Tip of the Month

Organization seems to be on everyone's mind this month. Share your favorite scrapbooking organizational tip.

kathy m from San Jose writes...
I like to keep all of my scrapbooking essentials in the CM memory mate little bag (sorry, I don\'t remember the name of the bag, but it looks like a kit bag). That way, I always have it packed and ready to go when I want to scrap.

Tessie from Bellevue, NE writes...
I like to organize all my paper by color in the rubbermaid stackable drawers. They are see through and keep the paper flat.

Maria in Columbus writes...
I like to keep seasonal embellishments or paper stored in clean pizza boxes (I bought a bunch cheap from my local pizzaria). I store them on their sides on top of my file cabinets. I have written on the edges what\'s inside (i.e. Christmas, Fall, Baby, etc). HTH someone!

Paula from Georgia writes...
I used to keep my stickers, die cuts, etc. in the plastic notebook pages that have the pockets. After tearing up my cuticles I took a tip from someone on this board & invested in three (A-Z) open accordian style file holders. They have colors now & I have a purple, a teal & a navy. I keep stickers in one, die cuts in another & premade frames in the third. They\'re alphabetized so it makes it so much easier to find what I need. I bought two more with 12 pockets & I think I\'m going to start filing my hints & layouts from magazines in those. Hope everyone has a happy and productive new year.

Charmaine from Newfoundland, Canada writes...
I am putting all my fibers into baseball card organizers and putting them into a binder organized by color. This should help me use and find them more easily! I have another binder with page protectors in it and these hold stickers/paper piecings organized by theme (ie Christmas, birthday, toddler, etc)

Rinda writes...

KAREN from FISHERS, IN writes...
IN THE GROCERY DEPT. WHERE THEY KEEP THE BAGGIES THERE ARE NEW EXTRA LARGE SIZE OF ZIP LOCK BAGS THAT FIT 12 X 12 PAPER. ALSO GREAT FOR STORING ALL SUPPLIES THAT CORDINATE IN THE SAME BAG WHILE WORKING ON A PROJECT OR FOR ON THE GO.

GBS from Baton Rouge, LA writes...
My husband bought me a great tackle box. It holds 9 floss type boxes with rounded bottoms and movable spacers. I keep all of my embellishments in these. It is wonderful!! I keep fibers, MM, eyelets, brads, buttons, etc.

marieb writes...
when I started using letter beads for scrapping, I found that the month pill boxes help me keep all the letters separated and I don\'t have to dig for lettrs

Lois from Columbia, MO writes...
I have found all kinds of great containers and organizational aids in the HARDWARE stores in my area. Guys are practical and their tool holders are sturdier than what you find in craft stores -- and they are also way cheaper!

carmen from Kansas writes...
Since I don\'t have a whole room to dedicate to an SB room, I have to maximize my space. I use the storage room under the stairs. My dh built a shelf to hold all of my 12x12 paper. Its about 5\' tall and the shelves slide out. Dh also hung pegboard on one wall so a lot of supplies are hanging there. I also use a couple iris carts and a big 2 door cabinet. I recently acquired an old, oak library card catalog cabinet that I plan on using for storage also. Its pretty, looks nice in the family room and it will hold a lot of stuff.

Michelle Rae from Washington, PA writes...
Okay... I\'m the LAST person who should give organizational tips. ROTFLOL!!! But here it goes... I have tons and I mean TONS of Iris Carts. (They are only $14.99 this week (January 4-10th) at Office Max.) I use them to store soooo much. I keep my sizzix dies in them, alot of my stamping supplies, my stamps, ribbin, cards and envelopes, inkpads. You NAME it. I have 14 of them FILLED to the brim! I\'m hoping to be able to get a couple more this Friday. lol! (I also use them to store ds\'s Bionicles, Rescue Hero\'s, Gameboy Games, Gamecube Games, cars and ETC in them) Love Iris Carts. If you take the flat top off of one and don\'t put the wheels on another one you can stack them on top of each other. Michelle Rae

Jette from Tennessee writes...
I have a small fabric Plano tackle box with a shoulder strap that DH was given. It has 4 divided boxes inside, a zippered pocket on each end, and one on the front. I\'ve divided up my eyelets, metal accessories and similar items in the boxes and put my tools in the front. Since I\'m new to fibers, they are also put in this front pocket. It stores easily and also travels well. Couldn\'t go without it.

Marcy IL from Illinois writes...
I have a cropper hopper plastic case to put my fibers in then I flip to the other side for my embellishments like buttons, eyelets and rhinestones. I also have a smaller cropper hopper plastic case that fits more embellishements and flips to hold little pieces of paper or diecuts (I put things in here to store, before I work on something) I also have about 5 more button boxes from Making Memories to store more embellishments in. As well as pill boxes. I store all of my rubberstamps in iris carts and in small rubbermaids. I store my paper in a cropper hopper paper taker and I have more eyelets stored in a creative memory zipper bag. I also have wire shelves from target that I keep my photo albums on. I would like to get another cropper hopper photo plastic case to store my rubberstamps in. And I\'m hoping to get a large cabinet to store things in as well as have a place to scrapbook. I have my stickers stored in a plastic see through sticker keeper as well as a psb. WHEW I think that\'s about it... Marcy IL

Jill in Texas from Jill in Texas writes...
As soon as I get my photos back from the photo lab I like to put the negatives away in my negative binder. I slip a piece of paper on top of each page stating the date of the negatives and what the pictures are about. I find that this is a lot easier for me to do because if I didn\'t my negatives would just end up in a pile that would get out of control.

Carla from Carla in NC writes...
My organizational tip is for fiber: I got some leftover sticker rolls (the cardboard \'inners\') and wrapped all of my fiber around those, with like colors together. Other ideas you can use instead of the sticker roll are: toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, or even large piping (for plumbing) to wrap the fiber around. Luckily I was able grab an old sticker roll RACK from the trash at the LSS, but you could use most any hanging storage unit in the hardware stores that would be wide enough for the rolls. You could also put the rolls on a dowel rod & sit each end of the dowel rod on something sturdy (between 2 bookshelves, 2 iris carts, etc) and have the fiber hang from that (or have a crafty woodworking person make you a rack for the wall). I love having all the pretty colors hanging on the wall - they are now very accessible, not tangled up together and I can see what colors/textures I have at a glance.

Dorthy from Cincinnati writes...
My best tip is for storing small items. I purchased Plano\'s very small lure boxes in the fishing section of most stores. Some are pill box shaped with 6 compartments. I use one for my seasonal eyelets and charms. I keep buttons in another. They can also be used for storing eyelets, brads, and small amounts of fiber. I also have larger lure boxes (4.5 x 3 x 1.5) that open from either side. There are 11 small compartments in one side and 3 larger compartments on the other side. I keep my eyelets in one and it has room for my anywhere hole punches and small tools. I keep brads and nailheads in others. These hold a lot, take up little room in a crop tote, but are large enough to find easily.

Kelly from Lafayette, Indiana writes...
I found small boxes at Walmart, they look like tic tac boxes, and I keep all my brads and eyelets in them. The boxes fit well in a tackle box and when you need an embellishment just pop the lid and pour out a few.

ginger from Granada Hills, CA writes...
Get floss boxes at michaels, or joanns etc or craft store. They are less than $2.00. Go the the floss area, not the bead area as they are almost $5.00 there for the same thing. Wrap fibers around floss cards and store in cases. ginger

Lisa from Texas writes...
I have two: 1.) I have a Pampered Chef Tool Turnabout that I keep on my desk for things I use all the time. Black markers, pencils, scissors, UnDu, adhesives, etc. I LOVE it! 2.) I get Club Scrap, and, using those project folders from Generations (?) (they are clear, 12x12, and have the string closures), I put two kits in each one (back to back), label them, and file them in this silver rolling cart I got from Container Store. I have 2 years of kits in it, and it rolls right under my desk.

Polly from Bremerton, WA writes...
My tip is for organizing ribbon. I don\'t remember where I got the idea (maybe from someone on SBA). Anyway.. You will need a photo organizing box with lid (the cardboard kind you can buy at most craft shops) and 2 wooden dowel rods (the diameter needs to fit the holes in the center of the ribbon spools), and 4 large rubber bands. Cut dowell rods so that they extend 1\" to 1 1/2\" beyond each end of the box (lengthwise). Punch 2 holes in both ends of the box in the appropriate place so that when the spools of ribbon are slid over the rods and inside the box the spools will turn freely. Feed rods through one end of the box, through the spools of ribbon, and out the other side of the box. Twist rubberbands over each rod end to make sure they won\'t slip out of the box (my DH put fancy dowell caps on mine, but rubber bands will work just fine). Your ribbon is now organized and when you need a piece of ribbon you just pull on the end, measure off what you need, and cut. The lid keeps dust out and allows multiple boxes to be stacked and orderly.

scraparr from Maine writes...
I have one of those cleaning totes with the handle in the middle that I use to keep all the supplies that I use all the time, such as adhesives, markers, colored pencils, scissors, chalks, Un-Do, photo cleaning cloth, etc. It\'s easy to transport, and I just put it on whatever table I\'m working at, and my stuff is at my fingertips.

Donna Stokes writes...
Don\'t toss the plastic covering from your sticker card, i.e., stickopotamus sticker card uasual come in a plastic bag which is closed at one end by a tacky seal. When removing your sticker cut across the opposite end from the tacky closing and remove your sticker card. Keep the plastic covering for die-cuts which I make from old scrap paper. When my scrap pile gets too big, I take it to my local scrapbook store, where you can have a yearly membership and use their supplies. I make various die-cuts from my scraps and store them in these plastic coverings. This give me a neat easy way to store delicate die-cut and still have them be visible. I store all the plastic bags upright in a photo or shoe storage container.

Donna Stokes from Texas writes...
Don\'t toss the plastic covering from your sticker card, i.e., stickopotamus sticker card uasual come in a plastic bag which is closed at one end by a tacky seal. When removing your sticker cut across the opposite end from the tacky closing and remove your sticker card. Keep the plastic covering for die-cuts which I make from old scrap paper. When my scrap pile gets too big, I take it to my local scrapbook store, where you can have a yearly membership and use their supplies. I make various die-cuts from my scraps and store them in these plastic coverings. This give me a neat easy way to store delicate die-cut and still have them be visible. I store all the plastic bags upright in a photo or shoe storage container.

Donna from Texas writes...
I have another tip. I\'ve read lots of tips on storage in tackle boxes, but I think I\'ve found one even better. I store fibers, wire spools, etc. in the plastic containers designed to store HotWheels cars. Some of these containers have 50 or more compartment, they are clear, they have a handle and there is even one on wheels (great for taking along on crops) and the best thing is that they are way cheaper than the usual storage containers.

kellee from alabama writes...
I keep all of my similar items together. All of my pens are in a pen storage caddy. Punches are in a punch caddy. Sizzix dies organized by type in multiple towers. Adhesives all in one of my totes, etc. That way I don\'t spend tons of time just FINDING something! Also, when I am actually at a crop, I don\'t spend forever trying to find things for a single layout. If I can\'t find something specific for it quickly or if I can\'t find the right shade of paper or the perfect sticker, I will just go to the next layout I want to do. I would rather spend my crop times actually cropping than searching for things.

liss from pa writes...
(Actually, this is my sister\'s idea...But I thought I\'d share =0] )....You can use those mini photo albums (the kind that fit in your purse) to organize small die cuts...And, since it\'s small, it travels well too.

TXQ from TXQ writes...
I keep my brass stencils in a 12x12 sized looseleaf scrapbook. I use PSB refills (different styles for the different sizes) and each stencil gets its own place and they don\'t fall out.

Barb Thompson from Iowa writes...
Organizing 12x12 paper with limited funds and/or space: Find a CM consultant and have her order you \"empty\" 12x12 album boxes! These hold quite a bit of paper, can be labled on the outside of the box, keeps it neat and safe and can be stacked without taking up too much room! Not to mention.....they don\'t cost very much if I remember correctly! HTH! :0)

Diana from Colorado writes...
I bought one of those mechanic roll around tool carts from Sears and have that right next to my scrapping table. Boy you can put tons in that thing! My top drawer is full of sewing stuff and the other 4 (big) drawers are filled with all my supplies. I bought those white plastic-like divider trays and designated a spot for scissors, markers, pencils, rulers, hermafix, etc. One drawer has all my buttons, fibers, etc. and one drawer is miscellaneous. I took my closet doors off and DH put up shelves the same width and all my books and albums and CH is stored in there in plain view. My DH hung molding on the wall and I display all my stamps on them - so not out of sight!

Judy from North Pole, Alaska writes...
I use one of those little 99 cent photo albums from Michaels for storing sample strands of each of my fibers/yarns. I first take index cards and punch holes across the top border and slip a sample strand into each one. When that card is full I make up another, placing each card on a separate page in the album. Makes for a quick look when I want to know what I have while pondering which one to use, but especially useful to take in my purse when I\'m out shopping and always on the lookout for new ones, and I can check against what I already have.

Colleen from Bloomfield, NY writes...
I found the best way to store my SU rubber stamps sets is to use the white laminate shoe storage boxes. They come in two sizes, 15 pair or 25 pair, and are cheapest at Target when on sale ($23.00). You can fit up to four stamp sets in each shoe cubbie and with the labels all facing toward you, everything is right at a glance. HTH!

Tracy *SBA* writes...
I don\'t have a scrapbook room so I have to pack everything up when I\'m done scrapbooking. So my tip is that when I\'m done scrappin I put everything back in the exact same place in my bags no matter how long it takes me to clean up.

Cristina in GA writes...
Never buy double prints. Save the money. I always find that I take at least 3 or 4 pics at a time. And they always seem to look alike. I use to have so many extra pics that it took up alot of room in storage space. Now I only buy singles and always seem to have just the right amount of pictures for four kids. This has been my favorite tip because it has saved me lots of money and space. HTH

Dawn from Louisiana writes...
I\'ve always organized my supplies by type: eyelets in one organizer, diecuts in another, fiber in another. Then I realized that I should store them the way I typically use them--all Christmas items together, Halloween, birthday, baby, etc. Now I don\'t have to hunt through everything when I do a layout.

smiles°Ü° from Kentucky writes...
Instead of buying an expensive lightbox that needs an electric outlet, I use a clear desktop paper tray that and a taplight. It does not need the outlet so it is totally portable. Even if you do not have these items at home, together at target, they are less than $10. ,..·´¨¨)) -:¦:- ,.·´.·´¨¨)) ((,,.·´ ..·´ -:¦:- Smiles°Ü° -:¦:- ((,,.·´*

sosewscrappy from Campbell, CA writes...
I keep my eyelets and buttons in a hardware box ! Bought it at Post tools and it was way cheaper than a similar item at Joanns. My fiber is going to get sorted out into floss boxes, which i have not done yet. I try to keep fairly packed and ready to leave for a crop !

Danielle in Ut writes...
I lvoe shopping the hardware store for sb organizing. Some type of stuff they sell to us at sb stores but a lot less expensive. I store my stamps and punches in nuts and bolts holders (the types with the little pull out drawers). I also found a little holder with 10 different types of little tackle boxes and a plastic holder with handle that keeps them all together. I keep that loaded with buttons, eyelets, etc. together so I can just grab it and go to a crop. I keep a small supply of each in there and then I keep the rest in floss containers. A craft store near me had them for 99 cents so I picked up as many as I thought I\'d need.

Crystal from Dallas writes...
It always took me SO LONG to sort everything I need for a particular page. Now, when I am taking pictures, I keep a little notepad next to the camera. When I take some that I KNOW are going to be in the scrapbook, I write down important stuff, dates, occasion, weather, games we played, so I don\'t forget. (to give it a personal touch) I have a binder that has plastic sheet protectors with holes punched down the sides. I put one note, along with flowers, stones, signs, from the day. When the pictures are deveopled, I put them in with it, that way, when I\'m ready to scrap, everything I need for each page is seperated so I don\'t have to sort. :) Happy Scrapping!

Crystal from Mesquite, Tx writes...
TAKE LOTS OF PITURES! When you go to purchase them, you ONLY have to pay for the ones that you want! A fact, most people do not know. When you pick them up, stay at the counter, look through them, ones where eyes or closed, or you have several good shots, and only need a couple, return them. The clerk will reduce the cost depending on how many you aren\'t keeping.

Laura P. from MO writes...
#1-I got a Longaberger basket that came out for Mother\'s days a couple of years ago that is pecifically for sorting and storing photos, it was one expense that was well worth it to me(and on Ebay!) #2-My daughter got me a little photo album, the one- pic-per-page type that would hold about 100 pics. I finally found a use, I store my brass stencils in it. One stencil per page or multiple small ones of the same theme. #3-Sort through your pics and categorize them as soon as you get them back, either put them in your filing system or in a page protector with paper and embellishments. This can be a big task, but it saves so much time when you get ready to crop!

Chris from Indiana writes...
I love organizing and I loved reading all your tips. I think Iris carts are a God-send!! But what wasn\'t mentioned here is the \'extra\' papers; ideas, quotes ... I purchased all the same color (black) 3 ring binders at my local office supply store. I use a 3 ring hole punch to punch all those extra sheets of ideas, quotes etc. I have each of these binders seperated and labeled on the outside (sticker label printed from the comp). I also have a binder with baseball card page protectors(dollar store) that hold my brass stencils. These binders look nice and uniform and match well with my iris carts for that perfect look. lol

Angela from Kentucky writes...
My DH went on a shopping spree for me and bought several of each of the MM eyelet letters, upper and lowercase. Instead of dumping them in a bag or box, I bought one of those 60 drawer units made for nails, screws, bolts, etc. There is plenty of room for each letter to have its own drawer, plus several left over for eyelets, brads, and other small embellishments. It cost less than $10 at Walmart.

Barbara from Oklahoma writes...
I have 2. I keep my 8 l/2 by 11 paper all in page protectors and put them in a 3 ring binder. I can keep the colors together and can tell at a glance from the side where to start looking for the color I want. The other is for storing ribbon. Buy a plastic piece of gutter. The rolls will stand up nicely in it.

Heather in KY from Kentucky writes...
My best organizing purchase for my scrapbook supplies was the Akro-Mills hardware organizer I found at Wal-Mart for $10. It has 25+ drawers that each have dividers which is perfect for storing all my eyelets, brads, snaps, tags, buttons, metal embellishments from MM, embossing tools, wire, and many other little goodies that have a tendency to get lost. The organizer sits on my desk and I\'ve labeled each drawer with its contents, that way all those small goodies are right at my fingertips. Works for me!

Cynthia from Indiana writes...
I purchased two of the CM album boxes to place finished LOs in until I can get an album for them. I also love to use the Craft Keeper plastic envelopes to store my paper. They also work great for crops. Just put the pics, paper, embellishments, etc. in and put it in your scrapbook bag and go!

Cleaning from krissylyn writes...
It may seem simple, but I always start out every scrapping session by cleaning up. It only takes a couple of minutes, if you do it every time!

Abbey from Abbey writes...
I created a great storage rack for my 12 x12 paper out of pizza boxes. It cost me nothing and keeps my paper flat and dust free. I taped them all together after cutting the front flaps off.

Kris from Littleton NH writes...
Manila envelopes baby! I use the large manila envelopes (cheaper than the clear cover pages which I would prefer to use) to put pictures, ribbon, stickers, notes for journaling & of what colors I think would work well, scrap paper and such to pre-plan my pages. This works well so that when I get time to scrap I\'m not searching through my stash looking for stuff. As I buy stuff I have in mind certain pictures (sometimes! :-) I put it into the envelope as well. I write the topic on the front of the envelope, when I\'ve scrapped that particular envelope I cross it off and recycle it for the next round. Inter-scrap room-mail you might say. HTH

Judy in Texas writes...
I store small items such as brads, eyelets, small punches, beads, anything small in used prescription bottles. Just peel off the label, put a small round sticker on top and lable the contents. Doesn\'t cost a thing!!

Ginger Carey from Blairsville, Georgia writes...
Use Tic-Tac boxes to store your eyelets. You can label the white top after you peel off the paper. You can get 4 boxes for $1 at Dollar Tree and other dollar stores. These will fit well in tackle boxes. Happy Scrappin\'

Brenda from Tucson, Arizona writes...
Wow! Being married to a mechanic has its advantages! (Not that our car runs great, he fixes others first.) But he gave me tool boxes for Christmas! I have one huge steel one (40 inches wide, 20 inches deep, 22 inches tall with 10 drawers of different widths and depths) and a plastic one on wheels with large compartment on bottom (12 x 12 fits great) regular size tool fits on top with a tray inside (cost only $29!) I also have several pen/scissor caddies standing upright on lazy susan bottoms (so they twirl) I put all matter of items in them. I need to keep all my supplies in close proximity because I have MS and must work from my chair. I am blessed, he (my hubby) and my tool boxes are really handy dandy!!! As the saying goes \"Pray for me...I need the prayer and you might need the practise!\" Toodles, Brenda

Kenzie from Texas writes...
I use a pull out keyboard tray/drawer (under desk type) to house my Carl cutter and my self healing cutting mat. When I need to cut something, I just roll out the tray, cut my item and then slid the tray back in place. Now I don\'t have to move the layout I\'m working on in order to make room for my cutters. Saves time and storage space!!

Merry from Missouri writes...
I have tons of eyelets and I store them in empty paint pots, like the ones you get in the paint-by-number sets. They close tight so you don\'t loose your eyelets. They sell them at Wal-Mart empty by the craft stuff. They either come 2 in a pack for ~$1.33 or 5 in a pack for ~$2.45. I do alot of cropping away from home and I just thrown these in a large ziploc bag and put them in my XXL. They don\'t take up a lot of space and the containers are clear so you can eaisly see what you have. I also store nailhead and brads the same way.

Kristi from texas writes...
To keep organized I have to pick up everthing after I finnish mking a page, otherwise my work area gets soo messy. Also, you can never have to many ziplock bagg!

Andrea from Missouri writes...
Paper Stacker for $12-$20: I know I\'m not the first to do this, but my favorite tip has been to purchase one of those wire cube starage systems from Target. It makes 6 cubes, but come in flat, squares that you have to put tgether yoursef. Make two cubes the normal way and then use twist ties or wire to secure the other flat squares to make shelves within each cube. I\'m able to fit up to 9 shelves in one cube, and have purchased two systems so that I have room for tons of paper, specialty paper shelves, pizza boxes, and one open cube with a cardboard bottom insert to store my albums as well(upright of course). The top of the cubes are great storage spots to boot! And I\'ve gotten one for $12 on sale... the normal price is $20. I\'ve seen formal paper stackers w/only 10 shelves go for $40 avg.

Gail in NJ writes...
I have so many of the little plastic boxes that the toddler flushable wipes come in. I have all my eyelets in one of them (still inside their little containers, not loose). Another box is used for buttons, and another holds brads and nailheads and other items like that. I just wrote the contents on the outside and stack them on my desk. I was using a big hardware unit with many draws and tilt bins, but I have a small work space and that was taking up too much room. These boxes work pretty well for me.

Susan from TN writes...
I received a revolving spice rack for Christmas one year and it was totally not my style and I didn\'t need it for its specified use. So, I know use it to store beads, all those MM metal letters, cotton balls for chalking and any other little stuff that needs organizing.

tooScrappy writes...
I recently reorganized my scrapping space, and found a neat idea. I have an 8\' folding office table that is my scrapping table. I placed 2 stackable shoe shelves on top of the back of the table and slid several cardboard photo/video boxes on the shelves (the shoe shelves are melamine closet-type that do not have cubby holes). I have categorized my SB supplies into the photo boxes. One box holds adhesives (glue pens, herma dispenser, refills, glue dots, mounting tabs, etc.). Another box holds my eyelets, brads, jewels and containers, and the other box holds ribbon rolls and fibers. I found that the long skinny plastic drawer organizers (like you buy for bathroom drawers) fit right into the photo boxes, so that helps organize the smaller items. I plan to add a couple more shoe shelves with boxes, since they are stackable. Neece

Judy from North Pole, Alaska writes...
I punch out a copy of each Quickutz shape/alphabet, each Sizzix shape/alphabet, and each of my hundreds of paper punches shapes/alphabets in cheap colored paper. I glue each one on seperate black background paper (from document protector)according to subject, i.e. flowers together on one page, leaves on another, bears on another, etc. and each font on a seperate page. These pages are put into document protectors and then into a cheap (flexiable plastic) binder. This way when I\'m planning a layout I consult the binder to see which font to use and if I want to also use paper punched embellishments. I don\'t have to try and guess/remember which punches I have, or drag them all out to see them. Also, when I\'m considering purchasing more punches or dies I can look and see if I already have it or something very much like it and don\'t need to buy whatever has caught my eye at the moment. Or maybe, I do need another one, but in a different size. Anyway this has been a really big help to me. I\'ve even taken it with me when I\'ve had the chance to visit a lss out of state. No duplicates that way, either.

scrappinpsycho from Texas writes...
I just found a great organizer - It is a lap top computer bag. I found it brand new at Goodwill. They had several sizes - the one I chose holds 12 x 12 paper and all my supplies in all the little pockets and zippered sections. It\'s great!

Christine A from Maryland writes...
Want to know how to get the glue from the double sided adhesive off of your scissors? Erase is with a pencil eraser!

Christine from British Columbia writes...
Our local thrift store is the source of my favorite embellishments: buttons, fibers, and embroidery. I store the buttons in watchmaker glass topped cases by color, the fibers in old honey, mustard or any containers with a nozzle type top with the yarn comeing out the nozzle or in empty popsicle makers with a cardboard top tastened. I then attach velcro to the top or bottom and they are stuck underneath the shelf where my buttons are stored, right under the window so I get a good idea of colors. The emboideries, lace or fabric pieces I keep in a large binder in photo pages. I like to get inspiration from seeing my goodies so I find ways to keep them neat but out in the open.

Shannon Buck writes...
My 14 year old daughter and I both love to scrapbook. I bought her tons of scrapbboking dtuff for Christmas, but I want her to have free access to all of my tools, sticker scraps, paper scraps etc. This is what I did. First, I have a couple of organizers for stuff that only I can use, and she has all of her stuff in her own room. I have two of those clear 3-drawer units, so for the six drawers I have: 1. Scrapbooking magazines and ideas 2. templates 3. Scissors, punches, etc. 4. scraps of cardstock and papers 5. leftover stickers from previous projects 6. leftover diecuts and other embellishments. My daughter has free access to these 6 drawers, and she doesn\'t have to ask to use any of it.

Terry Riste from Minnesota writes...
I can\'t remember where I read this but it\'s a gret tip. I store my die cuts in a CD holder that holds 40 CD\'s. It makes them real easy to see.

Nicole writes...
I bought an expandable bill organizer and made labels according to what paper I have. (i.e. wedding, baby, scenic) I found it SO much better when I went to look for a piece of paper. Now I know what I have and what I can say I need! :-)

Karen in Texas from k writes...
neat embellishments. I find I am more likely to avoid over-purchasing and actually use what has been purchased if I already have a well coordinated kit on hand and ready for upcoming special events. I store them in 2-gallon ziplock bags so that when I am ready to run to a crop, all I have to do is is toss in the photos and go. Typical kit themes for me would be Seasonal and Holiday Pages, Ballet Recitals, Birthdays, School Days, Friendship, etc.

Erica Rae from Minnesota writes...
I have a three tiered lazy susan style organizer where I keep all my decorative scissors, markers, brayers, paintbrushes etc. I keep it within arms reach and all I have to do is spin it around to grab something on the other side. It\'s great while your working so that your table isn\'t full of all those items.

DonnaM from Central New York writes...
I just came back from a crop and the big thing was individual folding shelves (like the ones you can put into closets or under the sink that are white rubberlike metal mesh. They are great for putting all those little things on and having an extra \"shelf\". We saw them at the last crop we went to and many more had it this time around. Great when table space is limited.

Heather B from DFW Texas writes...
I use jars (like the cover of the MM idea book) to keep most of my embellishments out in front of me. I find that if I hide them away in drawers I don\'t use them as often. Also, I cut brick molding in 2ft long pieces, screwed them to the wall and use them to hold and organize all of my stamps. The molding is 1.5 inches deep, so it\'s the perfect size. I can just add another piece of molding when I need more space!

gina from montana writes...
In order to ensure that my children\'s baby photos are never lost in a fire, I take the negatives and place them in a small, acid free, folder (like the ones used for coupons). I then take the folders and place them in our safe deposit box at the bank.

Also, I have always got duplicate photos when developing, one set to scrapbook and one spare so when I get my photos back, I immediately seperate both sets into two piles and then place the SB pile into individual envelopes according to subject or event. These envelopes then go into a standard photo box to await SB\'ing. Since I SB non-chronological, I can pick and choose whatever I feel like doing (especially helpful when I find cute embellishments relating to my photo topics!). The second set goes into a regular photo album so that my family and friends can view current photos ASAP. I also use this album to pick photos to mail to our many far away relatives. This way, I know I won\'t accidently give away or loose copies of my favorite photos.