Tip of the Day.....

Getting and staying organized! That is the challenge isn't it?! I have to laugh a little I was thinking up these wonderful ideas and then I picked up my Creating Keepsakes January 2009 addition and it had some more organizational ideas (pg 58-59). I guess great minds do think a like! :) Or maybe it's just the new year! I don't claim to be an expert in organization, truth be told I struggle with keeping everything in it's spot, but here are some ideas that I hope will help you:

**If your area/room is out of control RIGHT NOW start small, you don't want to overwhelm yourself in the beginning because you might not want to finish! Pick an area that you have time and want to work on first and DO IT!

**I think the key is to have a place for everything. A couple of years ago I bought 3 Embellishment Organizer cases by Cropper Hopper. They are great for brads, eyelets or any other small embellishments. (I bought mine at Michaels with coupons!) I store my cardstock and pattern paper in Paper Holders also by Cropper Hopper. (these come in 6 x6, 8x8, 8 1/2 x 11 , and 12x12.) I use the 12x12 for both my 8 1/2 x11 paper and 12x12 paper. I store my buttons in old glass canning jars and a shelf (both came from garage sales). My jewels are stored in an old prima flower bottle.

**LABEL it! It does you no good if you put away and don't know which drawer you put it in! I bought a Dymo Labeler a few years back on the after school clearance for $5, (they have less expensive models that emboss also, they can be found in the office supply section--and you can use them for journaling in your scrapbooking!)

**When you bring it home, PUT IT AWAY!!

**store your most commonly used items within reach (if you have the space).

**When you are done with a project PUT IT AWAY!!

**scraps, what do you do with them? I bought Paper Pouches by cropper Hopper, I labeled them by color (I have two colors per pouch) and those are stored in a 12 x 12 paper holder. I only store scraps that I can cut again with my cricut the others GO! This method saves me from cutting up a bunch more papers later. I do know this doesn't work for everyone and that you might have to throw all of your scraps.

**Okay, the last tip that's seriously probably the hardest for me is purging. Sometimes you buy things and don't use them for the project you intended, or you thought they were so neat (stickers were my thing! And yes I have a cropper hopper storage binder for those!), or you just like to collect! Get rid of what you don't use! Donate it to a school teachers LOVE extra crafty supplies, I give my older things that I'm not interested in anymore to my 10 year old daughter, she LOVES it! By getting rid of the old you make room for the NEW! :)

I sure hope this gives you ideas and hope for your organization. I sure love the feeling when my desk is clean all ready for me to sit down and play! Good luck!