Storage Solutions

Due to some family things going on at the moment I have not had much time to stamp or post. I hope to get some stuff done tonight but in the mean time I thought I would post a couple of pictures of my card stock and scrap storage. Now, understand that I have been stamping for about 5 years and have been an SU demo for the last 2. Things have definitely evolved over the years from 1 pack of assorted card stock to what I have now. I also hold monthly card clubs at my house so I need a system that is easy for me and my stampers to work with.
These are 2 file boxes from an office supply store. This is how I store all of my full and half sheets of card stock. Each color has it's own hanging file and they are grouped by SU color family. Awhile back I did buy file tabs from someone on Ebay and having them color coded does help tremendously, well worth the couple of dollars they cost me. The tabs I bought also have the item #'s on there so that makes reordering quick and easy. The file box on the left holds all 4 color families while the file box on the right holds my neutrals, specialty papers and the In Color line.
Sometimes a customer will ask me what is the best way to buy card stock when they are starting out. Assuming that you eventually would like to work up to owning all/most the colors I recommend they buy one assorted pack of each color family and as they use up colors replace them with full packages. There are definitely some colors I go through more than others so you may find you rarely order some while others you can't stamp without.


Scraps are a whole different beast. Because I prep for classes and workshops besides my own personal stamping, I create a ton of scraps. At first a single basket held all of my scraps but that quickly became a pain. I found these 3 drawer plastic containers at Big Lots but places like Walmart and Target surely carry them as well. I used my label maker to create labels and there is one drawer for each color family, neutrals and "other" . I know my stamp space like the back of my hand but labels help my stampers out and they don't need me to point everything out. I can pull the whole drawer out if necessary. It sits right on my counter to the right of where I stamp so it is very handy. Anything that is less than a half sheet goes into the drawers. I find I use my scraps all the time and thus waste less. I know some put scraps in a baggie in the same file folder as their full sheets but that does not work for me.
In the end I think you need to evaluate your space, your stamp habits and the amount of use things get. When I first started stamping I scoured photos on SCS for others stamping spaces and incorporated things I thought would work for me. Not all ideas worked. I find my needs change as I change and as my stash grows!!. You want to make sure your system allows you to function at your best, if it doesn't tweak it until it does.
Have a nice night!