Chipboard Storage - Ali Edwards style

Hmmm...well, I do cards, not scrapbooking anymore, but the flaw that I see with Ali's plan is that I would usually look for embellishments by sentiment/phrase, not by shape. I think that's what you're referring to by using a sentiment thought process? That definitely makes more sense to me. The hard thing about that is that then the organization would take more room (because you'll have a bigger variety of shapes in each category) and won't be as aesthetically pleasing. Maybe instead of using a divided box like she has, use the ever-popular photo cases (that come in 4x6 or 5x7)? Before doing this, maybe go through your chipboard and make a list of the categories you'd need/use. If you end up with 30 categories or something, it might not be the best idea (depending on your storage situation), but if you have 5-10 categories of phrases, that could work.

Another way to dip your toes is would be to pick 2-4 categories to start with, separate those phrases (but keep the rest in their original sheets) and work with it for a while to see if you like how it functions!

I've definitely trended toward doing more micro-organization with my ephemera/stickers these days. I used to have generic categories like "shapes" but now I've separated it into stars, hearts, circles, etc and it helps me be faster when I need an embellishment. I used to store my ephemera in the photo cases but since they're bulky, it didn't make sense to have lots of different containers. Now I keep a few large categories in the photo cases and use the small Avery Elle stamp storage pockets to store smaller/more specific categories. This would be a little more difficult with chipboard since it's thick, but it could work.

I use chipboard by theme for the most part. Rarely by shape.

The box is ok for hearts, stars, asterisks and such, and left overs of course. But I’d hate to sort thru it for that perfect phrase. It’s much easier to flip thru the chip board boards and I don’t like when the pieces come out. I have put Washi to put a few back in.

I don’t think her method would work for me right now the way I think now. And that’s ok, we all think differently.

I think it works for Ali since she tends to design her layouts with shapes specifically in mind. I don't, so this system wouldn't work for me.

It does inspire me to go through and sort them somehow (maybe color or sentiment), because keeping them tied to the month or theme isn't working for me, and most of the time they go unused or I don't think about them when I'm working on a spread that they could be perfect for.

I don't have near enough chipboard to make this worth it for me but I definitely tend to think of any of my embellishments in terms of color and shape. I've had bead storage containers that I've used for years to sort my wood veneer and sequins (ha I can't quite get rid of those) but I always think "okay where are my hearts" and go find one I want." I only get chipboard sheets here and there (I never subbed to Ali) but I'm a master purger and a lot of the items I know I will never use (dumb phrases, weird shapes, wonky looking things, etc.) I get rid of immediately.

One thing I do know is as I'm watching this I was thinking about how much I have been enjoying this series of hers!

For those who would sort by category/sentiment which ones would you use? Looking at my chipboard the sentiments are all over the place.

I keep my chipboard with the paper line.

So I use the Iris containers and have the paper, then sticker sheet, then chipboard sheet. Then next line stacked.

I have an Iris container for Christmas, Ds, Dd, Halloween/Fall/Thanksgiving, and other (lines that could be used for dd or ds).

I then have the photo Iris containers for smaller embellishments from the lines and then others for random items.

This works for me because I usually stick with a line and if I cross lines, I can easily scan the 12x12 or 6x12 chipboard sheet and not be overwhelmed.

I think Ali's system would overwhelm me. Even by color or sentiment would.

I’m excited Ali is excited and that it’s bringing her joy, but it doesn’t appeal to me for my own product. I don’t enjoy digging in those little cubbies - I’d rather just flip through a box of chipboard still in their packaging, like flipping through an old card catalog.

Completely agree with you all. It's easy for Ali can also sort by shape because she has pretty much every sentiment she could ever need because she designed it all. It all suits her style perfectly as it's her product.

Sorting by shape wouldn't work for me. I like to keep them by theme/sentiment on the backing so I can flip through and find what I need. I'll often see something that will spark an idea.

Sometimes I'll use a chipboard circle and want to balance it out by using another circle but that's the only time that sorting by shape would be beneficial to me and it's not often enough to warrant organising all my chipboard by shape.

When I have one or two left on a sheet, I'll pop them out and keep them in a catch-all chipboard container if I want to keep it, or add it to my destash pile.

It's an interesting thought, but I don't look for a shape, I look for a color or sentiment.

That's what makes it fun - everyone's brain creates differently.

I need streamlined accessibility to my stash. Mama ain't got time to rummage through container after container and slot after slot.

But Ali may have a photographic memory and remember exactly where she out x y z. I am that way with many things but allllll those chipboard embellishments would overwhelm my computer brain system and it would crash.

I think this would be useful for the shapes without sentiments or with the generic sentiments like “love this” or “around here” that she uses so often. The more themed or specific sentiments I would want to stay together vs split by shape.

I was thinking the same thing about the fact that she designed these sentiments, so they all would fit how she scraps and her “voice.”