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Post by mikklynn on Feb 6, 2017 14:14:53 GMT
Because I mostly scrap by theme, when I was going through it all (what I call a pre-sort), I set out about a dozen empty Iris bins labeled on the fronts with the themes I actually scrap or know I have photos I want to scrap. (Included with my theme boxes were things like specific themed kid birthday parties, specific vacations we went on, etc.) When I was going through the stacks of paper (and some of it was literally 15 years old) it would either go into the purge box (paper with themes I knew I'd never use, anything just plain ugly) or it would go into one of my theme boxes, or if I wasn't sure about it I had a "misc" box. If I knew a paper was bought specifically for "DD's 3rd Birthday" it went straight into that box. I discovered as I went through this process that some new categories popped up that I hadn't considered initially, so I was glad I had a few extra boxes on hand that I could add. For example, I had a stack of baby boy paper that I'd gotten in convention classes, etc. and since I have only a daughter I originally thought "I'll NEVER use this..." and had it in the purge box. But after doing a bit more sorting, it occurred to me that I have a HUGE stack of DH's childhood and baby photos that I want to scrap at some point for DD, so I started a new box specifically for those photos. How long ago did you complete your big sort? Would you mind telling us how hard it is for you to find paper? If you are scrapping a birthday, do you just grab your birthday box and use whatever is in it, or do you rummage through the other boxes to find something else you might decide to use? Are you using just Iris boxes to store your papers? If so, how are the boxes stored? Your sort method intrigues me, and I'm asking questions to help me visualize if this sorting method would work for how I scrap. What I am doing now is obviously not working! I do scrap everyday sort of photos so I don't know if a themed approach would necessarily work for me, but it might... I hope you don't mind my questions and appreciate your time in answering them! SaveSaveI am going to answer your questions, too. I have my paper sorted into similar categories. I keep collections together in 12x12 clear envelopes from Hobby Lobby or Michaels. I also have an Iris box of random papers - no theme, just pretty papers I fell in love with. I use those for everyday layouts. Finally, I have an accordion style 12 x 12 box where I sort by color. These are for backgrounds or layering. They are generally tone-on-tone prints: stripes, dots, whatever.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Feb 6, 2017 16:14:17 GMT
Like I said above, my tight grasp on paper came about when the stores closed - when I felt I will never be able to buy it again - when the day comes and I will be thankful to have an ugly piece of plaid paper because it's all I have. I agree with talking to a counselor but something to consider is how many pages/layouts you can make with your existing stash of paper before 'running out' compared to how many layouts you make in a year...odds are you have more paper than you'll ever use and you'll never be down to that one ugly piece of plaid paper myall2.blogspot.com/2007/08/did-you-know-word-about-stockpiling.html?m=0Thanks for posting that link!
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 6, 2017 19:07:35 GMT
Because I mostly scrap by theme, when I was going through it all (what I call a pre-sort), I set out about a dozen empty Iris bins labeled on the fronts with the themes I actually scrap or know I have photos I want to scrap. How long ago did you complete your big sort? Would you mind telling us how hard it is for you to find paper? If you are scrapping a birthday, do you just grab your birthday box and use whatever is in it, or do you rummage through the other boxes to find something else you might decide to use? Are you using just Iris boxes to store your papers? If so, how are the boxes stored? Your sort method intrigues me, and I'm asking questions to help me visualize if this sorting method would work for how I scrap. What I am doing now is obviously not working! I do scrap everyday sort of photos so I don't know if a themed approach would necessarily work for me, but it might... I hope you don't mind my questions and appreciate your time in answering them! SaveSaveI had a whole big thing typed out and then had to leave for an appointment and when I came back to it, *POOF!* it was gone! So let me try again, LOL. We moved to this house in 2012, but I didn't get my studio space built out with my permanent cabinets and shelving until February 2014. So for that whole time, at least half of my stuff never got unpacked because I wasn't going to unpack it only to have to repack it again once I had the funds to get my storage installed. I had all kinds of stuff to unpack and go through (paper and embellishments) so it took me longer to go through everything than it would have it if was only paper. I want to say I worked on it for about four months straight in my free time. I tried to categorize things logically for me and how I work, so some categories are fairly broad (individual seasons, dogs, garden, Christmas, Halloween, general birthday, family) and some categories are very specific (DD's themed birthday parties, specific vacations, anniversary party) because I know I have a bunch of photos for those events that I want to scrap and I bought certain things for those photos specifically. And as I mentioned, some categories got added as I went along because as I was sorting I realized I have a lot of pictures for some themes I hadn't even considered, (like DH's childhood photos) and so I ended up keeping some stuff I might have otherwise purged if I wouldn't have looked at it all together in a group. I think that because I took the time to literally go through everything piece by piece and decide where it should fit in my system, I now have a much better idea of what I have and also where it is. If, for example, I wanted to scrap my DD's 5th birthday party, I would take the box that has the stuff I bought specifically for her 5th birthday photos (Princess Sofia, castles, purple/pink/specialty white papers, Birthday Princess embellishments, things with the number 5 on it, etc.), the box with my generic DD supplies with things I bought for scrapping any random pics I might have of her, and my Disney box because there might be something in there that I could pull out if I decide I need something else. Those three boxes, along with basic colored cardstock, will have about 90% of what I need to do those pages. Ribbon, generic embellishments like round brads or buttons or clips and dies or punches are stored elsewhere by type so those things would have to be pulled into the mix. Now when I'm done scrapping those 5th birthday pics, I probably won't need to keep the rest of those things that are left separated out anymore. I don't have any other kids that I scrap so I wouldn't feel a strong need to keep any specific 5th birthday leftovers unless I could use it again for something else for my kid. So they can either be lumped in with another existing category if I still like the item, or purged entirely. I put everything for my themed categories together into Iris boxes: papers, embellishments, stickers, memorabilia, printed photos (if I've gotten that far), any sketches I liked and thought might work, everything. Once I got my categories nailed down, I realized that the cubes I had and wanted more of are much bigger than the cubes that are currently available in stores (or anywhere, really) so storing those Iris boxes was going to be a problem. I specifically didn't want yet another wobbly junky plastic thing. I ended up having my shelf guy come back and build me a custom sized shelf unit to put inside a large closet that would fit the Iris boxes I wanted to store, and it worked out GREAT. Now I can just open that side of the closet, pull the bins I want off the shelf and go to work. It's super nice for going cropping because everything I need for any particular category I might want to work on is located all together in one box for the most part, with the exception of the non-themed generic embellishments. For everyday non-themed stuff, I would have a bin for each person I regularly scrap, and in that bin I would put anything that I bought because it fits that specific person, KWIM? So if I'm shopping and I see something cute that I know I will probably use with a photo of my DH, it would go in his box. Something for DD would go in her box. Something for one of our dogs would go in the dog box, etc. Usually when I'm shopping I find things that I like for certain people, and that would be the category I would put it in, not in a miscellaneous box. An example of that would be if I found a funky bohemian floral, I would associate that with my BFF specifically, so I would put it in the friends box and not in a florals box, if that makes sense. The nice thing is if I am looking for something very specific, now I only have to look in maybe one or two boxes to find it, instead of 82 random shopping bags, various miscellaneous bins or boxes of stuff or random piles of junk. My problem now is that I would like to get some of the other random stuff organized and stored in a more functional way, like the stamps I actually use, mixed media stuff I own but that isn't organized at all, and random stuff like blank mini books, tools and that kind of thing. Stuff just kind of got shoved into drawers when I was unpacking without a whole lot of thought as to what should logically go where, so it's kind of a disaster at the moment. And also my scary wood mounted stamp collection, which is going to be another major hurdle to get through, but hey, one thing at a time, right?
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amom23
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,329
Jun 27, 2014 12:39:18 GMT
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Post by amom23 on Feb 6, 2017 19:29:35 GMT
Like I said above, my tight grasp on paper came about when the stores closed - when I felt I will never be able to buy it again - when the day comes and I will be thankful to have an ugly piece of plaid paper because it's all I have. I agree with talking to a counselor but something to consider is how many pages/layouts you can make with your existing stash of paper before 'running out' compared to how many layouts you make in a year...odds are you have more paper than you'll ever use and you'll never be down to that one ugly piece of plaid paper myall2.blogspot.com/2007/08/did-you-know-word-about-stockpiling.html?m=0That was a really good read and definitely food for thought!
I firmly believe you can't organize clutter. If your stash is too big for your space no amount of organizing is going to work unless you declutter. This applies to every room in your home. In my scrap space I have a 5x5 Expedite, a Raskog cart, a small bookcase/TV stand and my desk. That's it folks. Nothing gets piled on the floor. It might not sound like a lot, but I could scrapbook for the rest of my life with my stash.
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Post by 950nancy on Feb 6, 2017 22:38:29 GMT
Like I said above, my tight grasp on paper came about when the stores closed - when I felt I will never be able to buy it again - when the day comes and I will be thankful to have an ugly piece of plaid paper because it's all I have. I agree with talking to a counselor but something to consider is how many pages/layouts you can make with your existing stash of paper before 'running out' compared to how many layouts you make in a year...odds are you have more paper than you'll ever use and you'll never be down to that one ugly piece of plaid paper myall2.blogspot.com/2007/08/did-you-know-word-about-stockpiling.html?m=0I definetly disagree with her number of pieces of paper to make a layout. I use quite a few patterns for mine. I refuse to be paper shamed. I want what I want. I try to be careful now and not repeat similar lines. I have more than a few winter lines that all look very similar. I will go overboard with beach and tropical paper. I make 200 pages a year of tropical layouts, so that will get used. I have enough paper that I could not stack it all without it toppling over and smothering me. I have gone through all of my paper recently and gave away several feet of it. I kept the papers that make me happy.
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Post by natlhol on Feb 6, 2017 23:07:03 GMT
Thanks for your response, crazy4scraps and others! I appreciate your time!
I feel like I have thought about sorting my paper for a long time and that it's time to just do it! But I don't want to have to do it again if the first try doesn't work out.
Clearly, I have too much if it's this much of a problem to even just sort it!
I also read the link about the stockpile and I think that she is underestimating the number of pieces of paper some scrappers use per layout, but it is a good rough estimate. The part about the brads made me laugh, though!
I wanted to comment about keeping ugly paper because it might be all you have someday...I had 5 LSS near me and now I have none. 3 of them were within 10 minutes of my home, too. Our Hobby Lobby is getting better about what they carry, but our Michaels isn't great. I hate our Joann's because it's always picked over and the people who work there aren't very nice. I have been able to find some things that I love at Tuesday Morning, but they just closed ours. All of my scrap shopping is online now. I worry about the industry winding down a bit and paper being harder to find. This is part of my problem with purging paper. If I really don't like it, then I use it as I mentioned in another post, but if there's a chance I might use it then it's really hard for me to let it go.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 6, 2017 23:36:16 GMT
I agree with talking to a counselor but something to consider is how many pages/layouts you can make with your existing stash of paper before 'running out' compared to how many layouts you make in a year...odds are you have more paper than you'll ever use and you'll never be down to that one ugly piece of plaid paper myall2.blogspot.com/2007/08/did-you-know-word-about-stockpiling.html?m=0 I definetly disagree with her number of pieces of paper to make a layout. I use quite a few patterns for mine. I refuse to be paper shamed. I want what I want. I try to be careful now and not repeat similar lines. I have more than a few winter lines that all look very similar. I will go overboard with beach and tropical paper. I make 200 pages a year of tropical layouts, so that will get used. I have enough paper that I could not stack it all without it toppling over and smothering me. I have gone through all of my paper recently and gave away several feet of it. I kept the papers that make me happy. Me too. I have a ton and I refuse to apologize for it. The stuff I specifically bought, I love and eventually I'll use it. There is a lot though that comes in multi packs or collections or in the big pads that I don't love and I need to pull those apart and weed out the ugly stuff. I've also recently purged easily 3-4 feet of patterned paper by either selling it in grab bags or donating it to my kid's school and teachers.
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Post by Linda on Feb 6, 2017 23:57:18 GMT
I definetly disagree with her number of pieces of paper to make a layout. I use quite a few patterns for mine. I refuse to be paper shamed. I want what I want. I try to be careful now and not repeat similar lines. I have more than a few winter lines that all look very similar. I will go overboard with beach and tropical paper. I make 200 pages a year of tropical layouts, so that will get used. I have enough paper that I could not stack it all without it toppling over and smothering me. I have gone through all of my paper recently and gave away several feet of it. I kept the papers that make me happy. It was written some years ago, I think - and certainly it'll be dependent on your scrapping style. I don't see it as paper-shaming - I see it more as being aware that maybe you (general) have enough and it's okay to purge the ones you don't like/won't use - which it sounds like both you ( 950nancy) and crazy4scraps have done.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 7, 2017 0:12:18 GMT
I definetly disagree with her number of pieces of paper to make a layout. I use quite a few patterns for mine. I refuse to be paper shamed. I want what I want. I try to be careful now and not repeat similar lines. I have more than a few winter lines that all look very similar. I will go overboard with beach and tropical paper. I make 200 pages a year of tropical layouts, so that will get used. I have enough paper that I could not stack it all without it toppling over and smothering me. I have gone through all of my paper recently and gave away several feet of it. I kept the papers that make me happy. It was written some years ago, I think - and certainly it'll be dependent on your scrapping style. I don't see it as paper-shaming - I see it more as being aware that maybe you (general) have enough and it's okay to purge the ones you don't like/won't use - which it sounds like both you ( 950nancy ) and crazy4scraps have done. It also doesn't take into account that some people use it for other crafts and projects besides scrapping. In our house we use scrapbook supplies for school projects, making greeting cards, home décor projects, gifts and gift packaging for teachers and other people, etc.
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Post by mikklynn on Feb 7, 2017 16:32:15 GMT
I love seeing everyone's ideas on organizing.
Purge your paper or keep it all - whatever works for you! I can certainly understand both approaches.
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cbscrapper
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,401
Sept 5, 2015 18:24:10 GMT
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Post by cbscrapper on Feb 7, 2017 19:04:38 GMT
I initially read that post in the link and thought it had a bit of a paper-shaming tone. Also noticed that it's from 2007, so prior to the heavily layered styles of today (and who still puts tons - or any - eyelets on a page? That certainly dates the post). However, linda said "I see it more as being aware that maybe you (general) have enough and it's okay to purge the ones you don't like/won't use" and I think this is a great way to look at it. If you have enough paper (based on the rough estimates in the blog post with a heavy fudge factor applied) to realistically last you into the afterlife, then the what-ifs and worries of manufacturers not making paper in the future become less and you can more securely let go of that ugly paper you don't like and only have papers that have a purpose and make you happy. I have lots and lots of paper, believe me, and don't like to part with some just based on the pontential and possibilities they represent, but I also have no problem getting rid of it either if it's no longer (or never was) my style. Good luck in your efforts. There's so many great ideas in this thread!
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Post by workingclassdog on Feb 7, 2017 19:51:00 GMT
I have gotten some good ideas here. I know by just asking the question it means some of it has to go. I am going to try making 3 piles of each bag or stack to decide what can actually get donated/tossed/whatever. I am not going to buy any organizational boxes until I know what I need. This is my start. The mental illness hoarder part comes in like this: I collect Air Force stuff for years. I finally scrap all my Air Force pics and papers. 3 albums worth. I have a bit of stuff left over so I save it in case one of my sons or grandchildren (which I don't have) go in the Air Force or I have some need for additional Air Force stuff someday, like if I go to an air show, because I can't get it anymore. Because you know - someday maybe I will need it. Please keep commenting with ideas or thoughts - I appreciate it! I have that Air Force pile as well!!! My son doesn't send me many pictures though!! lol
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Post by myboysnme on Feb 7, 2017 22:35:56 GMT
I read the article and I enjoyed at least the part about paper. She said that one foot of paper equals about 1000 layouts. Last year I did about 700 layouts. In a way it made me feel better about my paper stash because if I have 5 feet of paper, and I really have no idea how much I have, that means I have enough paper to scrap at my current rate until I retire at age 65, haha!
I am going to purge the paper I don't like and can't see I would have a use for - not sure anyone else will want it either but I will try to give it away.
I think I can get the paper out of my bedroom and dining room without overwhelming myself. I don't see myself getting it organized too much right now but I can see that I can let some of it go, maybe a couple of inches......
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Post by refugeepea on Feb 9, 2017 16:25:46 GMT
I have a drawer of just new patterned paper I bought this past 6 or so months. It's a mixture of different companies from various LLS. This stack of paper alone is embarrassing lol. That's not embarrassing, that's awesome! This thread is enabling me to buy paper. I have so little compared to others.
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sophikins
Full Member
Posts: 239
Aug 30, 2014 15:12:27 GMT
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Post by sophikins on Feb 9, 2017 16:35:16 GMT
For me, the most important "take away message" from that article is to USE your supplies. I am guilty of "saving for something special" and then not using the product at all. Of course I still buy more too. When I do use something from a special collection I am always surprised how much more is still left in the collection or the paper pad after I have made those special pages. I bought a 12X12 and a 6X6 for my Dec Daily this year and most is left over!
I have plenty of room so I do not purge. My DD, who was 8 when I started scrapping 20 years ago, is now a 2nd grade teacher and she has been happy to use all of my purgeable (is that even a word?) papers for her class projects. I also make envelopes and use some of those papers for layering when only a small bit actually shows.
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Post by sleepingbooty on Feb 9, 2017 17:55:41 GMT
Coincidentally, Christine just posted this yesterday:
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 29, 2024 0:24:57 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2017 19:03:36 GMT
I am very impressed. Not only did she get rid of a lot of stuff (which she has for sale), but her scrap room is also her dining room and living room. Thanks for sharing that.
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Post by Linda on Feb 9, 2017 19:19:55 GMT
For me, the most important "take away message" from that article is to USE your supplies. I am guilty of "saving for something special" and then not using the product at all. YES! I agree completely - if we loved it enough to buy it and save it - we should love it enough to USE it in our projects...I'm getting better at that
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