Scrap Space Organizing: Paper Scraps

Paper scraps. Not the most glamorous topic. But problematic for scrapbookers, for sure.

I'm hoping I'm not the only one who hoards paper scraps. (What if I need that little 1/4" strip of cardstock for something?!) I have cut down on my paper scraps, first of all, by instituting a rule: if it's not large enough to punch a 1" shape out of, it gets tossed. Unless it's a 12" strip -- then I keep it if it's 1/2" wide or more. Easy enough.

And yet, I have SO many paper scraps. I have tried lots of different "organizing" methods, from complex (a box or bag for each color, stored in a binder) to simple (one big 'ole box). But with my latest scrap space re-organizing, I'm somewhere in between.

I have these IKEA cabinets that fit under my scrap table. The drawers aren't large enough for 12x12 paper, but they are great for storing scraps.

I am now storing my scraps in color families: warm colors in the first drawer (red, pink, orange, and yellow), cool colors in the second drawer (green, blue, and purple), and neutrals in the third drawer (white, cream, brown, black, and gray).

This system works great for me, because I'm usually looking for a specific color. Now, I like to go to my scraps first when I'm cutting with my Silhouette Cameo or using my manual die cutter. Plus it's handy for making cards and coordinating papers that you wouldn't normally put together.

I feel like I'm making the best use of my scraps. A great feeling! And when my drawers are getting too full, I make a point to create a layout or card entirely out of scraps, like these:

What do you do to store your scraps?

Stay crafty!
Lissa :)

Scrap Space Organizing: Kiwi Lane Designer Templates

It's so hard for me to believe, but my term as a design team member for Kiwi Lane is coming to end soon. I'm so sad about it! I have loved designing for them, but I know they will soon have a new team in place with lots of creative ideas to share.

As part of the work I've been doing for them, I've been using my Kiwi Lane designer templates more than ever. I needed a good storage solution for them in my scrap room so that I could see what I have and easily choose sets to work with on my projects. And since the templates all come packaged with a lovely binder ring and eyelet-set hole, this is how I've been storing them:

I'm using a ribbon storage unit from Simply Renee. I don't know that this particular model is available any longer, but it looks like there are similar versions you can choose from. The little clips are perfect for holding those binder clip rings.

I keep all of my border templates together, then all of the accessory templates, then all of my card and 8-inch templates. I also try to keep "like sets" together -- for instance, I have all of my bracket templates on one ring, regardless of size, along with the regular and tiny versions of the accessory templates. This lets me play with multiple sizes of the templates at once, making for more interesting and quicker pages. Love that!

Kiwi Lane has recently released a very awesome DT Tray that I just love. I haven't gotten my hands on it yet, but it looks super fun for having your templates right on your scrapping table next to you.

How do you organize your Kiwi Lane designer templates? I would love to hear your ideas.

Until next time,
Stay crafty!
Lissa :)

Note: This post does include affiliate links. If you buy an item through these links, I will be paid a small amount in advertising fees. All opinions are my own.  I appreciate your help in support of this site. Thank you!

Scrap Space Organizing: Thickers

I'm in the process of reorganizing and rearranging my scrap space -- so I thought I would post a few organizing ideas as I'm working through everything here.

First up, I reorganized my Thickers collection. Yes, I have a collection (I'm not the only one, right?). I have a serious Thickers addiction. I love using them on my layouts -- and apparently I love buying them too. But organizing them is always a challenge. Those cellophane packages they come in are the worst for long-term storage -- hard to open and a nightmare to get them back into.

So when Mercy Tiara talked about how she organizes her Thickers, I was all over that immediately. So much better. Now, I store all my opened Thickers in these 6x12 open-ended plastic bags (I bought mine on eBay -- just do a search and you'll find lots of options). And I just attach the Thickers label to the baggie to help identify them later.

But I still had the problem of organizing all of them. I settled on placing them all in two open baskets, sorted by color -- neutrals in one basket, colors in another. But the baskets were big and just sat on my floor and took up a lot of room. Annoying.

Then, I had the bright idea of using the bottom drawer of my cutting station.

And here is where you see my embarassingly large collection of Thickers...

 They were an almost-perfect fit. I just have to bend the label down to get them to lay on their sides in the drawer. They're still sorted by color, making it super easy to find what I'm looking for. Success!

So that's my Thickers storage tip -- store open packages in 6x9 plastic bags, store them on their side for easy access, and sort them by color.

How do you organize your Thickers? I would love to hear your ideas.

Until next time,
Stay crafty!
Lissa :)