Day 4 All My Embellishments

On day 4 I tackled my major frustration- embellishments.  They were stored everywhere- stickers in a binder, the long one's in a pull out drawer, jars, baskets and my rub-ons where in a file cabinet.  When I needed something I had to look every where and wasted so much time...sound familiar.

This task actually took me about a week to complete.  Last Fall, I purchased a ScrapRack storage system after seeing one on You Tube. I even took it out of the box, just never had the time to fill the pages.  I decided that I was not going to include my ribbon, flowers or brads because I already store those in jars on my counter so I can easily see them and use them. 

So first thing I did, was gather all my embellishments (stickers, die cuts, rub-ons) and dumped them all on my counter...BIG MISTAKE.  I was so overwhelmed that I left the scrapbook room and didn't return until a day and half later.  I decided to put everything in baskets (no system) and just tackle one basket at a time.  But before I tackled my fist basket, I made a list of all the things I scrapbook about and then decided on my ten categories.  I only had ten categories because I only purchased 10 dividers.  My list included- weddings, school, family, vacation, fair, trips, swimming, birthdays, zoo, everyday, holidays.  Once I had my list, I grouped them into 10 categories- Alphabet letters, holidays, celebrations, seasons, nature, colors, school, vacation, Disney and other.  Then I tackled one basket at a time putting them into the sheets.  It was very time consuming but boy did I feel good every time I finished a basket. I also purged so much that I have been holding on to.  Now that I am done with my embellishments I feel great...now what to do with all those empty containers...LOL.  If you are interested in the scraprack you can learn more at
http://thescraprack.easystorecreator.com/
Below are a couple of photos of my finished product.  I will tell you that it is pricey but well worth it.

Day 3- All about stamps

For day 3 I tackled my rubber and acrylic stamps.  My husband made me this shelf about a year or so ago.  I love it because I can see all my stamps at one glance.  I put the large background stamps on the top, images in the middle and sentiments on the bottom so I can read them.  I also have a clear jar of tiny stamps.  My rubber letter stamps are stored below in a pull out storage.  I might end up getting rid of those since I hardly ever use them.

 

For organizational purposes, I have 3 types of acrylic stamps- Stampin' Up, Close to My Heart and Other.  My Stampin' Up and Close to My Heart stamps I have labeled with a number and placed in their own baskets.

The numbers are used for my resource binder.  I have a category for rubber stamps, acrylic stamps, punches, and die cuts.  I make photo copies of the stamps or use the sheet that came with the acrylic stamps to use as a reference for what stamps I have.  This way instead of searching, trying to remember or if I am away from my scrapbook room, I can just look at my resource binder to see what I have.  I take my Other acrylic stamps and place them on cling storage sheets and store them in a binder.  I got my cling sheets from scrapbook.com but I'm sure there are multiple places you can purchase them.  If a die came with a stamp, I place the die in a pouch in the front of the binder.  Each sheet is labeled with a number that corresponds with the cling sheet the stamp is stored on.  If this sounds confusing I added some photos to show you what I am talking about.

 

You can  stamp the image, use the image that came with the stamp or photo copy it. 

Corresponding cling sheet that the stamp is stored on.

 

Photo copies of my rubber stamps but stored on the shelf.

 

My paper punches.

Photo copies of my Stampin' Up stamps stored in a basket.

 

Photo copies of my Close to My Heart stamps stored in a basket.

Hope this gives you some ideas of how to store and organize your stamps.

Day Two- Scrapbook Organization: paper punches and ribbon.

Now for day two.  I will tell you that last night I took inventory of my area, how I work and what items I use most often.  This is a very important step in organizing your room because you want what you use most often to be closest to your work area and like items together so you are not looking different places for things that go together. 
Also you need to decide what type of scraper are you.  Do you need your stuff to be visual so you don't forget about them or need everything put away or are you a combination of the two?  I tend to be a combination.  I like to see my stash or I will forget what I have but I don't like too many things out or it's too stressful and over whelming for me. Therefore, see through jars/containers and shelves are perfect for me.  Also vital is a labeler.  If you have one...use it.  It will help you remember what goes where.
I recently purchased a ton of paper punches from a yard sale.  As I was going through them, I realized 1.) I don't need all of them (will sale or get rid of) and 2.) I needed more shelves.  You can purchase the shelves from a home improvement store for about $4-$10 each.  I love that the punches are visible and easy to grab and place back.  A couple of years ago my husband put up peg board on both sides of my scrapbook room and I painted them to blend into the room color.  It's important to build up and use your wall space.

 As I started bringing in the punches,  I brought back my glass jars of ribbon, labeled with their color.  That works for me and takes little effort when I use them.  I believe I got the glass jars from Wal Mart in the kitchen area. 

 Then I filled the rest of the baskets with like items- embossing, hand paper punches, stickles, etc.

 

Tomorrow I hope to get to my stamps.  Good luck with your organization.

New Year New Organization

So last year while trying to prepare my projects for the Big Fresno Fair competition, I realized that my scrapbook room was a disaster.  I spent more time looking for things then actually designing my pages.  I'm sure most of you can relate.  In speaking with some of my scrapbooking friends, I'm lucky to have a scrapbook room but it's only being used as a storage room if I avoid going in there because of the mess...it causes me stress and frustration to work in there.  It seems like as we grow in our hobby we grow in the amount of stuff we have.  As you can see from the photos below, I have tried some organization in the past that worked for me but obviously doesn't now.  I think I have come to the realization that organization is never done but in constant change as I adjust to fit my style, flow of work and growth as a scrapbooker.  If you find that your organizational system is not working for you anymore, it's time to change it or if you lack organization, now is the time to create a system that works for you. Join me in the next month or so as I redevelop my organization.

First let me show you my before pictures...can't believe I'm gonna show my mess. Last year, I repainted my room this camel color.  I love the color scheme- tan, black and white.  I also got some decorative items that have multiple uses like the wall hangings, they are both bulletin boards and a peg board.  I would suggest if you have time and the expense, change the color of your room and get excited about your room again. 

The first step for me was taking everything out of the room.  This will allowed me time to do a good cleaning, and take inventory of my space and what I have to work with.  As you take things out try to keep like items together and start making categories (ribbon, scraps, stamps, etc.).  Wow that was a lot of work.  Tomorrow I will start bringing in one category at a time.  Don't make the mistake of thinking this will only take you a couple of days or rush through it. Take your time, go at your own pace and don't forget to get rid of the things you are no longer using.  You should start two piles purge and donate/sale. See you tomorrow for some more organization.  I plan on working on my paper punches and stamps.