Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Summer Studio Makeover Week 10
I haven't made much progress in the last week - I have a lot going on that has taken me away from the blog and the studio - some good (visiting family), some not so good and still trying to find a way to process and share. When I get stressed I just shut down so I haven't really done much lately. Today in place of studio progress I thought I would share with you a little bit of the studio today that is done - how I store my paper. There's the debate of whether or not you should store by manufacturer or color or theme or all in one giant pile! I store mine by manufacturer. This works especially well for me because I am obsessed with paper - I can name you a manufacturer, paper line, and paper name just by seeing a sample. When I do a project I can envision a paper I want to use for it and I know the manufacturer right away. Because of my obsession -this system works well for me. It probably doesn't work so well if you buy and scrap more based on theme - if you sit down to scrap mostly holidays for example you probably just want to have a stack of Christmas, Halloween, etc. I store my paper in shelving units - easily accessible and out in the open. I find if I keep paper in boxes in a closet I won't use it - I tend to use whatever is easiest to find.
I keep all my paper scraps and store them in individual bags by manufacturer. I find its probably better to store your scraps the same way you store your paper - because that is how you have taught yourself to find paper for your projects. I keep the bags stored in a box in my closet. I tend to not use scraps that often but from time to time will go back through and use them for punches or cut them down to 4x6s and 5x7s for mini books.
So how do you store your paper? Any great tips or links?
5 comments:
I pretty much keep papers sorted like you do---by vendor. The only exception is Christmas & Halloween papers. I have separate bins for those two holidays. I keep all of my papers in those 12x12 plastic bins, like the kind you can get from Michaels or JoAnns. As for scraps, I keep them in a zip lock bag in the respective vendor bin. Sometimes I use the the scraps but, most times, not. I just feel guilty throwing paper out....lol Unfortunately, I have to keep my paper bins in the closet---along with most of my other crafting supplies. My bedroom is also the space where I craft but, the one bonus is that I have a large walk-in closet. Naturally though, the downside is, every time I want to do a project, I have to go in the closet and drag all that stuff out, then put it all away (what a pain).
I store my papers in a dresser drawer.
Of course, I painted it colorful to fit in with my art studio.
I keep all the papers in a big file-tub by manufacturer, but I also divvy them up into lines, with their matching cardstock and accessories in a big two-and-a-half-gallon zippy bag, with scraps in a smaller bag within the big bag.
I try to keep over-organized because I'm so random/abstract, and everything will turn into a real hot mess express if I'm not.
I also keep my Christmas and Halloween in their own tubs, but they're also separated by munufacturer.
I don't keep too many scraps for the long term. I usually put scraps in one basket. When it starts to get full I go through and cut to 8 1/2 x 4 1/4 if I would use it for a card or 4 x 5 1/4 if it is lighter colored and I could use it for the inside of a card.
All the rest go in a bag or envelope to be dropped off at my local Boys and Girls Club or occassionally to another local program.
They are happy to get them and I don't have to store something that I would rarely use.
I have 2 matching dressers from a hotel that I've stacked on each other going up to the ceiling. The drawers work great for paper, recyling found objects, ribbon storage, general crafting supplies, photos, etc. A sturdy stepladder gets me up to all the drawers, and everything is handy on a small footprint.
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