Week 1 – Paper

4 weeks of organization paper week 1 totally tiffany
Rainbow section paper pile

Welcome to our first week of 4 weeks of organization.

This week we're focused on getting your paper stashed sorted so you can decided on the best storage options.

Before we get started, though, if you're unfamiliar with my 4 Section System for organizing craft supplies, you'll want to take a little side trip  -  click here to learn more about the 4 Section System.  The beauty of the 4SS is that it works for nearly every type of craft you may do - Card Making, Scrapbooking, Mixed Media, Home Decor, Decoupage... Need more convincing - read, Why you need the 4 Section System.

Step 1 - Gather and Sort

Round up all of your paper and your scraps too.  This includes loose sheets as well as paper pads.

Sort the paper into the 4 Section System which is actually only 3 sections when we're talking about paper because the 1st section Alphabets and Numbers doesn't generally include paper.

Themes and sentiments pile of paper, Totally-Tiffany
Holiday and seasons, calendar year pile of paper Totally-Tiffany
The Rainbow section pile of paper

A HUGE part of organizing...

Purging is a huge part of organizing.  The process of purging has a difficulty factor of 0-10 depending on the type of person you are and the way you think about your supplies.  To be efficient and successful, you want to be somewhere in the 4-6 range.  0-1 you're willing to just toss out everything and start again, 9-10, you want to keep EVERYTHING, "just in case..."  If purging is troublesome for you please take a few minutes and watch/read, Purge Patrol - it will give you some ideas and strategies for purging your supplies.

Back to paper...

Once you've sorted your paper, you'll need to decide how and where to store it.

There are 3 ways to store paper -

  1. All paper together
  2. All paper stored with coordinating themes, sentiments, holidays and colors
  3. Some paper stored with paper, some paper stored by theme, sentiment...

The most common method is the 3rd.

This is best used by putting large quantities of paper in your paper storage system and keeping smaller quantities within a theme.

As an example; 5-6 sheets of St. Patrick's Day paper are best stored with your other St. Pat's supplies, most likely in a section of your ScrapRack.

100 sheets of Travel Paper would best be stored in your paper storage system (boxes, Paper Handlers, Fab Files...).

To learn more about these options, watch Choosing Paper Storage Solutions or read - Picking Perfect Paper Storage.

Where are you going to store your paper?

12x12 Paper in Expedit from IKEA, fits both Kallax and Expedit

Will you be using a shelving/cube style unit like this IKEA Kallax system or is your paper being stored in closet or on an open shelf?

Accessibility is always a plus when you're crafting, so choosing an open shelf is ideal, but not always possible.

Measure your paper stack, organize paper Totally-Tiffany

Once your paper is purged, sorted and stacked by theme, sentiment, holiday or color - measure the stack(s).

This will help you decide how many paper organizers you need and where they will fit in your storage system.

Choosing storage options

Different storage options will of course work better for different craft areas. If you always leave your boxes on the shelf, cardboard options are great. If you take your paper off the shelf, Paper Handlers might be ideal. If dust/damage is a concern - Fab Files could be the right choice for you.

12X12 Paper Organizers with Dimensions A32, XL31, A26

Scraps should also be stored either in your ScrapRack, within the theme/holiday/color section or they could be stored in your paper storage boxes using something like the ScrapMaster.  There are a few other options as well - learn more about them, Read  - 4 Easy Ways to Organize Scraps.

The ScrapMaster File Folder is perfect for 12x12 scrap storage and organization, Totally-Tiffany SMSO
Scrapbooking paper scraps organize in ScrapRack pocket pages.

Prepare a shopping list

We've put together a shopping list for each week of this 4 week challenge.  The lists can be downloaded and printed for easy reference.  You'll want to keep them handy for the Really Big Sale!(RBS!)!  If you're not on our email list, please sign up now so you don't miss out on the RBS! details.

Download the Paper Storage Shopping List.

Get more info!!!

Would you like more information and step by step details?  Please watch my full length Paper Organization Class - I'll cover all of these details and more. Watch now.

Thanks for stopping by today to learn about organizing your paper.

I hope you'll stop by each week for the next 4 weeks and join us for Embellishment, Die/Stamp/Embossing Folder, and Workspace Organization too!

T Totally-Tiffany Logo, Pink Block ini

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