March 07 - Organizing

Danelle Gay

* Do you take everything you own to a Scrapbooking Crop?
* Do you spend half your time organizing your gear instead of working on your albums?
* Do you forget valuable pieces of info that you want to include in your scrapbooks and end up not working on your albums?
If you answered yes to any of these questions then you need to Get Organized! It is much simpler than you think. You can manage it in small chunks of time before you attend and get so much more accomplished at your next crop! Here are some tips that will help you get on your way.
I have set it up like a check list so that you could divide it into small parts...say a little each night before you head to bed.
Before you attend a crop or scrapbook weekend: Decide on a project! I like to pick 1-2 for a crop night or all day crop and 3-4 for a weekend. That way I can switch to something else if I am having "croppers block" (kinda like writers block, both involve staring at a blank page). The main part is to have a goal in mind. You may not achieve all that you want but at least you have something you are aiming for.
___1-2 projects (Evening or day)
___2-3 projects (weekend) Photos! Check your photo stash and set aside only those photos you will need for the projects you have pre-selected.
__Photos for Project #1
__Photos for Project #2
__Photos for Project #3 Memorabilia! As you are locating photos for your projects you may come across memorabilia as well. Pack that with your photos.
___Memorabilia for Project #1
___Memorabilia for Project #2
___Memorabilia for Project #3 Tools and Supplies
___Set aside the tools you always use when you crop and those you know you will use for the photos and memorabilia you just sorted out. Don't take a heart and flower punch if you are working on Halloween pages. You are only going to pack for the projects you are working on. Don't pack it in your bag just yet....
__Trimmer __Multipurpose Tool __Punches
__Scissors and Corner Rounder __Custom Cutting System
__Pens __Lined Paper for Journal Boxes Double Check Make sure you have enough (but don't pack it in your bag yet):
__Albums for projects __adhesive, __pages, __protectors,
__supplies for your specific projects_________________________
__Empty your Scrapbook Bag! Yes, that is right dump it all out. Yes, it is messy and yes, it will take time to sort through. You will be surprised what things you will find by doing this. Set aside the big stuff like albums, pages and tools. You may not have much left in your bag after all the setting aside you did earlier, just make sure to take everything is out. You will be sorting through the smaller items like papers, photos, etc.
__Toss any odd shaped scraps of paper that are smaller than 4x6. If you have any shape makers you may wish to punch these into shapes and store them.
__ Separate the pile into smaller piles of Paper, Stickers, Die Cuts, Borders, Ribbon.
__If you have photos and memorabilia left that were in the bag, make sure that you don't need them for your projects. Select your Supplies! You are not going to use those wedding papers for your child's school album or black and orange Halloween papers for a heritage album right? Set aside those items your know you will definitely not be using for the projects. Don't bring every sheet of paper you own. You do not have to decide what you are using for each page. You are just limiting the choices by eliminating the obvious. It will be less to carry to the crop and less to sort through.
__Take out Papers you are not going to use for the project.
__Select ribbon, brads, wire and any other embellishments that compliment the remaining paper. Store them with the paper you would use them with. Leave the rest home. This is a tough step for most people. However, if you have sorted through the photos and memorabilia you will have an idea on which items you will need. You already have a good idea of which colors you will be using or what themes you want to highlight on your pages. and lastly...
__Pack! Pack everything you need for the crop (only) in your bag(s). If you have followed the steps, collecting your photos, memorabilia and eliminating the supplies you will not be using you will have everything you need! Plus as an added bonus, since you are freshly packing your bag...you will know exactly where everything is! You may even find a better way to store your gear in your bag!
**What to do with the rest of the stuff left over?? If you are feeling really ambitious.......
__Ask yourself: Can I use it? Can someone else use it? Can I toss it? For each piece sort it into three piles and act accordingly. If it has been sitting for more than a year in your supply bag, it is a good assumption that you are not going to use it and may even be out of date - Toss it or give it away!
___Sort your paper, letter stickers, eyelets, ribbon, wire by color...shades of red, shades of blue, black and white, etc. That way when you need a splash of yellow you have all the yellow items at your fingertips.
___Sort any remaining stickers, borders, diecuts by theme. If your time and sanity at this point is limited...... Set it in a box and sort through as you have time. You should refer back to this pile as you finish projects and move on to the next one. Or go to the next scrapbook event and want to work on something different. The goal is to use or toss everything in this pile.