Staying Organized

Good morning fellow scrapbookers! I had a little free time yesterday afternoon and was feeling crafty, so I pulled out my Fancy Pants Beach Babe papers and embellishments and made this layout using a wonderful sketch by Heather Landry. A few quick words about Heather. She is an extremely talented scrapbook artist and a fascinating person. Her blog is the perfect juxtaposition of scrapbooking and family life; she candidly talks about her everyday happenings, both the good and the bad and, after reading her blog, I have the utmost respect for her.

Besides using Heather's very cute sketch, found HERE, the reason I was able to create my layout in the short amount of free-time I had available was due to organization. It seems everyone has been talking about organization lately, and I'm not above jumping on that band wagon to share some organization tips that I have found to be useful with you.

The main key is to think like a Nike ad and JUST DO IT! I've seen and you've seen the beautiful craft rooms and studios that are showcased on the internet and in magazines. And you've also seen the shelves and cabinetry specifically made for scrapbooking supplies. They are fantastic and oh so droolworthy, but they are NOT necessary!

The first thing is to find a spot to stash all your crap supplies. I am fortunate enough to have a large walk-in closet upstairs that I have been able to take over. It was basically a tiny mini-room with nothing in it, so I added some cheap shelves and different organizers as needed. The thing that makes it all work for me is that everything is separated and, most importantly (for me) LABELED!

Nothing that I have matches. I have plastic drawers from Target next to an old tin that my mom sent me next to cute decorative boxes from Michaels. But every last surface and container is labeled with a description of what is inside so I know immediately where I can find what I need. Of course, this only works when I actually KNOW what I need!

I do use Cropper Hoppers to store all of my patterned paper since they seem to maximize space. I store according to manufacturer and then divide by collection. For miscellaneous papers, I usually try to put them with a collection that looks similar or, if I have enough of one theme, I will actually make a themed holder, such as Pets or Vintage.

I have made two improvements to my paper storage system lately, which have definitely made a positive difference. First, I have been putting my scraps back with the uncut papers from the same collection rather than in a random scrap box. That way, if I need a smaller piece later on, I am not forced to go digging through an overflowing box (where I may or may not find it) and I don't have to waste a new sheet of paper. Second, I have started including flat rub-ons, stickers or paper embellishments with my paper in the Cropper Hopper so they don't get lost in the jumble of all my other embellishments and forgotten. Because they are flat, they don't take up much extra room and fit in nicely with my papers. These two things have been a huge time-saver for me and are what allowed me to be able to finish my Surf's Up layout in the short amount of time I had. Everything was together, labeled so I could quickly put my hands on it, and I didn't have to spend time looking through piles of random stuff muttering, "I could have SWORN I got ______ (fill in the blank) to go with this!"

Finally, I have implemented an idea given to me by my good friend, Alissa. I found these cute little pots at Hobby Lobby, on major clearance. They sit on my work table and hold small miscellaneous items that I want to keep right in front of my face so I can make sure I use them. I call them my "don't forget" pots.

Want more ideas on how to get organized? Then click on these links:

Home Organizing Ideas
Flying Unicorn Organize It Group
Simplify 101
Scrapbooking.com
Scrapbook.com

I am ALWAYS looking for new and improved ways to organize my supplies. If you have a tip that works for YOU, I would love it if you would share with ME!