Cardstock Organization

These are the new Jetmax cubes for organizing your scrapbook paper.  They are designed to house your 12" x 12" cardstock or patterned papers in 12" x 12" hanging file folders.  The 12" x 12" hanging file folders are quite expensive (6 for approx. $10 if I remember correctly).  Each cube comes with 6 of them which will get you started.  I decided that I really needed a permanent home for my 8 1/2" x 11" Stampin' Up! cardstock, but 11" wide hanging folders are too small.  I asked my husband to drill 4 new holes in the sides and make the bars slightly lower to fit my colour tabs.  If you use these cubes for 12" x 12", the tabs do not fit as those hanging folders fit just perfectly snug in the cubes.  I highly recommend these cubes.

Ideas

Wow it has been a while since my last post!  As soon as the nice weather hits you'll find me in my garden.  I feel like my scrapbook room has been neglected, so I'll start with a fresh post!

In this cube, along with my clear mount stamp and embellishment binders, I have my idea binder.  Which is grouped into sections.

In the front I have all my general layout ideas that I got from places like 'Page Maps'.  The next tab is ideas about things I'd like to Scrapbook.  I'll write things like "Trip to Jamaica" and maybe sketch out something I want to see in my layout or techniques or products I'd like to use.  In the next section I'll stuff in ads of products I like or things they do.  Next I'll write out steps for techniques.  Then the next section is where I post other peoples layouts that I like for inspiration. 

The last section is for card ideas.  When I make a card I always seem to start with a stamp set in mind then go from there.  This section is laid out by stamp set name, this way when I'm stuck for an idea for a card I can go to that exact set and get inspiration.

Punches

I did have my punches in a drawer in one of the cubes, but it wasn't working for me.  They were taking up valuable real estate, so I went searching for a better idea.  I've seen many websites where people use these Kitchen Rails from Ikea.  I didn't want them mounted on the wall as I'm not big on having a cluttered space even if it looks organized.  I always think about resale value of my home and if we decide to sell and the people looking at the house aren't scrapbookers, then they just see the holes in the walls they are going to have to repair.  Or the holes we'd have to repair before putting it up for sale.  I like it being on the door as when it's closed it's pretty and when it's open it's functional.  I bought the matching longer basket to hold the new EK Slimline Punches too.  I prefer these bigger punches and I will be buying more of them before SU! switches to the slimline version, so I foresee getting more of these rails very soon.

General Update

I just started having classes in my Scrapbook Room, so I had to rearrange the furniture to accomodate 4 people (or just me as my stuff just seems to spread as I get into a project.  I've also started an orchid collection.  They need lots of sunlight and seem to like it at the end of the table.

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.