What are your organizing tips?

The main two for me are "Organize How you Think" and "Accessibility".

Having a huge stash of supplies is useless if you can't find what you want, when you want it. There are many ways of sorting and organizing, but the one that works best is to put things together in a way that makes sense for how you work. Some people like kits. Others prefer their stuff sorted by collection or theme. Yet more by colour or type. It all boils down to "When you're working on a project, what do you think of when you want something?" X collection? X colour? X type of embellishment? X theme? Whatever it is, sort your stuff that way.

The second is accessibility. Have as much stuff easily at hand as possible, prioritizing the things you use the most. The more steps there are to get to, say, your die cutting machine or scoring board, the less likely you're going to want to use them, and the longer it takes to clean up. Minimize the number of steps required to get working. Sure, my aluminum can of thinliner pens isn't the prettiest thing on the block, but it's easier to utilize than a fancy zippered pencil case with multiple pockets. Prioritize functionality over looks.

This is what I use to store my Thickers sideways: looks like it’s OOS right now on Amazon though. www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZPVJLDG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_mNyWEbKK8187H

Forgot to add, misc. papers and generic embellishments are sorted by color.

I have been at this for 18 years. My studio is 14' X 18', I have 3 work-stations down from 5. I have rearranged my space 5 times because of added new tools. I quit. I simply take the time to rummage around to find things. If I can't find what I'm looking for I go to the store and buy another one, and submit to impulse purchases. I saw a sign years ago; "Organization is for those who are too lazy to look for things", I agree, and the shopping thing is fun.

I totally agree with this.  

I’ve tried several ways to organize my stuff based on reading about the best ways to organize.  

I organize my card stock by color and typically pull it out of kits/sets to put all of the card stock together.  I put all of my die cuts together, all of my enamel dots together, all of my alphabet stickers together, all of my Nuvo drops together, all of my rub on transfers together....you get the idea.  That’s how I work and how I think of things that I want to use. 

I’ve tried sorting by color and I hated it.  My patterned paper gets sorted by kit or by manufacturer since that’s how I think of it.  I’ll remember that I have something from a recent kit that might work or something that I got in a manufacturer box.  That’s how my brain works.  

Next time you make a couple pages, think about how you put a page together.  Is it by manufacturer or by color or by something else (theme or time you purchased it—however it works for you.)

Also think about HOW you decide what supplies to use.  I realized I wasn’t using my stamps enough because they were hard to get to, so I rearranged a few things and put them in the storage right under my craft table.  I still don’t use them as much as I should, but at least now it’s easy to flip through the stamps I have to see if there’s something I want to use and I have used them a lot more.  Same for my washi tapes.  I got a washi drawer and put it on top of the craft table that I use.  It’s much easier to remember which tapes I have and to use them.  

"This is my garbage pile hoard of treasures and everything is exactly where I left it" is a valid organization method, if it works for you.   The key word there is "works".  Some people are happy as a clam creating in barely restrained chaos, while others can't stand it.

I keep my ribbons in one basket where I can see all of them.  Makes making page kits quick for ribbon selection.

I keep my bling on 4 x 6 colored card stock that matches the bling color.  I keep larger bling in shapes in a different area.

I keep my large, heavy Lucky 8 punches on Command Strips on my closet door.  They are nearly impossible to store any other way.

I keep my album projects in grey totes from Michaels.  They store a ton and you can easily take them to a crop or the kitchen table.  I keep page kits in them.  I store my thin dies on large mirrors from Target.  I glue magnetic vent covers to the glass and the thin dies just snap on.  I have six of them and they are all stackable and fit in my closet if I don't want them out.

I keep many of my brads on thick white card stock according to color or theme.

Would you please post a link to the bags you use.  I purchased some years ago, but they were very thin, and not sealable. 

I've posted this before, but since I'm really happy with it, here it is again. I cut cardboard dividers to fit a lunchbox in order to store my small collection of Nuvo drops. I zip it and flip it so I can store them upside down, but then when I want to use them they're all right side up again and easy to see and to access.

I have to say, I am LOVING these topic threads lately!

I definitely agree with Embri and linda on the idea of organising how you think. I only pocket page and TN scrapbook at this point so I don't keep much 12x12 paper - I definitely have more than I should! - and I don't really buy the latest collections.

One thing I learnt recently is that I just don't use 6x4 cards. So any I get in my kits now, I cut up to 3x4 straight away, or if they won't work at 3x4, I put them in my 'stuff to pass on' box.

I spent a while looking for my perfect card storage and found this on Amazon - it works perfectly. 3x4 cards fit perfectly in the divided compartment and the small stash of 6x4 cards I keep sit in the front.