How to Store and Organize Paper and Scraps: Craft Room Organization Part 2
Hello, Friends! Today you’re invited back into my studio to see How to Store and Organize Paper and Scraps. This is another installment in my Craft Room Organization Series. Last month I shared tips and tricks for ribbon storage. Y’all enjoyed that series so much that you asked me to share more storage and organization ideas with you.
Your number one request was for paper storage ideas and solutions, so that is what we will be tackling today. I’ll also provide links to paper storage tools that I enjoy using in my studio below this post.
I hope you will join me in my studio again today!
Organization Tips
Have you ever noticed that everyone has their own system for organizing a kitchen? Well, the same holds true in your studio. What works for me won’t necessarily work for you. But there are a few general tips that I think work across the board, so I’ll share them here.
- Keep your papers stored in a way that makes them easy to access. If you can’t get to them, you won’t use them. And that’s kind of the whole point, isn’t it?
- Group cardstock paper scraps by color and by size. This makes them quick and easy to find, and you’ll be more likely to use them.
- Create a place for everything, and keep everything in its place. This way, you’ll be able to find it!
- Label your paper folders with Post-It tape. You’ll be able to tell what’s in a paper storage box, but if you need to change things up, the label removes easily.
I share more helpful tips in the video.
What storage solution are you the most interested in hearing about? If you leave me a comment below, I’ll put it on the list!
Thanks for stopping by, friends!
Cheerio,
kathy
FAVORITE PAPER STORAGE SOLUTIONS
- Storage Studios Paper Holders (These are my favorite.)
- Totally Tiffany Paper Storage Boxes
- Storage Studios Paper Files
- Iris Cart
- Scrap Storage
My problem us keeping everything in its place! Thank you so much for these wonderful tips! Hugs!
You know I have my card in colour coded boxes, of course! Unfortunately they are down low in a cupboard (all heavy stuff is kept low, be it tools, some foods or arty gear), 2 stacks in 12 x 12 plastic boxes, so a bit of a pain if the colour I want is on the bottom as they all have to come out! I agree, I cannot work in a mess, I guess it comes from my workplace ethics where everything had to be clean, sterilised and tidy at the end of the day. Hopefully one day not too far away I get to have an art room too and can access everything easily. I can imagine my husband building lots and lots of shelves! Last week the die cutting gear neatly lined up on one sofa, mat, papers, inks and the working piece on the dining able and standard equipment kit on the opposite sofa while husband was away. It was a chance to spread out and was productive! It had to be cleaned up as soon as he arrived back on board, such is life.
We have been having glorious weather here in the Whitsunday Islands, makes it good to be alive. Thankyou for tour 2 of your studio, love it!
Oh, yes….I have a separate case labeled “Alice”!
Love seeing your studio, Kathy, and hearing how it works for you. I don’t have many supplies like inks, etc., but I keep my paper in 14″ x 14″ x 3″ storage cases, arranged by subject matter: children, calendar, holidays, western, outdoors, birthdays, etc.. Needless to say, they are pretty stuffed and I’ve had to start new cases for a particular subject. Each case is labeled by subject and has a number on it, and then I have a master sheet identifying in which number/case to find a particular subject and what paper is in that case. Also have another master list by paper company, so I don’t buy something twice! The cases are stored on Origami steel racks. Not very attractive, but everything is in the guest room and can be moved out when company arrives. Now, I just need to start using up more paper!
Thank you for your tips on paper storage!!! I, too, love the plastic envelopes to hold a complete line of stuff. I recently found some folders on Amazon and also on Scrapbook.com. They weren’t all clear, but colors didn’t bother me!!!
I love your “store it for how you work” attitude. Thank you for helping me sort through my “I can buy it faster than I can use it” room of treasures!!!
Hello dear Kathy, luv your tips for paper storage today! Like you, I have 2 iris carts under my work table without rollers for my collections of paper! And under my mom’s tall island table several of just the plastic individual boxes (from Hobby Lobby) that stacks 2 more rows (about 10) of more paper collections! But luv your .25 container for all the little scraps of plain cardstock. My cardboard box (twice the size of yours) cardstock scraps is just about to pop out all over the place! Way too many scraps! I’ll be watching for one like yours! Luv it! That way I’ll have to purge often! And I have that exact same brown holder you have on your table for the larger scraps …which is a great idea too! Now, mine is going on my work table (have to clean it out first, lol) and using it like you have! Luv that tip too! Your room is so beautiful and organized and such a labor of luv! And I too now, luv cleaning up after a finished project (thanks to you) …see I listen, lol! …it’s the final thing to do, like icing on a cake! Take pictures and done. It does so much help! And so ready for the next time …you can just jump right in! Oh yes …Hobby Lobby also sells those Darius individual plastic envelope pkgs called Paper Studio or something …or they used to! They are cutting way back on all their scrapbook things now in our area! Grrrr! Thanks for sharing your studio and tips today! Big hugs, Suzy Q
Really appreciate and enjoy these organizing videos! Worked on my ribbon storage last week – huge improvement! I am currently re-evaluating my storage and craft space now that we’ve been in the house a year to make it more efficient. These tips are timely and oh-so helpful!!
I love a good craft room tour! My paper storage system is very similar to yours. My problem is I’ve bought way more than I can ever use, and I do purge from time to time, but there’s so much beautiful paper!!! I love the artistry that goes into the beautiful creations of the European companies. Thanks for the tidbit about the hand sanitizer. I was ready to throw out my cutting mat because I couldn’t get the glue off!
Thanks for the paper storage tour-I thought I was organized! I picked up some tips during this video that I’m definitely going to use. Will be looking forward to the next craft room tour.
I love this tour of your paper storage! I love being organized too but I haven’t always been good about cleaning up and putting away when I’ve finished a project but that’s something I will definitely start doing from now on. It seems like I am always in a rush but I realize while watching your video that I don’t have deadlines like you do (unless I have an immediate need for a card) so there’s no reason to put myself in the place where I don’t have time to clean up. Thank you for that!
I also really like the idea of using paper clips to hold like papers together and plan to give that a try but it seems like I have a lot of scraps compared to what we saw on the video. I wonder if most of your paper is in collections or if you have individual sheets, whether multiple or single sheets that don’t go with a particular collection? I started my paper crafting journey creating scrapbook layouts of my grandchildren. As a result, I purchased a lot of 12×12” pattern paper and cardstock, which I now have an over abundance of. I would generally pick up pattern paper in groups of 2-4 sheets at scrapbook stores and big box stores in a mix of different companies. I have these papers sorted by color family based on how my eye sees a particular pattern because they are from so many different manufacturers. I have these stored in at least 24 12×12 paper holders like you have in your closets and I need more. I stopped buying individual sheets of pattern paper a few years ago and don’t often buy new pattern paper at all now because I have so much that I will never use. My 12×12 cardstock is stored in cubes I purchased from Michael’s and is sorted by color but I have many shades of each color except neutrals. Again, I did this to match cardstock to pattern paper in the past but it’s a job corralling so much and keeping my paper organized is a big job. I can see you are doing it, however, so I appreciate the inspiration. Bazzill used to be in Arizona and would have a warehouse safe each year so I would purchase hundreds of sheets at each sale. I always purchased 12×12 cardstock but I have started purchasing some 8.5×11 because I rarely purchased that size in the past. I hate cutting into a 12×12 piece of cardstock for a few inches for a mat but I need rethink that because I really don’t need anymore paper. I’m beginning to consider a purge, especially because I am planning to reorganize my craft room. It’s going to be a huge job and letting go will be a challenge but it needs to be done. Do you often purge your craft supplies?