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OK, I want to hear everyone's advice on how/how long/etc., to store paper scraps. By scraps I mean anything that is not a full-sized sheet (either 81/2 x 11 or 12x12). How do you keep them organized so you can actually use what you have? How small is too small to save? I've got major paper issues...I love all the pretty colors and patterns, and I feel like I'm wasting a lot of $ when I throw pieces out...but my sanity is worth something, right?
Just as a sidebar, I don't have a craft room, I have two rolling carts (one 6-drawer, one 4-drawer) and an accordian type case for full sheets. They roll right out of the laundry room to the kitchen table. I store all my stamping stuff in these containers...yes, I DROOL :mrgreen: over stamp rooms with endless shelves filled to overflowing with stamp sets, ink pads, and paper...but our "spare room" is our homeschool room for 3 dk. The kitchen table must suffice for now. Oh for the days of actually leaving a few things out...besides the rolling carts;).
Location: Saskatchewan, Land Of Living Skies Canada
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Get a cuttlebug - you can use all kinds of scraps up with that. I'm always looking for small pieces to use with my cb.
If I do have scraps - they go in a heavy plastic page protector along with the c/s itself in my filing cabinet.
Kathy
I have a binder with the clear page protectors. I have one protector for each SU color and all scraps go in the appropriate one. Then I have categories for all other patterend papers ext. lt. purple, dark purple, light blue, med blue, dark blue etc. etc.
I have finally found THE system which works for me. For all card scraps I bought from a LSS pizza boxes and all card once cut into goes in these by colour groupings eg: black/white, pinks/purples/reds, blue/green, brown/yellows and then prints. Since I started this system I now look in these first before cutting into a full sheet. MY papers are stored in 12x12 plastic sleeve folders each folder holds approx. 60 sheets and I currently have 7 folders, even when a sheet of paper is cut into it goes back into the sleeve until used up.
The pizza boxes only cost $1.99AU each and the Folders cost around $5.00AU each.
It took awhile to find out what would work for my but now I am happy.
I use Container Store wall pockets for sorting scraps because I have no patience- i throw them in and sort them by SU color family...
Link HERE for a visual!
I found some really neat 8x8 clear plastic envelopes with snap closure at my LSS. They are great for keeping those little scraps and you can easily see what you have. Hope that helps! ;)
I was recently overrun by my paper scraps too. I went through them all and tossed everything that was smaller than half of an 8.5 by 11 sheet of paper. That filled up one large trash bag. The rest are in hanging file folders in a milk crate with tabs labeled - yellow, green, blue, etc. I organize them by color families.
This was the best thing I had done in my craft room in a long time. I've been stamping for over 10 years and had saved every scrap! Now I'm off to a fresh start. I haven't regretted tossing all of those scraps one bit.
Dina
All of my SU! papers go into a page protector in the same slot as their colors. Any non-SU! goes into a shoebox and I ask my customers to clean that out whenever they like.
Anything that could be considered a strip goes into the recycling bag right away. If it is smaller than a quarter sheet AND I can make a layer out of it or use it for punching tags or something, I put it in a ziploc bag by family.
I have a very advanced system in place to keep track of my scraps. It all goes into a single bin and I just rummage through it. lol It's kind of been in the back of my mind to get it organized, but I've procrastinated. So I do a lot of digging in the bin. You ladies have some great ideas for this.
__________________ �:*�*:�My next house won't have a kitchen. Just a bunch of vending machines and garbage cans.�:*�*:�
For storing my scraps, I use the clear Generations snap top folders. I organize my cardstock by color families - one folder for each. I organize my patterned paper scraps mostly by manufacturer. I also have a folder for Christmas themed paper and one for specialty papers like mulberry paper and vellum.
I am a budget scrapper and have found this system to be very frugal and convenient. Whether I'm making cards or scrapbooking, I always try to work from my scrap folders before cutting into a full sheet of paper. I think it makes me think beyond the easy fix when it comes to color combinations too. There are some paper combos I've used that I may never have discovered if I hadn't seen them together in my scrap folders.
HTH!
Marcy
__________________ Marcy Wolf Creek Crafting
I just love the smell of Stazon in the morning!
All my scraps go into Cropper Hopper 7x12 divided accordion folders. I have one CH for SU and one for regular cardstock. For SU, the dividers are labeled White/Vanilla, Neutrals (black, sahara sand, kraft), BB, SS, EE, RR, In Colors, 8.5x5.5 pieces (for card bases), and DP. For regular cardstock, the dividers are labeled by colors.
I don't keep small scraps (anything smaller than about 2x2) or strips narrower than an inch (and sometimes I throw those away, too!). If the accordion folder starts to get hard to close, I purge all small scraps. I find this to be the most useful system I've tried, and it was easy for me to get into the habit of checking the file before cutting a full sheet. My full sheets are stored in the Cropper Hopper vertical paper storage containers.
I bought a set of inexpensive 8x11 page protectors from an office supply store, (100 for $5). I write the color on it with a sharpie and store it with my big paper. For my SU Patterned paper I leave it in the plastic and slit open the top, I put my scraps back in there.
It works well, if I need a piece of celery I only have to check one spot, and the sleeve holds even small scraps, so I can keep as many as I have room for, but they don't accumulate as quickly because they are so organized I use them.
I use a gallon size ziplock bag, one for each color. I then keep those in a recycled SU box. It fits nicely under my desk and is right at my feet. I have been better about not saving every little scrap. If it is small, I have started throwing it away. I always go to my scrap baggies before cutting into a full sheet of paper. I do need to organize the baggies by color family, lately I find myself spending too much time searching for the right color bag.
I have metal cubes where I store my paper. I have a folder where I keep the scraps (any size cut from a full sheet) and the full sheets under the folder. I keep most any size scraps unless they are just too small to use for anything.
__________________ Cassi R Mom to Tommy born June 5, 2009 ΦΜ �No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.� Eleanor Roosevelt
I have a Hanging File Folder cabinet that has a folder for each color. The scraps go into the folder with the full size sheets of the same color. This way, when I am making a card, I can see if there is a scrap the size near the one I want that I can use before cutting a full sheet. If not, there is the full sheet.
I used to group them by color families and then tried by shade by I just found it too time consuming to look for the right color in the right size in a pile of other colors.
__________________ Lauren
Obsessed with all consumables, but mostly paper groppi girl blogs
Make some bracelets with the aquarium tubing! Uses 1/2 inch squares and they are great fun. Or make paper beads with scraps. My scraps actually get tossed in a box because I am addicted to paper. Just got a cuttlebug so hopefully I'll use some more:eek: up!
I don't keep the really small scraps. Right now, I'm using a small plastic storage bin and the scraps (and paint chips that I pick up along the way! lol )go in there.
I have a divided folder I bought at Target - it is large enough it will accomodate 1/2 sheets of paper (half way not length way)...
So what i do is store 1/2 sheets in the far back...I have a space for different sizes...card front size...larger scraps....designer paper....things cut into certain lengths (i.e. 4.25 and 5.5). specialty paper (shimmer, glossy) and a few others...
I have a basket where I will just throw scraps in it willy nilly
One thing I do to keep my scrap population down is I go through my scrap basket about once a month - I first see if there are any scraps I can cut down to 1/2 sheet or 1/4 sheet and do that...then I see if there are any I can cut down into card length strips (4.25 or 5.5) and do that...I will also see if there are any I can cut down to trading card size (great to use for mats on cards)....
Smaller scraps get punched...with my tag or oval punches...so i have a little baggie of all ready punched shapes to go...I borrowed my friends Spring punch the other day and made a bag of flowers with my scraps to use at a later date as well....As a demo I occassionaly give my customers goodie bags of punched shapes,
I also go through my scraps about once a month and make a bunch of cards...I try to use up all my 1/2 sheets for my card bases...find
complementry colors in my scraps to use as bases and stamp an outline image (like from In Full Bloom or Mixed Bouquet) and color to complement the colors...I usually don't stamp a saying at the tint but use them as my card stash...then I stamp a saying when needed...
By doing this it has really kept my scraps down
__________________ Jenni -Happy SU Demo - MY GALLERY & MY CHAOTIC LIFE One kid makes you a Parent - Two makes you a Referee
I recently created a stamping room from my DD's bedroom (yes it IS great to be an empty-nester). I threw out a lot of the scraps that had accumlated and then for the larger pieces I have a large square basket and stood all the pieces on edge in it, biggest in the back and tiny to the front. It's right beside my desk and I've found it much easier to grab a piece from there, so I've been using it more.
With the clean up I found I kept too much (oh horror!), and I tend to clear it out quicker now.
I was recently overrun by my paper scraps too. I went through them all and tossed everything that was smaller than half of an 8.5 by 11 sheet of paper. That filled up one large trash bag. The rest are in hanging file folders in a milk crate with tabs labeled - yellow, green, blue, etc. I organize them by color families.
This was the best thing I had done in my craft room in a long time. I've been stamping for over 10 years and had saved every scrap! Now I'm off to a fresh start. I haven't regretted tossing all of those scraps one bit.
Dina
I actually stopped breathing when I read this. It would take an all out intervention to get me to part with that much paper!
I hoard scraps, too. My large scraps (1/4 sheet or bigger) go in a gallon size ziplock bag - just one for all of them. The small scraps get put into folders by color so I can recycle them when I make some paper. I love the ideas I'm hearing here. I have to organize better so my scraps don't just keep growing and growing.
I used to keep them all in a tub and NEVER used them...they got crushed, wrinkled and just sat piling up. Then I read here to sort them by colors and I finally did that when I found some plastic envelopes at Walmart on clearance for 50cents each. They are 8 1/2 x 11 and I wish they were 12 x 12 but next time. Still, now I can grab a pouch and find exactly what I need...it is such a great feeling. :grin: And it's quick and easy and since they sit open, I can just quickly toss the new papers into their color families.
1. To organize my scraps so that I use them more often, I purchased a rolling file cart from Staples and hanging file folders. I have a file forder for each of the SU colors. Now, whenever I need a small piece of paper, this is the first place I look. It has really helped.
2. Before I bought the cart, I was overwhelmed by the volume of unorganzied scraps, so I packaged them up and sold them on Ebay as a "Paper Salad" I was surpirsed at how much others were willing to pay for something I wanted out of my house so badly!
If you are wanting to get of them and need to "purge" your collection, maybe a teacher would love them???
I am getting new carpet next week and I don't have a scrap room either. I keep all of my scraps (and I do more scrapbooking that cardmaking, so lots of scraps, too) in a those 12 x 12 folders. I am getting sick of them. There is paper in their from 2 years ago and I am just going to take them to my classroom for my students to use as projects. They LOVE designer paper!!
__________________ WOHM to a daughter and a miracle Nov. 2012my blog
Made with Love 2012 - cards: 17 layouts: 3
1. To organize my scraps so that I use them more often, I purchased a rolling file cart from Staples and hanging file folders. I have a file forder for each of the SU colors. Now, whenever I need a small piece of paper, this is the first place I look. It has really helped.
2. Before I bought the cart, I was overwhelmed by the volume of unorganzied scraps, so I packaged them up and sold them on Ebay as a "Paper Salad" I was surpirsed at how much others were willing to pay for something I wanted out of my house so badly!
What a great idea! About how much paper did you package up to sell? I have a ton of scraps, some organized, some just sitting in a drawer, and someone could probably use them more than I can. I too just about had heart failure when I read the post about someone throwing out anything smaller than 1/2 sheet! I don't think I could ever do that, but I do understand they just keep piling up!
__________________ Wife of Greg & Mom of 5 GREAT kids!!! Being a mother is like taking your heart out of your chest and watching it walk around. MY BLOG
I started the page protector system about a year ago and so glad I did. It now sits beside me and when I need a small piece for something, I can go right to that color to see what I have. I can't believe how many times before I would cut a 8 /12 X 11 sheet for something small, then needed that piece for something big and couldn't use it. Now I have them separated and at hand and have saved myself a lot of time and money.
looks like you got a lot of ideas. I store mine by color families, alphabetized in a store bought accordion tote, that have been around for years, they don't get full of dust, and are convenient for small storage. I add patterned paper pieces to matching background colored papers to use. glad you are inspired by all the ideas, isn't it wonderful, when you get a lot of minds working on SCS Carolyn
I do the same as a lot of folks here. My nicer cardstocks and patterned paper lines, I keep the sets together separate from my generic papers, and put scraps large enough to be used on a card back with the sets they belong to.
My generic papers (cardstock by Fiskars or from Mikes, patterned papers I bought two hundred years ago for our wedding or when scrapbooking first took off for me in Canada), all of those are kept in a hanging file folder like the one linked below, but mine is smaller and not as nice. http://www.amazon.com/Expressions-Ha...0016369&sr=8-2
Before I reorganised my hanging file holder, it was jammed full of useless scraps from five years of cardmaking and scrapbooking. Once I threw out everything too small or cut into to be of any use, that freed up a LOT of space in my holder. All the papers are in there sorted by colour, and with additional folders for single-sided patterned paper, DS PP, some sets of paper from Wal Mart that are easier for me to keep together than break apart by colour, and larger sheets of paper that I've stamped useful images on.
Since I organised my file holder, every time I craft I check there first for scraps before I reach for a full sheet of paper. I've made a LOT more cards from scraps now, and used up so much of the paper that thing stored, I've been able to put more paper that I'd had to store elsewhere in there too. I can pull out the whole holder from my armoire, or just pull out the folders of interest instead. I love that thing!!!
Splitcoast Dirty Dozen Alumni VSN Go to Girl Pretty, Pretty Princess
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I have my scraps in a manilla folder in the front of each of my hanging file folders of each color.
For your current storage set-up, I would suggest getting a small floder or baggie and putting it in the accordian files with the colors that they go with, make sense?
JoAnn's currently has a 50% coupon that I am going to use to purchase a roll cart that has drawers that are colored (red, purple, green..) I plan on putting my scraps by color family in the drawers and place next to my desk - certainly it will beat having it all piled up in a box (or that's the plan anyway...:-D
1. To organize my scraps so that I use them more often, I purchased a rolling file cart from Staples and hanging file folders. I have a file forder for each of the SU colors. Now, whenever I need a small piece of paper, this is the first place I look. It has really helped.
2. Before I bought the cart, I was overwhelmed by the volume of unorganzied scraps, so I packaged them up and sold them on Ebay as a "Paper Salad" I was surpirsed at how much others were willing to pay for something I wanted out of my house so badly!
This is exactly what I did with my oodles of scraps. I keep almost all scraps, because I start with scraps when I make cards instead of the reverse. If I have a granddaughter in mind for a pink card I look in that folder first before cutting up a whole sheet of paper. I feel "realllly good" about not using up unnecessary paper! Something like a euphoria! lol. Really, I hate to cut paper I love it so much. Especially Basic Grey--sorry got off track.
Whenever I get out a new sheet of paper. I cut it in half. Half goes in the stack to make another card. The other half I work with. Whatever is left from the second half goes into a drawer in one of my carts like yours. This is the drawer my kids are allowed to get into. They know anything that goes into the drawer is fair game. Keeps them out of my stuff and make me feel less wasteful, since there is quite a bit of waste in crafting. I also dig in the drawer to get layers or little squares that are perfect for the cuttlebug.
Not exactly the most organized but my drawer isnt ever overflowing. My kids get in there a few time a week.
What a great idea! About how much paper did you package up to sell? I have a ton of scraps, some organized, some just sitting in a drawer, and someone could probably use them more than I can. I too just about had heart failure when I read the post about someone throwing out anything smaller than 1/2 sheet! I don't think I could ever do that, but I do understand they just keep piling up!
Sorry, but I can't remember how much it was, other than it fit into the size of the smallest SU shipping box. So I guess it weighed a couple of pounds.
I used to sort them by color family, but found that I dreaded digging through the pile and discerning which pink or which green some of them were, and it took too long to dig so I never used my scraps.
SO, I recently did the page protectors... but I needed a cheap solution. So I took an SU! shipping box and cut the flaps off. I use one color per protector, and then I put them in the box in sections. First, it's color family. Then, within the color family I sort it by rainbow order so that I have super easy access to each color. I divide the color family sections by using the cut-off flaps from the box to put in between the sections for even easier finding later on.
As for what I save, anything smaller than a half-sheet goes in my scrap system, and anything that is smaller than 2x2 gets thrown out unless I plan on making eyelet/brad washers out of them with my Sizzix. I used to save too much and it took over. Now, it's working just right.
AND, by having it organized, I use the scraps much more and I'm a lot happier for it.
Location: prolly in my 'rubber room'... in the mid-west
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mine is very sophisticated!!!
the half and quarter sheets are together in front of a hod podge of sizes and colors. this is really odd for me because i am generally pretty organized.
i do plan to get a bigger basket and group them according to color- but for now...
here's a look see if you are interested SCRAPS! by momis mama at Splitcoaststampers
I have all the SU! colors in hanging file folders and I put all the scraps for each color at the front of the full sheets. I fiind that when I know I will be needing a smaller piece and all the colors are together, I seem to use them more. also, that wouldn't take up any additional storage space. In regards to non SU! paper, I put them in a ziploc bag and donate it to a school, not worth saving those, in my opinion. I hope that helps!
My heart breaks any time I hear of anyone throwing away usable scraps. I actually have 2 different sets of scraps. The first set is made up of the scraps I received from my up-up-upline when I first becaume a demo and the only SU card stock I had was what came in my starter kit. Those scraps saved my life! I designed swaps and workshop cards with them -- they really made my full size sheets go further and tied me over until I had full sheets in all the SU colors. These scraps are in the file folders that hold my 8.5x11 full sheets, with the scraps in the front of the file so I always have to look at them first, before I reach for a full sheet. I find that this visual aid really helps me to use them up.
Another thing that helps is when I'm getting a large number of cards ready so that it's easier to cut down full sheets, I take whatever scraps are left over that are of a uniform size and place them ina sandwich baggie. Then, when I'm thinking about designing a card, I look at the scraps I have in the baggie (which I know are all the same size) and try to design a card around those, figuring a lot of my cuting work is already done for me.
I have a second set of scraps that I make available to customers who come to my open stamp night. This used to be just an SU box with random scraps, but it was driving me crazy so last weekend I sorted them all by color family. Every color family went into an 8.5x17 heavy duty accordian folder (one with a flap closure but no dividers. I think this will make it a lot easier for people to find the colors they want to use.
For those of you who are overun by scraps and feel the need to throw them away, I would implore you to find a new demo or a new customer in your area who doesn't have a lot of her own card stock yet. Your trash could really be someone else's treasure!
Paper Scraps: I'm being overrun! Help!!
