4 Things You Must Know Before You Start Organizing Scrapbooking Supplies
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It's easy to let your scrapbooking supplies become unorganized and scattered. While in the creative process of designing a scrapbooking page layout, the last thing you are thinking about is keeping your scrapbooking supplies neat and organized. It almost feels like the more materials you have out in front of you, the more inspiration you will have. Except that the next time you start a scrapbooking project, your workspace is cluttered and stacked with leftover supplies, and you can't find the tools you need that are buried under the scraps of your last project. You may want to just dig right in and start cleaning and sorting your supplies for a major organization and storage project, but there are a few things you must consider before you begin.
Your Space
Organizing scrapbooking supplies is all about space. How much space do you have for scrapbooking? Is the space used only for your hobby? You might have an entire room dedicated to scrapbooking or you might use your kitchen table taking out portable boxes filled with supplies when you want to start a project. The size of your space dictates how you will begin organizing your scrapbooking supplies. If you have only a temporary space to use, like a dining room table, you can't start dragging out materials for sorting. You will only get started when you have to move the piles for dinner. Attack this type of space in small steps. One day organize stickers. Another day you might organize your scrapbooking tools.
The larger your scrapbooking space and the more permanent it is, like a craft room, the more scrapbooking supplies you are likely to have. You have the space. So, you tend to stock up more on scrapbooking materials. That's great for taking advantage of sales and special promotions, but it can make organization a lot more challenging and time consuming. You have the advantage of spreading out and allowing the task of organization to go on without disruption to other areas of the house. However, this can also work against you, and the project might never be completed.
You may first want to plan out your space and how you wish to use it. Then, even if you have a large amount of space, set goals to work on small steps towards organization rather than allowing the project to become ongoing. Remember, you want your space to be orderly and organized for your next scrapbooking session.
Your Schedule
How much time do you have to work on organizing your scrapbooking supplies? Remember that any time spent on organizing takes away time you could be getting more pages done. Be realistic about your goals. If you are limited on time, you may want to settle for having all your paper cardstock sorted by solids and patterned paper, rather than the colors of the rainbow. Stickers could be sorted by size, which is still better than scattered around the room, but it's not as detailed and time consuming as sorting by themes, such as vacation, holidays, seasons and weddings. Decide just how much you are willing to compromise on organizing your scrapbooking supplies according to the time you can commit to it.
Do you spend a lot of time scrapbooking or is scrapbooking something you do only occasionally? Some people are so passionate about this hobby, that they make time for it every week. While others may only scrapbook special occasions in their lives. Consider the time you spend on scrapbooking and the importance it has in your everyday life before you decide how much time to devote to organizing your scrapbooking supplies.
Your Stock
Take a close look at the quantity of scrapbooking supplies you own. What items do you reach for all the time? I'm a huge fan of ribbons on my page layouts. So, I give ribbons high priority for organization. I hate having to untangle ribbons before I can finish a page layout. When you've been scrapbooking for many years like I have, you can accumulate not only supplies, but scrapbooking tools that no longer fit your scrapbooking style. Maybe it's time to purge those old die cuts or border scissors you never use anymore. Make room on your workspace for as many of the items that you use at every scrapbooking session.
Your Style
One final thing you must consider before organizing your scrapbooking supplies is your style. This can mean many things to different scrapbookers. What type of scrapbooker are you? I rely on scrapbooking page kits. I love how easy it is to put together a quick page or even a whole album when everything is right there in front of me and coordinates perfectly. My scrapbooking organization allows for storing page kits together. I sort them by theme and color scheme.
Are you a mobile scrapbooker? I tend to scrapbook mostly at home, but many scrapbook enthusiasts attend lots of crops and workshops. They need an organizational system that will still allow them to quickly pack their scrapbooking essentials and be ready for the next scrapbooking event on their schedule. They may even want to use scrapbooking travel totes as their main storage containers.
The time it takes you to consider and plan your scrapbooking space, schedule, stock and style can make all the difference in how well your workspace and supplies remain organized in the future. Knowing your expectations and needs before you start will help you focus on what your organizational goals really are for your scrapbooking supplies. Before you dive into the mess, sit down with a cup of tea and plan your strategy. Whether you are organizing a few portable boxes of scrapbooking supplies or an entire craft room, you can achieve order and efficiency according to your own scrapbooking needs.
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