Paper Storage in the Fungeon: Cardstock (Part 2)

I’m having so much fun sharing organization tips from The Fungeon.  On Sunday, I shared the way I organize and store my unopened packs of cardstock (if you missed that post, you can check it out here).  Today, I’m showing you what I do with my opened packs of cardstock and the scraps that are left over after a project.

On Sunday, I talked about two types of stampers – (1) those who like to neatly tuck all their supplies away behind cabinets and inside drawers and (2) those who like to see all their stuff [neatly or otherwise] on open shelves and counter tops.  I fall into the latter category.  There’s another category for stampers I’d like to explore today: (1) standers and (2) sitters.  About a year ago, I decided to give standing-to-stamp a try.  I was having a hard time putting things away after I used them – if I had to get out of my chair to put a stamp set on a shelf, there was a great chance that set would be stacked on the edge of my desk for days (or until I couldn’t stand the mess any longer).  I purchased a bar table from IKEA and now stand to do all my designing and stamping.  HEAVEN!  Things still get messy, but they have a better chance of making their way back to their home than before.  I’m mobile in the room, too, so I think I’m getting lots of exercise (but there’s no way for me to fact-check that one).

This is the cleanest this table has been since the day it was assembled:

Paper Storage Ideas, Stampin' Up!, Brian King

Here’s a sneak peek of my table.  To the right is my rolling filing card I picked up from Office Depot.  All of my opened papers are stored here.  I used to keep this rolling card by my side wherever I was in the Fungeon, but it was too low for me to bend down to get papers if I was standing (I’m 6’5″), so I used bed risers to lift it up – it just stays put beside my stamping desk.

Paper Storage Ideas, Stampin' Up!, Brian King

Just like my paper sorter, my colors are grouped by color family and then by color (in alphabetical order).  Exceptions:  Whisper White and Very Vanilla are organized at the front of the file.  In Colors for the current year are next, followed by In Colors for the prior year.  Each hanging file holds whole sheets of paper and a manilla pocket folder with scraps of that color.

Paper Storage Ideas, Stampin' Up!, Brian King

Here’s a closer look at what is stored in each hanging file:  whole pieces of cardstock (carefully placed in the hanging file to not bend or crease the edges) and a pocket file folder for scrap pieces.  I used the Word Window punch to add each color to the folder.  If I’m in a rush (why is anyone ever in a rush when making cards?), I can just look for  the color.

Paper Storage Ideas, Stampin' Up!, Brian King

On the bottom shelf of the cart, I keep an wooden tray.  I toss scraps into this tray when I don’t feel like filing them away.

Paper Storage Ideas, Stampin' Up!, Brian KingI hope you enjoyed this final recap of the Fungeon’s answer to card stock storage.  I have several more posts lined up to share how I’m organizing things, so I hope you’ll come back.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Brian

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Weekly Deals.  This week’s Weekly Deals have EVERYTHING to do with the Big Shot.  I’m happiest to see the Magnetic Platform on this list – last year I shared that the Magetic Platform is my favorite item in the catalog (see that post here).  We also learned Tuesday that the Magnetic Platform is a great tool for finding needles on the Fungeon floor (see that post here).  Here are all of the Weekly Deals:

44 Comments

  1. I file my cardstock too. It’s notbas meat as yours though!!

  2. You are so incredibly lucky to have such space!! I look forward to learn how you store the 12 x 12 card stock and designer papers and the smaller pads of designer papers.

  3. I have all my cardstock in alphabetical order, in drawers on the right and left of my stamping space. Easier to find! I didn’t sort it out by Brights, Neutrals, Incolors…..

    I’m bringing a gift for you to convention and hope I can find you to give it to you. See’s Chocolate…..as a thank you for all the encouragement you give me. We are staying at the Sheraton. Yes, my roomie is in PA, I live near SFO and we have our room and air in place. ….just waiting for SU registration to open up. You inspire me to share my custom built (by my husband) stamping room…..after I clean up the clutter for cutting and assembling kits for my stamp camp tonight. I have a room with a view to the street to always see what is going on in the neighborhood, people walking their dogs.
    hugs to you for all your blog postings. I love them all. Personal and stamp related.
    ~Gina

  4. I have a file almost like yours I got at a yard sale. $15.00 full of folders. YES!!! It has 2 sides so I have neutrals and in colors on one side and the other color families on the other. I also have some red folders for one in color family and some yellow ones for another family. My tabs are backed with the color of the folder and one family is all in the same place located on the folder. You know, left, right or middle. I think I will try the closed folder option for scraps since mine are currently just in the front of the folders. I have my sponge box, cutter and scoring pal stored on the shelf underneath. Thanks for sharing. I got my ideas from someone floating around out there in the internet world.

  5. I have my paper in folder in a couple of filing cabinets/drawers arranged by colour. I sit to stamp and assemble but have pull out shelves with my Bigshot on it and another one with my cutter on it. These are both at the right height for me to use standing up. When I used to sit to do this I had trouble with my back, now I do the Bigshot & cutting standing I have no problems with my back. I use the main bedroom as my craft room, more space and better light, and use the second bedroom as my bedroom, it is just for sleeping.

  6. Thanks for sharing your space and storage ideas. I always stand when I stamp and assemble my cards…I can see the placement of the paper layers and sentiment better standing.

    • It’s interesting to learn how people stamp. I stand to cut and layout a card but sit to glue and assemble. That gives me the best perspective to make sure it’s all perfectly aligned.

  7. Suzie Patt Cullen

    I “file” my paper similarly (though alphabetically, too), but haven’t tried the “word window” idea! Like that a lot! And I love how you raised your file carts up on those bed raisers/risers! I need to move mine from a closet to my desk OR run back and forth OR “plan ahead” 🙂

  8. What a nice room and so organized too! I stand when I stamp all the time; it just works best for me! I can move around easier, and before I start, my desk chair gets moved to the side.

  9. Bridget Trefethen

    Thank you for sharing your paper storage ideas! I have seen a number of people say they use file carts along the same lines as yours. I really like your punched color along with the color name! That would be a big help to me!

    I always enjoy your blog. I hope to get to meet you some day!

    (The picture with this email address is my husband. No, he does not stamp. He did make me a Valentine, though!)

  10. Very helpful information. I’ve been working on organizing my things

  11. OMG…not your paper storage. I do mine almost the same. But the bed lifts under the cart is perfect! Why didn’t I think of those? I’m tall ( not as tall as you, but tall) and hate leaning over.
    Thanks for the tip you didn’t know you gave.

  12. Thanks for sharing what works for you! I am always open to new ideas. I have stored my cardstock in a file cabinet like yours, but your tip of using the bed risers solves one of the problems! Also, I hadn’t thought of the “pocket” file folders – they will save a lot of aggravation when I spill them. My cardstock is sorted by colors rather than color families, as more often than not I am looking for a certain color. Two Questions: How do you get by with just one file drawer for your cardstock????? And what do you do with the scraps in the wooden tray — sort, file or toss?

    • Thanks for your comments. I try to use the wooden tray as a “staging area for future sorting”. 🙂 If I want to get it off my table but don’t want to stick it all back in folders, the paper goes into the tray until I can organize it and put it away.

  13. So neat and tidy, Brian! Wish you lived in the Midwest! I’d invite you over to organize for me! Thanks for inspiring a little Spring Cleaning!

  14. Hey, Brian!
    I love this method, bf! Another little tip, did you know the file folders have scores at the bottom to crease for a larger load? Just crease to the amount of paper you have in them and it sits flat to accommodate the larger amount of paper. Just sayin’.
    Hugs,
    Sunshine Sharon

  15. I’m pretty impressed with your ‘to be sorted/filed’ box. I end up having a shoe box full of scraps at most any time. I do have a separate shoe box for Whisper White scraps and one for Very Vanilla scraps. Comes in handy. Loved the peek into the fungeon. (Auto correct keeps trying to make it “dungeon”!)

  16. Looking forward to more posts on how you organize. I am in a multi-generation home with my parents in their 80s. We have unfinished space in our basement with great light, but it gets very gritty & dusty due to my father’s activity. (He’s a semi-retied farmer who is in and out and needs projects to keep him happy and occupied.) So I have bits & pieces in a few spots around the house, which means extra time to get things out and put them away every time I stamp. I am looking for inspiration on shorter term solutions, as well as long term solutions for when Dad can finally finish his basement activity, or at least keep the grit to a minimum. Your posts DID inspire a temporary solution using a recently acquired rolling scrapbooking case to use with files for my paper. That alone will help.

  17. Robin Wojciechowski

    I have a cart just like that and set up the same way. I only used my label maker on the file folders and not a punch. I used my old smaller cart to hold my retired colors that I still have left. I have the top of the folders marked of which ones I still have ink for. I have a small tote basket that straddles the trash can under my table (only used for crafting) that hold miscellaneous small scraps that I might use later. I saw a picture of how to file away those extra scraps to use later. I’m just now putting it together. Its a photo box with large index cards (after I cut 1″ off from the sides) and labels just like the large & small carts. I think it will help me to be more organized and use every piece of scrap paper I have. I’m happy to see I’m not the only one who thought of filing cardstock this way. I have a lot of sunlight coming into my craft room, so I have taken a baby receiving blanket left over from my 5 year old granddaughter and covered my cart when not in use. This helps so the paper won’t fade in the sunlight and keeps the dust off too. Thanks for sharing your photos. LOVE IT!

  18. Hmmmm…your scrap tray is lookin’ mighty full….. =)

  19. Bring on more organizing posts like today’s! I am in the midst of reorganizing and rethinking my craft room now that the restoration of my basement is almost complete ( our basement was flooded last August…

  20. Love your tips! I do not have a “craft room” so I am working on storage and mobility now and this really helps.

  21. The stars must be aligned for paper storage this week! Yesterday I posted a photo (on a Facebook closed site) of my current scrap paper storage solution. As my condo is listed for sale (yes, still), I can’t make too much of a mess on the dining room table or, if I do, I have to hustle everything into a bag and stash it somewhere temporarily. Would you believe almost all my 12 x 12 paper is in bins over at my brother’s apartment, and has been for over a year? It’s a real drag. But, I digress. I bought three plastic storage containers at the dollar store that are just a bit larger than A2 paper and cut all my scraps to A2 size. What would you do with those long strips anyway? I have the bins organized alphabetically by color: black, blue, brown, etc. I hope to have a dedicated room for card making after I move and have my supplies where I can see them, but for now this is working very well.
    I only stand to use my Big Shot when creating; I have a bad back so I sit otherwise. It makes my back hurt just to read about those of you who stand all the time.
    Your fungeon looks great, Brian!

  22. Thanks, Brian. You have some pretty slick ideas on storage. Now, if I just had a bigger room……….Lol

  23. This was VERY HELPFUL, Brian!! Now I am wondering if that “rolling file cart” would be a great way for me to get rid of the beat up file cabinet I have below my desk! About how tall is it, when it is NOT in the risers for TALL people like you? I live in an apartment, so creating space for everything is important for me! Also, how do you like working while standing up?

    • Hi Sue! Thanks for you comments and questions. I picked up this rolling card at Office Depot – I can’t speak to all carts, but I’m sure you could find one that rolls right under a table if that’s what you’re looking for. I love this – it’s sturdy and fits in with the other storage shelving I use. I find that standing makes me enjoy stamping more.

  24. Hey Brian!

    I swear, I love your posts!! And your organizational skills – you ARE adorable!! 🙂

    I need help on organizing my Designer Papers! I have an awful time keeping them straight and therefore do not use them as often as I should!!

    HELP! AND..btw…if I didn’t have a SU demonstrator here in MO that I LOVE, I swear I’d use you all the time, even if you are in GA!

    Thanks…diane

    • Thanks, Diane! I’ll be posting about DSP next – sometime early next week? If you have a demonstrator you love, then you are doing great! 🙂

  25. I love this system. I do something similar and it works great. It helps me use my scraps because I always look at them first. I need to try stamping on my feet! I think I would like it. Do you have a stool or something to use if you need a break from being on your feet! I know i can get lost in my stamping for hours!

    • Laura, Glad you like it. I don’t have a stool by my desk, but I do have a table and desk in the room that I can pull up to if I’m making a lot of the same card or just need to sit for a spell. 🙂

  26. Brian, I love all your helpful hints, I am in the middle of revamping my craft area!
    How do you store your 12 x 12 papers? if you don’t mind me asking!

  27. Hi Brian
    I use a similar system to store my paper. The main difference is the folder labels. I have been buying them from a seller on EBay who prints the color name on the color card stock. You can find her using ‘tlwsao318’ or search for S’up labels on Ebay.
    Not only is it easier to find the color you need, the drawer looks really neat.

    gail

  28. I really love all these organizational tips Brian. Thank you so much

  29. I love this idea! I just got my craft room the way I like it (it’s also a fungeon, but our basement is finished) and now we’re moving to a fixer upper in June. I’ll be sharing a craft room with my washer and dryer in the new house, but this one does have cabinetry. It will be fun/sad to start all over.

  30. I store my cardstock the same way you do….great minds!! I love the idea of the manila POCKET folders to tame all the scraps. Gonna have to go buy some of those. Enjoying the tour of your Fungeon!

  31. I use a similar system, however my inbox for paper I don’t feel like filing always is so much fuller than yours…LOL

  32. Thanks for sharing your craft room organization! I am always interested in how others organize their supplies and often incorporate the tips in my own storage.

  33. This is brilliant and simple at the same time. When it’s too complicated one (who me?) does not keep it up and the whole room looks like a mess.! and scraps of paper are in too many places, get all mixed up and you can never find what you are looking for when you need it. Can’t wait to see what you do with DSP and 12×12.

  34. Love seeing how you organize your things. I have a small space, and like to maximize storage as much as possible, also using ideas from others, like you, who use their supplies on a daily basis. Thanks for the great tips.

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  36. Hi Brian. I discovered your blog about a month ago and find it very helpful. I was curious to try doing my stamping standing up ever since reading about it in your post. It is really working for me. I am able to keep my work space much less cluttered and I seem to be more alert when I stand. Thanks!

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