Organizational techniques
 

How do you organize your patterned paper? I have all this great paper but I never know what I have because it is just in one big pile.
:confused:

Good question, I ususally start out with all holidays in one section of a 12 x 12 paper holder with dividers. I also have a stand up type file that I use.

I somehow always get unorganized again.

I organize based on the main color of the page since I'm usually trying to coordinate anyway.

I have

1- a drawer for holidays with alphabetically arranged folded sheets of paper wrapped around each holiday and labelled for the event.

2-a drawer with themes, such as fall, vintage also arranged with the folded paper.

3-drawer for duplex (different color on each side)

4-metallic finish paper

5-paper with adhesive on one side

6-All the rest of the drawers are by color group: light blue, dark blue, pink, etc.

i have mine separated the same way for both solid and printed, labeled with the su name, ie, more mustard, for the printed papers i find it's dominant su color and that's where i put it

My patterned papers are a real hotchpotch of brands. I have them sorted into Spots and Dots, Stripes, Floral, Geometric, basically monochrome, Christmas and maybe a couple of other categories. Not by colour at all...I use a Cropper Hopper folder and it works fine, I usually manage to find what I want quite quickly.

I have a section in my paper sorter for each season, a section that has paper for baby/children, a section for travel, and then sections by color. I put my plain CS at the front of each color section, then the patterned paper behind it, by shade.

I have mine sorted two ways:

1- by the primary colour of the paper (if you squint at it, one colour will be more dominant than all the others) - this is for all my non-CM papers

2- by the group that it comes with (I'm a CM consultant & I have them in their folders in their family groups)

so far so good, I have always been able to find what I want/need.

My OH made me cabinets out of wood for my paper to be stored in
I have 1 for 12x12 papers
1 for A4 card
and 1 for A4 pearlescent and Glitter card they are brilliant ..they are organised by colour in each cabinet,no front on them so i can just look and choose which i want
I will see if i can get a pic of them on here for you all too see
I think it may be on my blog on my first page

Wendy x

....and new pizza boxes are great to stack with labels on the side for easy reference too.

File It!
 

All my patterned papers are Stampin' Up!. I have some 3 drawer Sterilite things that I bought from Target. They are 12 x 12. I put the patterned paper (like Urban Garden, Holiday Treasures) in one drawer. I put the patterned paper that you can get by color in one drawer. I put the smaller bits in one drawer.

I keep the cardboard that the papers come with on top of each one with the white side & the name info facing up. These work kind of like file folders or separators. I can quickly flip through each color pack by just putting my finger in for the next cardboard piece knowing that just under it are the Designer Papers that go with what's listed on the white board.

Hope that makes sense.

all great ideas. thanks a ton