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I store mine by items, brads with brads, and so on.
But I heard some people put all of each color in a seperate drawer, bin or box. This way when they need something blue they pull out that container and can see AND USE anything blue.
At first I let out a small gasp! I could never do that, but the idea has been sinking in for a long while, and now I wonder if it does really make sense?
I've wondered the same thing. I will say when I look for something, I'm looking for a certain color. Hmm. I wonder if it would save space?
I store my Copics that way and I will also say it's very visually appealing to see a shelf with big blocks of color. Maybe everything would also be prettier that way. I'll be interested to see what people say.
I just started the process of switching to grouping by color. Everything will be in bins by color EXCEPT for ink pads and "coloring items" (markers, pencils, etc.)
Check out Stacy Julians blog http://stacyjulian.com/blog/ - she advocates this system and is blogging about her color bins this week. She does include the ink and coloring items in her bins.
I realized that this would probably work best for me when I started to look at how I begin a project. I was "gathering" similar colored items so that I would have all of my choices in front of me and then when I was done it was chore to put it all back. Now I won't have to! It can all go back in the color bin.
I purchased a 9 section cube organizer from Target and black bins from Stacks and Stacks (via amazon) that fit perfectly if you leave the back board off of the shelf.
I still have most of my mixed packages of accessories to go through and that is the most painful part of the process.
I really feel like I will be more productive this way.
Happy Scappin'
Angela
__________________ My avatar is my youngest son, Teddy - the "unfrogettable" boy!
yes, I seperate most of my stuff by color in their own containers. I generally know what color I want to use, so it is then easy to pick up the container/s holding stuff in that color. It is also easy to see the other colors, if I'm unsure and want to look at a different color.
I still have most of my mixed packages of accessories to go through and that is the most painful part of the process.
Angela
This brings up a good question though, what about all of those pieces that come in kits?
This is one of the big areas that I have a difficult time figuring out how to store, not to mention use. I feel like since everything is coordinated then I need to leave them together, but then I really don't every use them. The same thing goes for coordinated paper packs, I leave them together. This throws off my whole organizing of my paper. Right now it is stripes with stripes, floral with floral, but I also read others who store theirs by color, so if you need a color you see all you have to choose from. So it's the same question about storing paper. Should it be stored by coloror theme? And should coordinated embellishments and or paper stay together or not? Sounds like I need to get a life? lol!
I have yet to commit to sorting my printed paper by color. I already moved all of the solid colors into ROYGBIV order followed by neutrals.
Right now I have the paper sorted by "theme" but I often find myself rummaging to find something just right and the search is usually based primarily on color so I think that the paper will go the route of the embellishments in the very near future and be sorted by color.
I might leave the singular themes together - like Christmas and Halloween, etc. but even some of those crossover if they are double sided.
Is there anyone out there that has been sorting their printed paper by color?
Angela
__________________ My avatar is my youngest son, Teddy - the "unfrogettable" boy!
If i had tons of stuff and lots of room i would probably sort by color. But im pretty happy with sorting by type. That way i can see all the brads I have at once and decide which colors i want to use, same with my ribbon and gems.
I sorted my paper by color from the start. Really like it and it's so easy.
I switched my embellishments and stuff over to color about 2 years ago. I bought photo boxes on sale at Hobby Lobby - one for each color. I think I saw it on Nicole Heady's blog and was inspired to do it that way. It really does save a ton of time in the "looking" for something part of creating.
My dream is to have enough space to sort chipboard letters alphabetically.
I sort the buttons, brads, eyelets, and ribbon by color but not flowers, which are stored in their original set. I don't store all the blues in one place, etc. Instead, I store all the brads in one place, all the buttons in one plalce, etc. If I want a blue brad, I go to where the brads are stored and pull out the Blue-Green brad box.
As for kits, if the kit has matching paper then I put everything in a 12x12 bag that is stored on the paper racks. However, if no paper, then I break them out into their colors and I don't worry about trying to match them. I found that I wasn't really using them as a set so it doesn't really matter.
If I have purchased several things for a project, I store everything in the 12x12 Iris project boxes. This saves me from having to find all the parts I need and I won't use them for something other than the prjoject.
I store embelishments by color, I really like it, I have small divided containers with brads and eyelets, tiny bits, and larger artbin containers for other stiuff, like flowers, large brads, paperclips, photo turns, mesh, some fibers, larger small stuff - i like to see the rainbow ;) I also sort paper this way by color, just makes sense to me
though {sometimes I sort the clothes in my closet this way too, by color :mrgreen:}
I too sort my embellishments by color. I started using a gallon ziplock bags and I store my ribbon, buttons, flowers, some dsp that is card front size, and other items in the bag. I have about 8 or 9 bags on a shelf and I pull them down when adding my embellishments to projects. I do keep Dew drops and brads in seperate little plastic cases that store I think 14 different colors. I intended on using the photo boxes that I bought at Ms for different colors, but right now this is working for me. I love reading all the tips here. I get new ideas everyday~ thanks for sharing.
__________________ Tammy~ Scatter seeds of kindness everywhere you go; Scatter bits of courtesy~ Watch them grow and grow. Amy R. Raabe
I've recently sorted my embelishments into colour categories and I really like it!! They're sorted into iris cases and I have everything other then brads & buttons in these large cases. Brads and buttons are in the smaller divided boxes, also by colour.
I have everything seperated by color and have found it to be so helpful. I just haul my red drawer over to the table and have everything red that I own right there. I highly recommend it!
I originally had all my embellisments sorted by type, but recently switched to color, and I love it! I wish I hadn't resisted for so long. It is so much easier to pull out a specific color and see everything possible in that color. Sometimes my original idea gets an improvement when I see something I forgot I had.
I store everything by colour. I find that I am more creative if I dump a bucket of green things on the table and then pick something. The smaller items are in little containers in the bucket, so I don't have too much to pick up afterwards.
I store everything by colour. I find that I am more creative if I dump a bucket of green things on the table and then pick something. The smaller items are in little containers in the bucket, so I don't have too much to pick up afterwards.
and Ive done it this was for years. it just make sense to me, when i am working on something very rarely do i look at it and go it needs a button most the time i look at it and think it needs something RED. ( or whatever )
So i have these ( this is an old photo these are now inside a walk in closet around the corner from where this photo was shot but, it gives you the idea) ( I toss almost all packaging, and move things to tiny tic tac boxes or zip baggies and write on them with slick markers who makes them if i want to buy it again when i use it up)
the bigger boxes are from Cabelas ( they are tackle boxes by plano with no dividers in them)
I switched my embellishments and stuff over to color about 2 years ago. I bought photo boxes on sale at Hobby Lobby - one for each color.
This is what I do too! I have a little divided storage container in each photo box for the little items (brads, buttons, etc) then have ribbon, punched shapes, thread, or whatever thrown in there too. I love having them sorted by colour - as others have mentioned, it really helps me use my stuff and be more creative.
I store everything by colour. I find that I am more creative if I dump a bucket of green things on the table and then pick something. The smaller items are in little containers in the bucket, so I don't have too much to pick up afterwards.
So....do most of you just go with a basic color then, like *green* and put all your green stuff in there and not like "olive green* or *bright green*, etc? I have done this with my buttons, blue, green, yellow, etc. but havent had the guts to do this with my brads yet because certain colors of brads are so similar.
Today I made the leap to create color drawers and I have a question that maybe you can help me decide what to do.
I already had buttons, ribbons, brads, and eyelets by color in divided boxes but each was stored in its own section. Putting these items together in one container sorted by types was easy. However, I can't decide what to do about these items:
Criters - I currently store all my critters (animals, insects, dinosaurs) together in one divided box. If I move these items to their color drawer then if I want one of these items in various colors I have to look in every drawer. I also have other things like a multiple colors of flip-flop brads, stars, etc. Does it defeat the purpose of the color drawers to keep these items separate?
The same question applies to my sky embellishments (stars, moons, etc.) I have a feeling that I'll have to look in many divider boxes to find them.
I keep thinking that I'll forget I have something just because it's not a color I was thinking of using. Several people have said that the opposite is true as they find things they forget they have. I can see that, because today when re-sorting, I saw a couple of things I forgot I had. Now that I'm midway through making the change, I think I getting cold feet!
Tell me something that will keep me going.... please, whine, snivel.....
So....do most of you just go with a basic color then, like *green* and put all your green stuff in there and not like "olive green* or *bright green*, etc? I have done this with my buttons, blue, green, yellow, etc. but havent had the guts to do this with my brads yet because certain colors of brads are so similar.
I use divider boxes and I sorted by light green, olive green, hunter, etc. I did this for all buttons, brads, and eyelets.
I also break them down by size or shape. Bright pink sq. brads in one section, light pink sq. brads another section, etc. I did this for buttons also.
There are a couple of boxes that are pretty full because I have just a few of one item. If I need to put two colors in one section, I use shades that are not close (light yellow brads with mustard brads). It's easier to pick out the color you want when they are not close to the same shade.
Kelly - yes, I just throw them all in together. I do have little baby food containers that corral the little things like brads and eyelets.
StampHappy - there is no perfect solution that will work for everyone. You have to do what works for you. There is no "right" way and no "wrong" way! LOL!! I have most of my things by color. BUT I do have theme drawers for: Baby, Wedding/Love, Pets, Boy/Sports
If I want to make a wedding card - I'll look in my Wedding Drawer first -- then I can go to my color drawers as needed to pull out embellishments that might work outside of that theme.
Keep Going!! Get it done and live with it for a bit. You'll see what adjustments you need to make.
I keep thinking that I'll forget I have something just because it's not a color I was thinking of using. Several people have said that the opposite is true as they find things they forget they have. I can see that, because today when re-sorting, I saw a couple of things I forgot I had. Now that I'm midway through making the change, I think I getting cold feet!
I know what you mean and this is how I do it: stuff that is strongly themed I keep in seperate theme baskets. For instance, ribbon, paper, brads, other embellisments, that can only be used for a particular theme, be it Halloween, Christmas, Easter, cats, etc, are seperated in baskets.
I don't use a whole lot of specially themed stuff, so it is easy to have a little basket for each seperate theme. I only have to take them out when I am working on something related. It makes sense to me not to have all that "special" stuff mixed in with the color seperated items, as I am only going to want to see them when working on those special themes.
I already store all the seasonal (halloween, fall, Christamas) items in separate project boxes. These boxes have the stamps, ribbon, paper, etc and the boxes are different colors - orange for fall, purple halloween, pink spring, blue summer, etc.
I'll keep going and hope for the best and maybe it I will find the "right way" for me. thanks again!
This is interesting, as I do store my paper by color (including the printed papers--I go with the dominant color, and then have a separate pack for really multi colored things and separate packs for themes)...but, I don't always look for something of a certain color for an embellishment--I do look for a "flower" or a "button" etc. and I try to find a color that will work for my project. I think I would hyperventilate if I had to take all those multicolored packs and separate them into different areas by color with different embellishments LOL
__________________ Lynn
"Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right�--Lincoln
I think I would hyperventilate if I had to take all those multicolored packs and separate them into different areas by color with different embellishments LOL
How different we all are. I find tearing all the packs open and seperating everything to be extremely therapeutic and relaxing. LOL. I also hate the packaging and love to get rid of it.:grin:
Since I just have to move the sorted colors from one box to another I didn't need a chocolate fix until I got to the 2 mixed packs of sequin flowers. OMG - there was about 300 and they stick to each other. I kept wanting to throw them away as they were only a $1 per pack but my hoarder sense kicked in and I finished.
I found that a magnet is great for picking up the metal objects (brads, eyelets) and my sticky stick (don't know the real name) is also very handy.
I sort EVERYTHING - paper, buttons, thread, etc. - by color! I found "bead organizer cases" at JoAnn's and AC Moore that have 30+ smaller containers in them, and I use those for small embellishments - brads, dewdrops, paper clips, etc. - and I use SU clamshell cases for larger ones - flowers, ribbon, thread...
I cut all of my 12" x 12" papers down to 9" x 12" so they'll fit in regular legal-size file folders (no need for specialty storage items that way) except whole-sheet designs or sheets that have a design that I'm not sure how I'll use it (hmm, weird grammar - sorry). I cut a 3" square from the remaining strip and put them on a book ring with the manufacturer noted on the back.
I've attached a few thumbnails, but there are more pics and details on my blog. For embellishment organization, look HERE. For paper organization, look HERE.
I sort by color and by item. I use small plastic divider bead boxes that I got at Michaels. I put all my red brads in one divider, red eyelets in another, and on and on it goes. I DO divide the different colors of blues, pinks, greens, etc. It's just easier for me to find what I want that way. It also helps me know what I'm running out of. My themed items go in another divider box by theme. They are small boxes so it doesn't work for primas or ribbon. I store that separately.
I don't find that it's a problem to sort items when I get home from shopping. I just get out my bins and sort them right away. Then it's done!!
Goals for 2015 50 scrapbook pages/50 cards---progress 35/50 cards Complete my daughter's wedding scrapbook album Spend more time enjoying my friends and not so much time obsessing on work!!!
I like the Storage Cases for Small Accessories from Oriental Trading. I use mine for my brads and eyelets and other small items. It stores a lot in a small case. Easy to see what you have and keeps 'em organized.
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! what a wonderful idea......now I have to work out how much work it would be to do this lol! My ribbon is already stored by colour, so is my cardstock and paper....but embellishments........hmmmm!
All of my embellishments are now sorted by color and I only spilled brads twice - but it was after 1 am so I chalk it up to being tired.
I started with ROYGBV (no I) plus a bin each for black, white, brown, ivory, and metallic. After the sorting I decided that I needed a bin for turquoises i.e. "not green and not blue" and one for pink.
I'm very happy with the outcome and can now see an added benefit. I know what colors I do NOT need to spend any more money on! (and where I can spend some more too ;))
My bins are big enough that I will have room for my small scraps of paper as well so I may try adding them in.
I love the looks of the "rainbow" displays but need more of a blank slate when I start creating so my bins are not clear and they sit at floor to desk level behind my desk in a cubicle storage system.
I am so excited!
Angela
__________________ My avatar is my youngest son, Teddy - the "unfrogettable" boy!
I sort paper by color in hanging file folders, I have one file for full sheets and one for half sheets and scraps are stored in a small 3-drawer plastic file. I have a file box that contains "speciality" papers, vellum, acetate, shrink plastic sheets, mulberry, background papers , etc and they are sorted (kinda sorta) by color. All my paper flowers are stored in glass containers of all sorts of sizes, ribbon wrapped around playing cards and "tools" (cropadile, piercing pad, eyelet setter, bow easy etc) are all stored a regular ole tool box with a lift out tray. Sounds like I'm organized.....NOT!!!! I can hardly WALK in my craftroom because once I take it down I seem to never get around to putting the stuff back on the shelf! I clean my work space often and end up working in about a 8"x8" square anyhoo. What a fun hobby!
I have yet to commit to sorting my printed paper by color. I already moved all of the solid colors into ROYGBIV order followed by neutrals.
Right now I have the paper sorted by "theme" but I often find myself rummaging to find something just right and the search is usually based primarily on color so I think that the paper will go the route of the embellishments in the very near future and be sorted by color.
I might leave the singular themes together - like Christmas and Halloween, etc. but even some of those crossover if they are double sided.
Is there anyone out there that has been sorting their printed paper by color?
Angela
I sort all my paper by color--even the patterned. I do not have much multicolored paper, but if it is, I sort it with the color, if it is with a neutral. If it is really multi colored, I have a section that is for multi colored and sort that again by the main color. If I need a piece that is mostly blue, that's the section I head for. Like I said, I don't have that much and may use a different system if I did. The only "themed" paper I have is snowflakes and I put it in with the blues, purples, silvers--whichever is the predominant color.
I store embellishments by type and then color. I have a drawer for buttons and they are then into colors. Same with eyelets and brads. I use the stackable screw lidded containers from Joann's and they fit 4 high. There is one whole stack for Silver, Green, Black, etc. I can put one size in each container or one variation of Blue, for example in each container. Then I can just pull out the stack of Gold eyelets, say, and see which size, color (antique, bright, brushed) looks best.
I must admit that I don't mind (in fact, enjoy) sorting mixed sets from the store. I do it while watching TV/movies with DH in the evenings. Color is most important, but I also like to keep like things together. I don't really have room for containers large enough to hold all things of a particular color, so paper, yarn, beads, ribbon etc. stay together organized in their places by color.
It all boils down to what works for you in your crafting area. It sure looks pretty all arranged by color in the see-through containers, though. I'm afraid the sunlight I have coming in would not be good for things sitting exposed, so I must keep things in drawers and covered.
I sort all my embellishments by color & I use clear tackle boxes I found at Walmart....then I added a color label on the front; its a big time saver for me & with the boxes being clear; its very stream lined and clean looking.....all I have to do when planning out my page is look in my box and tah dah, there everything is ....
Do you store your embellishments by color?
