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How do you organize your favorites, card sketches, samples (whatever) for easy reference later?
My craft area is not near my computer I like the idea of creating my own reference binder (I'm a bit of an organizing geek - and often spend more time playing with my supplies & organizing than actually creating things).
Years ago I started by creating an excel sheet & copying the format used for Card Sketch Challenges. I included the sketch (if applicable), image of card, and information about card. I also created cross-referencing sheets, listing the samples by stamp, type of card (i.e. bday), technique, etc.
This was VERY time consuming & the file was lost (computer problems).
I'd like to start over, but want something as practical as it is resourceful.
often spend more time playing with my supplies & organizing than actually creating things).
Don't really have any answers but I am guilty of this also. By the time I regorganize it I am too tired to create.
I can never get it organized in a way I am happy with it and being on a fixed income I really cannot go out and buy all the shelves and cubes like everyone else has. I try to find mine at yard sales and flee market's. I have gotten some good organizational things that way.
I have tried computer ideas too and the exact same thing happend to me. It crashed and I did not have it backed up on another hard drive so I was screwed. And I do not want to put that much time into it again.
Hope someone comes up with something good for you. Right now I take pictures of everything I create or get a sketch of and I have a photo album that host all the pictures. That is the best I have right now.
Do you have lots of sketches and samples? If so, then just copy and paste the sketch and sample onto Word, resize to your linking, print and store in a binder. If you only keep a few, you can use a small notebook (I made mine 4x4 with scraps and my BIA), copy and resize the photos onto shipping labels and stick them onto your notebook. Does this make sense? HTH
I bought a spiral bound journal at Archivers and took the time to go through magazines, blogs, and the sketches on SCS, printed them all off and glued them in the notebook. I did it this last summer when we drove to our family reunion about 8 hours away. I had plenty of time to cut and paste!! :-) The first half of my notebook is scrapbook layouts and the second half is card sketches. It took some time/effort to get all of it put together, but I flip through it ALL the time now!
I keep mine in a 3 ring binder - I just 3 hole punch the page and snap it in. Sometimes I use the page protectors. I have a binder for scrapbooking, cards and other stuff.
I keep mine in 3-ring binders, too. I use cheap page protectors from KMart to put the page in. For smaller images, I paste several to a sheet of white cardstock (again, the cheap stuff from Staples, not my good stuff) and put it in the binder. I have several different binders, like Holiday Cards, Every Day Cards, Techniques, Layouts, etc. They're all labeled and on a shelf near my crafting table.
I could never keep it all together on the computer as I pull a lot of images from magazines. Plus, this way, I don't have to worry about a system meltdown.
Tracy (who also spends way too much time organizing and not enough creating!)
__________________ Tracy Danville, PA Ronald McDonald House
Thanks everyone
I like the binder idea - I have several (and lots of pg protectors) that aren't being used anymore. I could print my favorite for some of the different sets that I have & store them (categorized) in there too.
Tracy - I'm glad Alex is home safe & sound. I appreciate the sacrifices that were made for our country's freedom. A friend just came home (also safely) from Iraq this week, and my cousin deploys for trip #2 in April.
I store mine in a binder. However, I only print out sketch challenges. In Word, I cut and paste the sketch as well as several samples on a single page. I have one binder exclusively for SC sketch challenges. My other two binders contain sketch challenges from the blogs I follow. I just put in dividers between blogs!
__________________ Sharon S. "A child is not a vase to be filled, but a fire to be lit." - Rabelais My Gallery
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There used to be a link or thread where someone had put together (several years ago?) all the templates of different card outlay designs. It would be great to have that or just the card challenges available for that to get ideas.
At the time, I did print it out in B & W, put it in plastic page protectors and place it in a 3 ring binder. i wish I had done it in color as you get an idea of colors, ribbons and add ons.
Im with you...organization is good and you dont have to have all the fancy specially made storage units...the on sale containers from Target, WalMart etc. does just fine
For fav's I have seen, I have been known to fill an extra photo album with them.
Does anyone know if there are updated links with this information?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hartvillestamper
I store mine in a binder. However, I only print out sketch challenges. In Word, I cut and paste the sketch as well as several samples on a single page. I have one binder exclusively for SC sketch challenges. My other two binders contain sketch challenges from the blogs I follow. I just put in dividers between blogs!
this is exactly what I do too for the sketch challenges.
I also print off the tutorials and put them in page protectors in another binder.
__________________ Who would have thought that paper, ink & rubber could create a priceless keepsake or give me treasured friends.
I store mine in a binder. However, I only print out sketch challenges. In Word, I cut and paste the sketch as well as several samples on a single page. I have one binder exclusively for SC sketch challenges. My other two binders contain sketch challenges from the blogs I follow. I just put in dividers between blogs!
Wonderful ideas! If I see a sketch or a card I like I must print it, because when I sit down to craft I never remember. So needless to say I print everything! I now have a gigantic pile that needs to be organized. I had thought of the 3 ring binder but, once they were put in there it was overwhelming to look through. Putting them into catagories will definately help me. I'm saying "why didn't I think of that?" (while my palm bops my forehead.) ha
After years of printing my favorite cards, placing them in marked manilla folders (birthday, get well, etc) I have FINALLY come up with and idea that works for me, I have made folders on my desktop for every category of card then I just save a picture of the card into the appropriate folder...works for me. No more paper and much easier to track down the card I want as they are all titled!!
I have a file with cheap cardstock and page protectors.
I have sections for LOs (cards and scrapping by number of photos) where I store sketches and photos of LOs, colour, techniques, embellishment ideas, journalling, projects and digital/photo editing.
While I'm reading a magazine I always have a pen in hand to note what catches my eye and why, onto the page. Often I just put a note of the section I will file it in on the top corner of one page in an article.
When I've finished reading through it, I rip out the pages with things on that I like and file them either by sticking to a page or sliding into a page protector. It has to be quick.
I often take magazines away with me and set myself a challenge to only bring back the good bits. Then I sit in front of TV one night and paste away.
I tried notebooks but just kept filling them up and as they weren't in any particular order they were too cumbersome. Files, I can rearrange as I feel like it.
__________________ There is no such thing as lack of sleep, only caffeine deficiency.
I put mine is a word document then store on jump ring (I think that is what it called). Most of the sketches are printed (black & white) but not anything in color. Sketches are in a notebook and I am trying to put them in categories. It is easy to call up my pages from my storage on the computer if I need to see the color version. I scan, print and file in a notebook ideas from magazines.
Once I store externally I delete all images in my word document on the computer but leave the file to add to when necessary.
This system works for me but I do agree with someone that the notebook can be cumbersome. .......I also agree, I spend more time on organization than scrapping!!!
Organizing Favorites & sketches
organizing tips
