Album, Cardstock & Paper Organization

Today, I'm going to share with you my organization for my albums, cardstock, and papers. This system is all being changed up now that I have made a 100% commitment to pocket scrapbooking, but I will share with you the changes when they are finished.

I love paper. I make no bones about it. If you don't absolutely love pretty paper, I am not sure we can be friends. I mean, how can you not love paper? I mean seriously!

I have tens of thousands of sheets of paper. No joke. I used to buy multiple sheets of my favorites, the ones I couldn't live without, the ones I knew I would use over and over and over and over etc. I have paper for almost every theme imaginable. I even had cowboy paper....I'm not a cowboy. Don't know any....don't ride horses either. One of our dogs used to wear bandanas so I think I started adding to the theme because of Oscar. I'll use the paper with some of my farm visits. No shortage of them around here! That's one of the reasons I absolutely looooooooooove living in the Finger Lakes.

All of my 12x12 papers are in 13x15 zipper bags. Each bags contains one collection. And by collection I mean Apple Cider from BoBunny, Silhouette from Close to My Heart, Alpine Frost from SEI, Cupcake from Basic Grey....does that give you an idea what I mean? I sort by theme not brand because...well...you'll see in a minute. A picture is worth a thousand words or 12 thousand in this case. :)

Each cubby on my Expedit contains a theme or several themes. The Expedit isn't labeled with the categories.  I kept that list on my MacBook. I made numbered labels for my Expedits....yup that is plural. I have 2 of the 25 cube Expedits. You'll see the second one soon! I should do a blog post about the labels I made, too.

So that's my messy paper collection. Ugh. Remember, I don't like messy. I'm probably the most anal scrapbooker alive. I have to clean as I scrapbook. I can't stand having the table covered with stuff. I just get so stressed. It's so weird. Anyway, this paper arrangement is in for a major overhaul!

My second Expedit holds my mountain of cardstock and my completely and empty albums. A few themes of my paper collection are stored here.....they don't fit in the other one. The top rows have empty and full albums. The bottom contains fabric bins from Ikea that hold my cardstock. The cardstock is all sorted by color. I have plastic inserts in each bin that divide the colors. I sort the cardstock by ROY G BIV and Browns and Blacks. Browns include the creams and ivories. Backs include the greys and whites. The cardstock sheets are all standing up in these bins. This Expedit, too, is going to be remodeled in the near future.

I know Ikea does not make the Expedit anymore. Big, huge sad face. I love them! I know I'm not the only crafter who loves them. Ikea replaced the Expedit with the Kallax. I believe the Kallax only comes in 20 cubes though. I could be totally wrong! I haven't seen them in person yet. I will next month when I go to Charlotte! I'm off to Raleigh for a huge crop. My understanding is that inside of the cubes are the same dimensions so they will still hold scrapbook albums!

Stop back tomorrow for a post on the numbered labels I created for my Expedits. I'm going to dig out the photos right now! :)

Round #2: Handmade Journaling Cards

Ready for another round of handmade journaling cards? This batch is also from Crop on the Cape. I said I was busy! It was one productive crop. That's for sure. I really can't wait for it next year! 

Here we go!!!

This card is made from a cardstock base. There's a glittered baby quilt sticker and yellow/green twine. The "Bundle of Joy" stamped image is from Close To My Heart (not sure which set - I don't have it anymore).

When I was into traditional scrapbooking, I never used alpha stickers. They just weren't my thing. Now with pocket scrapbooking, I've been using them here and there. This card is built on cardstock. The stickers are all from Echo Park. The heart and arrow are enamel dots.

This card is super simple! It's just cardstock with several stickers from Echo Park along with a clear sticker that says "cute". 

Super cute card! I love this one. Something about yellow cardstock just makes me happy. The stickers are from Echo Park as is the tab on the right hand side. To make sure it stays attached in my album, I used my tiny attacher from Tim Holtz. Love those teeny staples! On the bottom left corner, there are 3 enamel dots.

A baby boy card! Cardstock is the base. "Baby Boy" is a bunch of stickers from Echo Park. The twine is yellow/white/blue. To keep the twine in place, I used my handy dandy tiny attacher again. The upper right corner is a giant brad. The bottom left corner was stamped with a roller stamp from American Crafts in white pigment ink.

The next few cards have photos included. The face has been blurred to protect the identity of the child. I'm not into posting photos of children online. There's far too many freaks in this world! Sorry if this upsets some viewers, but I need to protect those in my life when I blog. 

The photo was cut down to 4"x4" and attached to a 4"x6" cardstock card. The blue and white is washi tape. I cut the tape along the chevron blue line to make it look like an arrow. To help keep the end attached to the back of the card, I used a couple of tiny attachers. The stamped image is actually 2 different stamps. The ticket is one stamp. The circle with "baby" is the second. Unfortunately, I don't know who made either one! I wish I did because I really like this ticket stamp. 

This card was made with a 4"x6" cardstock card and a 4"x4" photo. The navy blue polka dot washi is attached with tiny attachers. The little elephant stamp is from B1391 Zoology from Close To My Heart. The little stars stamped under the elephant are also from this stamp set.

The photo is 3"x4" and the cardstock card is 4"x6". The stamp is from S1201 Little Reminder from Close To My Heart. It's actually 2 stamps. The number in the center is one stamp. The outer ring of months is another stamp. The writing was done with a chalk marker.

This is the final journaling card with a photo. It's 4"x4" on 4"x6" cardstock. I made a little banner on the side with white/green twine with pennant stickers from Echo Park. The twine is attached with tiny attachers. 

Super simple card alert! It's made from striped paper with glitter and a "Bedtime Stories" sticker.

I love making these simple cards. They are a great way to use up stickers that I've had in my stash for ages. they are also really fast to put together. I have an organizer with just precut cardstock. This on is 3"x4" with a clear sticker and 3 enamel dots. Easy peasy! 

A 3"x4" cardstock card. The upper left corner has a sticker from Close To My Heart. I don't know who made the stickers on the bottom right corner.

Sticker party! This card is 3"x4". Not sure who made the stickers. The stamp is from American Crafts.

A 4"x4" cardstock base had a get together with some rub ons. I love the calendar stamp! I really do love calendar stamps. I wish I knew who made this one so I could see if they have others. The washi on the bottom is cut on the left side and the right side is held on with tiny attachers.

Another 4"x4" card. The stickers are all from Echo Park.

This one is 3"x4". In the center, it's all one sticker from Echo Park. The grey heart and arrow are enamel dots.

This final card for this round is 3"x4". The sticker is from Echo Park. The stamp in the center is a mystery to me! The green polka dot washi is held on with tiny attachers.

Be sure to check back for Round #3!

Valentine's Day Card for Operation Kuwait

Today's card is the one for Valentine's Day I made for Operation Kuwait. I sound like Walmart pushing holidays months in advance I know! But my friend is shipping these overseas and we will only be doing it twice a year. Gotta stockpile while I can!

The card base is made from Colonial White from Close To My Heart. The cover cardstocks are Hollyhock from Close To My Heart and a scrap of Bazzill.

The "love" stamp is from Studio G and is stamped in Victorian Velvet from Tim Holtz's Distress Inks. The "Happy Valentine's Day" is from the hearts2love set from The Stamps of Life and it's inked in Fired Brick from Tim Holtz's Distress Inks. The cardstocks are edged in Worn Lipstick from Tim Holt'z Distress Inks line. 

First time alert! This was my first time using baker's twine on a card. Shocking I know. The pearls are from Basic Grey.

I was asked what I used to score the cardstock to fold it over into a card. I have the Martha Stewart Scoring Boards. I was skeptical when I bought it. Some of her products are ok, some are good, and some are stinky. This one actually works really well. It even comes with a scoring tool and an envelope making tool. I do recommend it. I know others have used it for making rosettes.

The stamp on the inside is from One Plus One Equals Love from The Stamps of Life. Worn Lipstick Distress Ink from Tim Holtz was used to stamp onto the Blush cardstock from Close To My Heart.

Dimensions:
Card base: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"
Hollyhock base: 5 1/2" x 4 1/4"
Pink cardstock: 5" x 3 3/4" 

I do not receive any compensation for the products used on Inky Hot Mess. I use what I like. The products are not given to me. I have purchased every item used. So if I think something stinks, I'll tell you to save your money and go elsewhere. If a product is given to me to test out, I will let you know. 

Birthday Card for Operation Kuwait

Can you believe November is here already and it's flying by? Geesh seems like it was Halloween just yesterday! I've been busy working on a couple of projects. One is some organization in my studio which you'll see soon! I need to complete it first. My second big project was making cards from my friend's military troop in Kuwait. I finally finished up my cards and got them shipped off to Colorado.

I made some birthday cards that are feminine, but could be used for gals who like pink or purple and they could be used for an adult or a child. The bases are made from Colonial White cardstock from Close To My Heart. All of the inks are pigment inks and chalk inks from Studio G. The cardstocks are all from my scrap bin and are from Close To My Heart and Bazzill. Amazing what's been hanging out in my scrap bags!

When making cards, I like to pre-cut everything. I tend to make piles and ink all of the edges. This sort of gives things time to dry a bit except when using pigments. Pigments take quite awhile to dry. The lavender cardstock in the upper left has metallic silver pigment ink on the edges. I couldn't get it to photograph and it's not super obvious when looking at them in bright sunlight either. It's very subtle.  

The stamps are from the Birthday Tags set from Papertrey Ink. That brad in the middle is a dark purple brad from Close To My Heart. The image is stamped in black pigment ink.

The cute purple ribbon with white and pink daisies is from my purple ribbon jar. I've had that one and lots of purple ribbons are ages. This is how I store many of my ribbons. If they come on spools longer than 3 yards, they go on the racks on my studio door. All other ribbons are in jars like this one. They are quite stuffed full so I have really cut back on my ribbon purchases unless it's something for a specific project or something I can't live without which is very rare these days. 

I wanted a little something inside the cards as well. This stamp is also from Birthday Tags from Papertrey Ink. The paper flower is from Prima. The flower is attached with a Glue Dot. There's a little purple bling as well. Not sure where that's from.

Here we have the finished cards with one open so you can see the little added piece on the inside. The star stamps are also on the Birthday Tags set from Papertrey Ink.

Dimensions:

Card base: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"
Lilac colored cardstock: 5 3/8" x 4 1/8"
Lavender colored cardstock: 5" x 3 3/4"
Pink cardstock: 4" x 2"

I do not receive any compensation for the products used on Inky Hot Mess. I use what I like. The products are not given to me. I have purchased every item used. So if I think something stinks, I'll tell you to save your money and go elsewhere. If a product is given to me to test out, I will let you know. 

Family Christmas Invitation

Over the weekend, I made our family Christmas invitations! I still have to type up the text for the inside, but that requires me to play in Photoshop and I really need to be in the mood to deal with Photoshop.

Why an invitation to Christmas? Well, we live several hours away from our families and we feel it's very important to share the holidays with them especially since our nephews are growing so fast! Before we relocated, We hosted the family Christmas Feast every year. Both sides of the family would come. I love having a house full of people on Christmas! Christmas is my most favorite day of the year. It's really hard to spend it away from family, but we're managing.

During the past week, I have used several sheets of Papertrey Ink's cardstock and I really have fallen in love with them. I looooooove the weight! It's not expensive either. It's only a little bit more than you pay in a big box store for cardstock that's about as thick as printer paper. And it comes in so many colors. You can buy it by the individual color or a yearly sampler pack which has every color in it. You can also buy the individual colors in three packs - 12, 24, or 50 sheets. And here's the best part. If you spend $70 or more, you get free shipping! 

Papertrey Ink has really thought of everything. They have coordinating cardstocks, inks and reinkers, ribbons, buttons, felt, and baker's twine. They have very high quality controls and will not sell a product if it is not 100% up to their standards. Their colors really match! I can't say that about every company unfortunately. There's nothing worse than stamping away only to discover your ink is a completely different shade of red, blue, purple, whatever than the matching cardstock. That's so frustrating!

Here is my Christmas invitation:

Papertrey Ink & Inkadinkado

The card base is Poppy from Papertrey Ink. The cardstock with the stamped image is Colonial White from Close To My Heart. The edges of the Colonial White cardstock are distressed with Topiary ink from Close To My Heart.

Inkadinkado, Ranger, & Tsukineko

Both images are stamped and embossed. The tree is from Artistic Holiday from Inkadinkado. It was first stamped using Pearlescent Thyme from Brilliance made by Tsukineko. Then I embossed the tree using Frosted Crystal embossing powder from the Embossing Antiquities line from Ranger. 

Inkadinkado, Tsukineko, & Close To My Heart

The Merry Christmas image was stamped in Platinum Planet from Tsukineko's Brilliance line. Then I embossed over it with Cranberry embossing powder from Close To My Heart. This stamp is from the Filigree Holiday Patterns set from Inkadinkado.


I do not receive any compensation for the products used on Inky Hot Mess. I use what I like. The products are not given to me. I have purchased every item used. So if I think something stinks, I'll tell you to save your money and go elsewhere. If a product is given to me to test out, I will let you know. 

ExScrapAGanza For Sale

In a few weeks, whatever hasn't sold will be moved to my Etsy store. If you'd like an item, please contact me! My contact info is on the upper left hand side and at the bottom of each For Sale post. Shipping is not included in the price. US sales only. PayPal only for payment as well. All items will be shipped via USPS.

ALL items are brand NEW unless otherwise stated. ALL items come from a smoke free studio!

ExScrapAGanza entire collection from 3 Birds is up for grabs. This collection is $30 plus shipping. This collection includes over 2,200 pieces! This collection includes 48 patterned papers, 24 solid cardstocks, 8 sticker sheets, 2 alpha sheets, 3 sheets of glitter felt shapes, goodies box of shapes, 8 sheets of sticky, sparkly chipboard shapes and comes in a box.  There are 8 different themes. The themes are Brights, Pastels, Earth, tropicals, Bold, Fresh, Elegant, and Sweet. Each theme comes with 6 sheets of paper, 2 sheets of cardstock, and 1 sheet of stickers. Now the photos.....there's a lot!

The Box

What's Included

Brights 

Pastels

Earth

Tropical

Bold

Fresh

Elegant

Sweet

Sheets of Felt

Brights

Pastels

Earth

Tropical

Bold

Fresh

Elegant

Sweet

Chipboard Shapes

I'm also including a free gift with every purchase made until September 30, 2013! Want something? Have questions? Email me.