How to Organize Paper and Cardstock

Well, I actually started out looking for a better way to organize ribbon, when I happened upon a site with a great paper and cardstock organization method. Amy R.'s site has many great ideas and projects, but the organization ideas are especially nice. She has ribbon storage ideas too, but I just don't have a clue what would work best for me yet.

Now for cardstock scraps ... Amy has a file drawer dedicated to cardstock scraps. She has two letter file folders in each hanging file with color coordinated labels indicating what colors are in the folder. She puts two colors of CS scrap in each folder, which results in 4 colors per hanging file. She puts all scraps of that color in the folder unless the scrap is 1/2 a sheet of 8 1/2 x 11, which is card size. She places those in the front of the hanging file for easy access. I love this idea. Her filing cabinet is right next to her for easy access.

She then purchased a rolling hanging file cart which she has all her full sheets of cardstock in. I also purchased a cart like this (mine only has one shelf at the bottom) and had planned to put my patterned papers in it. Amy rolls hers under the desk for easy access to her cardstock when she is making cards, etc. I am thinking I may do the same. You get two rows of folders or one long row. These carts are very well built and heavy duty. Amy has all 54 colors of Stampin Up! cardstock in hers, plus room for more she says. Note in the second picture that you can have files turned both ways.

I originally saw a paper storage system another lady had in place, where she had 12 x 12 papers and 8 1/2 x 11 paper in the same cart. Cynthia Townley Ewer has the same cart pictured above. She submitted her idea to OrganizedCrafts.com here. She shows the cart divided (See photo at right). She gives complete instructions for how she created her own 12 x 12 hanging files for it too. See the photo showing the sizes. It was cheaper, according to Cynthia, to create her own 12 x 12 hanging files than to buy those made by Cropper Hopper. Since I am all about saving money, this was the final selling point! I purchased my rolling file cart from Overstock.com where shipping was $2.95 fixed rate, which is awsome considering the weight of this cart!

I also have a small rolling file box that would be used for scrap storage instead of a file drawer. Robyn at PinkStamper.blogspot.com stores her paper and cardstock in those really pretty, nice white shelving units, which run about $30.00 or more each for a 4 shelf unit. Pretty, but not for a tight budget. Anyway, Robyn stores her scraps in a Ziploc bag on top of her cardstock of the same color. I like this idea that they are conveniently located in the same place. To see her craft room, Robyn has videos of her projects and a tour on her site (click link above).

There is one other paper storage product and idea I want to share. I have one (I will have 3 total hopefully) wire shelving unit. I purchased mine from a target store, where it was on sale for $16.99, and they were online for $19.99 plus shipping at the time. BUT when I went to get the link for you to see them at target, they are now $44.99! Click here to see them. Walmart usually has them too, so they should be easy to find more inexpensively. It is a great unit to have though, so take the time to look for them!

Here's why! The author of this ebay guide is a thrifty crafter too. She purchased her wire cubes for a low cost. They come in a box with instructions to make a four cube set as pictured above. However, there are also some of these wire cubes that you can buy that have extra shelves for holding papers, but they are much more expensive (around $52). Ms. McKenzie came up with the idea to use the 4 open wire cubes (pictured above instructions are here) but only connect two of them and use the remaining pieces to make shelves! I used this idea and made a set of my own! If you have questions about how to make these shelves, please ask in the comment section or email me at creativepzazz@gmail.com. This holds 12 x 12 papers too.

So as you see, there are many different cardstock or paper storage ideas out there. The most important thing is that you find the storage solution that works best with your crafting style. I have tried 3 other methods of storing before this one. This one works for me now, but I may have to change later to suit my needs.

I have been moving into my new craft space, which is getting to a functional state now, for about 9 days. I am stuck, however, because although everything has a home and is in its place, I would like better organization for several things. Cardstock and paper are the first on the list! I am going to try a combination of the ideas on this blog. I'll post photos whenever it is finally in place.
Thanks or stopping by.