Organizing Cardstock in Limited Space

Earlier this week I promised I'd post about organizing your cardstock.  If you are like me you probably have more than you could possibly use in a lifetime and yet that doesn't keep you from buying more!  I use mostly Stampin' Up cardstock and I always keep a good supply of the current colors.  I tell myself - and my husband - that I'm on the Design Teams for two colors challenges so I NEED it!  But I have a lot of retired colors too.

Some demos will get rid of  the old (and that is okay for them) but I just can't. To make things worse, a few years ago I went to a garage sale by a retiring demo.  About the time I arrived her young son started having a melt down and she just wanted everything out of her driveway.  She said I could have it all (five 66 quart tubs of product) for under $200.  So..... I have CARDSTOCK (and ink and stamps and embellishments)!  

I don't have a craft room.  I have a "craft space" in the back of our family den.  All that cardstock has been sitting in my closet hard to get to and rarely used.  Last year I posted how I organized my patterned paper and how it dramatically changed what I used.  When I see something I will use it.  If I can't see it or it's hard to get to, I won't.

This whole project did not take that long.  I did it last weekend in addition to making a few cards.

I decided for this project I would use the same plastic sleeves that I used for my patterned paper.  They are divided into 2 x 2 inch sections.  From each color of cardstock, I cut a  2 x 2 square and wrote its name in the corner.

If I have matching ink, I also noted that on the swatch.  Then I arranged all these in the plastic sleeves in a "rainbow" order.  (More about this later.  You may find it easier if you arrange them alphabetically.)  When colors retire I can adjust how the swatches are in the sleeves.  It is a very adaptable system.

Another wonderful thing about the sleeves as opposed to gluing a swatch to a card, etc. is that I can pull a color out and see how it looks against any other color or pattern.  I have a lot of patterned paper from companies other than Stampin' Up! that are in 6 x 6 inch books.  I am finding that many of the retired colors coordinate beautifully with them. 

This is my notebook.

How do I store my paper?  I have a three drawer file cabinet and believe me, all my cardstock WILL NOT fit!  The top two drawers have the current colors, basics and specialty papers (vellum, X-Press It blending card, some metallics, etc.)  To store, I use box bottom hanging folders with manila file jackets with a 2 inch extension.  You can get these at office supply stores.

They easily hold five packs of cardstock and because of the sides it is all contained. I used my Circle Tab Punch (retiring - available only until June 2, 2020!) to make swatches for the folders and wrote the color names on the bottom of the tabs.

For my retired colors I wrote the name across the circle.  I had too much cardstock for my cabinet but I wanted to be able to easily use my retired colors.  I have about 80 colors in varying amounts of each.  I decided upon approximately one manila file jacket per plastic sleeve of colors; all those tabs would not fit on the manila jacket.  I made a tab for each retired color and glued it to a sheet of thick white cardstock to make dividers.  (I have a lot of this purchased from a big box store, but any color will do if you have excess.)

Then I put several sheets and large scraps behind each divider.  This way I have some on hand to use.  The balance of the sheets I left in their packaging (and for many colors I have two or three packs) that I'm keeping in Bankers Boxes in my closet.  If all the sheets of a color are in the cabinet then I marked that tab with a dot, letting me know that there is no back stock.

When I run out I can go to my closet and pull out some more.  I now only have three stackable boxes.  The empty space in the front of the box on the right will be my extra current colors.  This keeps me from randomly rummaging through my stash in my closet - never a good thing!

For storing my scraps, I use boxes labeled with what is inside.  I don't keep scraps smaller than 2 x 2, and larger scraps (quarter sheet or more) I store with the cardstock - another reason for the folders with sides!  When die cutting or needing a small piece I look through these boxes first.  And if I have  questions about exactly what color the scrap is, I hold it against the color swatches in the notebook.

I always try to go to my scrap boxes first.  In doing this I find I'm using less cardstock.

I'm now working on swatching all my ink.  I have the current ink finished and the swatches in their own sleeves.  I may insert them behind the cardstock swatches to save space but I haven't decided yet.

I like the rainbow order of my cardstock.  Everything is in the same order - the notebook, the cardstock in the Bankers Boxes and the file cabinet.  That way I know exactly where it is.  You could also do this alphabetically.  Either way works!

I know this post is a bit long, but I hope it has given you some ideas about organizing in a small space.   

The Circle Tab Punch is on sale right now and will be retiring in June 2, 2020.  If you would like the Circle Tab Punch please click through for my Stampin' Up! demonstrator website!  The other product I used for this project is the Paper Trimmer.

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