|
|
Post by grammadee on May 3, 2022 16:12:55 GMT
Some days--like today--I envy you minimalist scrappers. You buy just what you plan to use, and then you plan to use it up. Or you plan exactly where it will GO before you even bring it home. Then you strive to USE IT UP! I see you smiling at your perfectly curated finger tip findable supplies, totally relaxed and happy, feeling proud as you slip that last little piece of packaging into recycle...
And then there is me. Am I a maximalist? I don't want it ALL, but I DO want options! I buy what sparks my imagination at the time I see it, no idea how or where it will find a place in my room or on one of my projects. But I want to OPTION of using it when the "time is right". And I DO use alot of it. Look at my page and card count over the past year & a half. But not ALL of it. What if I want to use that again? That sticker is SO cute: it doesn't work on THIS page, but I'm sure I can use it later. This little strip of patterned paper left over from that last LO can surely be used somewhere else in the future... These left over diecut stars (I cut about 100 cuz I wasn't sure how many I would use on this project, and now I have some left) will obviously work on a card or page some time... And I used that one chipboard piece I HAD to have for this project, but I really don't have a use--right NOW--for the rest of its friends from the set, and the packaging is wrecked...
Okay I DO have some type of system: Collections go into zip lock bags with their die cuts and sticker sheets and other elements. I sort the collections by theme, so I [usually] can find that bike sticker when I need it (once I figure out was it with that little boy bin, or camping, or summer, or ....? Pp scraps sometimes go into the bag with their related full size sheets. Some of them are sorted with the cs by colour into an open tub on my counter top. I have divided containers for buttons and brads and other metal or plastic or wood bits.
But this morning after I tried to get my room ready to rumble again after being away at a crop with a bunch of my stuff, I am feeling completely overwhelmed by little leftover pieces... Diecuts, chipboard pieces, sticker sheets with hardly anything left on them. And the system I have used in the past--little tubs and trays on my counter top filled with flotsum--is also overwhelmed. The system that made sense a year ago when I was scrapping Hawaii is not helpful while I put away left overs from school and hockey and items we get points for in challenges--cameras, stars, hexagons...
No time to do anything about it now. Need to run errands. But wondering what do YOU do to wrangle this type of scrappy supply into submission?
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
May 19, 2024 11:28:18 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on May 3, 2022 16:22:53 GMT
If I have a few stickers, chip board pieces, die cuts left I assess them with the following:
1.Do they go with any current collection?
2. Do they go with any needed pocket pages to be made?
3. Are they general in use (meaning like stars, hearts, etc).
4. How old are they and will I really use them?
If I answer no, I either give them to ds to use for sticker art or put them in the recycling bin.
I have no problem getting rid of things I don't need or don't make me happy.
I don't like to be bogged down by stuff. It impedes my creative process.
|
|
|
|
Post by papersilly on May 3, 2022 17:33:30 GMT
i have a 60 drawer card catalog. most embellishments go in there. i also have a rolling cart full of a particular manufacturer's line of embellishments. the most often used stuff sits on my desk.
my biggest problem is understanding, acknowledging and accepting that i will NEVER use up everything on a sheet or in a pack. i don't know why i feel compelled to use everything that comes in a package. some things are simply unusable because i don't like them or they will never fit into a particular project. keeping the useless stuff is what adds unnecessary bulk to my stash.
|
|
|
|
Post by Linda on May 3, 2022 17:34:15 GMT
the cute sticker goes in the theme folder I'm most likely to use it with - but I don't overthink that too much because if I don't find something that'll work in whatever folder I look first, I'll look in related folders.
PP scraps go with the cardstock scraps in clear-ish open envelopes right in reach and I tend to grab from there first unless I'm looking for a background sheet. I no longer keep the branding strips (or similar sizes) ...because I foound I didn't actually use them very often and they tended to get bent and battered. If they get too full, I cull them...sometimes by making cards but often by just tossing the smaller, less versatile sized scraps.
I do have a drawer for random leftovers/items that don't have a home - it's limted to what fits...and if it gets too full, I dump it out, re-evaluate and either find homes elsewhere or donate or it'll go back into the (hopefully) emptier drawer. I also assigned one of the tiny drawers on my tool carousel for random extra die cuts...I cut a bunh of hearts or mini circles or stars or hexagons for a layout and there a few extra...and I've actually been using them..but again - limited to what fits in the space.
So I guess my main tip is to set a storage space limit - and when you reach capacity, it's time to stop buying/adding to and time to use or purge.
|
|
blemon
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,262 
|
Post by blemon on May 3, 2022 21:04:15 GMT
I'm like you with how I shop. I buy what I like and will use later. I'm trying not to hoard stuff.
But also like @sunnycamom I do regular purges and get rid of what I don't like. If it's scraps or a ridiculous word phrase, I recycle it. Anything useable I'll pack up and donate.
I can organize to a point and then I get stuck with what to do with things that don't fit. That's where I'm at right now.
|
|
|
|
Post by ecvnj58 on May 3, 2022 21:26:04 GMT
I still have a good amount of stuff but consider myself a minimalist. I get rid of things if I know I will never use them. If it’s just one piece I put it in the bowl on my desk to use up. I also have some random storage for embellishments I can put it in. I feel like I haven’t used up that much stuff entirely. I’m constantly in the quest to finish things. But I’m also not buying a ton to add to my stash. So it’s not requiring large amounts of storage. I think things I buy are not super specific so that helps used them up. Also i will totally plan a page and photos around using a piece up.
|
|
|
|
Post by 950nancy on May 3, 2022 23:07:23 GMT
I have color drawers that I keep some things in and one random drawer that has things I still like but haven't been able to use (like fun chipboard or journal pieces). I try to put stuff back with the kit/line if possible. If it doesn't make me happy, it gets tossed. I also don't save a lot of scraps either.  Bling Side by Nancy Tim, on Flickr |
|
caangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,462
Location: So Cal
|
Post by caangel on May 3, 2022 23:29:25 GMT
For things that I want to keep but don't go with any other category (theme/collections), I put them into my color drawers. For a sheet of stickers or chipboard I will cut them apart as needed so everything can go into the proper color drawer.
|
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on May 4, 2022 0:16:37 GMT
The random stuff makes me crazy. Especially the stuff that's the wrong size to fit into whatever system/spot it should go into. I have no worthwhile advice, sorry. Good luck!
|
|
|
|
Post by refugeepea on May 4, 2022 0:48:11 GMT
So I guess my main tip is to set a storage space limit This is what helps me. I probably have too much of some things, but if it fits in the space, that's fine. Like grammadee I like options when I'm scrapping. |
|
scrapnnana
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,147
|
Post by scrapnnana on May 4, 2022 1:33:54 GMT
I sort my leftover bits and bobs by color, and keep them in bags. It makes the leftover bits easier to use on a card, page, or other project.
|
|
|
|
Post by cupcakepeddler on May 4, 2022 3:56:46 GMT
I used to buy whatever I wanted because it sparked joy, no whole collections or even a few pieces, nope just loose sheets of single paper and random sticker sheets so a lot of my much older stash is just random bits and pieces.
I started buying more collections and maybe a few pieces from the same collections a few years ago but recently I bought the last of a ladies stash and she was a collection scrapbooker and I now have a whole box of page protectors filled with many multiple pieces from a collection.
I have random bits and bobs everywhere and all over the place now.
I bought some of the photo storage cases and have been putting all the die cuts and embellishments into those in themes and colours and things like tags and journaling. It has helped with all the random packets of stuff that I have no matching papers for and all the left over bits that I can still see myself using. This system has helped a lot and my plan is to get a set of draws to use as a standing desk and have the whole top draw filled with those for easy access.
My stickers and embellishments are kept in a box on a shelf in themes so all easter is together and all baby is together etc.
I try and keep collections together for as long as possible before I add the, to the loose paper.
Its a struggle trying to find the perfect solution when you do have lots of stuff.
|
|
|
|
Post by lg on May 4, 2022 8:19:11 GMT
I got a large a4 folder, filled it with different sized card and coin pocket sleeves that I backed with white card, and cut apart all the random items left on sticker sheets and collected all the little die cuts and put them inside the pockets too (mostly arranged in broad themes like food/animals/Disney).
Donated anything I’m not going to use, and now I have one easy folder (LOVE VERTICAL STORAGE to save space) to look through that has all the random bits I have left if I need a small embellishment for a card/pocket page/layout. I now use up way more items then I ever did before trying to rifle through drawers filled with sticker sheets and random small bits.
All paper scraps are cut into 4x6”, 6x6” or 3x4” cards (I am mostly a pocket scrapper) that are kept in thin drawers in rainbow order. Anything smaller than those sizes are recycled, or if it is a scrap I LOVE I have one small zip lock pouch per colour for scraps (again stored in colour order) where they are kept. I found having everything in standard sizes means I use my scraps more as I look in them first for pages or to back things as I am lazy 😁
I noticed a HUGE improvement in my ability to use (and want to use) scraps making these two changes to my scrapping process.
|
|
Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,479
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
|
Post by Chinagirl828 on May 4, 2022 10:00:12 GMT
I almost never buy full collections or even close to it, so my storage is geared towards my style of mixing and matching everything. I keep one of those 4x6 iris photo cases on my desk which holds the super specific pieces, so if I need a bike or a kite or a typewriter or a clock or a robot or a cassette or a pot plant or a rainbow, that's where it will be. I found I ended up with a reasonable collection of food themed pieces so I pulled them out and put them into a little zip lock bag so they are easy to find. All the other die cuts/chipboard/acetate/vellum/stickers are cut up and put into their respective colour drawers.
If I only have a couple of pieces of something left that I'm sure I can use pretty quickly and that will easily be overlooked or lost in my colour containers, I will leave them on my desk so I see them for every layout I make. I had a few tiny puffy stickers that I kept there until I used them up, and right now I've got half a dozen tiny tags that are a great size for PL pockets but not much else. I try to keep only half a dozen items out like this, any more and it just turns into a pile that never gets looked at or used.
|
|
|
|
Post by mikklynn on May 4, 2022 11:49:17 GMT
I am much more likely to just toss those last bits of paper or stickers. For partially used sticker sheets, I'll cut off the images I am pretty certain I will use and put them with the closest theme or in my by color boxes. The rest, especially teeny tiny stickers or diecuts, go in the trash.
|
|
caangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,462
Location: So Cal
|
Post by caangel on May 4, 2022 14:26:52 GMT
I find it hard to trash perfectly good items that just don't work for me. I have a scrappy acquaintance who is on a tight budget and I always have a pile going for her. Makes purging things a lot easier.when I know it is going to someone who will use it. And if she doesn't I'll never know!
|
|
|
|
Post by scrappyrabbit on May 5, 2022 16:28:13 GMT
This tip only applies to stickers, but if I have a sticker sheet that is almost all used up and the rest are random or I just dont care for them anymore, I use them on outgoing mail (birthday cards, etc).
|
|
|
|
Post by infochick on May 5, 2022 19:20:09 GMT
If it's part of a collection I will keep it in a zip top bag with the rest of the collection. The other truly random bits get sorted by colour and put into 4x6 Iris cases. I pull from them when I need something in a specific colour or when I'm building a cluster base. Die cuts get put in as is, and I cut apart mostly used sticker sheets--one never knows when they will make use of a giant puffy avocado sticker.
|
|
PaperAngel
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,362
Jun 27, 2014 23:04:06 GMT
|
Post by PaperAngel on May 6, 2022 4:23:47 GMT
Since I exclusively scrapbook at home & don't use (&, therefore, don't buy) many embellishments, I simply don't have lots of "bits & bobs" to organize. Contents of chipboard sheets (ie pieces are individually punched out) & ephemera packs coexist in one 4x6 Iris photo case per manufacturer (except for Simple Stories that is further divided into labels, journaling spots, etc.). Paper scraps are stored in two stackable letter trays - one for solids & one for patterns/specialty. Shapes stamped/punched/diecut from small scraps are organized in a divided Artbin Solutions Box. I also have a designated donation box for unwanted paper scraps, chipboard pieces, stickers, etc. that is donated to a local after school art program for at-risk students. See this thread for organizations that accept papercrafting donations. Hope you find an organizational solution that works for you. |
|
|
|
Post by grammadee on May 6, 2022 15:15:33 GMT
Thanks for all the ideas, Peas! At the time I posted I had absolutely none. I really struggle with organization of little things. I am a "big picture" person. When I start sorting things into categories I tend to go too far and need way too many categories. For example, do I need a spot for star shapes? Or one each for large/medium/small stars? What about separating the small green ones from the purple ones? It is like stepping through the looking glass for me...
But your suggestions got me back to the overall organization of this room, and allowed me to divide the huge task of organizing it into manageable segments.
First: storage solutions. Turns out I have a couple of M's wood storage pieces from years ago.
*One is a magazine rack that was filled with magazines I never look at any more. Out went the magazines. It is now a rack for holding my sorted paper scraps that had been overflowing their tub on my counter. It looks better, and it takes up less space.
*I also have a 3 drawer cube that was sitting empty after I had this room renovated creating more under counter space. One of the drawers is divided into 16 cubes. I had to put the cube a little away from my counter, and wondered about how I would work with having my bits & pieces over there, but decided to order some wedding treat boxes that will fit into the spaces. I can label each cube, and if I need it at the counter, i can pull it out of the drawer, bring it over until I am done with it.
Second: Divide and conquer.
*I cleared the counter by putting everything into tubs to make room for the new rack and let me look at the WHOLE space. I know it won't stay that way, but it looks nice now.
*The scraps were already roughly sorted into colours, so I decided to take those on first. Colour by colour I started selecting the ones I honestly believed I would use, and I have been gradually getting those useful scraps into the sections of the magazine rack.
*The rack has 3 small drawers at its base, and I was able to use them for the tools, pens & brushes, and art crayons. Boom! Some more room on my counter top as that stuff was cleared away.
*I have to wait for the treat boxes to arrive, so it made sense to leave all the flotsum in a a couple of tubs and take it off my counter. I can sort those later. The tubs went onto a shelf in my closet which had been vacated by the repurposed cube. Right now I can pull one out if needed. They are kind of sorted by the last time I used the embellishments, and actually that is the way my brain works when I am looking for something, so if I do end up scrapping before I sort this stuff, I will still be able to pull out a tub and put my hands on what I need.
So I have a clean counter, and a plan. And the option to just start messing it all up again if I just want to play LOL. Should snap some pic's before that happens...
|
|
Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,479
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
|
Post by Chinagirl828 on May 6, 2022 23:17:22 GMT
It's tough because we all sort and organise based on our specific needs and ways of thinking and stash sizes, but it sounds like you've got a really great plan in place. I hope it works well for you.
|
|
cycworker
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,375
|
Post by cycworker on May 7, 2022 16:07:47 GMT
I am somewhere right in the middle between minimalist & maximalist. I definitely want options, and I buy what I think is pretty, regardless of having any thought to how to use it.
I no longer have the problem of wanting to sae things for the ‘perfect page.’ And I don’t keep small scraps. With leftover stickers, chipboard, & die cuts, I look at them & decide if I can imagine a page where I’ll use them. Or think to myself whether I can come up with a card idea for the item. If I can use it on a card, do that asap. If not, but I think it’ll work on a future page, I put it in my colour container with all my other loose stuff. If it is a sticker I will cut it off the big sheet, keeping the backing on.
I mostly do NOT sort by theme anymore, because I don’t scrap by theme. Everything opened is by colour. If it isn’t open yet (sticker book, for example) I have some good holders in my Kallax where I put the items.
I also have divided containers for things like Prima flowers, brads, buttons wood veneer. I have purged about half of my flowers, brads, and buttons. And maybe ¼ of the wood veneer.
I have found that setting an assigned amount of space for each category is REALLY helpful.
|
|
