If you're an experienced and serious scrapper, you know that if there's one drawback to this great hobby, it's trying to keep all your scrapbooking supplies and storage in order.  It's all too easy for your papers to get bent or torn, your glue to spill, and your embellishments to get strewn about.  However, we have some good tips from experienced scrappers who have found unique and creative ways to keep their scrapbooking supplies and storage issues from detracting from their hobby, and in keeping things neat and organized.  And no, it doesn't have to cost a lot of money, if your budget won't allow you to invest in extensive systems.  Let's investigate some of those suggestions here.

Scrapbooking Supplies and Storage for Safeguarding Your Paper

Again, one of the biggest problems with scrapbooking supplies and storage issues is keeping your paper from getting torn, bent, and even creased.  How can you avoid this?  A good thing to remember is that you want to keep your paper flat at all times.  Tossing it into a grocery bag will probably not be sufficient, as it's bound to get squashed by other items or slide around, giving it unsightly creases.  If you have a large bound album that you're working on, consider keeping your paper in the front or the back.  Also, there are oversized manila envelopes you can purchase at any office supply or dollar store that will fit your standard 12 x 12 paper.  By keeping your sheets in here, you can avoid some of these scrapbooking supplies and storage issues when it comes to ruined papers and pages.  Also, if you have a desk that you're using just for your scrapbooking hobby, you can keep your pages neatly in one corner and simply cover them with a larger piece of paper, some plastic, or something else that will protect them, and something that will act as a paperweight.

Embellishments Scrapbooking Supplies and Storage

Embellishments can be tricky since they are usually small and easy to lose track of, and for them to become mixed up together.  One handy trick to remember is that when you're considering your scrapbooking supplies and storage for these small items, you don't need storage bins that are specifically made for scrapbooking embellishments.  Consider using empty and cleaned baby food jars.  Unused shot glasses or small drinking glasses can also be used.  You might cruise your local dollar or discount store and see what they have in the office supply section.  Think about your own scrapbooking supplies and storage for the different types of embellishments you use as you browse.  Plastic bins may be advertised as being for paperclips or rubber bands, but this isn't a law!  If they would work well for your own small items, these bins are usually very affordable.

Getting Creative With Scrapbooking Supplies and Storage Ideas

Sometimes, in order to protect and preserve your supplies, you need to get creative when considering your scrapbooking supplies and storage options, and think outside the box, as they say.  As an example, when storing your papers or your unfinished pages, you simply need a place where they won't be touched by anyone or anything else, and can stay flat.  Some scrappers have found that the area on top of their kitchen cupboards, entertainment centers, or china cabinets can be ideal.  They are out of the way, untouched by anyone, and not used for anything else.  You can also use the floor space under your entertainment center, china cabinet, or your bed, if you have some room and your items will be unseen.  Of course, it does no good to think about your scrapbooking supplies and storage if the place you choose is dirty or dusty, so if you pick one of these areas, make sure to give it a thorough cleaning first, and consider setting down a sheet of thin plastic or even newspaper under your supplies to keep them dust-free.  Let your family know that you're putting your supplies there so they won't accidentally knock things over or go reaching for something and do some damage to your supplies.

Scrapbooking supplies and storage ideas can also be found in virtually any materials around your house.  For instance, the envelopes you get your mail in can be emptied and used for stickers and other embellishments.  Lids to things like hairspray or hair mousse can be washed and used for storing smaller items, as can containers you get for many grocery items, such as margarine tubs or egg cartons.  Again, clean and dry them thoroughly before using them. 

You may also need some ideas for scrapbooking supplies and storage of your unfinished projects.  If you have an area of your house or office that you use just for scrapbooking, attach a metal ruler to the wall with some glue and then use magnets to adhere your unfinished projects to it, to keep them separate and safe until you're ready to return to them.  You can also string some clothesline or other sturdy thread across a section of the room and hang your pages by clothespins.  When you think creatively about your scrapbooking supplies and storage options, you can soon find that there's virtually no end to the items you already have around the house that can be used effectively.

Purchasing Items for Scrapbooking Supplies and Storage

Of course, there is no end to the professionally made products that are designed specifically for scrapbooking supplies and storage.  While you may not be able to afford these product, don't hesitate to "window shop" these websites and supply stores, so as to get inspired by other items you can use that you don't need to buy.  You may see certain bins or other storage items that remind you of something you have at home and realize how you can use those things instead.  If you're as creative with your storage as you are with your scrapbooks themselves, you're sure to find you have endless options!