Scrapbook Storage Solutions

Having your scrapbooking supplies organised properly can mean the difference between motivation to finish your projects and total lack of interest because it takes too much time to find the materials you need to finish your project. There is a storage solution for just about any area you can think of so let's have a look at our scrapbooking materials and how we can store them. Photos, Newspaper ClippingsPhotos and newspaper clippings are ruined easily and are affected by temperature, humidity and direct sunlight. As a general rule try to keep them in an area that is not subjected to extremes such as can be found in your ceiling space, damp cellars and on window ledges. Having said this, your precious collection can be stored cheaply in cardboard boxes, such as shoe boxes or in elaborate containers made specifically for photos. These stackable containers can be purchased in dimensions to match your photo sizes. An alternative to the traditional hard copy of photos and clippings is the digital product, that can be stored easily on your hard drive, USB stick, DVD or CD. Do not overlook these options as they save space and your photos are easily searched and retrieved. The latter two methods lend themselves to be packaged in stackable containers or shelf-mounted storage units. Paper and CardstockThere are so many variations of paper and cardstock that some planning needs to be done before they are stored otherwise they become an absolute mess. Perhaps the easiest solution is to organise them by color. Where you have paper that has a number of colors on it, organise the paper by its dominant color. Where this is not possible, organising the sheets by themes can also work. You may have sheets that have a holiday feel about them or perhaps a wedding or Christmas theme - placing them all together makes it so much easier when you are theming your pages in your scrapbook. If you have a large amount of paper or cardstock they can be stored in an inexpensive large rectangular clear bin as the colors can be seen easily. If you are doing the organisation by themes, then you will need to keep each theme in a separate container and labelled. For smaller amounts of paper you can manage them in a ring binder with plastic inserts or in an accordian file. If you like to take your scrapbook paper with you on holidays or to crops, then there are some great paper totes on wheels that not only take paper but all your tools and goodies as well. Whilst these items are not cheap, they should be viewed more as an investment in your craft. Totes save valuable space and time (each item is organised) and are indispensable for the serious cropper. EmbellishmentsQuite often these come in single use bags or jackets that can not be closed and reused easily. They by nature come in every possible design, size and color and can be difficult to store. The easiest way to store them is to categorise each embellishment. For instance brads and eyelets could go into a single container but with multiple compartments to separate the colors and sizes. Wool, String, Ribbon, BraidThe best way to keep craft items that can be wound, is to wind them into figures of eight, and keep them in small containers such as tins. Having tins of identical sizes will enable them to be stacked when stored. You can leave a tail hanging outside the tin so the contents can be easily identified. StampsStamps can be acrylic or wooden. The acrylic type can be stored in insert sheets and kept in three ring binders. They can also be kept in multi-compartment containers. Both of these will allow you to easily see the contents plus allow easy access. For the wooden variety, again multi-compartment containers seem to work really well and you can stamp what is inside them on the lid or side of the container. Each container could be broken down into a theme to allow easy identification. StickersStickers are ruined if they are damaged or mistreated. To keep them perfect they need to be stored in binder refills and placed into three ring binders. Each binder can be a separate theme, and each page can separated into colors and designs. Because they are so visible it is easy to see how much you have of each sticker type allowing you to only order what you need and not purchase stickers you already have. LeftoversThis is unavoidable if you crop your items to make them fit into a space on your scrapbook page. There is no need to throw away these smaller pieces as they can come in handy. To store them easily place them into three ring binder refill pages. They're great to use for covering up mistakes. In ClosingDon't let disorganisation get the better of you. There are many types of fixed and portable storage solutions catering for all budgets. Don't be afraid to invest wisely in such items as totes, they are well worth the money. Why not have a look at what you can do to improve your scrapbooking space, it's your hobby, so enjoy it.