Jennifer Schaerer
We all know about card swaps, and some of us have probably dabbled in recipe swaps, too. I think we all know the version of a flea market that is called a swap meet – you know the saying, right? One man’s trash is another man’s (or woman’s!) treasure.
We also swap ideas all the time – my post about getting ready for the holidays yielded so many cookie recipes and other treat ideas that I’m just bursting while I wait for Christmas to get just a wee bit closer.
Guess what? It’s National Swap Ideas Day today, and we’re going to do just that – swap some ideas! I’m always looking for ways to organize my supplies, or use scraps, or put packaging to use.
Leave me your best idea (or three) for anything relating to organization, scraps or packaging use and we can all swap together!
In the spirit of swapping, here’s my idea – and it’s for organizing my scraps:
I have a legal-sized expandable file (like the one below) for storing my paper and card stock scraps. The key is the legal size, because it’s 14” long and 9” wide – a regular letter sized file is just a hair too small for scraps that are 12” long. I then organize my scraps by color and pattern and grab the whole file when I need to head off to my card swap group.
An expandable legal-sized file like this one from an office supply store is the perfect way to store your paper scraps.
I’m sure we’ve got something just amazing to give away to a random commenter, so be sure to toss in your idea by midnight (MDT) on Saturday, Sept. 12 and I’ll pick a winner.
Happy swapping,
Jennifer
P.S. It’s time to announce the winner from Susan’s So Long, Farewell… post and the three winners from Kim Hughes’ Magazine Monday – Back to School post!
Susan’s winner:
Stacy (Sept. 3, 3:39 p.m.)
Kim’s winners:
1. Diana Fischer (Sept. 8, 8:25 a.m.)
2. Margaret (Sept. 8, 9:28 p.m.)
3. Susan C. (Sept. 8, 4:30 p.m.)
Congrats, winners! Kelly will be contacting you shortly to discuss your prizes and get your mailing addresses. Thanks to all who left comments!
I NEED ideas! I love the file folder idea. I’ll have to try that. My only ‘working’ idea is using the smaller, tabletop 3 drawer organizer. I have one that holds adhesives, scissors, blades, corners, etc in drawer 1, pens & markers in drawer 2, and chalks & applicators in drawer 3.
I looked for and finally found an old library card catalog from a nearby university. It has 60 drawers and I use it in my craft room to hold lots of things, from punches and evelopes, to stamps and embellishments! It’s the best thing I’ve ever found and I’d love another one for other odds and ends for the rest of the house. It’s like a pretty junk drawer!
I keep my scraps in 8.5 x 11 hanging files grouped by color family. I have a ton of scraps and this system works for me and it’s in one of the drawers in my desk so it doesn’t take up additonal space.
I keep my 12×12 paper in a Cropper Hopper hanging file cart and have used this system for close to 3 years now. I use 12×12 folders with 2 pockets from Creative Memories to further organize the paper within each hanging file. The large pocket holds full sheets and the other pocket holds scraps. The hanging file and the pocket folders are clear so it’s easy to pull one out and see what you have.
For my ribbon, I bought a 10 foot piece of white plastic gutter at Lowe’s and had hubby cut it into sections, added endcaps and mounted on the wall. So, for around $35 I have 4 – 2.5 feet sections and a white board (wainscotting) that they are mounted on.
This is my latest organizational idea and it came about because I LOVED the shoe card download from papercrafts and wanted to make a zillion of them for Halloween…so…I traced the pattern onto chipboard and cut it out..( I also added a heel and cuff pattern ) then I labeled each part and put it in a baggie so that I would have the pattern ready to go. I am taking it to our monthly crop this Fiday too so that anyone ( gasp, dare I say it? Not familiar with Papewrcrafts and their online site…) can make a card with me! Thanks for the download you guys are awesome!
I use the USPS Medium Flat Rate Boxes to house all my paper! Best of all, they’re free and I have a ton of them left over from orders
I use a spice rack (empty) to hold my tiny embellishments. It is a great way to keep all the little things together.
I keep my scraps on the square transparent box from Ferrero Rocher. I am labeling each box for me to know if it’s a sticker, a cut-out, chipboards and so on.
I’m lucky enough to work for a large Japanese company and every so often the engineers that I support head East for business trips and they always bring back treats with them. The packaging these treats are in is quite often stunningly beautiful, so I collect all the empty tins and paper boxes and use them to store my craft supplies in! I do have to say that it’s getting a little out of hand though!
This is not my original idea but I thought it was neat, You can use an old tape dispenser ring for ribbon storage.
Great ideas, I can’t wait to come back an read more. I keep my punches in a hanging shoe bag in my closet in my craft room. The pockets are just the right size and see through, so I don’t have to go searching for that perfect punch.
For me my life savers have been those white cubes from Making Memories I have the 3 drawer cubes(have 2 of those),the cubes to put my cardstock/DP(6 of those), and 1 for my accesories they are the BEST EVER they have helped me so much.I also have the carousal on top of my craft table another life saver.. I KNOW they were thinking of me when they made these! ha…to add a personal touch I stamped them to make them even more personal what could be better then that
I have a real problem with buying adhesive. I have loads of the stuff everywhere, but I can never find it. Advice would be, even if you think you’ll need it in a day or two always put it away.
I use I.D. tag clips (that you can get cheap at Wal-Mart) to hang all my clear stamps on a wire installed under a top cabinet. It’s a bit cheaper than clips marketed for this purpose and you don’t have to take up space on the counter for a rotating stand. Works great!
I keep all of my scissors (I have lots!!!), adhesives, and often used tools in open containers on the shelves built into my desk. This makes them quickly accessible, but also makes it easy for me to actually put them away after I use them! That way all of my absolute necessities are right where they should be when I need them!
i save my salsa jars and i use them to store my tiny embellishments: buttons, brads, label holders, etc.
Well, I know I can’t compete with these ideas, but a couple of things that have helped me get organized are wrapping my ribbons on wooden clothes pins as I saw on another blog and keeping my scraps in large plastic bags in three groupings – warm, cool and neutral. I am very visual and both of these things allow me to see what I have all at once (but still organized and not in a big pile) and select from there.
I saved some of the tags from my daughter’s back-to-school clothes to use in a scrapbook layout and then decided to keep extra ones to trace as templates for circles and small rectangles.
[Thanks, Samantha T. for the idea about storing punches in a hanging shoe bag! I have my punches in a lovely basket, but end up pulling everything out to find the one I need.]
I’ve went to the Wal-mart office aisle and have gotten their black metal mesh looking pen/pencil holders for putting my scissors, tweezers, hammer and eyelet tools in one and have put my markers in another couple and then they also have shorter ones that I’ve lined in a drawer for different embellishments.
Love all the ideas!
when my office became a bedroom for our 2nd child i had to strategically reorganize all of my supplies into a hall closet and half of a bedroom closet. talk about a challenge! here are my top 3 tips: #1–get rid of absolutely everything that is truly unnecessary. sell it or swap it…just get rid of it. #2–utilize every available space. i had several hat boxes just sitting empty around the house but now they all serve a purpose and each one holds something unique….all of my scissors/cutting utensils in one, blue and green ribbon in another, etc…#3–store things in a way that makes sense. before, i could just put my stuff wherever i wanted in my office but now that my space is limited i’ve had to organize and store things in a way that makes sense so that when i need something i just have to think of the most “natural” place it should be and voila, it’s there.
I use hanging file folders in my desk drawer for paper scraps. I have a lot of papers scraps! I use the ROY G. BIV color system . . . red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple (no “indigo” and I say purple instead of violet). I also have a very large folder for all neutrals (white, kraft, brown, black, etc.) I love, love, love the hanging file folders, because I have a ton of space for my scraps, and it’s the first place I got when I need a scrap. It keeps me from cutting into another sheet of paper. PLUS, my girls use my scraps all of the time when they are making cards.
I also have a wood spice rack on my wall that holds all of my paints, and I also purchased a brand new spice rack that holds clips, brads, buttons, etc. I got them both at garage sales!! Garage sales have given me some great organization containers!
I purchased a plastic cabinet with little drawers at Lowe’s to keep my eyelets and brads. I have the drawers labeled. I’m still working on thie rest of my stuff. I can’t wait to hear how everyone organizes. I need all the help I can get. Thanks for a chance.
OOPS! I forgot to tell you how I organize scraps.
I try to keep them in folders by colors.
I like incorporating pretty packaging into my designs, for example, Starbucks sent me something a while ago and there was a piece of thick paper with a nice scrolly-font background design on it. I love reusing things!
for my scraps i have two drawers under my table one holds all my cardstock scraps the other holds all my pattern scraps. I have tryed to organzie them but this is simplest i just dig through and find what i need. sometimes it a pain but what works for me.
I have my scraps sorted by color, and I take the smaller scraps (say 4×4 or less) and punch them into hearts, stars or butterflies…I seem to use those most for cards and layouts…I seem to use up all the scraps that way!
I have little bits of things lying around that I want to complete a project and can never find when I need them so I use clear 12×12 envelopes. I designate each one for a different project.
I’ve picked up a few file folders from the $1 bin at Target over the holidays to put my scaps in. I shop at the dollar store too for storage bins. They are very useful!
I collect marker and can never find the one I am looking for. A friend told gave this tip. Buy a small bucket big enought to hold your markers. I found the the perfect in the target dollar bins. The bucket now sits on my desk and I can always find my market.
Recycled baby food jars make great storage containers for little things… beads, brads, eyelets, flowers, scrap ribbon… a great way to reduce, reuse, recycle:)
I’ll have to give my mom credit for this one. She recently moved and bought all new curtains, and she realized that the zippered packages that the curtains came in were really handy for organizing embellishments. We quickly realized that all kinds of things come in that type of packaging, and it comes in all sizes.
I also save all of my jars. A quick spin through the dishawasher, and they are perfect for storing embellishments.
I use a plastic zippered storage bag for ribbon. I poke holes in the bag so that the ribbon can hang through to the outside and it’s super easy to pull through.
I love using the clear rectangle plastic baby food containers…They are stack able and go quit high…I put the small spare parts in them when I’m done with a project…
I like to use mushroom containers to hold my re-inkers and misc. little objects – they are sturdy and seem to be the right size.
thanks for the fun!
Sandra
i ditto katie m’s idea of wrapping my ribbons on wooden clothespins, securing them with a straight pin. since i have a lot of ribbon, i bought several photo storage boxes with labeling brackets [about $4 apiece], each a different color or pattern. my red and pink ribbons are in a solid box; my orange and yellow ones are in box covered with autumn leaves; my neutrals are in an undecorated kraft box; etc. i have separate boxes for organdy ribbon and tulle, one for yarns and other fibers on large spools, and another one for those that don’t fit in a certain category [red/white/blue, blue/brown, etc.] the boxes look very pretty on my shelf, and i can go to the color family i need with only a glance.
what a great idea this idea swap was today! thanks for all the inspiration to organize! ~k
Ya know the tan mat and 4 little peices of cardstock that you need to emboss an image in the cuttleboug? Ya know how when you do that technique there millions of little tiny flecks of stuff that are on the tan mat? I bought a plastic photo holder at Storables. It’s a little bigger than 4 x 6 and about an inch deep. I keep that stack of stuff in it, layered and ready to go. When I’m done embossing something I just pop the pile back in to the box and close the lid. It sits in a bin with my other Cuttlebug plates.
Ya know the tan mat and 4 little peices of cardstock that you need to emboss an image in the cuttleboug? Ya know how when you do that technique there millions of little tiny flecks of stuff that are on the tan mat? I bought a plastic photo holder at Storables. It’s a little bigger than 4 x 6 and about an inch deep. I keep that stack of stuff in it, layered and ready to go. When I’m done embossing something I just pop the pile back in to the box and close the lid. It sits in a bin with my other Cuttlebug plates.
Ya know the tan mat and 4 little peices of cardstock that you need to emboss an image in the cuttleboug? Ya know how when you do that technique there millions of little tiny flecks of stuff that are on the tan mat? I bought a plastic photo holder at Storables. It’s a little bigger than 4 x 6 and about an inch deep. I keep that stack of stuff in it, layered and ready to go. When I’m done embossing something I just pop the pile back in to the box and close the lid. It sits in a bin with my other Cuttlebug plates.
In the hardware section at Sam’s Club, I found a “storage bins” on wheels that I think works perfectly for my needs. Each plastic drawer is both deep and wide. Five shelves tall, with three bins to each shelf, with the top shelf open for just regular storage. The best feature, though, it that it is on wheels, so that when I have scrapmania parties at my house, all I have to do is roll this out and all my “essentials” for card making and scrapbooking are right at hand.
I, too, use expandable files to keep my smaller scraps separated by color. But larger scraps are placed in 12 x 12 cropper hopper plastic files. And theme papers are kept together in hanging files…all Christmas together, etc. The rest are sorted and placed in either hanging files or in project boxes by either their color or by major projects that I tend to work on slowly over the year. Having a logical organized method to the madness helps speed things along.
Clear bins and drawers – If I can’t see it, I don’t use it! Like kinds are stored together – punches all together, bling in one place, pens by type and all my stamps are stored by theme. Nature, celebration, animals, seashore, alphabets, etc. I have a corner of a room designated for crafting and everything is within arm’s reach.
Oh, this is going to be a GOOD post to read through!! One of my favorite types is for organizing Stampin’ Up! stamps (though it would work for any stamps that come in sets). Make a copy of the image decal sheet before you remove the decals and trim it to fit inside the plastic case. That way you have a quick and easy, at-a-glance reference for which stamps are in (or belong in) that particular set even if they have flipped or turned and aren’t visible by themselves. Thanks!
I save my scraps in individual page protectors by color. It seems to work for me. I try to every once in awhile go through and use or lose some.
I keep my scraps in different redwelds so that they’re easy to access. I try to reach for them first!
My system is not mastered….I try to keep my paper sorted by manufacturer and line, so I keep a manila folder for each line I have.
I also have a file folder like you where I organize my scraps by color and pattern
Recently I bought 3 stacking pencil boxes for 62 cents each at Walmart. They fit fabulously on my shelf, and I use them to store all my adhesive (tape, glue, etc.), clear stamps, and assorted crafty stuff. It’s worked perfectly, and it was super cheap! =)
I have wire shelving in my crafts room. I use notebook binder rings to hang my embellishments that are on cards, rubons, stickers, or whatever. I organize by type–journaling tags, gems, etc. Then when I need an embellishment for a project, all I have to do is thumb through to find what I need. If what I want to store something that doesn’t come on a card with prepunched hole, I put it in a zip bag and punch a hole to hold it on one of my rings.
I purchased a jewelry makers organizer case for all of my small embellishments. It is 6 plastic containers with small locksafe compartments enclosed in a zippered case. It is great for buttons, brads, eyeletts and gems. It travels well and you can see through the cases.
I also use a butcher block kitchen island as my storage and work station in my craft room. I love it.
One of the things that I did with my scraps was to put them in 4×6 ziplocs by colors…reds, blues, greens, neutrals, etc… and then put them all in a tin pail that sits in front of me so that I can just grab the scraps to use on cards or pages.
I can’t stomach the price of the clip it up so I made my own version using the kitchen bars and curtain clips from the IKEA store. It works like a dream. I’ve also organized my stickers and rubons by manufacturer using book binder rings which hang up quite easily on my peg board!