Sunday 1 June 2014

Storage...are you Super Organised or a Mix 'n Match kinda Crafter?

Hi Claire N with you today, to share with you a conversation that we had one weekend as a design team, and I'm sure everyone won't mind me saying that we have had many chats that have gotten hilariously out of hand.




Spring is the season that inspires us all to have a good sort out, and that of course extends to our craft rooms. The weather was so bright, and I'd had a relaxing weekend, that I felt compelled to have a good look through all the monthly kits that arrive from Sarah's 'A Few of My Favourite Things' kit club, and re familiarise myself with all the gorgeousness of the papers, embellishments and stamps.

It was then I began thinking about how I stored these kits, and it was then that I put that same question to the rest of the team





'How do you all store your AFOMFT' Kits?' - and I can tell you the banter that sparked as a result was so funny.

I have been a part of the club for 10 months, and from day one I have stored each months offering (including the embellishments, journalling cards,stamps, snip & stick sheets etc) in its own plastic sleeve, which I would then pop into the lever arch file you can see sitting there on the table. Each month was labelled and it meant that all co-coordinating elements stayed together and when writing up my blog posts I could easily reference what I used.
However the last 3-4 months Sarah has swapped the size of the papers from 8x8 (inch) up to 12x12 (inch) and it meant that it now wouldn't fit into my folders (and I was loathed to cut into the papers unnecessarily...a definate no no).

Storage from being coordinated and organised like this ...
So I was having to rethink my storage and the possibility of mixing all the papers and journalling cards together....a concept that completely goes against the grain..hehe!..and I can tell you the thought of which sent various members of the team into a major state of panic LOL!
How could I possibly consider stepping out of the structured order?, but I did and I pulled all the papers out and grouped them in size order, and then grouped all the cards. You will notice also that I was able to get the most from the snip & stick sheets too (and just as a force of habit I couldn't resist pencilling on these sheets the month they come from....oops sorry LOL!)
So I went from the organised folders above, to the mix and match piles below.






I will admit now that it was a liberating experience, because I can now fully appreciate how coordinated, with colour (and design) Sarah has been across all the many months of kits, and I know I will get far more from these beautiful papers (now that I won't be frightened to pull them out of place) and am completely fired up to get going with my Project Life layouts.









Thank you so much for joining me today on my little journey, so I would like to pose the question to you



'What are your storage dilemma's? Are you a stickler for order and coordination (like myself, Carol & Lisa  ) or are you far more relaxed with a mix n match vibe going on (like Jaine & Sharon)

We would love to know, and hear your stories.

Claire N x

4 comments:

  1. So organized, I am most definitely more relaxed as you say but I can appreciate where you're coming from. It's an inspirational post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jaine, I think I shall endeavour to be less strict while I'm making and let the creativity flow without worrying about the order (until I've finished the project anyway LOL!)

      Delete
  2. This inspired me to sort all my AFOMFT kits, and I was ashamed at the amount of pretties I had totally forgotten about. Thanks for holding my hand through the de-folder process :P xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No probs Carol, proud of you - just hope you didn't find it all too traumatic ......LOL!
      Finding new pretties has got to have made it worth while 😉 x

      Delete