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What are the Best Tips for Scrapbooking Storage?
Proper scrapbooking storage can keep delicate papers and other craft materials looking like new as well as keep all supplies within easy reach. Whether a scrapbooker has a whole room for her craft or just a small corner, there are storage ideas that will work for everyone. Since scrapbook supplies range from large bundles of paper to small stickers, one of the best tips for scrapbooking storage is to organize the materials by size.
Scrapbook papers are typically sold in packages of square, flat sheets about the size of the folded, packaged gift wrap found in greeting card shops. Most of the papers designed to be cut and used in scrapbooks to decorate pages or frame photographs are patterned, while others may feature a glitter or metallic finish. Inexpensive, flat cardboard boxes with lids purchased from the closet organization section of a department store are simple to assemble and can make good scrapbooking storage boxes for the craft papers. The boxes could be placed side by side on the bottom of a shelving unit; the lids on these folding cardboard storage boxes tend to be easy to lift and replace.
For storing spools of ribbon on a shelf, the kind of paper towel holder that consists of a stand with a dowel pole can work wonderfully well. The round, ring-shaped ribbon spools can be stacked neatly on the dowel and simply lifted off when needed. Small drawer units available at stationery or closet organizer stores are also ideal for holding scissors, craft knives, paper punches, markers, colored pencils and other tools for scrapbooking storage. Alternatively, clear canister storage or canning jars could be used to display each of these items on the shelves. These drawers or miniature wooden apothecary drawer units are also perfect for storing stickers; a sticker that represents the type in each section can be placed on the outside of each drawer.
By having a bookcase for scrapbooking storage, it can keep a table top clear for creating photo pages. A can or jar on the table top is handy for storing tools such as scissors, punches and markers used for the current scrapbook project. A three-tiered paper tray such as the type commonly used in offices can sit on the desk to hold other items needed for the current project such as papers, stickers, photographs and ribbons. The rest of the desk or table surface is then able to be left clear to hold the scrapbook.
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![Scissors for scrapbooking.]()
By: terexScissors for scrapbooking. -
![It is a good idea to organize scrapbook items by size.]()
By: Monkey BusinessIt is a good idea to organize scrapbook items by size. -
![A scrapbook organizer should have space for holding items of various sizes.]()
By: Sergey MostovoyA scrapbook organizer should have space for holding items of various sizes.
Discussion Comments
What I do for scrapbooking paper storage is keep the decorative pages that I have not used yet in an extra album. That keeps them flat and protected from dust and it takes up a lot less room than some other solutions.
I also use this album to store colored paper that is only partially cut up; that way, I don't have to go hunting for the paper that's "in use."
When my youngest daughter left for college, I finally had more room for my growing collection of scrapbooking supplies.
Until then, I had learned to live with a small space to keep all of my supplies in. Now I do have a room that I pretty much use for scrapbooking and other crafts.
While it is nice to have this extra room, I still find that it can get messy in a hurry. I have a scrapbooking storage tote with several drawers on wheels.
I can wheel this around where I need it and when I am done with it can easily get it out of the way. You can spend a lot of money on these supplies, so making sure you store them where you can easily find them is important to me.
When I first started out with scrapbooking, I only had a few supplies. I thought my file cabinets would be a good place for my scrapbook paper storage.
I placed all the papers in folders and hung them in my file cabinets. While this might work for a few papers, in the long run, I found out the best way to store them is to keep them flat.
It is too easy for the edges to curl up or get messed up if they aren't stored flat. Now I keep them organized by color and design in boxes.
I keep the solid colors separate from the designs and try to keep all of the seasonal designs together. I have found that being organized is the key.
As long as I have some order to how I store my scrapbook supplies, it is so much easier to find what I am looking for.
I needed to find scrapbooking storage containers that I could store high on a shelf away from my little ones.
I have young girls that would love to get in my scrapbooking supplies and go through the stickers and some of the other expensive supplies.
While I enjoy working on this with them, I didn't want them to have access to my supplies at their eye level!
I keep all of my supplies in boxes that I store on the top shelf of the closet in the spare bedroom. I organize them by color so I know by looking at the box which supplies are inside them.
One box is for all the scrapbook papers, one is for the stickers and embellishments, and one is for all the different tools I need.
Right now, I have everything I need in those three boxes and am trying to keep it that way. This way it is manageable and not so overwhelming for me.
I would love to have a whole room I could donate to scrapbook storage supplies, but don't think that will happen while I still have kids at home.
What I have found that works best for me is to store all of them in plastic scrapbooking storage drawers.
There are lightweight enough that I can easily move them from room to room as I need to. It also keeps all of my supplies in one place so I am not constantly looking for them.
Sometimes the drawers get a little messy and I have a hard time finding what I need. This is when I realize I need to stop buying supplies and start using what I have on hand.
Once you start scrapbooking, it can get very addicting and I could spend a whole paycheck at the craft store just on supplies for my scrapbooks.
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