Organizing swap pieces~help

[Arizona Rita]

How do you all organize your swap pieces?
I know what I want and that I havnt used it but it took me 20 minutes to find what I was looking for. Something like that is getting a bit old.
I do have 3 particular boxes that are titled Cruise (Baltics), Cruise (Hawaii) and DL. They have anything in them that I want to use for that particular theme.
How would you organize anything else?
Any advise is welcomed.
Thank you!

 

[rlovew]

I have tons of swap pieces (and I have used a lot too). I have a drawer for each of the 4 parks at EDE. Another drawers that is only the Fab 5, I have a bag with princesses and their sidekicks/princes, a box with villians, and a box with other characters. I also have another box with Sea World/Universal stuff.

For the other types of swaps:
Color- I have drawers with Blue/Greens; Reds/pinks/purple, yellow/oranges, nuetrals
Everyday- in my drawers with anything else that fits the theme by thems (animals, cooking, household tasks, creative arts, school, each season has its own drawers.

I find having things grouped by the place that I would use them makes it easiest to use for me. I have found that organization is really about ho\w you plan on using the items.

Rebecca

 

[hopemax]

I took a bunch of fancy file folders on clearance at M's, taped up the sides so they are like the Cropper Hopper Paper pockets, but much cheaper. I have my cruise pieces separated into: General, Castaway Cay, Shows, Dining, Characters, Pirate Night, etc.

I also have a bunch of folders for AK. One for each land, dining, characters, color swap, animals, etc.

The bulk of my swap stuff is using the Buffy Binder System. Page protectors, in binders. I have a binder for each land, for DL/MK stuff, Future World, 2 World Showcase binders, Activities, Resorts, etc.

Oh, a good chunk of my characters stuff is in the Cropper Hopper sticker envelopes. One for each of the Fab 5, and Princesses. A few separated by movie. The rest are in binders, one page protector per movie.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

LOL the Buffy Binder System (BBS)

All my stuff is still in binders. Disney is sorted by character, and park. Park is sorted by lands. Then general disney, resorts, water parks, DTD, and holidays.

Everyday stuff is holidays and seasons sorted by calendar year, boys, girls, family, vintage, etc.

Minin page kits, full page kits, and titles are in 8.5 x 11 page protectors all other are in either 4x6 divided protectors and baseball card size protectors.


color swaps if I had any would be sorted by ROY G BIV

 

[disney-akj]

I have a peg board on my wall. I have all swap items organized in zip lock bags. I have ziplocks filled with single misc. elements for each holiday. I keep mini-kits in their own bag, but group mini-kits with the same theme together. I hang items together by clipping the top of several bags together with a black binder clip and hang them on the pegs with the binder clips. It isn't the most beautiful display, but it works. I like it, because everything is visible so I can see what I have and I use it more this way. I also like it because I know my swap inventory, so I know I have a lot of Halloween stuff I need to use so I shouldn't sign up for any Halloween swaps right now. I do a lot of swaps, and most of my items are not disney related though some are : )

 

[mommy2mrb]

I have mine in their original baggies andin one of my big drawers, not organized, but at least in one place....I like the file folder idea though, I do have a file cabinet next to my scrap stuff and lots of extra folders on hand!

 

[Arizona Rita]

Thank you all for the ideas. Its really hard to tell what I have since everything is kept in the mailers that they came in.
Hope, any chance of seeing a photo of the folders?
Rebecca, how many sets of drawers do you have?

 

[rlovew]

Rebecca, how many sets of drawers do you have?

I have 2 larger drawers (14 by 14 base and 8 inches high)
1 have 1 set of 3-drawers that are 12.5 by12.5 and 10 inches high each
1 have 2 sets of the 3-drawers that are 12.5 by 12.5
I have 6 sets of 8.5 by 11 3-drawer sets.
So a total of 29 drawers (3 of these are not for swap/diecuts/ect that are sorted.)

That does not include my little chest that has a couple of drawers of bling stuff or the 2 sets of drawers with punched items and pens or the chest (with 3 drawers) that are about 3 feet wide and 14 inches deep. (an additional 11 drawers)

I used to live near a dollar general that had lots of drawers on clearance and I stocked up (at the time I sorted a lot of my papers into them).

Rebecca

 

[MazdaUK]

I have two of the square priority boxes - not the 12" ones, the boxier ones open at the top with the packets standing up in them so I can leaf through. DH hates it as a system as it looks messy, but he's like me spending money on something fancy less

 

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

Hmmmm...maybe I will "borrow" the file folder method. I don't have a file cabinet but maybe could come up with something else? What about those cute cloth bins they sell all over? I have some already and I think size-wise if I turn it long the files will fit nicely. Anything has to be better than keeping them in the boxes they came in. Maybe then I will actually use them!

 

[wdwmickey]

Mine are sorted into groups (ie: princess, fab 5, gen Disney, AK, MK, Epcot, DHS, etc) the groups are in gallon bags then inside plastic 12x12 ish boxes with lids I got at M's when they were 50% off last year.

I think I might try the file folders, I have a CM hanging folder system (really old--for the 8 1/2x11 paper)that's mostly gathering dust! I think this might be a better use for it

 

[hopemax]

Thank you all for the ideas. Its really hard to tell what I have since everything is kept in the mailers that they came in.
Hope, any chance of seeing a photo of the folders?

Sure, nothing too special.

A peek inside,

They go on a shelf like this. They don't really "fit" in a lot of places, unfortunately. I think they are big enough for 12 x 12 paper. If you used regular file folders, you'd probably have better luck getting them to fit storage thingys easier. Before, I had them standing up in a Bankers/Office Supply box.

And here's a picture of the Cropper Hopper Sticker envelopes. This one is WDW Dining

And a chunk of the binders. I was so happy they fit in this cabinet, because then I had room to put the envelopes/folders on the shelves.

 

[123SA]

THese are excellent ideas. In October, I started sorting through 3 years of swaps I wasn't using them because they were mostly still in the boxes they were mailed in. I have limited space, so I had to go with what worked in the space I have...and that is beer boxes. The depth of my shelves is about the the size of a case of beer. So I have them in their bags, in a 2 gallon bag - -most groups have more than one 2 gallon bag. I have MK, AK, Epcot FW, Epcot WSC, DHS, DTD, SeaWorld, General Disney, dining, special disney events, characters, school, holidays, zoo, sports, outdoor play, indoor play, water theme (pool, beach), and color. I think that is everything.

I keep pages in iris boxes.

 

[DisneyIsTerrific]

I have mine sorted by theme (MK, AK, Epcot, DHS, Dining, Resorts, color, etc., ) in 12x12x6 boxes. They are all still in their baggies and behind a divider which labels what's behind it. For characters, I have them sorted by character/movie and they are in a cloth bin in file folders.

The completed pages that I have from swaps are in extra scrapbooks that I have. That way I don't have to worry about them getting bent and I can just flip through the books to find what I'm looking for.

 

[Disney_rider]

LOL the Buffy Binder System (BBS)

All my stuff is still in binders. Disney is sorted by character, and park. Park is sorted by lands. Then general disney, resorts, water parks, DTD, and holidays.

Everyday stuff is holidays and seasons sorted by calendar year, boys, girls, family, vintage, etc.

Minin page kits, full page kits, and titles are in 8.5 x 11 page protectors all other are in either 4x6 divided protectors and baseball card size protectors.


color swaps if I had any would be sorted by ROY G BIV

Im lifting this from you I like this
All my swap stuff is in photo boxs the ones from M's and they are just labeled "Disney Swap Stuff" I need to get the stuff out in the open. and organized.
Whats ROV G BIV????

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

A way to remember the order of the rainbow

Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet