Great Organization Blog

After searching some ideas on Google I found this great blog.  you have to check it out!

http://craftystorage.blogspot.com/

Die Cutting Supplies

The first die cutting machine I got was a digital one, so I don't have a large collection of dies.  Before becoming a SU! demo, I only had Quickutz dies and Cuttlebug Embossing Folders.  Now I have Sizziz, sizzlets, Originals and Bigz dies so more storage method for these will evolve.  For now here is how I store my dies.

I keep all my platforms, cutting pads, Texturz Plates and large dies in this basket on my Expedit book case.  I'm sure I'll have to change this method as my collection grows.

I use this Quickutz All-in-one Binder to store all my thin dies and embossing folders.  This binder then goes on the Expedit book case.

I couldn't find anything to fit my embossing folders that fit in this binder so I took regular sheet protectors you would get at an office supply store, cut then to size from the top opening, then used a melting tool to create a seam.

For the smaller embossing folders, sizzlit dies, and embosslit dies, I cut reguular baseball card holders to size.

I bought the Quickutz magnetic sheets for this binder to hold my cookie cutter and other thin metal dies.  I like how easily it is to see which ones I have.

These 2x2 alphabet dies came with the holder, but you can purchase more.

They also have 4x8 die holder sheets.  They have 4x4 ones too, but since I only have 2 dies that size, I've just been using these 4x8 ones for now.

And finally they have ones for your border dies.  Each border die holder has 3 slots, 1 for wide border dies and 2 for the regular ones.  My only beef is that all my dies are wide so my top slots are empty.

Non-Visible Embellishment Storage

I have 4 containers like the one above.  2 are from Dollarama and the others are from Wal-mart.  I would have continued buying the one from Dollarama, but they stopped making them.  I try to organize by colour, size and finish (metallic, sparkly, etc) I like these containers as they store nicely in the smaller drawers in the cubes and travel well also.  I like that each colour can be in it's own container.  I did have my brads and eyelets in a container that stacked (see below), but these did not travel or store well.  They fell apart really easily in my rolling tote and I'd spend the first 20 mins of a crop picking up tiny eyelets and brads.

When I first started scrapbooking I used a lot of stickers.  I would take these out of the packages and store in a binder.  I used baseball card sleeves to seperate the small ones and regular sheet protectors for the big ones.  This binder then sits with my stamp binder and stencil binder.

I store all my letters and numbers in a drawer by itself.  I don't have a lot of these so I find this method works for me.

I store my buttons by colour in a fishing tackle container.  I'm not a fan of looking at plastic containers so I store any of these in a cube along the wall or in the closet.

Tools

Now I have to admit, I do have my tools scattered over my room and with good reason.  I keep the tools I travel with in my AMM Tote-ally Cool Tote 2.  They are easy to get at and easy to travel with.  It comes with a swivel base which is a nice feature.  I just pull it down when I'm scrapbooking and put it back on the shelf when I'm not.  I love having a clean table when I'm not working.  And yes my room looks like it does in the General View Post whenever I'm not working.  I have a tad bit of OCD :)

I have the Jetmax version of the carousel on my desk all the time.  It has my scissors, adhesive, pens, pencils, tag maker, etc in it.  These items stay in my room even when I'm travelling.

Then for the bulkier items like my Circle Scissors Plus, Powder Pals trays, Embossing Gun, etc. I keep them in the drawers of the cubes.

For my extra adhesives, staples, sponges, etc. they go in the drawer with the seperators in them.

Visible Embellishment Storage

When I talk about embellishments I'm talking about buttons, stickers, rub-ons, pre-cut die shapes, tags, flowers, rhinestones, etc.  I store these items in 2 major different ways; visable and non-visable.  I store all my flowers in the containers they were bought in on the top shelf, then underneath I have an in-expensive curtain rod I got from IKEA.  It is customizable to the exact length you want.  Remember when purchasing a hanging system like a curtain rod and hooks not to buy one that involves taking off the rod evrey time you want to add a new embellishment to it.  You want to get one that has hooks instead of rings.  I store any embellishments that come in a flat package, in their original packaging, hanging from this wire rod.  Some people like the deskop "Clip-it-up" version from Simply Renee, but I prefer mine up and off the table.  I group them mostly by manufacturer so that when I pull out a paper divider (as shown in my Patterned Paper post) I can easily get the matching embellishments to go with it.  Sometimes I buy kits with PP and the matching embellishmens and it will come with stickers or die cuts that are on a 12" x 12" sheet.  These sheets get stored with the PP as they do no fit depth wise from the hanging wire rod.

Ink Pad Storage

I've had multiple people ask me where I got my Ink Pad Storage Unit from.  It is a custom made unit, but here are some ideas for store bought items.

1.  Check out http://www.organizemore.com/ I beleive they are located in Tennessee, but I think they ship anywhere in North America.
2.  If you have an old cassette organizer, it will fit SU! or similar sized pads.
3.  I highly recommend SU! table top organizer if you do not have wall space.
4.  There are people on ebay selling handmade units they've built in their garages/shops.  Have a look under Rubber Stamping or Scrapbooking then Organization.
5.  You can have a look at this website for ideas, but I think the shipping might be astronomical since they are in the UK http://www.inkylicious.co.uk/

Hope that helps!

Stamps

I store my SU! wood mount stamps in my closet on the middle shelf for easy access.  I love my stamps, but I don't find them to be that attractive of a home decor piece and since I do have a bit of training in Interior Decorating, I'm always thinking about design whether it be on my scrapbook page or in my home.  I store my acrylic stamps in a binder for easy access and quick review.

Every time I get a new wood mount stamp set, I copy the label sheet and place in my stamp binder so that I don't have to pull out the SU!containers to see what I have.  If I buy a single wood mount stamp I stamp the image and label it on a blank sheet and put in the binder.

When I buy some of the smaller discount acrylic stamps I put them in baseball card holders in the stamp binder.

For all my other cling mount/acrylic stamps I bought overhead projector sheets for the office supply store, cleaned them with isopropyl alcohol to remove the anti-static agent and put them in my stamp binder.  I put a sheet of white paper between each sheet of stamps to help me see them better.