12x12 organization help wanted

I think you are talking about the Iris cases, available from Michael's or Amazon.  They have a divided insert that fits in. I have one of those.  I just use 2 gallon ziplock bags and have a drawer the bags fit in.  I really try hard to not have kits pile up.   

I bought some of these Cropper Hopper Paper Arrangers for my collections that have lots of embellishments that go with them. They are awesome! I put several similar collections in one folder, such as travel, Christmas, etc. They're a little pricey, but the price fluctuates on Amazon a lot, so don't be discouraged, just keep checking.

I also got some of the plainer ones without the front pockets for paper collections that don't have many embellishments. I'll try to post a picture of my paper organization soon. I recently rearranged it all in my fairly new Costco storage unit, and it's working really well.

Before this, I was using Iris boxes and/or large ziplock bags

My 12x12 kits are kept together in ziplock and then I place them in one of those vertical paper holders that comes with a lid you can remove. They also come with hanging file folders but I never use them. I think they are IRIS brand.

I bought some plastic slightly expandable envelopes that snap shut at Michaels (thicker/harder plastic than a baggie, but still flexible). I think they were 3 to a pack, or maybe 10 in a pack? I put the paper and embellishments in it and since they are clear, easy to see the theme, etc. I think they are about 1" thick when fully expanded. East to stand up for storage.

I have loved them!

I've been a Club Scrap member since 2000, so that's 15 years off and on and that's lots of years of kits! I love organization and am a little OCD about keeping things neat and organized. What I've done since the beginning was keep my 12x12 papers in stacking 12x12 paper storage trays by Display Dynamics. They are plastic and you can store them up to 30 trays high, but they only take up 13x13 feet of floor space. So each kit goes in one set of trays, or if it's a very small kit I'd put two per tray. Currently I have 90! trays but I've collected them over 15 years.

I like to use Creative Memories now discontinued File Mate (which holds 10x12 sheets of paper). Basically it's an accordion plastic folder with tabs that can be labelled. I label these with the name of each kit and in each slot goes anything flat that goes with the kits-letter stickers, tags, paperwork, stickers, things like that. On the outside of the FileMate is a slot for label and when I fill it up I'll label it CS Kits Month and Year 8/2014-6/2015 or whatever it happens to be.

For all of the other pieces of the kit they are stored where everything else is stored-stamps get filed with stamps (and labelled), stencils are filed in the stencil binder, and ribbons are put on cards, labelled and put on rings with the ribbon cards. Any little embellishments like metal pieces, and so on are put into purple CraftMates binder with it's plastic compartments that are then labelled by kit on the top.

It might take me a couple of minutes to pull together the components of a kit, but I feel better knowing they are all stored properly in their places-that's the OCD rearing it's ugly head. It makes it easier for me somehow to find things and keep things neat.

Debbie in MD.

Me, too...except I keep mine in the 13x13 envelopes sold in bulk at places like Michael's and HL. I then have an oversized file box (2, actually) where I keep them stacked in a way that I can look through them. Similar kits are near one another in the file boxes.

I do this too, but after a while, the bags fall over.  I tried putting them upright in my Ikea Kallix but they slide down.  Nothing to keep them upright and not bent over.

I use a combo of page arrangers and the expandable plastic envies from M's/HL etc. I then have them in ONE box from Ms and it sits on my desk. Once it is full it is full and there is no more buying until it is used up. I just went through a month or so ago and made new kits from my stash as the old ones were used up/or stale to me. I love being up to switch it up. Now for things that are themed (christmas, very boy or very girl specific, certain sports, fall) I have all paper in the Iris boxes and the embellies in a ziploc in there. They then slide into a piece from Ms that I have had for a while. Easy peasy.

I use plastic cello bags and stack them upright in deep baskets or metal locker baskets from antique stores so I can flip through them easily. I didn't have a need to seal them with a ziploc, which my stuff always catch on when I take it out. The cello bags are thin but very strong and I bought a pack of about 1,000 in bulk (which was only about $20 or $30) to put together page kits when I was an SU demo. I just keep my coordinating embellishments in the front. All my club kits get transferred to these, too. I like that they are clear and see through. When I go to a crop, I load them into re-useable shopping bags and take them. If I have time to pick out kits to go with photos, I just put the photos in the front, too.

That's about 2/3rds of my stuff The rest I have the paper 12x12 sorted alphabetically by brand and then collection in the cropper hopper files and in rows on shelves. Most of the embellishments I then store in baskets. OA and Crate (my 2 faves) are the only ones I keep all together by brand.

Do you know if you can buy those boxes anywhere?

Somebody was selling some wooden ones. Here's a link:

Organize More

They have a few different options on their website.

oaksong, how many sheets of paper can you get in those Cropper Hopper Paper Arrangers?  I'm really tempted to get some but I have so many collections!  I'd need quite a few!

Here is a picture of the paper arrangers in the canvas storage boxes. The pockets have gussets, so you can even put washi tape or ticket rolls in them. The big front bottom pocket will hold 2 side by side 6x6 paper pads.