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I apologize if this question is somewhat off-topic. I have a lot of embellishments for the cards I make and have them organized by what they are such as chipboard or cardstock stickers, ribbons, flowers, pearls and gems. A featured stamp artist in a recent Take Ten said she organizes her embellishments by theme or color. Does anyone use either of these methods to organize and, if so, can you see the benefit of either of these compared to just storing like materials together? Thank you for any thoughts you may have.
Like you I organise by type of embellishments so all my gems are together, as are buttons, and bows. Within the 'type' I sort by size and colour but the 'type' comes first.
Stephanie
__________________ To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong. Joseph Chilton Pearce my gallery
I have always organized embellishments by what they are, ie. ribbon with ribbon, buttons with buttons, etc.. However, lately I've been thinking of trying to organize embellishments by color. I'll be interested to hear other's comments to this question.
Thank you for your ideas! I do have separate storage for Christmas acoutrements too. I am liking the idea of keeping the like kinds of items together but separating by color. And separating buttons, ribbon and flowers into color groups is also a tantalizing idea. This is great!
I guess the key word is organized, whether it be by type, theme, or color. If you can find it when you need it you are doing it right. That said, I still have trouble making the effort to get out some of that bonus stuff. I gathered up stray die cuts, clip art, stickers, and such that don't have a specific theme and sorted them out by color into photo boxes (cheap Michaels ones) that I keep on top of some book cases. Even with that, I usually don't think to reach for them when I'm completing a card. However, I think they are less likely to get damaged now that they are out of file folders and piles in drawers. Perhaps what I need to do is make that last step in a card's layout by always, always checking a color box or two.
I like your idea of sorting your embellishments by color and putting them into boxes. Keeping these goodies safe from damage is important too. I just finished re-organizing my stamp room, a very small room, and am trying the concept of having my embellishments closer to eye level and closer to the surface I use for making my cards so I don't forget I have them. Thanks for your thoughts!
I organize by what it is and then by color. My ribbon is wound on white fiberboard cut into strips. Then I put them in baskets by colors. The flowers are put in those plastic divided boxes with lids. My brads and eyelets are put into smaller divided boxes like those used in the jewelry making sections. Basically I have way too much craft stuff and some days I think it is taking over the house. At least I can get it out of site in closets and drawers. Does this stop me from buying more? No. I just keep rearranging until I find a space for everything.
Niki, I am seeing a definite pattern in the majority, if not all, responses to my question preferring organizing by what type of thing it is, then by color. I really like your idea for using strips of fiberboard to wind ribbon on! And organizing by color. I also have too many supplies but there is always something new and wonderful I find to bring home. I like to have a lot of things to choose from so I can find just the right thing. Thanks so much for your ideas!
I guess I am one of the "few" but I have the white organizer drawers from Mikes-and have colors for each drawer-although pink and purple share a drawer-etc. But I find that so easy when I am making something to go to the pink drawer for ribbons-buttons-etc. Works for me! (I also have ribbon wrapped on the larger (flat) ribbon reels-which takes up way less room!)
I have been thinking of organizing this way. When I want to use a certain color, I don't remember what embellishments I have in that color. It sounds like it works well for you. I might give it a try.
I guess I really don't do either theme or color. For me it's by categories rather than by color or theme. The one exception would be things that are specialized, like Christmas, which I keep together so I guess that's a theme. My categories are things like buttons, rhinestones, ribbon/fiber/yarn, glass beads, flowers, stickers, brads, eyelets, charms, etc.
I can see the lure of putting colors together because then you can see all of the different types of embellishments available for your color scheme, but I usually have an idea what type of embellishment I want and I may have an embellie that I want to use but it's not the right color but I can change the color, so that's why themes/categories work better for me.
__________________ "May your mind whirl joyful cartwheels of creativity." - Jonathan Lockwood Huie.
Last edited by QueenOfInkland; 06-22-2013 at 02:43 PM..
Mine are by colour because when I work, I know what colour range I'd like to use but when I look in the box of items with that colour, I might find something I hadn't thought of...looking for a red button but find a red flower. I have a small fishing tackle box for each colour plus a couple for metalic, neutrals, etc.
The other advantage is when travelling I can pick the colour boxes I'm working with and just take those.
My ribbon is wound on chipboard and sorted by colour.
Paper, by colour with 12x12 and A4 in hanging folders, 6x6 in a basket with the offcuts.
__________________ There is no such thing as lack of sleep, only caffeine deficiency.
By color but together. Buttons are sorted into clear plastic jars by color and on a shelf together. Same with flowers. Brads and eyelets are mostly sorted by color and in plastic boxes next to their paper color (roygbiv) in JetMax cubes. Theme brads are together in one box. Rhinestones are sorted by color with several colors together in plastic boxes and those boxes together on a shelf. Ribbon is sorted by color and each color has a drawer in a Crate and Barrel cart.
Mine are by colour because when I work, I know what colour range I'd like to use but when I look in the box of items with that colour, I might find something I hadn't thought of...looking for a red button but find a red flower. I have a small fishing tackle box for each colour plus a couple for metalic, neutrals, etc.
I had everything sorted by color originally for this same reason, but found that I had too many things in too many drawers and I rarely thought in terms of color when it came right down to creating. I would think "I need something round right there", or "this needs some dimension", so I'd go a-lookin' for something that size/shape/fullness. I'm also all about consolidation, so now I have a drawer with dewdrops/rhinestones/pearls, one with brads and eyelets, one with heart/flower/star shaped items (brads, sequins, gems, etc.), one with hinges/frames/ribbon slides, etc.
I still have separate drawers for each color of ribbons or flowers or buttons, as they are bulkier and there are more of them. The ribbons aren't wound on anything - they're just wound into coils (I start by wrapping the end around a pencil, then slide it off) and held together with those little clear "ouchless" hair bands.
I use those clear elastics too! I searched for ages to find the right thing and when I did it was so obvious.
Back to the OP's question, I think you need to consider how you look for things in order to decide how to store them. Also, how compulsive you are about storing different things together and how annoying you find pulling things in and out of packets. Also, do you need to keep the packets so you can identify things?
I have no problem putting different shapes and sizes of the same colour range in one compartment of my little storage trays. And, I don't have a lot of stuff compared to some. Therefore I have only 8 boxes about 9"x 4" (I have room on my shelf for 2 more). But I know others who wouldn't be able to split a packet of the same brand to do this, or mix rhinestone flowers with rhinestone stars for instance.
My really tiny stuff is in ziplock bags in the boxes but otherwise, I hate having to get things out of a packet, 'cause then I'd have to put them back :oops:
Getting rid of most of the packaging helps cut down on storage space but I am seldom able to say what I used to create a card which can be frustrating for others trying to identify those things.
I think it would be fair to say I have tried 10 different things in the past decade but I'm always willing to try something else when my style and interests change.
__________________ There is no such thing as lack of sleep, only caffeine deficiency.
One box for Christmas stuff, everything else is sorted by type rather than colour for me. I love pictures I've seen of stuff like ribbons/buttons/flowers sorted by colour, but I don't have enough space for that!
I use those clear elastics too! I searched for ages to find the right thing and when I did it was so obvious.
Back to the OP's question, I think you need to consider how you look for things in order to decide how to store them. Also, how compulsive you are about storing different things together and how annoying you find pulling things in and out of packets. Also, do you need to keep the packets so you can identify things?
I have no problem putting different shapes and sizes of the same colour range in one compartment of my little storage trays. And, I don't have a lot of stuff compared to some. Therefore I have only 8 boxes about 9"x 4" (I have room on my shelf for 2 more). But I know others who wouldn't be able to split a packet of the same brand to do this, or mix rhinestone flowers with rhinestone stars for instance.
My really tiny stuff is in ziplock bags in the boxes but otherwise, I hate having to get things out of a packet, 'cause then I'd have to put them back :oops:
Getting rid of most of the packaging helps cut down on storage space but I am seldom able to say what I used to create a card which can be frustrating for others trying to identify those things.
I think it would be fair to say I have tried 10 different things in the past decade but I'm always willing to try something else when my style and interests change.
I'm right there with you on trying different ways and constantly tweaking "the system" to get a workable arrangement! I don't care who made whatever-it-is that I use on my cards, so I never save packaging, either. I use the little boxes that come in THIS CASE (pic attached) for all of the small things (brads, dewdrops, etc.) I also combine sizes of the same color/type item, and shapes as well, if they're basic like round or square. If they're flowers or hearts, though, they have to have their own box...
Organizing embellishments-Theme or color?
