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Post by scrapsnneedles on Jun 12, 2020 17:27:53 GMT
I really need to get my craft room organized. I’m toying with the idea of getting an IKEA Kallax (the one with 12 sections) and organizing everything by color. But I was wondering if the ideas in my head were practical and wanted to use you scrappers as a sounding board.
My situation as it is now is that everything but paper is in those cardboard photo boxes by type of product. I have a box for buttons (that are already sorted in jars by color), for ribbons and embroidery floss, for acrylic paints, for embellishments, Washi tape, and for ink pads. I don’t actually have a ton of embellishments. I like to make my own using stamps and dies and then water coloring them in.
So I was thinking of getting a photo box for every color (ROYGBIV, plus Pink, Black, White, Gray, and Brown). And a couple of boxes for very specific themes, Halloween, the Beach, etc) - but we don’t need to talk about that. So I was thinking about just dividing literally everything up by these colors. Red ribbons, buttons, inks, color mists, and embellishments all go in the red box. I think I would have enough space. I would store the embellishments in those 4x6 iris cases inside of the photo box.
My big question, is dividing my inks and color mists practical? There are already stored in a box that I have to dig through to find what I’m looking for. I know that a lot of people store their inks in their own separate place, but do y’all think it’s a terrible idea to separate them by color with everything else? I would probably keep my black Versamark and embossing ink separate cause I use them a lot.
I realize that I can try it and just change it if I don’t like it, but who wants to do that?
Also, do y’all have any recs for magazine style paper holders for 12x12s? I’ve seen some, but was really sure what was a good buy.
Thanks in advance!
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Post by 950nancy on Jun 12, 2020 18:36:49 GMT
Ask yourself how you create. Do you think by color, theme, product, etc. I scrap by paper line usually, so I keep papers together with different colored stickers on the ziplock so I know if I have Thickers, a 12 x 12 sticker sheet, or ephemera stored elsewhere that matches. I also know that when I am almost done with a layout, I might want to add a little something else. For random embellishments like twine, buttons, random ephemera, I have an 8.5 x 14 bin for each color. I can see what color I want and will go in search of that. For my brain, having all of the red items together wouldn't work. I also have way too many embellishments to make that work. I wouldn't store my inks by color. For me, I have a bit of a challenge when I see a blue green color and think it should go in the blue, but it would also work well with something green. I like having my supplies (like inks) together where I can see them all at once. If I go to a crop, I have two Iris containers that I can grab and then I have 95% of my inks.
Tuesday morning had some magazine 12 x 12 holders back around Christmas. They are probably no longer there. I have a ton of the plastic ones that JoAnn's now sells, but if you are looking for something cheaper, Hobby Lobby has cardboard ones that you can alter to match your room.
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caangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,440 
Location: So Cal
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Post by caangel on Jun 12, 2020 18:55:42 GMT
It doesn't have to be all or nothing. I have many things organized by color stored together but not all: ribbon, dots, twine, misc stickers/embellishments, buttons.
But I also have things stored by type: ink, mists, markers, washi, alphas, cardstock, misc paper, PL cards,stamps.
And things stored by themes: collections including all matching embellishments, Halloween, summer, kids, winter Christmas, fall, school, birthday, Disney, outdoors, etc.
I use the jetmax 3 drawer cub for my color drawers and small plastic baskets inside to keep it organized. I like that I can pull out the entire drawer and set it on my desk if I need to dig through it.
My themed products are in iris cases including embellishments and paper/collections if I have a lot. If I only have a little bit they are stored in old page protectors for organization and in the plastic vertical paper organizers that fit in the cubes. They are next to my non-themed collections.
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Post by Citygirl on Jun 12, 2020 19:04:12 GMT
I agree you have to look at how you create. I organized all my embellishments by color once and it didn't really do anything productive for me. I scrap better with collections together. But things like ribbon I organize by color. So it varies.
As far as inks my distress oxides I keep all together in one drawer, but all others are separated by color. I keep my most used black and versamark ink pads within reach as well. My ink sprays I separate the Dylusions way....."warm" and "cool" in little baskets so that I don't create mud when I use them.
ETA: I keep all of my art journaling type "messy" stuff like paints, spray inks, etc. in a raskog cart.
Good luck!
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Post by riversong1963 on Jun 12, 2020 19:10:35 GMT
I think you have to know how your brain works, and how you are most likely to look for something. I know that separating my inks, paints, and other materials of this type wouldn't work at all for me. I do organize them by color, but I wouldn't store all my red inks and paints with my red buttons and ribbons. That wouldn't work for me at all. For some people, that is the way their brains work, and that's a great organizational system for them.
Knowing yourself is key when organizing. Maybe you could try it with one or 2 colors and see how it works for you, instead of going all in right away.
HTH
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auntmimi
Full Member
Posts: 471
Jun 22, 2018 18:55:37 GMT
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Post by auntmimi on Jun 12, 2020 19:12:10 GMT
It doesn't have to be all or nothing. I have many things organized by color stored together but not all: ribbon, dots, twine, misc stickers/embellishments, buttons. But I also have things stored by type: ink, mists, markers, washi, alphas, cardstock, misc paper, PL cards,stamps. And things stored by themes: collections including all matching embellishments, Halloween, summer, kids, winter Christmas, fall, school, birthday, Disney, outdoors, etc. This is how I organize too. I am more of a theme/event scrapper, so I sort my paper collections and embellishments by theme and keep embellishments that are from a particular collection together. However, tools like stamps, inks, mists, etc are sorted by type, not color. |
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Post by infochick on Jun 12, 2020 19:26:49 GMT
I have eased into the sorting by colour...usually I keep things together by collection, and then when I am done playing with it as a collection (or if I have bought something purposely out of collection), I sort what is left by colour. I have small iris containers with odds and ends (die cuts, stickers cut out from sheets, enamel dots, border strips, etc.) all by colour. I don't have my inks and mists sorted by colour, but if you scrap by colour, I can see the value in doing it. I can also imagine using a mixed media product more, personally, if it was in with my embellishments. I think it is worth trying. It's something that could be easily undone if you don't like it. If you try it, please report back  For the Kallax cubes, I have used the Totally Tiffany cardboard storage boxes. I also have, and love, the Fold 'n File from 31. These are really sturdy and have good access for flipping through the paper. I use them for collections or projects when I need to keep large amounts of paper together. I can get 2 in each cube of a Kallax and they hold piles of paper.
ETA...I think it is a good idea to keep your neutrals and most used inks/sprays, etc. separate and within easy reach. In addition to the black ink pad, other things to consider might be any metallic sprays.
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Post by scrapsnneedles on Jun 12, 2020 19:42:42 GMT
Thanks for al the suggestions. I think one of the problems is that I’m not a prolific scrapper. And I haven’t scrapped in ages because my room is such a mess. So I don’t really know how my brain works in that way.
I also don’t buy collections. There is generally too much of the paper that I don’t see myself using and like I said I don’t scrap a ton. My big problem is going to be sorting 2-sided paper. Cause right now it’s all jumbled together. And having to decide what side goes into what color is going to be the death of me. But I don’t think anyone can help me with that.
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Post by 950nancy on Jun 12, 2020 19:50:18 GMT
Watch a few videos of RTS with Janet on separating paper. She can walk you through paper pads like no one. She's chatty, but you'll get there. She has several videos on this. Here is one of them. www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFm9jWiofO0 |
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Post by scrapsnneedles on Jun 12, 2020 19:58:54 GMT
Watch a few videos of RTS with Janet on separating paper. She can walk you through paper pads like no one. She's chatty, but you'll get there. She has several videos on this. Here is one of them. www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFm9jWiofO0Thanks! I watched a few of her videos the other day, but not the paper ones. I’ll definitely check them out. |
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Post by Ryann on Jun 12, 2020 20:07:52 GMT
Like everyone above has already stated, it really depends on how you craft. I also think it may depend on how much stuff you have.  I would consider myself a hybrid organizer. Most things are sorted by color, and a few things are by type. For example, inks are stored together, as is fiber, buttons and glitter/embossing. These are all things I don't use often so I don't want them taking up space in sorted-by-color containers. I also keep mists and enamel dots together, as they are "finishing" items and not part of my creative process until the very end. Enamel dots are in two containers (cool/warm colors) and I only have 6 mists, so not enough to organize. Embellishments (die cuts, stickers, tags, etc.) are sorted by color in 4x6 iris photo boxes (32 boxes total - most colors have multiple boxes based on shades/tones). I like that they are small, clear and shallow so it's easy to sort through and doesn't cast a shadow on the contents. I would not like having bigger containers to dig through. I typically pull all the colors boxes used in a project to go through embellishments. Sometimes I end up pulling 12+ colors, so having smaller containers is what makes sense for my space. Would you have space to pull 12 photo boxes if you were working on a colorful layout? Patterned paper is also sorted by color, unless it is Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween or Cat themed. I use the 12x12 paper handlers from Totally Tiffany. They are very sturdy and five of them fits exactly in one Kallax cube. I like that they have retractable handles, so they are easy to travel with if you do crops/retreats, etc. Maybe a different container to house inks/mists so you aren't having to dig through them? How often do you use colored inks, versus just black/versamark? |
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Post by scrapsnneedles on Jun 12, 2020 20:16:37 GMT
How often do you use colored inks, versus just black/versamark? I actually use my distress inks a lot as watercolors. So I stamp an image in Versamark then I watercolor in. And I stopped buying different color ribbons and fabric flowers and just buy them in white. And I dye them with the distress ink. They are a big part of my embellishment making. |
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Post by mikklynn on Jun 12, 2020 20:57:09 GMT
Thanks for al the suggestions. I think one of the problems is that I’m not a prolific scrapper. And I haven’t scrapped in ages because my room is such a mess. So I don’t really know how my brain works in that way. I also don’t buy collections. There is generally too much of the paper that I don’t see myself using and like I said I don’t scrap a ton. My big problem is going to be sorting 2-sided paper. Cause right now it’s all jumbled together. And having to decide what side goes into what color is going to be the death of me. But I don’t think anyone can help me with that. Before I went so far as to sort everything by color, I'd go through my stuff. You need to deal with the mess first, in my opinion. Put all like things together - all your spray inks in one box, all your ink pads in one place, all your unsorted paper in one place, etc. As you go, create a donate box and a trash bag. Anything you don't love and have had for a million years, donate or trash, depending on condition. Once you have done this, then start sorting. I think the way you have buttons together, for example, is great. I would not dump them by color. Random, non-themed paper, I have sorted a couple of ways. I have some by color - especially if it's a great layering paper with one color, like dots, stripes, chevron. I also have all my plaids in one container. I love to use plaid and this way I know right where it is. After that, for double sided papers, I choose the side I am most likely to use and keep that side up in an Iris container. Just my ideas! |
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Post by scrapsnneedles on Jun 12, 2020 21:01:49 GMT
Thanks for al the suggestions. I think one of the problems is that I’m not a prolific scrapper. And I haven’t scrapped in ages because my room is such a mess. So I don’t really know how my brain works in that way. I also don’t buy collections. There is generally too much of the paper that I don’t see myself using and like I said I don’t scrap a ton. My big problem is going to be sorting 2-sided paper. Cause right now it’s all jumbled together. And having to decide what side goes into what color is going to be the death of me. But I don’t think anyone can help me with that. Before I went so far as to sort everything by color, I'd go through my stuff. Thanks for all the suggestions. But as for the mess. It isn’t really craft related. It’s become the room that when we are cleaning house for company, stuff just gets shoved in that room. And when I finally moved my stuff out of my parents’ house it ended up in there. So that’s it own separate issue. And it’s becoming really overwhelming. So I’m stuck in a holding pattern. The craft stuff feels manageable so I kind of want to start with that. Oh! I wasn’t going to dump the buttons. I was just going to stick the jar in the box. |
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Post by Linda on Jun 12, 2020 23:19:21 GMT
My big problem is going to be sorting 2-sided paper. Cause right now it’s all jumbled together. And having to decide what side goes into what color is going to be the death of me. But I don’t think anyone can help me with that. generally when I buy double-sided paper it is either 1) because there is a side I love and/or see me using -those go based on THAT side - or 2) I love BOTH sides and bought multiple pieces - those get split and I put some based on side A and some based on side B |
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 25, 2024 22:53:05 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2020 0:27:08 GMT
Thanks for al the suggestions. I think one of the problems is that I’m not a prolific scrapper. And I haven’t scrapped in ages because my room is such a mess. So I don’t really know how my brain works in that way. I also don’t buy collections. There is generally too much of the paper that I don’t see myself using and like I said I don’t scrap a ton. My big problem is going to be sorting 2-sided paper. Cause right now it’s all jumbled together. And having to decide what side goes into what color is going to be the death of me. But I don’t think anyone can help me with that. I'm not a prolific scrapper either. Like you, I have stuff stored by type for years and it was always a bit overwhelming trying to pull products together to make a project from my stash. So I was only ever working from my monthly kits or collections I've purchased. I made the decision to organise by colour after taking a class from Teresa Moxley (Larkin Design) and seeing how she had things organised. It was a bit of a lightbulb moment and I can honestly say that it's definitely helped me to make good use of all the items in my stash now. I still have things stored roughly by type, but organised by colour within that:
- Basket of large alphas/thickers - Basket of small alphas/thickers
I have another compartment container which stores wood veneer pieces. And a few more 4x6 photo containers which store items by type: paper tags and labels, enamel dots (I've cut them into strips I can just pick out the colours I need), gems/jewels. Ribbons are all in a box together, no sorting. I am still yet to determine the best way to store my washi tapes.
Ironically at the same time that I sorted everything else by colour, I decided to try sorting my papers by manufacturer. That is not working at all so I'm going to have to go back and re-sort by colour again.
It's definitely not a perfect system. But I have a pretty small space so I'm just trying to find the best solution for what I have right now.
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Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,459
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Jun 13, 2020 4:34:34 GMT
I also don’t buy collections. I don't either which is one of the reasons that sorting some embellishments by colour works for me. I tried keeping everything by colour but found there were certain things that I thought of product before colour, so searching through all my colour drawers for those options became a hassle. I now have a mix of colour and category storage. Within some of my categories I store by colour - enamel dots for example are kept in rainbow order within their section, as are brads, but labels are all just thrown in one container irrespective of colour. I keep all my stickers, die cuts, chipboard, and other mostly flat similar types of products together in colours. I cut up sticker sheets to separate the pieces out into the colour containers and find I use a lot more this way. I would probably benefit from having my brads in these same containers as I suspect I would use them more often than I do now, but space is what stops me. I actually use my distress inks a lot as watercolors. So I stamp an image in Versamark then I watercolor in. And I stopped buying different color ribbons and fabric flowers and just buy them in white. And I dye them with the distress ink. They are a big part of my embellishment making. I think knowing how this fits into your creative process will help you decide the right place to store your inks. If you do this in the middle of creating a page and are likely to use the colour boxes you've already pulled then keeping inks in with everything else may be the right solution for you. If you find yourself reaching frequently for a new colour box to get an accent colour of ink, then perhaps the inks should be stored together. As others have said, the only real way to find out if it will work for you is to try it. I went all in and hated it, but found a happy medium between storing by type and colour that works for me although sorting and re-sorting my stuff was a pain. |
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Post by lasteve1 on Jun 13, 2020 11:44:26 GMT
I store my products mostly by type but I know that color works better for some people. I do have some of my supplies stored by color within type. But, the one thing I would say is, if you do plan to store by color I wouldn’t include products like mists or paints in that. Any products that could potentially leak and be messy should probably be stored by type or at least separate from other products that would get ruined if one of the messy products leaked.
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