Organize Your Stuff Challenge - Week 11

Hellllllooooo, scrappers! Welcome to Week 11 - now that we have your alphas all neat and tidy, we're going to work on getting those NON-ALPHA stickers and rub ons organized. This Challenge should be pretty quick and easy - even for those of you who are swimming in stickers.

First off - this is a great, and I repeat - GREAT time to purge. I'm sure you have some Sandylion sheets from 1984 lying in your stash somewhere. Give them to the kids, let them decorate the dog. Are you really going to use those fuzzy "Princess" stickers on ANY of your layouts for your 4 boys? Give them to a friend. Remember - the fewer stickers you have, the fewer you'll have to put away (or sort through looking for the right one!).

Once again, I'm combining stickers and rub ons in the same category. Because I feel they're essentially the same thing. There's only a few ways to organize them - by theme, manufacturer, or design element (ie, accents, journaling, borders, etc). Go with how your creative mind works when you scrap - do you look for a journaling box or a princess crown? Once you figure that out, then you can move on to WHAT to store them in.

Below is my link list for the week of storage options for stickers and rub ons. Please note that the links I posted are intended to give you a visual idea of what it is I'm talking about - it doesn't mean I endorse the product or the store.

Acid free envelopes

Cropper Hopper Paper/Sticker Binder (PSB): http://www.amazon.com/Style-Sticker-3-Ring-Zippered-Binder/dp/B00164ABF8

Magazine or paper files

Multi-drawer chests: http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.jsp?CATID=cat2051&PRODID=xprd74098

On hooks on pegboard or slatwall

Sticker Stadium: http://www.stickerstadium.com/

3-ring notebook with page protectors

Clip-It-Up: http://www.clipitup.com/ They have the original, plus some new variations released at CHA. One of the best tips, tho - if you Google "homemade clip it up" you will find hundreds, if not thousands, of web pages from crafty scrapbookers who have devised their own systems, from spinning racks to wall-mounted rods. If you like things hanging from hooks, where you can see your entire stash, this is a great solution. You can also use rings instead of clip hooks, I love this solution: http://pinkpaislee.wordpress.com/2009/03/16/alphabet-storage/ and this one too: http://outtathisfunk.blogspot.com/2008/01/sticker-gripper.html

Hanging file folders

Expandable file

Stacked in baskets or bins

ScrapRack: http://www.thescraprack.com/

Cropper Hopper divided storage box: http://www.hancockfabrics.com/Cropper-Hopper-Divided-Storage-Box---Frost-9-Hx15-5-Wx9-25-D-Storage_stcVVproductId47596073VVcatId539864VVviewprod.htm

Whichever method you go with - make sure it accommodates your current AND future stash, makes sense with your scrapping methods, protects your stickers and rub ons, and is easy to flip through to get what you want!

My solution has worked for me for about 10 years now, I haven't had a need to change it. I use good ol' PSBs, with my stickers and rub-ons divided up by themes - such as boy, baby, nature, celebrations, etc. If there is no true theme, then I file it under accents. I just keep the PSBs in a cabinet with the spines labeled with small tags. The interiors are further divided up by labeled dividers if I have more than one theme in a binder.

In closing, I want to add my 10 rules for organizing. I'm going to post these at the end of every challenge, because I think they are very, very important. I want you to keep them in mind as you tackle each of these projects - they will make your life easier and the task less daunting.

1. Label your containers.

2. Be consistent in your methods.

3. Don't be too specific - your search for your items within your space should be short and simple.

4. Your organizational method should be easy to take out AND put away.

5. When organizing, break any large piles into smaller groupings. Have a 2 foot tall stack of paper to sort? Do it in 1" high chunks, it will be easier to handle mentally.

6. If it's something that you use on almost every project, then keep it within reach of your main scrap area.

7. Don't stress your containers. Get a new system or purge your stash.

8. For most items, product packaging adds bulk. Toss it. With once exception - rub ons.

9. Repurpose when you can - almost anything can be painted or covered in paper/fabric.

10. THE GOLDEN RULE - FIRST choose an organizational method, THEN choose a container that fits your space and style. Always shop for containers with a list in hand - a beautiful container is simply clutter if it doesn't have a dedicated purpose in your space!

Your sticker and rub on collection is no longer in a heap on the floor. Yay! Now go de-sticker the poor dog and I'll see you back here for Week 12, it's ribbon time!

Stacy