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I just bought a couple of the Artbin Super Satchels and I love them.
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
What I want in 12 by 12 paper organization:
1. My paper to lay flat, vertical storage just makes my paper bend and bow
2. Lots of slots so I can put each color (red, yellow, blue, green. purple, pink, orange black, gray, white, glitter and metallic) as well as pattern paper and pads.
3. I want them hip high to just above eye level, I do not want to get down on my hands and knees to see my paper.
4. Hanging files are great but paper is heavy and the wheels as a rule just can't hold the weight.
5. Clam shell type plastic bins hinges will pop off after use and where will you put them?
I still have not found the perfect one. As of this date I found a tower that has 24 (?) slots so my paper will lay flat (at HL) but I have to get down on my knees to see the lower paper. 2 rolling cart hanging file folders. (one does stay sturdy but both only holds 10 to 15 files) and the paper does bow a bit.
For your requirements, I think stamphappy1650's solution comes closest. You don't have to put them on the floor - they can sit on a desk or table or on a bookcase, and stack as high or low as you like. (On their website they show them in Ikea's Expedit.)
I would LOVE them for 8.5x11 paper, but while the 12x12 comes with lips or lipless, for some reason 8.5x11 only comes lipped, which is annoying for me. (I've had other lipped holders for regular copy paper and got rid of them.
BTW, wheels on many hanging file carts can easily handle the weight of paper. My cart is packed and glides very smoothly, even across carpet. But hanging files means vertical storage, which you isn't your cuppa, and for other reasons on your list a cart wouldn't suit.
Last edited by bjeans; 09-05-2016 at 07:16 AM..
Reason: added Expedit
What I did was label each drawer (Halloween, Christmas, Solids, Prints, Vacation, Summer, Winter, Cruise, Stampin Up, etc) Then I separated all my paper according to each category and put them in their appropriate drawer. Not only do I stamp, I also scrapbook so if I have Christmas embellishments, stickers, die cuts etc I just store them in the Christmas drawer. That way, whenever I stamp or scrapbook Christmas related things, I just take out that drawer and everything is right at my finger tips.
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Life is NOT a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely BUT...to skid in sideways, chocolate in hand and screamingWOOHOO-WHAT A RIDE!
I just store them in the Artbin plastic cases that hold 12x12 paper. I have one for complete collections, one for specialty papers such as vellum and glitter card stock, etc., and two with random loose sheets. In the collection one, I store everything from the collection, such as the 12x12 sheets, the smaller 6x6 pads, the embellishments, and coordinating card stock.
I lucked out and found someone selling racks like this one (see link) on Craigslist. I have one that holds 12x12 and one that holds 8.5x11. I love that I can see all of my cardstock at once. The slots are even high enough to hold some paper pads although it is a little difficult to get them in and out. Since I bought them used off Craigslist they were quite cheap. I think I paid $25 each. The person I bought them from was getting out of scrapbooking and stamping completely so she just wanted them gone. Definitely a big score for me. I don't think the price for this rack is all that bad considering the amount of storage you get. Good luck in your search!
I bought a relatively low-priced 3 drawer Sterlite system from Shopko a number of years ago. The drawers are large enough for 12x12 paper and they slide in and out easily. I have it on top of two 6-drawer carts that contain stamps. It's right by my side at my stamping table, so easy to find what I'm looking for. I sorted them with holidays, striped (which I use the most) and plain. Works for me! I could see others might need more than one set.
oh my.... I have a Cropper Hopper with hanging files that I use for solid colour paper. Each folder is a colour. White, yellow, pink etc. The Cropper Hopper is on wheels and moves fine over the floor even tho it is very heavy. Also the papers do not bend or warp and you can see the colours at a glance. Then I have a great wooden rolling unit that has 8 shelves and on it I have my paper packs. Again, it is easy to see the colours and the 8 shelves gives plenty of space for organizing. For specialty papers like glitter, metallic, burlap, cork etc. I use 12x12 storage boxes that I picked up at Michaels and Joann's and they are labelled and sit on shelves in the closet. The reason I chose the boxes for this type of paper is that it protects them, they lie flat and I don't use them as often. For patterned paper... which I don't have very much of... I use Cropper Hopper plastic carrying cases that are divided like a folding file box. I have two. One is for paper that is just designs and they are divided by colours and the other one is for specific occasions ie... Christmas, Valentines etc. I seldom use patterned paper so this works well for me. I use patterned paper more for making envelopes than I do for anything else. HTH's!!!!
I use Stamp-N-Storage's 12x12 paper holders. I love them! The paper lies flat, each color has its own slot, and they are well-made and sturdy. Bonus : the company is extremely pleasant to do business with!
I do agree with storing paper vertically, it bends. However, I think with hanging...or even magazine style, if the thickness is thin, is that they aren't allowed to bow, so won't get the bow in the paper. The hanging system, you would have to make sure that either you have enough that it doesn't have enough space to bow, or that you put something behind them, so again, they don't have room to bend out of shape. I would love a hanging system.
I had a roller, with drawers, but they had lids on them. So i couldn't just pull one, and grab a sheet...you had to take the whole thing out. So now, I did change to hand-made magazine style holders, out of post offic priority mail boxes...but since I don't have enough of each color...they will bow. I am probably goign to remake them, without the angle cut, lay them on their sides, with an extra layer of cardboard in between, and see if that will give it the thickness to hold the paper, without bowing the cardboard (or maybe buy some clipboards and take off the metal part, or buy thin board at home depot)...I have shelves, both a bookcase, and plastic garage-style shelves. Organization is the hardest thing for me, and it's even harder to organize scrapping stuff. But i am getting there slowly but surely. At least til I start creating! Right now, it's more of an exercise of displaying pretties, in boxes, of course. *laughs*
I have Iris boxes from Michaels for my patterned paper, but I wanted a Stamp & Storage unit for plain cardstock. However, as I'm in Canada it was just not in the budget. I searched the Internet and found a DIY project using wire cubes and strong ties. I purchased the wire cube unit from Walmart for about $25 and the ties from a hardware store. I'm so pleased with it and it even looks good. We built a craft room this year using all IKEA Kallax shelves and Alex drawers. The wire cube sits on top of the tall Alex drawer unit and it works great. I use IKEA magazine holders for my 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock and as it's tight, it does not bow.
I store paper that I don't buy in reams or large packs vertically, and while it bows in some instances, it doesn't crease, and has never presented a problem. When I put it on my table it's flat. Even carrying it over there's no bend to notice.
Maybe if you had just a little paper in a large container and it was bowed for a very long time it would be "bowy" on the table, I don't know, but I'd think once cut and adhered, it wouldn't matter. Just my take though.
(My 8.5x11 colored or specialty cardstock is in magazine holders, some in job ticket pockets a la Jennifer McGuire who I got the idea from. I don't think she'd be happy with bendy paper. ; ) The 12x12 is in an Advantus cart in the heavy duty hanging folders.)
I have basic Cardstock in hanging folders in one of those white cube systems from Michaels. My loose sheets are in Cropper Hopper folders sorted by theme and the folders stand up in a large box. There are enough in there that they don't warp or bow. My 12x12 pads are laying horizontally in a cube storage unit with shelves. I keep the scraps in the front of the pack so horizontal storage works best. I write the name of the pack on the glued spine so I know which is which without taking them out of the shelving unit.
I store all my 12 x 12 papers in Cropper Hopper folders by color, and type, very little bowing which is not an issue. all my 8 1/2 x 11 goes in storage box..one for plain colors and another for prints. All scrapes go in a plastic tote and stands up in the knee well of my workstation. I have used several options for storage over the years and this works the best for me....handy, and not damaged.
__________________ Have a creative day, every day.
What I did was label each drawer (Halloween, Christmas, Solids, Prints, Vacation, Summer, Winter, Cruise, Stampin Up, etc) Then I separated all my paper according to each category and put them in their appropriate drawer. Not only do I stamp, I also scrapbook so if I have Christmas embellishments, stickers, die cuts etc I just store them in the Christmas drawer. That way, whenever I stamp or scrapbook Christmas related things, I just take out that drawer and everything is right at my finger tips.
This is what I use too! All of your paper lays flat no bowing or corners curled! I have 2 of them and have them stacked. I purchased mine at Hobby Lobby and mine are white/cream color. I also used a coupon for each one!
I keep my 81/2 x 11 flat. I dont care about the 12 x 12 being vertical. I usually end up with scraps from it anyway and I dont really get too much bending.
I have three vertical plastic mag files for solids and specialty. (glitter, mirror, etc)-this one is more subject to bending
I have 5 of the plastic accordian divided carry files for DPs divided by subject. This one doesnt bend unless I overstuff it.
Leaving a link to my blog on how I store all of my paper. The only change I've made is that the themed DSP sheets are now stored on the scraprack behind their theme category.
I got the 8.5x11 idea from Jennifer McGuire. I've always stored my 12x12 in the gusseted paper keeper envelopes (these are The Paper Studio) and whenever I buy a paper stack, I buy The Paper Studio 1/2 paper keeper. This allows me to keep any scraps with the stack in one place.
I'm still working on the 'perfect' storage for the 6x6. I may look on-line. I have a couple of the 8x8 size similar to how I store my 12x12 stacks. I bought them at Big Lots several years ago.
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Very Simple.....on a repurposed shelf. These papers have been stored this way for six years with no problems except it's full and I'm declaring a buying freeze and a use what I have goal in regard to dsp!
__________________ All I want is the chance to prove money won't make me happy!
Last edited by Allistamps123; 09-23-2016 at 04:08 AM..
I would also like my paper lying flat, ideally. At least that's what I thought... but now, the more that I think about it, that would be a lot of space... and very little paper for each style/design. I don't have a lot of paper that isn't in a stack/pad already.
So, I'm thinking of doing something very similar to a friend of mine here on SCS. She uses hanging file folders... but, I've used those for other things in the past and I do not like them... so I'm thinking about just using dividers between paper types/designs/brands, however I want to break them up and putting them in a tub or tote. *think the Sterilite ones at Walmart and Target*
The only concern I have about this method is they might bow... unless I have something in front or behind them all to keep them tightly to the back or front.. whichever the case may be.
What do you all think? I don't want to spend a bunch of money on fancy carts and stuff for my paper.. which I don't have all that much of anyway.
how about cutting cardboard for front and behind each set...or at least put some in a folder in between every few folders...and then make sure to keep the folders fairly tight...put a type of stopper on the rails, that you can remove when you want to rifle through papers.
Very Simple.....on a repurposed shelf. These papers have been stored this way for six years with no problems except it's full and I'm declaring a buying freeze and a use what I have goal in regard to dsp!
One Sheet Wonders are great for using up your paper stash. Or declaring a card making day such as 'I will CAS X #of cards I have on my pinterest board or in my gallery' kind of day. ;-)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ScrappinCEO
One Sheet Wonders are great for using up your paper stash. Or declaring a card making day such as 'I will CAS X #of cards I have on my pinterest board or in my gallery' kind of day. ;-)
Thanks SCEO! I tried a one sheet wonder design once that didn't come out well! I know there are different cut designs though. I should try OSW again.
__________________ All I want is the chance to prove money won't make me happy!
I was going to use a big tub Michaels sold, but once I looked at it in person, I realized It would be too cumberson on the floor where I"d have to bend waaay down to look at paper, and didn't lug it to my table while I had to stand over it to look through since the tub would be too high.
So I did the equivalent of a tub on wheels, which a lot of people here and elsewhere had recommended: the Advantus cart, with white Advantus Cropper Hopper hanging file folders. (The white helps me see colors more accurately.)
I wish it was a scootch higher, but it's fine, and can be shoved out of the way. I keep clear job ticket holders in the folders for scraps so I can see them at a glance.
I haven't heard of people complaining about bowing when using the cart. Even if the paper curves, it's not like it creases or wrinkles, and I haven't even noticed curves. If you have enough paper and/or hanging files, everything stays upright nicely. This is just my experience, however. YMMV.
The best part is everything is visible yet not in the way. I can leaf through, pull a piece partway to see if it works, and if it doesn't, plop it back. That would be the same in a tub, I figure.
I have that exact cart for the exact reasons you stated, lol! One cool bonus: That bottom shelf is PERFECT for my oversize pad of watercolor paper...
I'm honored to be in such good company!
BTW, a sentence should have read, "and I didn't want to lug it to my table where I'd have to stand over it to look through, since the tub would be too high." Sheesh.
I've had to remind myself to look beyond storage containers I'm drawn to, to imagine myself actually using it, walking over to it, picking it up, putting it in a drawer (if small), etc.
Maybe a bit like you've talked about how you have to visualize what you'd actually make with a stamp, for example, and not buy it just because it's adorable. (I'm obviously paraphrasing poorly, but you'll get it.)
Yes, I did get it, and I'm sure anyone/everyone else following this thread did, too, lol! I had my papers in a different system, but it was the dilemma you outlined - pull the container out from under the table, lug it to a high enough surface to comfortably look through it, realize it's the wrong one, go get a different one, blah blah blah. This file cart is soooo much easier!
So you use only the cart thing on wheels and the hanging folders? No container? I think I must have missed something.. lol *needs to go back and re-read*
Ok, yeah, it looks like that's all you are using from what you said.. but I'm really confused. What holds the hanging folders? Is it the top rails of the cart or the lower rails?
Ok, yeah, it looks like that's all you are using from what you said.. but I'm really confused. What holds the hanging folders? Is it the top rails of the cart or the lower rails?
When assembling, you select from several pre-drilled rail holes, since the cart is made for a variety of paper sizes.A short video hows how to put it together, and they include an instruction sheet - it wasn't difficult.
You can also read reviews on Amazon to get a bunch of peoples' persepectives. : )
Last edited by bjeans; 10-04-2016 at 03:58 AM..
Reason: clarification
I then made my own 12 x 12 hanging file folders. Because it has two sets of rails for folders the one set I used with letter hanging file folders for my 8.5 x 11 paper. Then the other set of rails I put my homemade 12 x 12 hanging files for the 12 x 12 paper.
Here is a pic of my cart...hopefully I am not real techy....
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I like that I can roll it over to the table where I am working and then back against the wall when done. This allows me to have all my paper at my finger tips. I had hubby put the wood and rods on the front for punches....
For your requirements, I think stamphappy1650's solution comes closest. You don't have to put them on the floor - they can sit on a desk or table or on a bookcase, and stack as high or low as you like. (On their website they show them in Ikea's Expedit.)
I would LOVE them for 8.5x11 paper, but while the 12x12 comes with lips or lipless, for some reason 8.5x11 only comes lipped, which is annoying for me. (I've had other lipped holders for regular copy paper and got rid of them.
BTW, wheels on many hanging file carts can easily handle the weight of paper. My cart is packed and glides very smoothly, even across carpet. But hanging files means vertical storage, which you isn't your cuppa, and for other reasons on your list a cart wouldn't suit.
Think I suggested this in another thread, but it looks to me like you could use the lipped 8.5x11 containers upside-down so that the paper would rest on the lipless bottom of the shelf. Maybe I'm not seeing it right, Just a thought.
Think I suggested this in another thread, but it looks to me like you could use the lipped 8.5x11 containers upside-down so that the paper would rest on the lipless bottom of the shelf. Maybe I'm not seeing it right, Just a thought.
Somehow I missed your post, Jeanne - thank you for the smart idea! I had already switched to the job ticket system in magazine holders (turned so nothing blocks the view of the paper), and was surprised at how much I like it, though shouldn't have been. Since I like leafing through stamps and dies, this is a leafing subset.
Having colors divided into as many categories as makes sense is also nice. If I have five reds, but only a couple sheets of each, they can live together in one job ticket pocket, but if I buy a pack of 25, it can be separated out into its own pocket in a minute.
When figuring out color schemes, I also like bringing a few pockets to my table, rather than pulling stacks of paper off of a tray.
It's similar to Jennifer McGuire's cardstock system. Sometimes I think successful organizing means finding someone who mentally categorizes/thinks the same way we do, and appreciating that they did the work figuring it out. ; )
BTW, the lip on the trays looks fairly large; it appears that paper could only be stacked up so far before it would get in the way, but I could be wrong.
Storing 12 x 12 paper
