Splitcoaststampers.com - the world's #1 papercrafting community
You're currently viewing Splitcoaststampers as a GUEST. We pride ourselves on being great hosts, but guests have limited access to some of our incredible artwork, our lively forums and other super cool features of the site! You can join our incredible papercrafting community at NO COST. So what are you waiting for?
Way to go, Stamphappy! That was pretty much how I did my purge- the hardest part is refusing to keep stuff just because you spent money on it, and see it as wasteful to get rid of when you've never used it. I convinced myself the money was wasted anyway, the only way to retrieve the situation was, where possible, to give it to someone /somewhere who would use it.
Thanks :p
Another change in my thought process is that's it's ok to throw something away. Giving was so much easier but tossing was a bit hard at first. I even tossed stamps (gasp, yes I did). A bunch of cheapo clear stamps that don't stamp after repeated tries to fix them I just couldn't give them to someone who was going to have the same problem.
Also, the super-purge has curbed my shopping. I think long and hard about how I'm going to really use an item before it hits my shopping cart and it has given me more cash for bigger ticket items instead of little bits of this and that.
I didn't get to the Studio yesterday. Purged a massively full email account and got a couple of creative ideas. Today I'm in the studio all afternoon. Crank up the tunes and get started.
__________________ Kelly BlogYouTubeS2S $0.00
Scrapbook Layouts: April: 0/4
Way to go, Stamphappy! That was pretty much how I did my purge- the hardest part is refusing to keep stuff just because you spent money on it, and see it as wasteful to get rid of when you've never used it. I convinced myself the money was wasted anyway, the only way to retrieve the situation was, where possible, to give it to someone /somewhere who would use it.
This is my philosophy as well - sometimes it takes awhile to get there. But once you do, you can reclaim your art/craft/hobby and not be weighed down. I'm so much happier now and love that it takes so much less to still do the things that I enjoy.
Another thought to keep in mind when you are evaluating and purging is to recognize past mistakes so that you do not repeat them.
And also, before you click that "submit" button on any order, or run off to the store because they have something you are sure you need, take a little trip around your supplies first and remember what you already have. This works wonders in other areas of life, too .
I see where Tiffany Spaulding is offering her Free Get Organized class. I think the class begins Jan. 14th. I've taken her class. Have known Tiffany for years. Love her perspective.
__________________ Kelly BlogYouTubeS2S $0.00
Scrapbook Layouts: April: 0/4
I too threw some stamps away- like you said, the cheap acrylic ones & magazine freebies that never stamped well. Phantom, I so agree about recognising past mistakes! I give thought a lot more now to what I buy, and more often than not, talk myself out of it. In an ideal world, we'd have all the supplies, and just as importantly, all the time we need to craft & create. But in reality, I know how much time I actually get, and I haven't used half the stuff I already have, especially stamps.
I see where Tiffany Spaulding is offering her Free Get Organized class. I think the class begins Jan. 14th. I've taken her class. Have known Tiffany for years. Love her perspective.
I had to google her, and wow! She has lots of great organizing videos on Youtube! I'm watching her paper organization video right now!
Halfway through the 12x12 paper purge and I already have about 2 pizza boxes full. I looked at each piece and said 'can I really use this? will I?' - especially the very thin cheap paper. Then I kept what I wanted, or Mum wanted.
I can't believe how much I bought because it was half price or in a cheap pack. I am determined never to buy a pack or a pad again unless I really want nearly every piece of paper. So much ugly paper....
Halfway through the 12x12 paper purge and I already have about 2 pizza boxes full. I looked at each piece and said 'can I really use this? will I?' - especially the very thin cheap paper. Then I kept what I wanted, or Mum wanted.
I can't believe how much I bought because it was half price or in a cheap pack. I am determined never to buy a pack or a pad again unless I really want nearly every piece of paper. So much ugly paper....
I have 3 companies I buy DP from: SU if the pattern really calls to me, DCWV - same reason and My Minds Eye 6x6. I also like Graphic 45 but have yet to spend money there. Too dangerous 'cause I'm a vintage kind of gal :-)
I also use Rosewood slab from Colorbok a lot. That's the only one of their slabs I buy.
__________________ Kelly BlogYouTubeS2S $0.00
Scrapbook Layouts: April: 0/4
I have 3 companies I buy DP from: SU if the pattern really calls to me, DCWV - same reason and My Minds Eye 6x6. I also like Graphic 45 but have yet to spend money there. Too dangerous 'cause I'm a vintage kind of gal :-)
I also use Rosewood slab from Colorbok a lot. That's the only one of their slabs I buy.
I'm not allowed to go through Mum's Graphic 45 pads or her Kaisercraft collections. They are staying as is, and they make up half our stash. I don't mind, as now they should all fit in our boxes. Plus, as she uses them up, I should be able to get rid of some of it via scraps and half sticker sheets.
Sorry for the double post, but I couldn't work out how to edit my other post. Well all the DP is in the new boxes, and I have 2 boxes left over. Unfortunately my spare page protectors won't fit in there. Also my mums Kaisercraft collections won't fit in there either. So we're looking for a solution to that. Also got the cardstock into my wood paper shelf. Pictures soon!
Over my days off I cut up and used quite a bit of this paper pile I had on my table! I went through my recycling bin and pulled out all the cardboard boxes (like Ritz cracker boxes, etc.) and cut them into card sizes, and then covered them with this patterned paper. So I turned a lot of this flimsy paper into much sturdier "cardstock". Then as the end of my free time drew near, I went through the stack and took out all the partially-cut pieces (since now they were shorter than 12") and filed them away. Now the stack of 12 x 12 is much smaller, and more manageable!
Over my days off I cut up and used quite a bit of this paper pile I had on my table! I went through my recycling bin and pulled out all the cardboard boxes (like Ritz cracker boxes, etc.) and cut them into card sizes, and then covered them with this patterned paper. So I turned a lot of this flimsy paper into much sturdier "cardstock". Then as the end of my free time drew near, I went through the stack and took out all the partially-cut pieces (since now they were shorter than 12") and filed them away. Now the stack of 12 x 12 is much smaller, and more manageable!
Great job!
I went through my recycle stash last fall when I started reorganizing my sewing room to include space for mixed media storage (my big cutting table is perfect for spreading out 'wet' projects to dry)
Most were cut down into 3 categories: postcard, atc, tags (Tim Holtz size).I still have some 3x5 that are perfect for covering bumpies in cards for mailing. But it's all cut down into manageable storage - which my husband still isn't seeing LOL
__________________ Kelly BlogYouTubeS2S $0.00
Scrapbook Layouts: April: 0/4
I think this is so cool the thread is still active. Last year I had a huge change come up that was wonderful. My DH & I bought a home. My old art studio was organized. Of course when you move you purge. Then I got a new studio. I purged some more to fit the needs of my new beautiful studio. Then I redid my studio three more times, lol.
My DH also got his own studio. We shared the old one. I noticed the strangest thing. My art supplies are almost nil. Everything went into my DH's art studio. It was all his stuff! The moral of this story if you share an art studio with somebody you might be surprised you don't own anything.
I have made a few new rules about my new art studio to help keep it beautiful and organized.
-I don't shop at the big box store's any more. I can't get to them easily. I am burned out on the big box stores. If I need a specific supply I order it online or use something else instead.
-I love kits but I am picky about them. Instead of buying a kit I use the kit money to make my own. This way I get new treats that I love and use up quickly.
-Before I moved the WRMK envelope punch was showing up at the stores. I wanted this punch when I saw it at CHA. I was so excited about it. Then I moved and I thought to myself all my envelopes are custom and made from different materials what am I going to do with the punch? I sure don't want to dust it. I realized I don't care if it's popular if it's not my style it doesn't come to live in my home and need me to take care of it. I spent my money I was saving for latest greatest on a dog and hamster. I have to take care of them too but it's more enjoyable.
DeeAnn, I had to laugh a little about the whole "ownership" thing. My DH is convinced that EVERYTHING in this house is mine! He's including dishes we both use, towels and sheets likewise, anything decorative in any of the rooms, etc. His rationale is that I bought it - yeah, for US, with OUR money, that we BOTH contributed to the checking account, silly man! Now, if we're talking the stuff in my studio - yeah, baby, that stuff is ALL mine!
I thought some of you here might like this list for organizations that accept donations in a variety of areas (not just art/crafts). There's another link at the bottom for Charity Navigator but I haven't looked there.
Some of these links were a bit broken - but every time I got an error message, I just clicked to Home and it was all fine.
I am soooo silly...I buy all these supplies, get home, they goooo in the closet to hide, and are never touched again...I just went through all paper, stamps, embellishments, letters, etc., took them to an elementary school where I live, they were so grateful for everything. I live in Florida, and I know teachers have to buy supplies fro their students, it seems like something is wrong with that statement. Teachers are so under paid, over stressed, if I can give to schools that is my reward to the kids...;)
DeeAnn, I had to laugh a little about the whole "ownership" thing. My DH is convinced that EVERYTHING in this house is mine! He's including dishes we both use, towels and sheets likewise, anything decorative in any of the rooms, etc. His rationale is that I bought it - yeah, for US, with OUR money, that we BOTH contributed to the checking account, silly man! Now, if we're talking the stuff in my studio - yeah, baby, that stuff is ALL mine!
LOL My DH is just wondering 'where' his space is. He doesn't care about what's in it, only that my stuff seems to overflow to every room of the house :-D Hey, I can't help it if I have multiple interests!
__________________ Kelly BlogYouTubeS2S $0.00
Scrapbook Layouts: April: 0/4
DH's space is the entire house, garage, shed, carport and yard. With our granddaughters here for 6 weeks he realized just how much space he usually has. At the moment we're down to our bedroom and half bath as the only rooms in the house still intact and a very cold garage and shed/carport.
DeeAnn, it was really interesting reading your post and the rules that you have made for yourself - and I laughed about your DH How wonderful to now have your own home: congratulations!
I am almost at the end of moving my craft stuff from one bedroom to another this past week. My 10 yo DD's room is too small so she is taking over my Craft Room. It is just amazing what you forget you have - and I have quite a bit of stuff that will be going to charity. I did a BIG purge of our house last year and I had alot of stuff eg: records, sheet music, hymn books (he was a church organist), favourite jacket - that belonged to my late father who suddenly passed in 1996. I had kept them all that time but I discovered that in my grief process, I have memories and photos of him and didn't need this stuff anymore - so anything that was still OK, went to charity; the rest went in the bin. Alot of my craft stuff that I didn't want, went to our local pre-school/kindergarten where my daughter went. I was quite shocked at how many craft magazines I had accumulated so those that weren't too old, I put in hospital and doctor's waiting rooms as I had met several ladies where my loved one was having medical treatment, who were scrapbookers or crafters and thought these mags would be more interesting than Hollywood mags.
I put some craft things in a box that I wasn't sure whether I wanted to get rid of or not or maybe sell (?) - and I gave myself a year and if they weren't sold and I didn't look at them, I would donate them. I didn't even look at them till today so I obviously don't need them and they are going to charity this week too.
I made a rule for myself as I have been moving into my new Craft Room that anything in there that isn't relevant to my life now, I am getting rid off. And if there is stuff that won't fit in the cupboards and storage units, it will go too. I ended up with stuff on my floor in my old room but I want to keep my floor clear in my new room. It is so "free-ing" to have a purge - it's like it refreshes your mind - quite cathartic I think
Finally got some pictures sorted! Here's the amount of paper I purged, my old paper storage (during the middle of purging) and my new paper storage - boxes in cube shelving for patterned papers, cardstock in a wooden paper shelf. I just need to find a storage solution for mums Kaisercraft collections and Graphic 45 paper pads, as they won't fit in the boxes.
Finally got some pictures sorted! Here's the amount of paper I purged, my old paper storage (during the middle of purging) and my new paper storage - boxes in cube shelving for patterned papers, cardstock in a wooden paper shelf. I just need to find a storage solution for mums Kaisercraft collections and Graphic 45 paper pads, as they won't fit in the boxes.
I use the 12x12 plastic envelopes. I buy the ones at HL by Paper Studio. They are about $5 a piece but with a coupon they are not that much of an expense. I usually pick up one when I buy a new pad then I can put it away as soon as I get home.
__________________ Kelly BlogYouTubeS2S $0.00
Scrapbook Layouts: April: 0/4
And I see HL has them for 50% off their website. Hmmm wonder if I need any more. I usually buy mine with a 40% coupon.. but my nearest HL is 4 hr. round trip.
__________________ Kelly BlogYouTubeS2S $0.00
Scrapbook Layouts: April: 0/4
Hmm, that's a good idea. I could just stack them on a shelf. I have a lot of plastic envelopes, but they seem kind of flimsy. Are yours more box like?
If you can make the shelf high enough that you can stand them up, that would be better. You know Murphey's Law... the one you want will always be on the bottom hehe
__________________ Kelly BlogYouTubeS2S $0.00
Scrapbook Layouts: April: 0/4
I think I've seen some of these around... They'll fit in my cube shelf, so I can stand them up. Does the corners of the paper get creased from the weight of standing up?
I think I've seen some of these around... They'll fit in my cube shelf, so I can stand them up. Does the corners of the paper get creased from the weight of standing up?
I've not noticed corner issues. But then mine are full so not a lot of room for them to shift. Also, most all of mine are still in the slab so I think possibly the chipboard back might help lend support.
__________________ Kelly BlogYouTubeS2S $0.00
Scrapbook Layouts: April: 0/4
And I see HL has them for 50% off their website. Hmmm wonder if I need any more. I usually buy mine with a 40% coupon.. but my nearest HL is 4 hr. round trip.
After work today, I stopped at HL and bought the only 2 they had! Also got a rain check for (4) more! With the sale price, you cant beat it for $2.50!!
@Scrappinceo, just curious as to what you have them stored in. A cube maybe or on a shelf? Thanks!
Last night I went through all my patterned paper-I don't have very much, maybe a stack 8-10 inches high. I'm recycling what I don't want to keep-some are almost 5 years old and I figured they were taking up space and since they had been there that long I obviously didn't like them very much. I cleared out almost all of the distressed, grungy looking patterns-I've realized it's not my style, I prefer brighter, more cheerful colors and patterns.
I purged some brads and some other embellishments last year and haven't bought any since. Also donated a bunch of buttons last year to the group that's making up a collection of 6 million to honor those lost in the Holocaust.
__________________ Cindy in Oregon
Last edited by Cartermrc; 01-28-2014 at 12:27 AM..
It seems like I have been purging forever. My new rule for myself is "WHAT I HAVE I WILL SHARE, WHAT I NEED I WILL BORROW" I have been trying to move to another room in the house. It looks like I now have a mess in 2 rooms.
It seems like I have been purging forever. My new rule for myself is "WHAT I HAVE I WILL SHARE, WHAT I NEED I WILL BORROW" I have been trying to move to another room in the house. It looks like I now have a mess in 2 rooms.
It seems like I have been purging forever. My new rule for myself is "WHAT I HAVE I WILL SHARE, WHAT I NEED I WILL BORROW" I have been trying to move to another room in the house. It looks like I now have a mess in 2 rooms.
I know from experience that it always looks 1000 times worse when you start purging - and you feel like it will never end. At times, I have just wanted to throw it ALL out because I'm sick of the whole process!
It wasn't so long ago (maybe five years?) that I gave in to this stamping addiction and started collecting stuff, and I remember looking on the buy and sell forum here in awe at the long, loooong lists of used stamp sets that people were selling, and thinking, "how in the world could someone have that many stamp sets??" And now I'm one of those people! ;) I finally did my FIRST real purge a couple of weeks ago after I realized I was approaching the limits of my storage space. And I realized some things- when I first started stamp collecting, I chose many of the stamps I bought simply because they were available or because I liked the images, but I didn't yet have any real preferences as to types of images. Now after stamping for a few years I've noticed there are some stamp sets I've never really used, and it doesn't make sense to keep them on the shelf "just in case." I had quite a few sets with line-drawn images that are meant to be coloured, for example, but I've finally admitted to myself that I hate colouring and so those are gone! Mostly anyway...
I also have a tendency to hoard things because I'm afraid of using them up. Among my old keepsakes in the basement I still have a collection of unicorn erasers from when I was in elementary school that I kept simply because they were too cute to use! How crazy is that?! Looking through my collection of embellishments and paper, even though I don't tend to collect those as much, made me realize that I need to declare war on this tendency of mine! So now I try to remind myself that I buy these things in order to USE them, not hoard them. The joy in crafting is in making and giving! And when that little voice says, "what about when it's all gone?" I can confidently say back, "there will ALWAYS be more stuff to buy!!" 'Cause my wishlists are endless...
I too, when first starting my cardmaking, bought lots of stamps which I liked before I really found my "own" style - but there are quite a few that I haven't used and I am donating some to charity and others I am selling on EBay. Because I am in Australia, I can't really use the Buy/Sell/Swap Forum here as the postage would be too expensive for people in the USA etc. And I too wouldn't use a paper because it was too pretty - but now I just use it because it IS pretty. The range of papers out there now is mind-boggling so there will always be a new, prettier paper to buy - well, if I run out of what I have in 10 years.........LOL!
I used to hoard stuff probably because my late father never threw anything out - and he would often say: "It might come in handy some day" - and probably only 5% of the time, it actually does because you forget what you have! In the past 2 years, I have become ruthless with "stuff". I see some of the US shows here like "American Pickers" and I am quite shocked at the mounds of stuff people collect to the point where they can barely move in their house - and yet, some of the Collectors won't part with something because they think it is worth more than it really is. I say a little prayer to myself sometimes: "Please don't let me end up like that" - which is a good motivation to keep purging!
I just need to find them somewhere I can get them shipped to Australia. No luck so far.
I am in Australia - and I have bought some very similar ones from Target a couple of years ago which were about $8 - might be worth checking them out.
Also: Craftonline (located on the Sunshine Coast in Qld) who I buy from alot have some really good paper holders HERE (if the Mods delete my link - look for Poppy Crafts Paper Storage case on their website). Hope this helps
I am in Australia - and I have bought some very similar ones from Target a couple of years ago which were about $8 - might be worth checking them out.
Also: Craftonline (located on the Sunshine Coast in Qld) who I buy from alot have some really good paper holders HERE (if the Mods delete my link - look for Poppy Crafts Paper Storage case on their website). Hope this helps
Hi, thanks for the help! I was just at that site and saw those - I think I'd have to take the handle off to fit on the shelf. I will check out target, but I am wondering if these holders will work for me price wise anyway. I will need at least 10, probably 20. So maybe not the solution for me. But thanks!
