| If you are into scrapbooks, stamping, or other types of | | | | combinations of colors, such as red/green, as well as a |
| papercrafting, you most likely have quite alot of one | | | | separate pile for straight red and a separate pile for |
| thing: paper. Since I have so much paper, I used to | | | | straight green. |
| have a terrible time trying to organize it all. I used to | | | | Store It! |
| just store it in a drawer and would have to hunt | | | | Now let's find a good method of storage. One great |
| around through the stack whenever I was looking for | | | | method is to use the large ziploc freezer bags. These |
| paper. Eventually I started using a couple of far more | | | | bags are very large square baggies that can hold |
| efficient methods for storage that looks beautiful and | | | | 12x12 paper. Make sure you get the heaviest ones you |
| lets me pick out the perfect paper in a matter of | | | | can and ones that have the little plastic zipper at the |
| seconds. Allow me to share with you my experience. | | | | top of them. I once bought the non zipper kind of bags |
| Most of my paper comes in 12x12 blocks perfect for | | | | and they kept popping back open when I shuffled stuff |
| large style scrapbooks. I also have a fair bit of 8.5x11 | | | | around. I ended up just switching them out for the |
| paper that is your normal letter sized paper. The paper | | | | zipper ones. |
| I buy for my scrapbooking tends to be the 12x12 and it | | | | Another great method for storing your paper is with |
| does not fit properly into a standard file cabinet like my | | | | the rubbermaid or clearview style plastic drawers. |
| letter paper would. When I buy the paper, it's usually in | | | | These translucent drawers are everywhere |
| big paks, all shrink-wrapped up in a bundle. This saves | | | | nowadays. They are affordable and they are often |
| alot of money and I get all sorts of wonderful paper | | | | stackable. The drawers are actually available in 12x12 |
| from buying it this way. However, once the | | | | size and can fit large scrapbook paper perfectly. I |
| shrink-wrap is off, the paper is just loose and really | | | | have 3 sets of 3 drawers each that are stacked up |
| requires a good storage solution. | | | | beside my crafting station. That gives me 9 different |
| Organize It! | | | | drawers full of different colored paper that I can sort |
| The first thing I do when I unwrap my paper is | | | | through very easily. |
| organize it. The scrapbook paper tends to often only | | | | I hope these ideas have inspired you to organize your |
| be imprinted on one side so I make sure all the paper | | | | own collection of paper. Take the time and plan on |
| is facing the same direction if it's imprinted paper. Once | | | | spending a few hours going through all your paper, |
| I have it all going in the same direction I organize it by | | | | facing it the right direction, and organizing it into color |
| color. How many colors you use depends on how | | | | coordinated piles. After you are done you will take |
| much paper you have. If you only have a few hundred | | | | pride in a job well done and you will thank yourself time |
| sheets then maybe the 3 primary colors will be | | | | and time again every time you reach for a piece of |
| sufficient. If your like me though, go ahead and make | | | | paper. |
| piles for all the colors. I actually now have piles for | | | | |