One Shelf at a Time: Photo Storage

Photo storage may not technically fit on a shelf when you are dealing with digital images. However, just like something tangible, it can produce clutter. It's so easy to have a ton of photos. You might forget parts of the story or which ones you printed. To help myself out a bit, I have devised a photo captioning and storage system.

I sort my photos by year and then have photos arranged by month. I was inspired by Noell Hyman's suggestion to journal in your metadata. This means I change the names of the photos, sometimes even the folders that contain them. and I add journaling where the name would be. No more forgetting stories, where the event occurred or snippets of things people said.

Not every single photos may receive a caption. There is enough there to document my memories and thoughts about the events. Doing this also makes me feel a little better about not getting to every photo right away. At the very least, the stories have been documented.



I also add the word " scrapped" to the name of the photo or to the folder once a layout has been completed. It helps to keep me from reprinting a photo multiple times. Not that there is anything wrong with scrapping a photo more than once. It just helps me to keep track.

I do make sure to delete any bad photos. I take so many photos every day. Not all of them come out and there is no sense in keeping the blurry ones( unless they document a special story). This sort of record keeping system also saves me time when I scrapbook. I have an idea of the journaling that goes with the photos before I ever start the layout.

Are all of my photos documented like this? No. I started using this system last year. I do go back and change some of my older photos. I know that the task would be overwhelming to take on all at once. So little by little, I have implemented the new system. I love how it works for me and how it streamlines my process.

The storage of your digital photos is important. Keeping it organized will help you save time as you scrapbook. It will also help you from cluttering your computer. Make it a habit to add notes to your digital photos every time you download a batch. You just might find that it makes your memory keeping a little easier for you.

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One Shelf at a Time: Clear

  For various reasons( LOAD213, DT assignments, being tired/ill) over the past several months, my desk has become a chaotic hurricane. Sure, I like to work within organized creative chaos. I do, however, need a little structure too. One of my goals in 2013 was to establish a way to keep my things more organized. I want to be able to easily put something away so that I will do just that. So today, I implemented my one little word and started a cleaning and organizing revolution.

I still have a ways to go, but now I at least have a really good start. I think now I can keep moving forward with my one shelf at a time concept while maintaining my desk. Today I reworked my pens, JBS Mercantile kits. stamp carving storage, inks and washi tape storage. I plan to share some of those in more detail soon.

Meanwhile, I have an idea of what was not working and I have solutions that may fix it. I will need to live with this change for a little while to see how it works. I also need to keep to certain rules. This is my first ever  dedicated scrap space. It's an odd little spot in a closet. Weird, but for whatever reason, the people who lived here prior to us felt the need to put a built in desk in the walk in closet. I do have a nice view out of the closet's french door( yes, more weirdness) and can see the whole room plus out of a window. I digress though... My space is small and it is finite. Therefore, I need to choose what comes into it very wisely. This also means using up more of what I have on hand which makes me feel good anyway.

I have made some interesting discoveries about the way I store things. I need to see them or have easy access to use them and properly place them back. I like the look of glass jars but  really don't like dusting them. This may sound simple, but knowing these things will help me direct my organizational budget and the choices I make in the future. If you find you are struggling with your creative space, ask yourself what you like and don't like about each separate set of materials. From pens to stamps, each one may be stored or used differently depending upon your style. Knowing what you like and don't like will help you make needed changes. You will find that having a plan also will help you make due with your current solution while you wait to make those changes happen.

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One Shelf at a Time: The Glitter Experiment

There was a time when we all bought a lot of glitter. Then, stickles arrived on the scene and they were so much easier to use than loose glitter. My little baggies and vials of loose glitter fell to the bottom of the drawer. For awhile now, I have had the intent to use them more often. Glitter is making a kind of comeback. Plus, it would be nice to use up some of my stash.

After perusing Pinterest, I came to the conclusion that I wanted pretty little crystal like salt and pepper shakers to store my loose glitter in. Alas, several months of searching thrift stores and dollar bins has not been successful. I decided to move to plan B. This meant I would try any clear container that I could find.

What I did find isn't pretty. It's a very functional, clear glass kind of cheap shaker. It does have some positive attributes though. I can shut the lid...something that the pretty shaker option does not have. It would seem lately, that I have a lot of kitty curiosity where my supplies are concerned. The spare room doesn't have a door, which means a kitty proof spill option such as this jar may just be a good thing. On the right, you see my current method of glitter storage. This glitter came in a plastic vial which broke, thankfully, inside the shipping bag. Breaking into this mess has been so very unappealing that I have never even attempted to use the glitter within.

The glitter has since been transferred to the new jars. Again, it's more functional than it is pretty. The jars are a lot larger than I really need for the small packets of glitter that I have. However, I believe it's going to be more usable now. I can officially start my glitter experiment.Only time will tell if I use the glitter more or if it remains unused.

If you are unsure about using a salt shaker to store your loose glitter, I recommend a similar experiment for you. Invest in only one or two shakers to start with. If you like the results, you can always buy more. Try the shakers for a month at the least. This will give you an idea if this is the right storage method for you.

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One Shelf at a Time- Embossing Folder Storage

For a very long time, I didn't have many embossing folders. My solution was to store them in a ziploc bag inside a plastic drawer. As time went by, I slowly began to acquire more folders and I realized that I had outgrown my current storage solution. I decided that I needed something that would allow me space to grow my collection and store them by category. 

The answer to my dilemma was a basket filled with homemade dividers. It's not beautiful, but it functions very well for me. I do plan to replace these cardboard dividers with permanent ones sometime in the near future. Most likely, that will occur when I finish getting more of my space into better shape. 

Whatever the decisions are in your craft storage and space organization, understand that your needs may change as you acquire more of certain supplies or learn to use them in new ways. Try to purchase items such as baskets or tubs that can be reused or easily moved in the event that you want to redesign your craft space.

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One Shelf at a Time: a Re-examination

Last year, I introduced a segment to the blog called One Shelf at a Time. It was my hope that I could create a more organized craft space in small increments. I would focus on one specific area, then move onward and work on another. The plan had merit, but it failed.

The reason why it failed is that I lacked follow through. I tend to get distracted. I would start organizing an area, find something cool that I forgot I had, and then, like a little kid, I would run off to play. Part of my distraction problem dealt with time. My day is often spent homeschooling and doing some housework. I etch out small bits of time here and there to create. By the end of the day, I don't want to organize or clean some more. I just want to play. The temptation is too great.

What resulted over the course of time was a large creative mess. I admit that I normally create in a state of organized chaos. I usually have projects drying, materials stacked and waiting to be used, and a layout in progress. This organized chaos turned into clutter. My cats helped to spread the mess around.Before I knew it, it was out of hand and getting less fun to create in my craft space.

Over holiday break, I have begun to dig myself out from under the avalanche. The mess is still there but more controlled. I am re-implementing the one shelf at a time scenario. However, this time, I have come up with some ground rules:

1. I must use scraps right away or toss them.
2. I must use items to be recycled within 2-3 days or toss them.
3. I must put away my toys after I use them. No more leaving stuff out on the desk.
4. I must reorganize one shelf per week.

So here we are on my first shelf. Last week, I reorganized my stamp storage. For a long time, I have been storing it by manufacturer. This made perfect sense to me since I am on several design teams. I need to know who made what. The problem is, I don't think about what manufacturer I want to use when I need a stamp. I think about images or themes. My next step took a lot of guts for me...

I cut apart the stamp sets and stored them inside CD envelopes and cases. I can then write the manufacturers name on the case or envelope. The CD cases I have are thin and not all of the stamps fit neatly inside them. That's why I also have the envelopes. Small stamps are contained and less likely to be lost.

I then used cardboard from shipping boxes to create dividers. I placed the stamps by theme or category inside a plastic drawer. I used categories such as: backgrounds, journal spots, animals, holidays, etc. There was a  little space left over. I stuck a plastic tupperware dish in it and placed my versamark pens and a few other stamps supplies.






It's now very easy for me to find a stamp that  I need. Over the next month or so, I will test drive this solution to see if it fits my storage needs. If it works out, then I will invest in nicer looking dividers or make my own.

For tips on how to  test drive a storage solution, check out my article today on the Scrapbook News and Review blog.

My next shelf will be my letters and alphabet storage. Stay tuned!

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One Shelf at a Time: Washi Tape

It was not so very long ago when I lacked a supply of washi tape. While I still don't have a ton of it, I did manage to get a little bit more for some upcoming projects. I guess it's good I don't have a lot of this stuff available to me locally, or I might go way overboard with it.  So now that I have just a little, I had to make some decisions about how to store it so that I get the best use of the tape.

Since I work for several creative teams, it is necessary for me to know who manufactures the products I use. I store all of my supplies by type, color or theme, and then sometimes, by manufacturer. I knew right away that I would store the tape by color, but I needed a way to label it by manufacturer. My first though was to make some ultra cute tags. This idea was nixed this morning. When I entered my craft space, I discovered my son's kitten, Ju Ju Bee had decided she wanted a craft party of her own. I spent about 20 minutes or so cleaning up her creative play. Tags would be too much of a temptation for her. Instead, I used a fine tip marker to write the name of the manufacturer on the cardboard and plastic tape rolls.

Initially I had a shelf with dowel rods attached. I had hoped to put the tape rolls there but I discovered a problem. If I needed to remove a roll to measure the tape I wanted for a project, then I had to take the whole rod off. It would be a pain. My cat sealed the deal that I would not be using the dowel rods. She stole the end caps which then were broken. I then decided to just remove the whole rod and stack the tape by color on the shelf.

I like the way the colorful stacks sit on the shelf. I can see what I need and access it with ease. Maybe someday I will get some more washi tape. For now, this suits my needs just fine!

One Shelf at a Time: Buttons

I love buttons. I love buttons stored in jars. I love looking at photos of scrap rooms with jars full of buttons and embellishments. I have tried to emulate these gorgeous scrap rooms by collecting a wide array of glass jars from spaghetti sauce to baby food. I am sad to say I have discovered that jars just don't work well for me.


 Right now, I have buttons stored using two different methods. Since I am on several creative teams, I need to know whose products I am using so I can properly credit the manufacturer. Method one: buttons of unknown origin are sorted by color and stored in jars. Method two: Buttons by manufacturer( then by color) are sorted into a tackle box style contraption. In examining both the way I purchase my buttons and the way I store them, I have realized that the tackle box is far more useful to me at this time. I will probably never buy enough buttons to fill up a single jar. I also hate having to dump them out, sort through them to find the right button, then return them to the jar.

I tend to buy my buttons in a bulk  from the daily deal sites. The last time I bought buttons this way was almost a year and a half ago. You get a lot of buttons when you purchase them like this and they tend to be from the same manufacturer. I was running low, so I recently made a bulk button purchase.

I used to store the buttons by product line. I decided I liked having them by color. So I decided to use my storage cases in the way I use colors. I scrap a lot of blue and green together. So keeping those buttons in the same container made sense. Pink and purple also went well together. Orange( I need more orange buttons!), red and yellow fit into another container. Which left me a container for neutrals and browns.

I now have one case filled with buttons  from one manufacturer, all sorted by color. It has sure made it easier to reach for a button when I am scrapbooking. I plan to ditch the jars in the future and switch my unknown buttons to a similar system.