Scrapropos

As scrapbookers many of us suffer from a slight addiction to paper. Asking us to throw away even the smallest piece of paper can bring on a bout of panic and anxiety. So what do we use these paper scraps for? Well, if they’re not organized, they’re probably not being used at all.

So your Weekly Wednesday Challenge is to get those paper scraps organized!

Save only “worthwhile” scraps.
My rule of thumb is to save paper only if it is at least 3″ X 3″. Smaller scraps head to the recycling bin. Make your decision based on what size scraps you’d be apt to use in upcoming layouts.

Organize your papers for ease of use.
There are a number of different ways you can organize your papers. I prefer to organize by color. You can also organize by the type of paper: card stock, vellum, patterned paper, etc. If you have a lot of patterned paper scraps you might want to organize them by theme.

Gather necessary tools to help you organize.
Figure out what organizational system will work best for the type of scrapbooker you are. If you’re an “on the go” scrapper you may want an easy to carry expanding file that can travel with you to crops. If you have a scrapbook room you may want to use a filing system. I use a plastic file box that accommodates hanging files. If you are using files you will need to pick up file folders that work in the system you have chosen.

Label, Label, Label
I wouldn’t survive without my labeler. Labels help you remember where things go and just makes you feel more organized. Label your files or the sections of your expandable file box and sort your papers into their proper places. As your scrap pile grows, into their files they go.

Now that your scrap papers are organized, think of ways you can use them.
I use my scraps in a number of ways. I like to make greeting cards and scraps are perfect for this. They’re also great for cutting out letters, as mattes for photos and for punching or die-cutting page accents. Sometimes you just need a little extra “something” on your page…maybe it’s a border strip, some punched squares or circles, or a tag. In all of these situations, page scraps are often just enough for what you need. Why cut into a 12 X 12 sheet of paper when you have all those scraps laying around?

Organizing Your Ribbon for Scrapbooking Creating a Ribbon Box

OK…so there are a gagillion tutorials out there for making your own ribbon storage box. I like this one because (1) you could really follow the method with any similar sized and weight box and (2) it does not require any tools fancier than a hole punch and (3) the cost is low enough, even made with the recommended boxes, that you could make up a whole bunch of these.

Looking at the picture, I bet you could even take some 12×12 card stock and make something pretty cute that would work the same way. I may have to try it later.

Technorati Tags: scrapbook, scrapbooking, journaling, scrapbook layouts, scrapbook projects

For a couple of years, I’ve been storing my miscellaneous ABCs in a jar. It looked artsy and fun sitting on the shelf, but it was useless as far as efficiency goes. To find letters, I’d have to dump the jar out and sort through the pile. Inevitably, letters would fall to the floor, down the air vent, or behind my desk.

Last month (I think it was in Creating Keepsakes magazine), I saw an idea that made me finally do something about my alphabet chaos! The article suggested using a sleeve mini photo album to sort and store your ABCs. I immediately went on a hunt for an appropriate album. (Appropriate meaning: inexpensive. LOL!) I stumbled on the perfect one at Hobby Lobby.

It’s made by S.E.I. and retails for $3.99. I actually bought two of them, combined both books’ worth of page protectors into one, and stuffed it full of letters. (The other one became the Flat Stanley album I posted about Monday.)

I think I’ll love this new system, and I KNOW I’ll use my letters more often now.
And I can totally see myself doodling this book up like crazy.
The pages are side loading, and sealed on three sides. So when the book standing on its end like this, nothing will fall out.

S.E.I., alphabet storage, scrapbooking

A few years ago, I was a kitchen table scrapbooker. After that, Darren built shelves for me in a hall closet - I could just open the door and pull up a chair. And so I know I should feel so very, very happy about having an actual scraproom now. But I still find myself dreaming of something different.

The room I work in is tiny. It was once a screened porch on the back of the house, and measures about 6′ x8′. I have every square inch of that room filled with stuff; even one of the windows is covered! I’m about to go vertical, in the form of a pot rack hanging from the ceiling above my desk.

In many ways, my small space is perfect because everything I need is at my fingertips, and anything I *don’t* need stays at the store. Having so little room makes me be pretty choosy about I allow myself to bring home. My room is also perfectly situated between our family room and the kitchen, making it the center of my family’s activity. And its windows look out over the backyard, which comes in handy for when the boys want to play outside.

Even so, I dream about a different space - a dedicated studio - sitting where my dilapidated garage is now. We’d construct a new garage, and attached to it would be a cottage-style studio space, with a stone path leading from the backdoor of my house. I imagine English Ivy growing up the sides of the building, a sitting porch on the balcony above. It’d have shutters and a lot of character - a funky front door and lots of windows.

Inside, the cozy space would feature my work desk facing the center of the room, not pushed against a wall. Around the walls to the side and behind my desk would be built-in bookcases with open shelves where I could display the little things that make me smile, as well as the jars and baskets and bins of colorful scrapbooking doodads that inspire me. Beneath the open shelves would be enclosed cabinets where I could hide the workhorses and tools of my trade: pages, punches, alphabets, etc.

There would be at least one super comfy chair in the corner facing my desk, with a reading lamp and a soft throw tossed over the side; there, I’d read my magazines and books. The room would be outfitted with music and speakers built in to the walls, and a speaker system that would connect me to the family across the lawn.

The colors would be rich and warm - golden honey, reds, maybe some mossy greens and browns thrown in. I’d have a huge round clock on one wall, and lots of whimsy throughout.

Upstairs, the room would extend above the garage and provide ample space for multiple tables so that friends could come and crop with me. There would be skylights and picture windows to let the sunshine in, and track lighting for late-night crops. The space would be outfitted with a tiny dorm-sized kitchen - just enough space for a mini-fridge and a microwave. And there would be Murphy Beds here and there so that room could be converted to guest quarters when needed.

Like I said, a girl can dream. Until the Money Fairy decides to alight on our doorstep, it’s just a dream.
In the meantime, I think I’ll make the best of what I’ve got. It’s what I’ve always done, and it’s always worked well for me!
I have honey-golden paint chips from Lowes, and a brush or two in the garage.