Collecting, organizing, using

[gregzgurl]

I was just reading another thread and noticed RachelRose's signature line:
"I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies."
That triggered the thought that I actually have three separate hobbies - buying, using, and ORGANIZING!

I'm pretty sure that - lately, anyway - I spend much more time organizing than using. In my defense, I've moved a couple of times in the past year and have had to reconfigure my new spaces and tweak them to be functional, but still...

I just reorganized my dies, for example, because while I'm generally a leafer vs a flipper (bjeans reference), the binder I had the dies in (tweaked that system twice) had become too much of a nuisance. I'm happy with the new system (a flipper), so I think I can carry on now.

In any case, it got me to wondering what others' experiences were. What would you say that your ratio of time spent on the three areas might be? Am I the only crazy out there that can't function in a less-than-organized space? Is there another category that I'm overlooking? Thoughts?

[shazsilverwolf]

Hi Sue, no, you are not alone. Every now and then I have a spate of re-organising. Just finished one with my stamps. I used to have them sorted into folders by theme, then as my stamp collection grew, lol, I began switching to having a lot sorted by manufacturer, as I tend to have a lot by certain ones. Over time, I realised I was forgetting about certain stamps this way, so I've gone back to mainly theme based again.
I'm also a flipper for dies, have all mine in a Really Useful box, A4 size, on magnetic sheets in pockets. Definitely find that better than folders, that got unwieldy really fast.

[howdyheidi]

I have a basic organization system, but I guess I am just not the organizing type. I spend very little time on it! I do try to look through my stamps about once a month, but I don’t reorganize them, I just use that bit of time to refresh my memory about what I have so as I am thinking of card ideas, I think of my older stamps too.

[UnderstandBlue]

I've been so much more productive and efficient since cataloging all my stamps, dies - down to every sentiment in every set! I talked about it in this blog post: Understand Blue: A Few Thoughts on Kindness

When I have an image that cries out for a certain sentiment - I just type that in and boom - I know exactly where to go in my collection.

[cardmaker2]

I saw her signature line and got thinking about it too! I find it depends on mood. Sometimes I am in the mood to clean and tidy more than organize, although the two ideas are connected. I find I don’t reorganize that often because everything is working right now. But my space gets untidy and that drives me out of creating. So if I spend a few minutes putting those random pieces of cardstock back in their bins/bags, any loose embellishments or what-have-you away, I am more apt to start a fresh project

[Embri]

Oh yes, organizing is definitively a hobby of mine.
I love sorting and arranging things, making everything fit just right, and the look of a tidy, efficient workspace. Knowing where everything is, whenever I need it.

My stamp collection is currently in flux as I've yet to find a satisfactory system that meets my needs. None of the myriad ones featured on YouTube will do.

I had them in planner binders like my dies before, but stamp pages are simply too thick - but moving to standard binders the pages aren't as sturdy as I'd like, even after fusing my own pocket sizes with a thermal impulse sealer. I think I may go back to full sheet pages and a stiffer laminated backer board, see if that makes me happier with how the pages handle. I really want something that can hold all types of stamps, of any size and mounting type. Tall order, I know!

I don't do a lot of cataloguing except for my dies. I have few enough stamps that I know them all, or a quick flip through is enough to refresh my memory. Dies though, those I have... well, rather a lot. And it's not always easy to tell which ones will fit based on the die alone, so I keep a planner with cut pages of the various shapes I have. As a bonus it also gives me a place to leave notes like which machine a particular die works best on, or if it needs shimming and/or a detail plate, how thick a paper it can handle, etc.

[howdyheidi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cardmaker2

I saw her signature line and got thinking about it too! I find it depends on mood. Sometimes I am in the mood to clean and tidy more than organize, although the two ideas are connected. I find I don�t reorganize that often because everything is working right now. But my space gets untidy and that drives me out of creating. So if I spend a few minutes putting those random pieces of cardstock back in their bins/bags, any loose embellishments or what-have-you away, I am more apt to start a fresh project

If this counts as organizing, then I�m in, after all! I do try to keep my space cleaned up at least every couple days so that I can think better (and it is in full view of the front door). I keep a bin out on my desk that has those half done projects, plus new stamps that I want to use before I put them away.

[bjeans]

Organizing and putting away are two separate categories in my head, so that�s a fourth for me. I can create knowing I need to do organizing, but it�s very hard for me to craft through clutter if things aren�t put away - even if �away� isn�t perfect.

For example, I�m not sure how I want to organize class stuff: the written instructions/finished or half finished projects/leftovers/supplies from certain real life or on-line classes. But each class stash is in a job ticket holder, plastic envelope or Stufftainer, and they�re all in one location on the book case.

Last night I wanted to find a Stufftainer for an origami mini book class, and because nothing is labeled - aka not well organized - most had to be glanced at before it was found. Not optimally organized but findable. Bonus: fun looking through other projects, and I stumbled upon a stamp I lost and had been looking for.

But having a mess on my desks or trimmer table makes me feel like I can�t move forward. Sometimes I pile it up to the side, and it�s like the stuff piled in my bedroom closet I need to sort through - it bugs my brain.

[fionna51]

Yes! Bjeans hit the nail on the head for me!


I'm going to brag a little bit tonight, though. I have a row of boxes of *stuff* in my craft room. I emptied and dumped/shredded/filed two large boxes in the last two days.


However, my stamp table has to be next. I need to Put. Stuff. Away.
And I desperately need to have a stamped index card behind my laminated stamp storage cards. Such a big job!

[Chris4436]

Ah, Sue, you know my pain. I've often repeated that saying about having more than one hobby, and you are totally right that it's not just buying and using, but organizing! I struggle to make cards instead of organizing supplies. Every time I think I've got a good system in place, I read or think of another way that could be better. Today my background stamps had to switch places with my dies. Fortunately, I had enough time in my craft room that I did get to finish a card, which then reminds me why I fell in love with this hobby.

[susie718]

Ever since I read that quote about the three parts of our hobby, I’ve found that to be true for me. And I enjoy all three parts!

[bjeans]

Thinking more about this - great topic, Sue. While Mess stops Making for me, it is not the underlying (overriding?) cause of not making more. It’s too many ideas/options, or the opposite, feeling stuck/anxious/pressure about what to make. Hello Procrastination, my old friend. (I can get the same way deciding on recipes.) And occasionally I’ve made something so thoroughly in my head, I’m done with it.

Once I start making, I can hyper focus and hours disappear (I’m a verrry slow maker). But starting is the kicker.

A doctor I know who has ADHD, so is sensitive to it in others, once gave me a couple of quick tests because he suspected I might have a mild form. Unfocused swirling of ideas or anxiety, plus hyperfocus once finally engaged apparently is not uncommon.

Circling back, putting things away so surfaces aren’t cluttered makes starting easier, as does some organization, even if not all the way there. Ex: regular ink pads are in three hanging Organize More units, but inked labels are only on a few. The labels make color selection easier and less to put away. But that halfway there organization doesn’t stop me, since playing with ink pads isn’t a hardship. It just slows me down.

As to your original question, thinking/planning/procrastination takes up the most time. The rest just varies.

[lutheran]

The Container Store may suffer but I am happy to through organizing my stamping/scrapping stuff. I got rid of a ton of stuff and everything else is organized how it suits me the best. I don't spend as much time in the craft room as I thought I would but when I do sit down to make something, there is much less time spent looking for things and more time actually stamping and playing and creating. From day one to today on this project was almost 3 years. Crazy but true.
Mary Beth

[fl_beachbum]

I think an obervant person could probably tell what's going on in my head based on which of these three (buying, using, organizing) is my focus. Big decision to be made? You're going to find me organizing. Family or world drama? You'll find me creating things. Buying is reserved for celebrations and occasional pity parties ;)

[Illinois Marge]

Oh my. Reading about all you organizers and tidiers makes me feel a bit left out, LOL.
Thought I'd give you all a heart attack. Here's what my messy craft space looks like as we speak. Nobody faint, OK? :-)

[bjeans]

That doesn’t look messy. It looks mid. In the middle of a project, pretty (!) alcohol inks drying, tools, all the stuff! And, um, a toilet paper roll? ; )

[wavejumper]

I had to think about that for awhile.
I would have to say sadly that making is the least right now, and has been for too long while our apt keeps having to go through "stuff".

My *desire* is to make first and foremost. But I also can get sidetracked-I am putting away and I suddenly decide I need to re-org something. (this happens all over the house and at work) My DH may well think I own EVERY stamp in the universe but actually I just keep re-orging them while watching tv.

I also have limited making time as the light here at night isn't good. But I can do some org stuff while watching tv, and that may be all I did that day in card life.

[Illinois Marge]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bjeans

That doesn�t look messy. It looks mid. In the middle of a project, pretty (!) alcohol inks drying, tools, all the stuff! And, um, a toilet paper roll? ; )

LOL, not a toilet paper roll. I do a lot of scenic stamping (think Stampscapes, Makin' A Scene, etc). So there is a lot of masking involved. That TP roll is actually a $17 roll of Eclipse masking tape :-)

[gregzgurl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Illinois Marge

Oh my. Reading about all you organizers and tidiers makes me feel a bit left out, LOL.
Thought I'd give you all a heart attack. Here's what my messy craft space looks like as we speak. Nobody faint, OK? :-)

I agree with Beth - it doesn't look messy, it looks "mid" (project, I'm guessing). It actually makes me jealous on several levels:

• You're PLAYING
• You do TECHNIQUES
• You care more about the project than the "mess"
• You're USING your stuff!

I'm a lot like Beth in that my version of "creative procrastination" isn't procrastinating doing other things by being creative, it's procrastinating being creative by doing other things (like planning, organizing, etc.) Try as I might, I can't seem to switch that around...

As I'm reading (and mulling) all the comments here, I'm gradually coming to the conclusion that my best option will be to stop thinking so much and just DO something! I started a project yesterday and made significant progress on it today, so I guess there's hope, right?

Thanks for all the input so far, ladies! It's fun to read and see how different/alike we are/are not...

[bjeans]

Sue, I posted about what is a problem, but not what sometimes works - and that’s to play without an end goal. Sometimes when I can’t/won’t focus on a project, I play with alcohol inks, Oxides or watercolors. The color tests/combos, flow, etc., can be mesmerizing, and the pieces are put in a box to flip through for use as backgrounds, die cuts, strips, or inspiration.

Recently I made two cards using an Oxide and an alcohol ink background from that stash. And it helped that I Was flipping through some cards, and was inspired by one by Muscrat/Kathy, and had been eyeballing the eclipse tutorial here for some time. While I didn’t do that technique, it spurred the idea of making a die cut sentiment blend in instead of contrasting (the hidden hope card).

While messing around without a goal rings my chimes, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, of course. But it’s a way to sneak past my brain and just do something.

[gregzgurl]

Yeah, I've often thought that Lydia was on the right track with her "creating for the trash" concept. No end goal/it's okay if it ends up in the circular file/it's just paper (and ink) - I need to get over myself! I do really enjoy ALL of the aspects of this hobby, though - especially the organizing, apparently...

[Illinois Marge]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregzgurl

I agree with Beth - it doesn't look messy, it looks "mid" (project, I'm guessing).

Yes - table is mid project. I was making alcohol ink backgrounds on transparencies waiting for my new Alcohol Lift Ink to arrive (today hopefully) so I could try it.

But -- my craft room is pretty messy. If I posted a photo of the whole room I might hear some gasps from you ladies!

I don't spend as much time organizing & tidying up. When I'm down there, I just "do". You are right, I play & experiment. And I don't always put away. And I don't spend money on matching storage containers. I do envy the beautifully organized and pristine white craft rooms, but I sure don't have one :-)

[bjeans]

{imagining Sue traveling from craft room to craft room, from Florida to Alaska, helping people organize...}


If pieces are tossed, that’s fine, though I don’t think of it as creating for the trash, which has a different connotation for me. It’s just play, with an assumption many pieces will end up in the background/die cut box. (Upright in box for flipping, ha.)

Even ugly backgrounds can have parts that would make good die cuts or strips. (In a Gelli plate class the instructor shouted at me as I was starting to throw away a black print mess. I kept it, and it was used to die cut stars with interesting lines.

I retrieved one horrible alcohol ink background from the trash, cut it into strips and adhered them to a piece of colored CS with space in between each strip. It’s a favorite, and kept propped up as a reminder that beauty can hide, and a first glance isn’t always accurate.

Do you love organizing, or more the end result is satisfying, and/or is it calming, and/or...

[wavejumper]

That does sound like a good idea to me. Just making BGs to be staying inky.

[fionna51]

Hmm. Maybe I should cut some of my colorburst backgrounds into strips and use as a background. Some of them are quite...ummm...unbeautiful???

I did cut an uglified alcohol ink bg into leaf diecuts. They're way prettier than the sheet ever was!

[Illinois Marge]

Just saw this card in the gallery. Fantastic way to use a less-than-perfect background. (Not saying this one was, understand).
CC709 Gracefall Fall Leaves by hskelly - at Splitcoaststampers

[hoptownracer1]

That is an awesome idea!
I am tired of having to organize my stuff all the time. Decided to put the majority of the pictures I had set aside for scrapbooking into photo albums, and only scrapbook a very short amount later, and I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders! I can get rid of a couple large empty albums and some other things I had been keeping for scrapbooking. Still keeping my project life supplies and a few small albums. I need to stop the collecting of stuff also. I seem to get stuck in that part of the process. :rolleyes:

[shazsilverwolf]

Saw this today, and instantly thought of this thread!

[Cook22]

Count me as primarily in the using camp. Buying is fairly limited because of budget restraints. Everything has its place and I try to tidy the desk each night so it's clear for the next morning. The only major organising I have done was to get a laminator and get my Unity stamps (and then I did the same with ODBD) onto laminated cards in shoe-box type boxes. Everything else is in an assortment of Really Useful Boxes trays, and CD/DVD cases. Time is limited, for me I'd rather spend it making something than organising!

[gregzgurl]

My time is also limited and I DEFINITELY would prefer to be making, but... I know me, and I'm unable to form a coherent thought if I'm surrounded by clutter. This is true at work, too - there's currently a pile 'o stuff on the credenza behind me and I have to NOT turn around so I can carry on until I get a break in the "work" so I can tackle it.

The best way I can explain my...penchant? peculiarity? whatever... is that I am a "puzzle person" and very much enjoy seeing how the pieces fit. If/when I come across a way that makes them fit better or easier to access or what have you, then I at least have to test it. This includes if it's just an idea in my (very Odd) brain.

I think (hope!) that I have things squared away and accessible in my space (finally!) so I'm going to carry on with the making now. I do still buy things (just got my pre-ordered Tim Holtz dies yesterday and ordered three Unity stamp sets last night), but I have a very quick-and-easy process for integrating new into old, and I'm excellent at sharing with my daughter so I don't have too, too much extra.

Sabrina - the BEST tip I've ever gleaned from these forums is Diane's (fionna51) method for storing stamps on laminated card, so I totally hear you on that! I've done it exactly the same as she does and also done variations on the theme and integrated other ideas (Shaz's trading card pages), but I love my system now! I think I need to take the laminator for a spin on the foiling front, just to see...

[Cook22]

I do remember, with gratitude, you offering to send me some laminated card to try out some years back, Sue. It was only when my allocated space for Unity was becoming too crowded with the stamps still just in their packaging that I was motivated to do something over the Christmas holidays, especially when LIDL had a laminator on offer!

[CreativeCardsea]

Like a lot of us, I have a giant collection of things in my stash I bought because it caught my eye, or because it was on sale or because I saw a cool project someone else did that I wanted to replicate. At one point, I was working so much that the only thing I had the energy for was a little bit of crafty shopping (and it was about the only thing that didn't stress me out). But, life changes.

One of the big changes for me this year has been a huge spending freeze. A part of that freeze was necessity - life happened and I simply can't afford to buy anything crafty. But a bigger part of the freeze was my desire to get away from collecting/organizing and actually use the things that I stashed.

I can say with absolute confidence that this spending freeze has been one of the best things that happened to me in terms of how much I've grown creatively.

I've made more cards this year than I had in 2017 and 2016 combined - and the year's not over yet. I've used stamps that were sitting in my stash un-inked since 2013 (when I started card-making). I discovered and re-discovered why I fell in love with stamps, inks and papers and found so many amazing new ideas, concepts and techniques.

It was hard, though. I've been tempted by so many amazing new products and had quite a few moments of just sheer disappointment that I couldn't get something I really wanted - something that my supply collection was missing (like the versaclair inks or the mega adorable stamps from Hello Bluebird). At the end of the day, though, I tried to channel all of those feelings into creating. I'd tell myself "you don't own anything from that stamp company, so how about inking up a brand new stamp from XYZ that you've been meaning to use for the last year and a half?" I used the fact I couldn't shop as a personal challenge to see how I can adapt ideas to use what I own, and it's been working.

So, maybe that's the answer. If it bothers you that you spend more time collecting or organizing, then just take that part of the hobby out of the equation. Hide away the credit cards, dump all your supplies in a pile and push yourself to create. It will be hard, but it gets easier over time - as long as you persevere.

Don't wait to make something when you feel inspired or when the mood is just right. That puts dampener on your creativity and makes you less likely to come up with ideas. Instead, push through the discomfort and the blahs, and just see what happens.

This is one of my favorite quotes that I tried to embrace wholeheartedly this year, and it has been such a powerful motivator:

�When ego is siphoned off creativity, when creativity becomes one more thing we do, like the laundry, then it takes far less time to do it. Much of our desire for creative time has to do with our trying to coax ourselves into being in the right mood to create. We want to �feel like it,� and when we don�t, or don�t quickly, we think the solution is more time. Actually, the solution is less attention to the vagaries of mood. In short, creativity needs to become something daily, doable, and nonnegotiable, something as quotidian as breathing.
When we make a special occasion out of our art, we rob ourselves of the time we actually have. When we make a ceremony out of the right paper, the right noise level, the right pen and precise circumstance, we are actually creating many false conditions that make our art not more possible but more impossible. �I can�t think when it�s noisy� or �when the kids are home� or �when the phone�s going off.� We may not like thinking under those conditions, but we can think under them and we owe it to ourselves to learn that we can. By making our creativity nonnegotiable, we do it a little every day no matter what our mood and no matter what our judgement of our work. What we are after is the gut-level knowledge that our creativity is both doable and portable.
� The less precious we are about how and when we do our work, the more precious it can be to us. We are like parents who take their infant everywhere. The child learns to thrive in many environments, and so, too, can our brainchild, art.�

- Julia Cameron, The Sound of Paper

[Embri]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Illinois Marge

Oh my. Reading about all you organizers and tidiers makes me feel a bit left out, LOL.
Thought I'd give you all a heart attack. Here's what my messy craft space looks like as we speak. Nobody faint, OK? :-)

Doesn't count if you can still see any part of the original table surface. Psh, what an amateur mess maker you are! ;)

But no seriously that table is lovely and nothing at all to be concerned about. Every somewhat horizontal surface, sometimes including the floor, ends up covered with binders, bits and bobs, folders of scrap paper and other assorted junk when I'm mid-craft. I think that's pretty natural. I always clean up eventually, but an active creative process doesn't thrive in a vacuum.

[bjeans]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CreativeCardsea

Like a lot of us, I have a giant collection of things in my stash I bought because it caught my eye, or because it was on sale or because I saw a cool project someone else did that I wanted to replicate. At one point, I was working so much that the only thing I had the energy for was a little bit of crafty shopping (and it was about the only thing that didn't stress me out). But, life changes.

One of the big changes for me this year has been a huge spending freeze. A part of that freeze was necessity - life happened and I simply can't afford to buy anything crafty. But a bigger part of the freeze was my desire to get away from collecting/organizing and actually use the things that I stashed.

I can say with absolute confidence that this spending freeze has been one of the best things that happened to me in terms of how much I've grown creatively.

I've made more cards this year than I had in 2017 and 2016 combined - and the year's not over yet. I've used stamps that were sitting in my stash un-inked since 2013 (when I started card-making). I discovered and re-discovered why I fell in love with stamps, inks and papers and found so many amazing new ideas, concepts and techniques.

It was hard, though. I've been tempted by so many amazing new products and had quite a few moments of just sheer disappointment that I couldn't get something I really wanted - something that my supply collection was missing (like the versaclair inks or the mega adorable stamps from Hello Bluebird). At the end of the day, though, I tried to channel all of those feelings into creating. I'd tell myself "you don't own anything from that stamp company, so how about inking up a brand new stamp from XYZ that you've been meaning to use for the last year and a half?" I used the fact I couldn't shop as a personal challenge to see how I can adapt ideas to use what I own, and it's been working.

So, maybe that's the answer. If it bothers you that you spend more time collecting or organizing, then just take that part of the hobby out of the equation. Hide away the credit cards, dump all your supplies in a pile and push yourself to create. It will be hard, but it gets easier over time - as long as you persevere.

Don't wait to make something when you feel inspired or when the mood is just right. That puts dampener on your creativity and makes you less likely to come up with ideas. Instead, push through the discomfort and the blahs, and just see what happens.

This is one of my favorite quotes that I tried to embrace wholeheartedly this year, and it has been such a powerful motivator:

“When ego is siphoned off creativity, when creativity becomes one more thing we do, like the laundry, then it takes far less time to do it. Much of our desire for creative time has to do with our trying to coax ourselves into being in the right mood to create. We want to “feel like it,” and when we don’t, or don’t quickly, we think the solution is more time. Actually, the solution is less attention to the vagaries of mood. In short, creativity needs to become something daily, doable, and nonnegotiable, something as quotidian as breathing.
When we make a special occasion out of our art, we rob ourselves of the time we actually have. When we make a ceremony out of the right paper, the right noise level, the right pen and precise circumstance, we are actually creating many false conditions that make our art not more possible but more impossible. “I can’t think when it’s noisy” or “when the kids are home” or “when the phone’s going off.” We may not like thinking under those conditions, but we can think under them and we owe it to ourselves to learn that we can. By making our creativity nonnegotiable, we do it a little every day no matter what our mood and no matter what our judgement of our work. What we are after is the gut-level knowledge that our creativity is both doable and portable.
… The less precious we are about how and when we do our work, the more precious it can be to us. We are like parents who take their infant everywhere. The child learns to thrive in many environments, and so, too, can our brainchild, art.”

- Julia Cameron, The Sound of Paper

Elle, thank you. Your post is printing out. The whole waiting-for-the-mood to hit mindset is my single worst roadblock to creating - and other activities.

As I began reading the quote, I thought that sure sounded like Julia Cameron. Years ago I attended an Artist’s Way group for a few sessions, based on her classic book.

Attending to building the habit, rather than worrying about the creating itself - not so different than doing the dishes after a meal.

Pushing through the blahs, as you put it, or anxiety or __________, that’s it. The only real distractions are the ones in my head.

Occasionally playing without an end goal has led to more comfort and having components for easier making later. Changing “occasionally” to “habitually” will be a piece of building a habit.

Goal: to be that Habitual Crafter when I grow up. ;)

Beth

[stampin stacy]

I've been collecting magnetic advertising for a long while so I could do something cool with it ....someday. I've collected a fair amount in various sized but hadn't really gotten around to using any of it, only a couple of times when die cutting (the reason I started collecting them) but have failed to do anything else with them. They were just sitting in a bag at the back of a shelf collection dust.



I have read about people buying magnetic vent covers to store their dies on and thought I should do that but never got around to doing so. This years resolution was to clean and organize my stuff and a light bulb finally went off when I came across that bag of magnets. I started to toss the whole thing in the trash because I have never and figured would never use them when it finally occurred to me you already have 'free' magnetic sheet for your dies.


Sometimes we have so much stuff and/or compartmentalize things in out head so much that we miss the obvious, lesson learned. I hope

[gregzgurl]

I totally agree, Elle and bjeans! Great quote, and great approach to creating (and life). It occurs to me as more and more comments get added to this thread that I do with my creating what I do with other areas: I intellectually know something, but don't always internalize and ACT ON what I know...

I'm finding, too, that if I start an overly-involved project that I lose interest along the way. I have to break it into manageable chunks and do other, less-involved tidbits between the chunks.

Example: my current project is a "Dia de los muertos" banner for one of my daughters, using alternating "flags" of stamped images and die-cut sugar skulls. The stamping and coloring went quickly, but the sugar skull assembly is painstakingly fiddly and slow, so I have to keep walking away from it. I've also modified the design. I was originally going to do five skulls with four stamped images between, but now I'm doing three skulls between the four stamped images. Without those breaks and without that modification, my daughter will not get this banner until next year - if ever! Yeah, duplication is not my best thing...

Beth - thanks for reminding me of "The Artist's Way". I have that book and have started and re-started it numerous times. Even when not following the whole process (artist's dates and what have you), the morning pages have been a huge part of my life. I think it's time to start again...

[NinaBeth]

Sue, I love this topic! Buying, using and organizing are all different hobbies for me. I have a small work space so I have to keep my desktop organized, but I get a lot of pleasure in doing that. I have a spiral notebook where I keep "pictures" of all my stamps and dies so that I can leaf through and find what I need or get inspiration by just looking. I have my wood stamps in drawers, my acrylic stamps in DVD cases, and my dies in DVD cases. Just recently I have been putting new acrylic stamp sets into acetate envelopes and filing them upright in a box. I love this new way to organize them and may end up re-doing the older ones. All of this is just part of the fun for me. I love my craft room and it is definitely not fancy or beautiful, but it gives me a lot of pleasure. It probably helps that I am retired and do not have the pressure of limited time. I still have too much BG paper, but just recently gave a bunch away that I knew I would never use. I pretty well keep things "culled" in my craft room. I'm like that with everything, though. Thanks for bringing up this topic.

[susanbri]

I definitely prefer to be making cards rather than organizing stuff. But I do love buying new stuff. What I’ve found is that the stuff I’ve organized gets used way more often than the stuff that is not organized so I’m really feeling the need to organize - looking for something in the unorganized stuff makes me feel really cranky!

[bjeans]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Embri

Doesn't count if you can still see any part of the original table surface. Psh, what an amateur mess maker you are! ;)

But no seriously that table is lovely and nothing at all to be concerned about. Every somewhat horizontal surface, sometimes including the floor, ends up covered with binders, bits and bobs, folders of scrap paper and other assorted junk when I'm mid-craft. I think that's pretty natural. I always clean up eventually, but an active creative process doesn't thrive in a vacuum.

At first I read your last sentence as, "... but an active creative process doesn't thrive with a vacuum." As in vacuum cleaner, and I was nodding...

[ejluyk]

OH my..I am the organizer; have to have everything in its place before I can create. I have switched storage systems many times and now have it nailed down!! So I hope.
I am a flipper..store all the stamps in clear envelopes, labeled, sorted by category stacked up in baskets on my shelf behind my worksurface. Dies are stored the same method but in plastic cases (CD type). What has helped me is that I photo copy every die, stamp, embossing folder, punch, stencils and keep them in 5 x7 notebooks. When I need to think about what I am going to do, I leaf through those pages and then go pull the stamp, stencil, or die...collect my paints, or ink pads and put it all on my worksurface...ready to go.
I probably now (as it is organized once again), spend more time making than sorting. I am also teaching a weekly class, so I have things kind of out of organization to take to the class...few more weeks and that will be done. I have done a fair amount of buying in place of making over the many years, so have a mid sized stash of stuff..sorting through it and using it with my class...so I can buy new!! I also started keeping a monthly tally on my craft spending and it is eye opening, which has reduced it a ton. It all adds up. I don't really feel quilt about it just want to be aware and manage it ...after all, at this point in my years of making, I don't really need it all to be creative and continue to make for others. This thread is so part of this hobby.