Organization

I make cards, not layouts, but I do one thing that might be useful to other people. Definitely not the first to have this idea but I store my die cuts in pocket pages in a binder. I use Doodlebug die cuts that usually go together in specific ways - a few characters/objects that relate to a few specific puns, so I realized I need to store them together so I didn't have to continually sort them. And Doodlebug gives you a LOT of die cuts, about 100 in each pack and I get the characters and the "chit chat" so that's 200-odd die cuts to sort for each collection. Now I have them in unused pocket pages where each pocket basically represents a card I can make.

I add post-it notes if there's something from another collection that could be used with something else (I have a business so I have to keep careful track of what I use for the taxman, so I don't like to mix up collections). I've started keeping the cardboard packaging between each collection so I can double check and account for each item. It's also a good quick reference.

It's changed the way I work because I used to push myself to make as many cards as possible and then put the leftovers away, which would stop any momentum and I'd have to resort everything when I started again. But now I can page through the binder and decide I want to make a So Much Pun "whisking you a happy birthday" card and see all the baking implements and possible sentiment die cuts with a note that there are more whisks in Cream & Sugar.

Setting it up was also pretty quick and I can pull stuff out and play with it and if nothing is working it's easy enough to slip it back into the pocket.

Most of my other organization relies on having very little stash. I actually get frustrated sometimes because all the organizing advice assumes you have tons of each thing. I only have 2 or 3 of most things (like Nuvo drops or inks) so I can't have a drawer for each category of thing, even if I had drawers. And I can't organize my paper into themes because I usually only have a small amount (sometimes only a 1/2" stack, although right now I'm overstocked and have a half-full Iris case). It's a different kind of challenge.

I just bought one of the smaller Alex drawer units so I'm happy to see the tips in this thread. My desk doesn't have drawers, so I've had to have all of my most-used tools, etc. on my desktop, which I hate, so I'm happy to finally be putting all of that stuff into the drawers, which I'll put under my desk on my right.

I agree with Don, organizing is easy, it's maintaining that's hard. That's my main problem - I work on a project and make a huge mess, stuff ends up all over the floor and every surface, and then I don't bother putting everything away before my next project. However, like Embri said, I have to make my room work for me, so that it's easier to put stuff away than to leave it all over the place. That's my goal this weekend. I'm super psyched now.

I also really liked what Janet from RTS said, she said that "this paper is story paper and this paper is not." So I think of my loose (like one of's kind of paper) in terms of that. Much easier to organize, will this paper help me tell the story, or is it just pretty?

I sort my paper in a 2 drawer unit I've had for forever, one drawer holds cardstock sorted ROYGBIV, the other holds my patterned paper which has no order to it, just everything mixed up together.

I have two vintage tool drawer sets on my desktop which hold smaller things like rubons, tags/envelopes/pockets, and washi/border stickers/border strips, which all have their own drawers. There is no further sorting in those drawers. Brads and enamel dots are sorted by colour within their respective drawers. I keep all my stickers/die cuts/rubber pieces/vellum/other random stuff like this sorted by colour in small containers within these drawers. I actually cut apart my sticker sheets once I've used them a few times to store them this way and I've found it really helps me to use up the random bits that I might have overlooked because I wouldn't have thought of a specific collection for the page I'm working on.

I have separate drawers for Christmas and travel, the only two themes to get their own drawer. My smaller and most commonly used tools are in one drawer (things like palette knives, journaling pens, my CM circle cutters and blades, eyelet setter, exacto knife, paintbrushes). Bigger tools, including punches, my cutting mat, texture paste, and stamping platform live in my desk drawers.

I keep my 3x4 and 4x6 cards separated in two drawers, one for journaling cards (which is where I also keep all my label stickers/die cuts), and one for the cards which are either just patterned or have phrases on them. There's no further organisation in either of those, they're simply stacks in the drawer.

My ink pads live in the drawers on my desk but my stamps outgrew their drawer so are currently stored in a photo box. I have another drawer unit beside my desk which holds my mists, alphas, and scraps. Cardstock and patterns are separated into two separate drawers, but again there's no further organisation. Alphas are sorted ROYGBIV but I'll admit they've also outgrown their space so currently the black and white ones are living in an iris container on the couch in my scrap room since they're the ones I reach for most frequently.

I keep new purchases that aren't paper on my desk until I've used them at least once, sometimes more, before they get sorted into my stash.

I love this.  Esp. the lazy clean up.  I need to store more by bin, I think.  It's hard though when you are limited by space.  I really need to start using up my stash so I can free up some real estate!