Help Storing Paper

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mpizzazz
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Help Storing Paper

Post by mpizzazz »

I'm reorganizing all the scrapbook paper that I don't use. I have 12 drawers and want to fit all the 12 x12s, 8.5 x11s and scraps of each color in one drawer. Previously I have filed multi colored papers sort of randomly and stored most papers by their A sides. But looking at them now and how little I scrap maybe I should store by B sides which are usually more neutral and more useful in the travel journals I do use.

I do not normally buy papers by collections so keeping collections together as many people may do is not an option for me. Most of my paper is random stuff left from CS or from grab bags or bought a few sheets at a time from here and there.

What I'd really like to know is how do you all store those stripes or checks or other patterns that have equal amounts of different colors on them. Maybe I need a drawer of multi color papers that can be used with many different colors.

Thanks for any suggestions!
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pamcook
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Re: Help Storing Paper

Post by pamcook »

It's one of those things that slows me down when I sort paper. I have a very scientific process. I look at the paper and close the most dominant color or the color I'd be most likely to "need" (I honestly can't explain it better than that!).
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mpizzazz
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Re: Help Storing Paper

Post by mpizzazz »

pamcook wrote:It's one of those things that slows me down when I sort paper. I have a very scientific process. I look at the paper and close the most dominant color or the color I'd be most likely to "need" (I honestly can't explain it better than that!).
That is what I have done in the past, Pam, 'color I would most likely use' but I find myself wanting multi color papers more often now and I look through every drawer for them.

But this still works for the papers with a totally different bright color on the B side. The pinks and purples alway get ignored. :lol:
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Re: Help Storing Paper

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I have all of my solids by color family, and then the patterns are in large zip lock bags in a stand up file. All CS paper is by the B side because I really don't care for their patterns. All sold scraps are in one drawer, and all patterned scraps are in another. I purged a ton of scraps and was pretty ruthless about it. I love rambling through the patterns - it helps me choose things I wouldn't ordinarily think of using.
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mpizzazz
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Re: Help Storing Paper

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pbp908 wrote:I have all of my solids by color family, and then the patterns are in large zip lock bags in a stand up file. All CS paper is by the B side because I really don't care for their patterns. All sold scraps are in one drawer, and all patterned scraps are in another. I purged a ton of scraps and was pretty ruthless about it. I love rambling through the patterns - it helps me choose things I wouldn't ordinarily think of using.
Thanks, Pam. That's a good point about rambling through the papers to find something unexpected.
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Re: Help Storing Paper

Post by pamcook »

Another option is to have one category for "Multicolor". I might just start one myself. Like Pam said, flipping though that category might spark some inspiration.
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Keitha
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Re: Help Storing Paper

Post by Keitha »

I don't sort paper by color, but if I did wouldn't want those multicolor papers distributed throughout all the other drawers. I'd have a multicolor drawer, or if that's too vague maybe a couple of them, one for plaids and stripes - graphic patterns, and one for organic patterns that included florals, etc. As for sorting by B sides, I wouldn't unless you love that side and know you'd never use the A side. My reasoning: if I want yellow I'd rather use up a paper that's just yellow if I have one I like, rather than a multicolor paper I might use another way. Then if I don't have a yellow I'd go to the multicolours, either graphic or organic depending on the look I want, because even those b sides have a pattern.
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Re: Help Storing Paper

Post by mpizzazz »

Thanks for the thoughts! I have created a multi color drawer where I am throwing papers and paper pads that are hard to classify.

Another category I've been thinking of is thin papers. Coming from years of Club Scrap kits, so many papers are thick and make for very heavy journal pages. I often look for thinner papers to use instead. Even other manufacturers with two sided papers are thicker now. I never thought I would yearn for the old days of thin patterned papers with a white B side! But I've pulled out thinner more neutral papers to put in my journal making area.

All papers of whatever size plus scraps are now resting comfortably in my 12 drawers. A lot of scraps are in the recycling bin and a pile to go to the Boys and Girls Club. The tote that held about 50 lb. of scraps is empty ready for its next adventure. :cool5:
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Re: Help Storing Paper

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mpizzazz wrote:Thanks for the thoughts! I have created a multi color drawer where I am throwing papers and paper pads that are hard to classify.

Another category I've been thinking of is thin papers. Coming from years of Club Scrap kits, so many papers are thick and make for very heavy journal pages. I often look for thinner papers to use instead. Even other manufacturers with two sided papers are thicker now. I never thought I would yearn for the old days of thin patterned papers with a white B side! But I've pulled out thinner more neutral papers to put in my journal making area.

All papers of whatever size plus scraps are now resting comfortably in my 12 drawers. A lot of scraps are in the recycling bin and a pile to go to the Boys and Girls Club. The tote that held about 50 lb. of scraps is empty ready for its next adventure. :cool5:
Congratulations! Doesn't it feel good to make such progress?
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Re: Help Storing Paper

Post by Keitha »

For some reason I'm seeing a lot of discussion about thin papers lately. Tracie on the scrap gals, after adamantly insisting for years that she'd never again buy/use thin paper, has confessed that she wants that now to make travelers notebook inserts, same as you want thinner papers for your journals. Today, I went hunting in my file of Textures and Background papers specifically for thin papers to make envelopes out of. What goes around comes around.
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Re: Help Storing Paper

Post by mpizzazz »

Keitha wrote:For some reason I'm seeing a lot of discussion about thin papers lately. Tracie on the scrap gals, after adamantly insisting for years that she'd never again buy/use thin paper, has confessed that she wants that now to make travelers notebook inserts, same as you want thinner papers for your journals. Today, I went hunting in my file of Textures and Background papers specifically for thin papers to make envelopes out of. What goes around comes around.
Guess I should pay more attention to the Scrap Gals discussion. Then I wouldn't feel so weird about some of these ideas I get. While I'll happily cover a journal with heavier paper and use it for pocket pages, it really is overkill for pages you just want to write on. And so true about making envelopes!

I ended up pulling the thin papers from each color drawer and putting them together on the top of the 12 x 12 stack in the drawer. So, now I know where they are. Lots of neutrals, I pulled out to add to the journal cupboard.

Our stashes are constantly changing as our interests change!
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Re: Help Storing Paper

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Marianne - you hit the nail on the head. I think "organizing" is such a popular topic because it should change as our interests change. There's no such thing as a perfect system that works for everyone all the time. I love hearing storage solutions!
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Re: Help Storing Paper

Post by jfugina »

I've organized and re-organized papers so many times it makes my head spin. But the current "system" I have going is something I haven't been frustrated with and haven't wanted to change every year, so I guess it works well for me.

1. Solid, or mostly solid paper (including the B side of club scrap stock) is hanging from a pegboard rack that came from JoAnn when it was relocating. I have a 12x12 rack and an 8.5x11 rack. Those racks are sorted by color family. What's been great about that, is that I haven't gone out and bough solid stock for well over 5 years, because it's right there in front of my face and I have loads of every color.

2. Layout kits that haven't been put together are still in their original plastic, in a vertical file folder. Those are stored with completed empty layouts.

3. The rest is sorted by mostly by manufacturer in hanging file folders in a wheeled cart with a large black bin. I have two of those. I did it that way so I could keep collections together (including the paper slabs). The exceptions to that are Christmas and Baby. I've got everything Christmas, regardless of manufacturer, in one hanging folder. And I've got enough baby stuff to warrant its own folder too. And striped paper, regardless of manufacturer, has its own folder. That's something that came about when I started using mostly Scrapbook Generation sketches, since those usually called for striped paper, and I'd spend way more time than I cared to trying to find a complementary striped paper.

4. Club Scrap 8.5x11 are in a basket off by themselves. The reason those were never integrated into my pegboard rack of solids is that there's just too much of it. If there was anything I would change about my paper storage strategy, it would be this cardstock. I don't use 8.5x11 hardly at all, and have far too much of it.

While this mostly works for me, I may be due for a slight tweak in my strategy. My craft room has recently had to become home to some additional types of craft storage, and I need to become more efficient about my existing stash.
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Re: Help Storing Paper

Post by paddlegal »

This is a great topic.

Years ago when I broke apart all of my CS papers by colors caused a bit of a flap on that board. :lol: But I have found it so liberating to have done that.

12 X 12 solids are organized by color in large vertical open organizers and sit exposed in a large bookcase system. Then the printed 12 X 12s are similarly organized by the base colors next to the solids. Specialty 12 X 12s (metallics, pearl finishes, vellums etc) colorized the same way. 8.5 X 11s are the same but are stored flat above the 12 X 12s. I use these the most for card making and they too are out in the open. The 12 X 12s are mainly used for KNK projects. I also have many pre-cut A2 size card stock at the ready in the same area.

Paper pads and single sheets: Many of my paper pads are organized by company...G45, Authentique and so on. But many of them are single pads so they are stored at the bottom of my shelving randomly. Single sheets I've bought or pulled out of the pads are just lumped together and I have fun exploring this pile and all the others as well looking for inspiration. And as mentioned, this usually steers me in a different direction than I started by rediscovering a paper I totally forgot about.

The most important thing to me is that all my paper is visible. If it's out in the open, I'll use it. Closed away in a drawer or cupboard and I'll forget about it. Same is true for stamps and dies. See it - Use it.
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Re: Help Storing Paper

Post by pbp908 »

I knew where everything was until the Demon Spawn kitten came to live with me. Now I'm either hiding it or picking it up from the floor. :lol:

Farley, I caught it when I broke my kits down, too. You would have thought I'd kidnapped a small child or something equally heinous.
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