Organization for scrapbooking scrap paper

I love scrapbooking but I have to say that the worst part is organizing all of the little bits that are cut off of the sheets of expensive paper. I spend half of my time trying to find white or cream-coloured scraps for journaling! So, I finally got so fed up that I made a connection between my empty poly expanding file organizer and my scraps: why not organize the scraps in the expanding file organizer?

There are 13 tabs in my paper organizer. I took a quick look at my paper scrap collection and came up with these categories:

1. White
2. Cream
3. Yellow and Beige
4. Red
5. Pink and Purple
6. Blue
7. Green
8. Brown
9. Black
10. Other: for all of the aqua, orange, grey and other colours that were not included
11. Embellishments
12. (and 13) Patterned: there were actually two pockets here so I organized it by the paper kits and the scrap pieces of patterned paper 

Then, it was a matter of organizing the paper scraps into the expanding file once I relabeled it according to the above categories. 

To this:

It took me about an hour to sift through my piles of paper scraps and organize them into these categories. Now I can get scrapbooking!

I hope my adventures in craft organization inspire you to do something similar! It's always great to bring order to chaos and get to work crafting instead of organizing the craft!

Finished project: Egypt scrapbook

When I was 16 I went on the trip of a lifetime to Egypt with some other students. We had a fabulous time visiting the Pyramids, the Karnak temple, the Valley of the Kings, and other sites. We spent time in Cairo, Luxor, Edfu, Aswan and Alexandria. I can honestly say that it was the most fun that I have ever had on a trip -- to date!

After that trip, I resolved to make a scrapbook of my memories. Over the years I did a page here and there but it wasn't until this year that I realized that I had to finish it. It took me 12 years but now I can proudly say that the scrapbook is finished! The last thing that I did was a fabric scrapbook cover.

Here are some shots of it:

My title page to the Egypt Trip

Karnak Temple

The Valley of the Kings

The Egyptian Museum

How to find an organization scheme for documents

These days, we seem to be buried by things to organize - especially when it comes to paper, documents and bookmarks. We always say that we can't ever seem to find anything despite our best efforts!

Here is an idea: why not develop a plan for your paper and electronic documents? Some people develop a plan for one but neglect the other. This way, you know that if you have education related folders in the filing cabinet you also have them labelled the same way on your computer.

Here are some tips that I have learned over the past years when it comes to organization documents:

1. Think of how you use these documents now and in the future. For example, if you are in school now you might not be in three years. So those files won't be used as often as they are now but you still want them in a place where you can find them.
2. Also consider which documents you use often versus those that you don't. For example, you always need to find your taxes, paystubs and bills quickly versus old drawings that you did when you were five.
3. Create a very basic organization plan. Use general headings and very easy organization. Here is a sample:
• Learning applies to all levels of schooling, careers and jobs and research so all folders relating to these topics can go in this general group.
• Self-Improvement applies to topics like finances, health, beauty, fashion, weight loss, etc. So all documents relating to these topics can go into this larger grouping. 
• Planning applies to topics house/home, children, travel, holidays, car, etc. So all documents relating to anything that requires planning can go here. 
• Entertainment includes all documents relating to movies, music, hobbies and any type of entertainment.
4. Keep documents within three levels. This is an easy way to track your documents and a basic rule when it comes to web design as well. Here are a few samples:
• Learning >> University >> Year 1
• Learning >> Career >> Name of Employer
• Self-Improvement >> Finances
• Self-Improvement >> Health >> Menu Plans
• Planning >> House >> Renovation 2008
• Planning >> Holidays >> Christmas
• Entertainment >> Movies >> Movie Stubs
• Entertainment >> Hobbies >> Knitting 
5. Use this plan for electronic and paper versions of your documents. Apply this to your bookmarks, electronic filing system and paper filing system. This becomes very useful because once it is in place, you know will have an idea of where to find something three years from now as well as tomorrow. 

6. Write up your plan. Create a document that lists how your files are organized, both paper and electronic. This will help you out in the future.
7. Put the plan into practice. Take an afternoon or two to put the documents into folders organized according to your plan.  

Hopefully, these tips are helpful for you to weed through those piles of documents and papers that you have.

Links:

• Essortment, How to Create an Effective Office Filing System.

How to make an advice jar

If you are planning a wedding or other event that gathers a large group of people together for a good cause, this is a great idea to get people involved. An advice jar sits on a desk with a pen and is always ready for anyone to write down their thoughts and give advice. It's very fun to read the advice afterwards as people often write whatever they want. I had one of these sitting on a table at my reception and we had some hilarious bits of advice to read that night.

The materials required for this project are: paper in the color of your choice (at least 20-30 8 x 10 sheets), sharpened pencils, white eraser, craft knife, self-healing cutting mat, Glue Dots, marker, scissors, a stamp and stamp pad. A ruler is also useful for marking dimensions of the paper and sign.

The Jar:

I created a sign to label my jar using white paper. I cut it out in a rectangle then I labeled the sign using a good brown Sharpie and glued it all to a very large pickle jar using Glue Dots (available in Michael's).

(sorry, I thought that I had a better picture of it but apparently I don't)

The advice papers:

Next, I had to make the actual slips of paper that people write advice on. For mine, I marked 3 x 3 inch squares with pencil on 8 x 10 sheets of cream paper and I cut them out using a craft knife on a self-healing cutting mat (that would be way too much cutting with scissors). I erased all of the pencil marks then stamped one side of the papers with a large stamp in sepia brown ink (one of my wedding colors). Now they are ready for advice!

Estimated time for this project: labeling the pickle jar took about 20 minutes, but the advice papers took a few days as I made over 100 of them. It was a lot of minuche so I took days off between steps (marking, cutting, erasing, stamping).

Ideas:

• This is a great craft for a group of people. If everyone has one of the tasks or steps then it could conceivably be done in one afternoon. 
• Use any color marker or ink pad colour of your choice, same with the choice of stamp. If your wedding is purple and white, try using white paper with a brilliant stamp in purple ink.