How Do You Organize/Store Your Embellishments?

[SalandJeff]

I need some ideas on storing and organizing my embellishments? By color/theme/season makes sense to me (of course, all the Dis stuff is in a category by itself). But I need some help and ideas on getting it all together so I can find things.

 

[pjlla]

Well....the first thing you need a REALLY good memory! No matter how organized you are, it is difficult to remember exactly what you have (especially if you do as much shopping for "stuff" as most of us seem to!).

I bought the 12 x 12 Sterilite stacking drawers at Target..... they average $9.99, but I have seen them for $7 and change. I use a different drawer for each category.... I have also used the acid-free photo storage boxes in the same way. My categories include "Travel and Vacation", "Summer", "Spring and Easter", "Fall, Halloween, and Thanksgiving", "Winter and Christmas", "Boys", "Girls", "Sports and School", etc. I include EVERYTHING related to these particular subject within the drawer/box..... stickers, shaker boxes, any kind of embellishment. The rest of my more generic items (ribbon, alphabet stickers, mesh) are in their own boxes/drawers.

I find that by sorting by "occasion" rather than type of embellishment, I sometimes come up with new ideas. Or if I have NO idea what to do on a page, I might pull out the drawer for that "event" and paw through it.... it may inspire me! It also helps keep me from buying duplicates. And just so you know.... "Disney" actually has 4 drawer!! HTH.......................P

 

[aspcamhreditor2]

Well....the first thing you need a REALLY good memory! No matter how organized you are, it is difficult to remember exactly what you have (especially if you do as much shopping for "stuff" as most of us seem to!).P

Hilarious! I agree...

Before I answer, I have to ask ... why the heck have I never checked out the community board before? I had NOOOO idea this little forum was here. I am in the process of posting a trip report in order to get my notes together for journaling as I FINALLY scrap our last WDW trip. Now that I've found this, I'll be back!

How I organize
I have wwwwaaaayyy too much in terms of scrapbooking stuff. I keep stickers and die cuts in a large binder w/ a handle and that zips. I purchased various pages w/ pockets. to organize stuff so I can see it. If I can't see it, I don't remember that I have it and certainly can't think of how to use it. I have dividers for that binder and have the pages of embellishments grouped in categories such as vacation ... disney ... school ... zoos/carnivals, etc.

I keep my alphabet stickers and "word" embellishments in another notebook. I also keep a notebook w/ items by season/holiday chronologically organized. For these notebooks, I have photo safe photo pocket pages ... because, again, I gotta see.

I got a neat tackle box for some of my supplies one year for Christmas. In it, there were small plastic boxes w/ dividers you could add to make slots to fit your needs. I keep brads and eyelets there. I also have glitter and beads in another.

I have three wooden stand-alone pantry cabinets in my office. One holds paper. One holds stamps. One is a collection of my other misc. crafting supplies.

Despite my best efforts, I usually find myself re-organizing or re-arranging about twice a year ... usually just before or after I attend weekend-long crops each spring and fall.

All I can say ... best of luck!

Amy

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

I put all my stuff in page protectors in binders. Sorted by alphabets, seasons, holidays, destinations, etc. Disney is sorted by park and then by land. I have a separate binder for restaurants, WDW Halloween, Xmas, and resorts.

I use 3 different size page protectors, they are all 8.5 x 11. Full size, 2 4x6 pockets, and baseball card protectors. The only down fall is they tend to sag when they get heavy. I could probably not have that happen but my binder space is filled to capacity. I really need a bookshelf. Anywho this works for me.

Here are some examples:

large page protectors:

Medium pages:

Small pages:

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Oh and I got this at Target for all the doodads, metal stuff, brads etc. All in alphabetical order.

ribbon I am currently converting to paint chip cards by color. Eventually DH will make me ribbon spools out of dowels and I will store my ribbon on a thread spool holder, but I need a craft room first.

 

[bobcat]

I bow down to the master organizer! I have thought about using page protectors but my elements are still in my stack drawers. They are labeled for each element but I love that you have them labeled by content. I think I have a new weekend project!

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

LOL! Not everyone likes the pages protectors because they are slick so stuff tends to pop out if you over stuff, but it will keep you honest and then you can see everything. That is what is most important. Out of sight out of mind. You have no idea how many EK Success Snow White embellishments I found!

so just try it out before you go hog wild buying binders and Page protectors, which BTW I bought at Staples.

 

[ddavis860]

I took an organizing class at CKC last year. It was put on by ScrapRack, and it really worked for me. I did buy their system, but you can do the same thing in regular binders and page peotectors. The biggest thing was to make catagories that made sense to you. Mine was themes, so I have a binder for letters, Disney (the biggest), Beach/Cruise, seasons, Holidays, boys, graduation...

I made up papers for each catagory, and laid them out on the dining room table. Then I get EVERY sticker and embelishment I could find and put it in the piles...and I mean PILES...and duplicates, boy did I have those too...

Anyway, then it was simple to put in the page protectors. I like the ones from Mike's because they are 12x12, so borders didn't get bent.

Brads and eyelets are in a bead box from Walmart. The box opens to individual little boxes, so really easy to take along just the colors that I need...

Anyway, that's how I did it. I now have boxes of Disney swap stuff, so I think I'll be changing again. I like the ScrapRack for stickers, but I think I like the idea of bins for the different Disney swaps. One thing I have found, is that it is never ending. But the way things are now, I can "shop" at home before I have to go to the store...

 

[bobcat]

Well I have a ton of page protectors left over from a silent auction and I know I have a few binders around here so I think tomorrow I am going to try this method. I like the idea of shop at home first since I tend to forget what I already have.

 

[lewdyan1]

Buffy

 

[pjlla]

I find it interesting that you use the binders/page protectors. I started out with that system, but found that the binders got much too bulky and everytime I accidentally dropped a binder, everything would slide out! Of couse, I never thought to look for page protectors that close at the top!...........P

 

[ddavis860]

The ones at Mike's have a little flap on the pockets. I have also used blue tape to keep the tops sealed. My problem is more that I have too many pages on a spine. I need more spines, but I don't want to get any till CKC this year...

I did make a organizing mistake last year. I thought I wanted/needed the paper storage thing that ACMoore sells. The one that has wire cubes with shelves...well, it took up way too much room in my closet. I'm back to the plastic paper organizers. DH altered a big wooden cube for me, and it is like having big sturdy bookends. So, now I have this wire thing that I won't use... It was a good idea, just didn't work for me...

 

[RLccweems]

I love all the ideas....I'm going to use some with my things. Does anyone have pictures of their scrapbook areas/rooms? I'd love to see them.

lettie

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

this is my space, 1/2 of the old breakfast nook. My paper is on a shelve in the front hall closet, I have 7 cropper hoppers.

Sorry the pic is a little dark.