Tip of the Month

"Help! ________ is taking over my house!" Fill in the blank with the scrapbooking supply that is taking over your house and how you've tried to tame it. Share your thoughts and ideas.

kathy m from San Jose writes...
Help! Idea books and magazines are taking over my house! I\'m trying hard to stay current on reading my mags, but it is hard. I\'ve taken to bringing the older ones with me to swim lessons and tearing out anything I might want and throwing them out there. (can\'t rescue it from the trash there!) I\'m also TRYING to avoid buying any new idea books. I\'m weeding out the ones that I haven\'t used and selling them and giving them away.

Karen from Texas writes...
Patterned Papers and Cardstock are taking over my house! Why can\'t I get enough of it? It is in my family room, my kitchen, and even my bedroom! I have bought racks for it, but that doesn\'t tame it! In no time at all my racks are filled to bursting and I am desperately trying to weed out the \"ugly\" stuff. Is there such a thing? Why can\'t I part with it? Hello! My name is Karen and I\'m a Paper Addict! And I don\'t want to find a cure! LOL!

Rinda from El Granada writes...
Help, my stamps are taking over my house! Overflowing their iris cart and drawers in bedroom dresser. I have to go get another iris cart, but keep waiting for them to go on sale at rite aid. Also, not sure where I\'ll put it. I did just buy a couple new binders for unmounted stamps, and these binders zip shut, so I think that will help with the unmounted ones, and it actually qualifies as a tip (I think)! Great question, kathy! Rinda

Susan from Central PA writes...
My house is being taken over paper and magazines. I have gone through my paper and donated some of it to an organization that helps underprivileged kids/teens. I still am overrun with paper & have to find a way to make myself sit down & use it. It would help if I could use more paper on my layouts than just backround & matting. As for the magazines, I read through them and they go on a pile. If there are only a few things in them I want to save, I rip them out. My problem are the ones that have many ideas/articles to tear out that I decide to keep intact a while longer. The ones that I no longer want, I have trouble just tossing them. I now have a stack that\'s taking over that have very little if anything torn out that I plan on donating to a library or some other program that will accept them.

Barb from PA writes...
Magazines and 12x12 paper. I bought alot of paper then started to use Creative Memories albums. Well, I don\'t like using the whole sheet in these albums so I\'ve been cutting them in triangles or strips to use in my albums now. I also can use them as a matt for my photo\'s. This will help clear them out. As far as the magazines, I like to cut out the ideas I like and paste them onto cardstock or colored paper and put them in a binder. I sort them by how many photo\'s they used on a page. The ones with only one photo, I can use to make cards too. They are great ideas for cards. You just need to downsize that\'s all. And, if they have 2, 3, 4, etc. photo\'s on a page, even if it shows a Christmas scene you can change it to whatever you want to make it. It\'s just the idea I\'m more concered with.

Sharon Smith writes...
idea books! I\'m siting with one each night while watching tv and trying to finish one a night and then either sell it or pass it on to someone. I\'m TRYING not to buy any new books until I\'ve read the ones I have and have moved them out of the house.

Angie writes...
I like and I print a copy of it off or someone\'s instructions on how to do a certain technique and before I know it I have a huge stack of papers laying around. I have been trying to put them in a three ring binder divided into sections such as techniques, album ideas,etc.

Dorthy from Milford, OH writes...
Magazines were taking over my house! I subscribe to 2 mags and buy at least another 1 or 2. I had a stack 4 feet high about 18 months ago. I cut up my mags. I’m a techniques person more than a LO inspiration person. About every 3 months I cut up all but current month’s mags. I have 4 binders and file to the following categories: Paper Basics; Paper Techniques; Cutting, Piercing, Folding & Weaving; Chalks, Pens, Pencils & Paint; Stickers; Punches & Diecuts; Shakers, Shadow Boxes & Pockets; Frames, Corners, Borders & Squares; Fiber, Ribbon & Fabric; Sewing; Dry Embossing; Transfers; Metals; Plastic, Glass, Clay & Paste; Faux; Stamping & Ink; Heat Embossing; Lettering Techniques; Titles, Quotes, & Fonts; Journaling; Beginners; Archival; Photos; Organizing; Save Time & Money; Design; Albums; & Miscellaneous. I try to throw out old articles or articles with duplicate information. If Miscellaneous gets out of hand, I make another category. So my Techniques Binders take up about 1 foot of space. (Now don’t ask me how often I refer to them! LOL)

Dorthy from Milford, OH writes...
Ugly Patterned Paper was taking over my house. I was an 8.5 x 11 Scrapbooker and friends just started giving me their leftover paper. I take some blame also as I would buy bargain priced paper on sale and also had the poor taste to buy much ugly paper when I started this addiction 6 years ago. I finally challenged myself to use much of it up. Here’s what I did: . Through use of photo (color) blocking, I added several photos to a page, minimizing the space where the paper could be seen. . Made as the second mat behind photos which again minimized the impact. . Cut strips or squares to add a little punch to background paper. . Cut out designs to use as embellishments on my Layouts. . Covered the paper with vellum to minimize the ugliness. . Tore it or cut it up to use in Serendipity Squares. . Aged the paper by sanding, inking or color-washing it. . Used to paper as part of a collage. . Shadowed letters or put behind a title. . Turned the paper over and used to sketch or as waste paper for stamping, staining, or gluing. . Cut and used in card-making or for mini-albums. . Used with lesser important photos. . “Paid” myself $0.50 per sheet of ugly paper used on a LO which I would spend on other scrapping supplies.

Mindy Smith-Pace writes...
Help . I am a stamp and stamp pad addict, not to mention all the paper taking over the house. And I have not evne used a stamp yet! I bought 3 cabinets and they are all full already. A whole corner of my house is overcome and there is more still coming!!!

mamichelle from MA writes...
My stamps & pads are taking over my sb room/station!! I need to buy another cart or two for the stamp pads and my dh is going to build more shelves to put the stamps in. He\'ll be cutting my current shelves in half so that I can have double or triple the room on each existing shelf!

Meesie from Chambersburg, PA writes...
Magazines, paper, embellishments, tools...you name it!!! I have too much of most everything! I\'ve started by letting my subscriptions run out. I don\'t reread them often unless I\'m stuck for an idea. They\'re taking up valuable space where I could stack something else. Paper is the next problem. I\'m horrible when there\'s a great sale. I always buy in mega-multiples too...just in case. I have to stop buying totally and start using up what I have.

Karrie from northern IL writes...
I\'d have to say stickers......I don\'t use them nearly as much as I used to (sticker sneeze, anyone?? lol) but everytime I go to a lss or Michaels, I always end up looking at (and usually buying) more stickers!!! ack! I use a PSB but I am slowly finding that if I put them into my Iris carts by theme (like the rest of my swap stuff, paper piecings, etc) that I am more apt to use them ---

Cynthia from Indiana writes...
Pictures!!! I am whittling away at them. I am cleaning out the so-so shots and, gasp!, throwing some of them away(it is so hard to learn to do this). I have also been scrapbooking on a more regular basis.

michelle from mmfp619@hotmail.com writes...
I had scrapbooking things overtaking my work space. I bought an accordion file that has about 20 spaces in it. I labled all the spaces with all my colors of card stock. Now I don\'t have to search for the right peice! Baskets are great for embossing stamps, powder,ink pads ect. However I still have a problem with my 12 x 12\'s My paper taker is full and I need to think of something else. Any ideas?

Jill in Chicago writes...
Quotes are taking over my house. I love to collect quotes (for cards...)so I am always ripping them out of magazines, ads, back of cereal boxes, and even the obit section of the newspaper. Then, instead of taping or writing them in to my sectioned blank book I just shove them in the first page. The book is in my scrapbook/guest bedroom so I never think about it, until I shove in yet one more quote. Solution? Take an hour one night and get it actually IN the book.

karen from CA writes...
I finally let my magazine subscriptions run out. I read them initially, but found that I rarely referred to them again. I ended up selling a box of older magazines at a yard sale...a new scrapper came by. The next \"purge\" was to take them to the waiting room of the doctor\'s office I work in. I still get to see them and it gives the patients something other than TIME magazine to look at. Now I only buy an issue if I know I will use the ideas right away.

karen from CA writes...
I finally let my magazine subscriptions run out. I read them initially, but found that I rarely referred to them again. I ended up selling a box of older magazines at a yard sale...a new scrapper came by. The next \"purge\" was to take them to the waiting room of the doctor\'s office I work in. I still get to see them and it gives the patients something other than TIME magazine to look at. Now I only buy an issue if I know I will use the ideas right away.

kathy m writes...
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Kim in TN from Nashville, TN writes...
HELP! Paper is taking over my house!!! I know it would help if I could just stop buying paper and if I stopped getting monthly Club Scrap kits... but I just can\'t. I\'ve got the wire cubes but my scrapbook room gets a lot of afternoon light and I think the paper will start to fade. I bought a rolling cart and filled it with 12x12 hanging files but it\'s full now too! I think my next step is to do a big spring cleaning, get rid of all of the paper I\'m not going to use, and switch over to 12x12 file drawers for storing my paper. I might need to stop getting Club Scrap for a bit as well but the idea of that is really too much for me.

Sheila from Illinois writes...
Help! Stickers and Paper were taking up a big part of my house. I\'ve been the Scrapbook/Photo Mom for the last 3 years for my DD\'s Girl Scout Troop. We have 12 girls in our troop and it was a wonderful way to utilize all of my old stickers and paper, and their albums look great! The girls have fun scrapbooking, and I\'m happy that my stash is almost gone!!! The girls albums are all unique and creative in their own way. It\'s nice to look at their Girl Scout albums now and see 3 years of their little journeys in 1 album! They grow up quickly!

Michelle Rae from Washington, PA writes...
Idea Books and Magazines. I have a zillion and often wonder why. I wish my library would buy the subscriptions and I could just check them out. lol! I usually sell them on ebay and sometimes recoup 1/2 my money. Which in return gives me more money for more idea books! LOL!

Donna Scraps from NC writes...
Embellishments are taking over!! Help! I have a small house (1000 sq.ft.) and I tend to stash them everywhere. So...I\'ve been trying to reorganize them. I separated my abc embellishments by letter and keep them in a floss organizing box, along with various shaped brads. I have an embellishment organizer from Joanns that fits nicely into my xxl. It holds the floss organizer and three smaller boxes. One of the smaller boxes holds my eyelets - organized by size. The other holds misc. things and I keep one empty. All my other embellishments for now are in a plastic tote bin (sweater box). These are things I use less often. When I scrap at home I can take it out to use. If I am going to a crop, I sort through the sweater box and fill the empty box in my organizer with things I might use. When I have my own space again (if ever)...I really want to keep my embellishements in view and within reach. Spice rack, watchmaker tins with magnetic bottoms, or baby food jars with lids nailed onto a board that can be hung as a shelf...just screw the jars on and off as needed. (Don\'t remember where I saw that idea.)

Sue in Grapevine from Grapevine, TX writes...
Paper is taking over my house! I can\'t stop buying it, but am getting it corralled by putting different paper lines together in Craft Keepers & papers that were bought w/a specific LO in mind into page protectors. The page protector scheme works so that I don\'t have to go thru the agony of matching colors again - as I would if I just put the papers away by color.

Maria in Columbus writes...
Patterned paper! I have way too much of it. My solution, lol...stop buying it! I\'m trying to challenge myself to use up what I\'ve got. I do have it all sorted out by color and some by manufacturer so it is organized... I just can\'t buy anymore!

mamichelle from ma writes...
Magazines & idea books are taking over my house. I have to let a couple of my subscriptions run out!! They\'re mostly stamping/cardmaking magazines. I hate to cut them up so I need to figure out a way to store them neatly! I have a square basket that I stack them in but it\'s overflowing right now. I do lend them out to friends but sometimes hate when they are returned because I don\'t know what to do with them! :-)

Neece writes...
Help! Scrapping goods are taking over my living room! I have tons of mags, idea books, embellishments, rubberstamps, inks, and scrapping tools stored on top of and underneath my scrapping table. I finally found an organizing system that seems to be working for me right now for the top of my desk, but underneath it there\'s plastic drawers and rubbermaid containers stuffed full of tools and supplies. I\'m going to have to figure out a way to get this hobby of mine under control so it doesn\'t take over the rest of the house! I\'ve been wanting to purge some things I haven\'t used in a while, but I\'m having trouble knowing what to part with, kwim? I mean, all those SB tools, mags and supplies are gonna\' come in handy \"one day,\" right??? :-D

cherie from Texas writes...
\"Help! pictures are taking over my house!\" I have been constantly taking pics and them stacking them here and there. I haven\'t been able to get enough scrap time in. My latest goal is to get all the portrait pictures scrapped so I can move on to holidays. I don\'t scrap in order, so that I can scrap what and when I feel like it. I figure at least it;s done right?LOL But, back to the topic. I have a photo box and have sorted photos by event. Then inside there I have them in groups I\'d like to scrap together. Once I finish all the portrait pics, I\'ll start diggin into MY pics and one day I\'ll prob never get done, but at least I\'ll have albums to show off!!!

Tapannabanana from Amherst writes...
I have too much paper...and am using it to make greeting cards so I don\'t have to spend a fortune at the store. I purchased a stack of envelopes and matching blank cards. Whatever the occasion, I have paper to line a card with, stickers and embelishments to decorate, and stamps to add quotes.

Rhonda from Salt Lake City writes...
I finally discovered a way for me to organize, utilize, and \"profit-ize\" with my scrapbook \"stuff\". It takes fortitude and commitment to self, but it DID work! I find layout ideas I like that will go with pictures that I have...you need to have your pics organized by this time, lol. I take the idea, either cut it out of the mag or color copy it, and place it with the pictures I\'ve selected in a page protector. I then \"shop\" from the stuff that I have that is needed for the layout and place those items in the protector...including embellishments. If I\'m ABSOLUTELY needing another item, I take the filled protector to the store and buy what I need...and ONLY what I need. After I\'ve gathered several \"pages\", I can speed-crop when I\'ve been able to set aside some time. \"Profit-ize\" by drastically reducing your time and materials waste!

Jill in ohio, now TX from Burleson, TX writes...
Help! negatives and index prints that are all mixed up, are taking over my house! They are in piles in drawers and lying in mounds on tables, underneath tables in the piano bench, my china cabinet, and my scrap cupboard. My tip is that I\'m going to give my kids the light box and tell them to put match them. I have all those empty free photo albums that I use to store them, so I have plenty of places for them, just no time to do it. Jill

Cynthia from Indiana writes...
cut up pages from magazines! I tear out articles and cut out LOs I like but now I have TONS of pieces of paper floating around.

Brenda Buzard aka Nana from nanatucson@aol.com writes...
Help I am being taken over by Paper Punches! I sometimes think I will \"find homes\" for them but I think I fear the second I do, I\'ll need them. So, to solve my problem, I have designed a sketch for my hubby to make a rack which will keep them where I can see them and make using them easier. This rack will sit in the middle of my craft table, open to either side and just in case anyone comes to scrap with me, they will be easily accessed from either side and also not be an obstacle in the way of both scrappers. Because I would think \"fellowship\" is one of the most important ingredients of scrapping. Tip is try a solution before I make the impulsive leap to sell my punches!

Paula from Wabash IN writes...
Paper Storage - GO VERTICAL! I use magazine holders for my 8 1/2 X 11 paper and for the 12X12...I went to Wal-Mart and discovered that the cardboard containers that the BIG three ring binders come in fit the 12X12 perfectly (ask an employee first before just taking the containers and I personally \"borrowed\" a piece of 12X12 paper to make sure it was a good fit). I primered and painted the boxes for the paper...and that\'s all it cost me...just the paint! Magazines/Idea Books - I also use magazine holders until the magazines are outdated...then I pass them on to my friends or their teenage children... Layout Sketches - I find many layouts online that I love or even in magazines. I have discovered that an index card binder (found at Wal-Mart in the index card section) works great...cut your layout sketch out, glue it to the index card and you\'ve got instant sketch ideas for your next crop without HUGE books!

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Brenda Buzard from Tucson, AZ writes...
\"Help! Ziplock Bags are taking over my house!\" In the beginning, it seemed such a good idea to put each individual sticker, embellishment, brad color into separate baggies. I have them from 1 1/2\" x 1 1/2\" up to 15\" wide ones! I have stored my empty ziplock bags into bigger ziplock backs, into biggest ziplock bags and still, I find them everywhere! I really am starting to believe that they are reproducting! I fear I have started a colony of ziplock bags which unless stopped, will literally fill up our home and we will have to move to a larger home! They are also quite sneaky. I believe they jump out of drawers and off the desk and hide until I am walking in the room and try to trip me! Where did they all come from and where do they go to die? Or do they outlive us? Is that the plan? Is my fate to end up in an oversized ziplock bag when I die? I have pondered this problem. I have come to the conclusion that putting everything in little bags seems like a good idea, but it is really a pain to sort through hundreds of identical baggies seeking what you want. Also, if you label them, the labels refuse to stick. If you write on them, inevitably you decide to remove the items which renders the baggie useless. So, my solution is this. First, warn others of the dangers of the takeover of ziplock bags. Second, to find a box and lock them in a dark, hidden place where hopefully they can no longer propogate. Third, to do a RAK and send unsuspecting people a few of them so they will either solve the problem or at least there is a chance they might get lost in the mail. I really believe there should be a commandment: \"Thou shalt not buy any more ziplock bags!\"

Tracy *SBA* from Tomahawk writes...
Help!!! My house is being taken over by magazines... I get 4 new ones every month and I do read them all it\'s just that after I\'m done reading them I don\'t know where to go with them. And I don\'t want to cut them or throw them because I use the ideas in them. Right now I have them all in a big tote but if someone else has a better tip I would love to hear it.

lana from ohio writes...
paper scraps are taking over my house! I now have a pretty wooden container that all scraps get put into. When it is full, the scraps are sorted ROYGBIV fashion - but the pieces I keep must be big enough to use as a mat, border or something like that. If not ..... I make handmade paper!