pages.  At the end of the box I have multiple colored prints.  If the paper has one coordinating paper it will go in the match..only singles go in the mix.

Okay that is my paper storage.  I am happy to get most of my paper on that one shelf and I still have room for more! Oh and I store my papers that have matching embellishments in a different way and I will share that at some point in time.

Supplies needed for my paper storage

Cropper Hopper Paper Storage 

Used Priority Mail box

Accordion file folders

Cardboard file box with hinged lid and folders

Art Bin Super Satchel  to put purged papers in but you could use a 2 gallon zip lock bag or a clean pizza box

I have searched high and low to bring you some frugal paper storage options.  Unfortunately, I did not find many.  Sure there are a ton of fancy paper holders out there to buy but I wanted to give you some DIY holders to save you some money.  Anyway, I will share with you what I found and hopefully something will inspire you to organize your paper.

As promised Oakie shows how you can cut a used Priority Mail box to make your own version of the Cropper Hopper boxes.  Check out more info here.

Above is another version.  I love how she covered the boxes in little squares of scraps.  I may just have to do this to mine!  You can decoupage the squares on and/or cover it in clear contact paper to protect it.  See more photos here.

Soraya discovered vinyl record holders fit 12 x 12 scrapbooking paper perfectly!  Way to recycle!  Time to ask your relatives if they have any of these in their attics!  Check out more info here. 

I would never in a million years guessed what this cabinet is supposed to be used for.  It is an Ikea shoe cabinet but two stacks of 12 x 12 paper fits side by side perfectly.  Check out more info and see more of LeAnn's wonderful craft studio here.

Another great way to store paper is in hanging file folders.  However, 12 x 12 folders are very expensive and not readily available in my neck of the woods at least.  Cynthia Ewer shows how you can transform ordinarily legal sized file folders into folders that will hold 12 x 12 paper.  Brilliant!  She mentioned these will actually fit in most legal sized folder holders too.  Read the tut here.

When I first started scrapbooking I bought a bunch of those wire cubes and hooked them together with zip ties as shown in this tut.  I didn't really like it..didn't seem that sturdy and I didn't have any way of keeping it out of the sun.  However, for some reason I saved all those wire shelves.  Not sure why but now I know!

Ohh isn't that wonderful!  It uses those wire racks but surrounds them in wood so the shelves can be slid out to get to the paper.  It even has a counter top on it.  One of these years I will find someone who can build this for me!  I think I'd want doors on it though or some way to attach a curtain to the front just to keep the sunlight out.  Ahh this would be my dream paper cabinet!  Check out more of TechGoddess's amazingly organized room here.

If you are at all handy.  You may want to check out Sew Woodsy's awesome tut here.  You'll find step by step instructions on how to make this wonderful paper cabinet from scratch.  It is 93" high so it might not work for you if you are small in stature...but maybe the design could be modified to suit you! 

Well now I soo wanted to get this post to you on Monday but alas it is 12:40 am so it's actually Tuesday.  Oh well better late then never.  I am soo happy to have my paper organized and can't wait to find some time to use it!  I found pretty papers I didn't even know I had!  LOL!  I hope I have inspired you to get organized too.  If you are just tuning in I have had several mission organization posts...you can see the ones you missed by clicking on the tab on the top of my blog.  Please become a follower if you don't want to miss future posts. I will not rest until my room is completely organized!  Thanks for stopping by I must get to bed!

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Mission Organization: 6 x 6 paper

Welcome to the next installment of my organizational series.  Today we are going to talk about organizaing 6 x 6 papers.  Why you ask?  Why not talk about the traditional sized papers like 8.5 x 11 and 12 x 12?  Well I just discovered 6 x 6 paper pads and am soo excited about them!  (Yes...I know these aren't new...it's just I don't live near a craft store so often I make do with what I have...and I didn't have these before!)  You see I do scrapbook and I have always purchased 12 x 12 paper.  Lately though I have been making more cards than scrapbook pages.  I always dread cutting into a full sized sheet just to make a card.  Sometimes I'd pass up the perfect patterned paper even if it matched the theme of my card because I just couldn't justify cutting into that 12 x 12 sheet.  So I browsed on Etsy.com and founds tons of 6 x 6 papers that are perfect for card making!  I ordered a few and was soo impressed with them when they came!  I even took some of my 12 x 12 papers that I had duplicate sheets of and cut them into 6 x 6 too.  I did the same with some of my scraps.  Another nice thing about these smaller papers is that they are so much cheaper than the larger sheets not only in purchase price but also in shipping costs too.  Don't you just love being frugal!

Here is my 6 x 6 paper storage solution. I just love this little pink plastic tote! It cost me $1.00 at the Dollar Tree. I may just have to get some more bins in case my paper collection expands one day! LOL!  Anyway, the tin with the handle inside the pink tote is just to keep the papers from flopping over since I don't have that many.  I was inspired by Patter Cross's stamp inventory rolodex (you can see it here) when I made the tabs for my dividers.  I simply cut cardstock into 6 x 6.5" sheets.  I applied the oval tag from my tags galore file and a little ribbon to the top of each cardstock sheet.  This makes up my dividers.  I used two different kinds of ribbon because I just didn't have enough.  Probably would look better if they were alternating but I didn't feel like ripping everything apart to do that!  I used my label maker to add labels to the oval.  Since I didn't have complete pads with the packaging showing the name of each paper collection and such I decided to write the name and brand of the paper on the tabs.

I cut extra ribbon and ovals and attached them to the back of the box so I can easily add more dividers if my
collection expands.

Note:  Click on the photos to view them larger.

Above you can see one of the collections I just purchased.  It is stored behind the My Mind's Eye dolled up tab.  I also kept the front cover of the paper pad for easy reference.  I like to keep  collections together but you could also sort these by color if that works for you better.

I have a few digital paper packs I designed in my store that I always forget I can use for hybrid card projects.  So I printed some previews of the papers in draft mode to save on ink.  I cut them at 6 x 6 width and I didn't care what height they were.  If you purchased 12 x 12 paper to print on you could get true 6 x 6 sheets for these digital paper previews too but I wanted to be frugal so I used standard letter sized card stock to print on.  I printed previews for any digital kits that I thought might work for card making and put them under the digital tab.

 

Digital versions of Cosmo Cricket and Echo park are my favorite so I put them in a separate tab.  You can get these papers at JessicaSprague.com. They also sell Pink Paislee.  Jessica puts items on special every Wednesdays.
The nice thing about these digital papers is you can actually scale the print down if it's too large for your card.  You can also just print just the size you need.  For instance....if you need a 2.5 x 5 inch strip then print out a 3 x 6 just to be sure and cut off the excess.  There is no need to print a full sheet and waste all that ink! 

Oh and I really don't have a lot of scraps from these just yet but when I do I intend to use the stiff clear envelopes that Creative Memories stickers and such used to come in.  I will place the scraps in the envelopes and file them with the rest of the collection.

Supplies needed for my 6 x 6 paper pad storage

Bin big enough to hold the paper upright (bought mine at Dollar Tree)

Card stock or chipboard for dividers

ribbon (optional)

labeler (optional) 

 I have found a few other ideas for storing these 6 x 6 papers.  So I will share them with you now.

I did see these at the Dollar Tree and almost bought them.  It must have been that light pink color of the bin I bought that won me over!  Anyway, Betsy Veldman uses these crates to store scraps that have been cut to 6 x 6 size.  She also has a neat way to make her own paper using strips of scraps here. 

Chris Simon uses the same method I used except she made her own box out of foam board.  I love how she decorated it with pretty paper!  She gives instructions here. I wonder if you could make this for 12 x 12 paper by enlarging the dimensions?

Leenda uses an accordion file folder to store her paper pads in.  She stores the scraps right in the same slot.  Read more about her method here.

Jody Marrow uses a plastic 3 drawer cart to store her paper pads.  I think this one on the Wal-mart website would work.  Gosh I'm soo envious of all her wonderful paper!  Read more about her system here.

Oh I almost forgot....Jody has a brilliant idea for those of you who use markers to color images for your cards.  She writes the Copic marker number that matches the paper pad directly on the cover so she doesn't have to take the time to find the colors each time she uses that paper pack.  If you have artist you admire who uses markers and lists the patterned paper they use then you can just copy the colors down that they use so you don't have to take the time to match either. 

I know you are probably thinking..what in the world does this have to do with paper organization.  Well leave it up to Patter Cross to turn this into something practical and beautiful! 

Patter spray painted all the bins brown and then used it to organize her 6 x 6 papers among other things.  There are 7 boxes on that toy storage unit that can be used for 6 x 6 paper storage!  It will hold a ton of paper!  Patter you are my idol!  Hmmm I wonder if the kids would mind if I took over theirs!  LOL!  Well maybe in 10 years it will be mine!  Read more about Patter's transformation here.

Okay this is 6 x 6 paper storage in a nutshell.  I hope you'll come to love this sized paper as much as I do!  Thanks for stopping by!  Come back again!  I do apologize this post took longer to come together than I thought it would but it is still Monday right!?!

Enjoy the rest of your week!

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