Getting Organised

I have been challenging myself to be more organised, especially in my craft room.

One of my biggest bug bares is my paper scraps.  I hate being wasteful and tend to hoard jars, boxes, bags, you name it I have a cupboard filled with items I want either recycle or the new trendy term Up-cycle.

My very un-organised scrap bin before the make over.

When I craft I try not to waste anything and was throwing any bits of left over paper into a a large transparent plastic tub with a lid.  I can be very impatient and opening and closing boxes is just another step that slows the process down and it was soon overflowing and spilling out on to the floor under my desk where I hide it.

My now new organised scrap bin after it wonderful make over.

But this only slowed down another process...finding the colour I desperately needed at the time so I would reach to my perfectly set up trolley the held all my Stampin' Up! card stock, Designer Series Paper and all other kinds of paper I use. I would cut or punch a brand new sheet of card stock and toss the remains into (you guessed it!) my scrap tub! Thus growing my problem even more.

I stumbles upon this great idea on Youtube to use a portable suspension filing system to sort and hold all your card stock and I marched down to my local Newsagency and purchased this great tub which came with the files but if you are looking for a cheaper alternative of using a tub as in my first picture and just used manilla folders. The best tip was also to sort and use colours as labels not writing as this takes time to search and read for the one you are looking for.

Using Stampin' Up! word Window Punch to label each file.

As shown in the 2nd and 3rd picture I use the Stampin' Up! Word Window Punch to add a label to the label holders with the Snail Adhesive. For the time being I am happy to just place variance of each colour in a single file but I am sure as I progress (and my OCDness kicks in) I will eventually have files for each of the 40+ colours in the Stampin' Up! Colour Collections.

I also used a manilla folder in the front to hold bits of chip aboard as there is a bit of weight in these and didn't sit well on the suspension file.  I found some retired Designer Series Paper lurking in the murky depths of the old scrap bin so put them in a large clip seal bag I use to hold my 12x12 papers in and slipped into the back of the box.

I no longer have a box of scraps I am ashamed of and proudly can display it in my craft room and can now be sure to reach for my scrap bin before a new full sheet of card stock.