Organize Your Card Stock

One of the biggest challenges that you will take on is organizing your card stock. Taking time to get it done will save you a whole lot of time in the future. You will know what you have, where it is and what you need in a blink of an eye.

Before you get started, think about the different papers you may or may not have:

8.5" by 11" solid and patterned papers in paper and pads
12" by 12" solid and patterned papers in paper and pads
Specialty papers in both of the above sizes
6" by 6" paper and pads
9" by 13" paper and pads
Scraps in all sizes
Water color paper

The next thing to consider is where will you keep your paper? Do you have space? Where and how much? What kind of organizers do you have already that you can use or what will you need?

The smallest papers can be kept in a bin or a basket close to your other paper.

Specialty papers like metallic paper and glitter paper can either be kept on their own or with thier color family.

Another thing to consider is keeping paper pads together. When I started out, I tended to rip paper pads apart. As I have grown as a crafter, I keep them together. After all, all the pages are made to coordinate with each other, right? If you have the space, I recommend keeping together.

Supplies You Need

A large garbage bag or a waste basket

Large Ziplock bags

Marker or a label maker

There are a few different ways and methods to store your paper. As we have said before, depending on the amount of space and how much paper you have. Adapting the right system for your space and needs creates the perfect custom solution for you.

In the beginning of my organizing journey, I had my paper in a vertical plastic drawer system. Actually, it was two units stacked on top of each other. The units were in a closet. It was not a bad system, it just did not suit my needs. I moved to the horizontal system on two shelves where I can see my paper stash. And that is what I am most comfortable with.

The first thing to get done is to sort your solid paper by color. For now, just do the main colors. You can sort different color tones later. Set aside your scraps but sort them into colors too.
Sort through your printed paper and sort by color. If the paper has too many colors, just sort it the way that you see it.
Again, sort your printed scraps by color. Only keep what you think you will need and throw away the rest.
Really be critical for this step, As you are sorting each piece of paper, really decide if you see yourself using that paper in the future. I know that I had some pretty ugly paper that I needed to get rid of.
Decide how much of your scrap paper that you want to keep. I know none us wants to part with any of those bits. But you really need to purge the stuff that you know you won;t honestly use.
Get out those gallon zip lock bags. I wound up using a couple of boxes. One bag per color. You can store your printed paper with the same color solid for now.
If you have a system in place for your paper storage just arrange the colors any way that is pleasing to you. Otherwise, just put the bags aside until you decide the best system for you.
Purchase the products that you need to set up your system and enjoy the results !

So, the two basic systems are a vertical system and a horizontal system. There is another system which is a rolling system. Each has their own features that may make it right for you.

The Rolling System

The rolling system features a cart with hanging folders that can hold your card stock. The cart has wheels on it so that it can be used anywhere you need it to be. Perfect for under a desk, in a closet or tucked into a corner. This will hold a small to medium selection of card stock. Or you can use two of them if your collection is larger.

Horizontal Systems

The vertical system is a stacked system that can have a single slot or multiple slots. It can be on the floor or on a desk. The This is perfect for a small space or corner where you need to use the vertical height of the space. They can be closed units like drawers or open units with slots. They can be plastic or wood. They are also called the paper tower. Some of these units are on wheels which enable them to be moved around in a room.

Wire racks are another alternative. They may not be pretty, but you can use space on a wall that might be available.

Another option in the vertical system is to use a hanging sweater organizer in a closet to store your paper. This option is great for people will small paper collections and lots of closet space. Would also be good for those with larger paper pad collections.

If you can find them, clean pizza boxes offer another option. They can be stacked vertically. You can also decorate them to your liking.

Another idea is to use the flat rate boxes that you can get for free at the post office. Put them together and cut off one end. They say priority mail. Stack them as high as you need to. Use duct tape to hold them together. Cover them with paper and you have a custom made paper storage unit.

Make Your Own Vertical Paper Tower

Vertical Systems

This is one of the more popular systems and generally uses space like a book case or a shelf. It can be in a closet space or out in the open. That's up to you. Think about holders that are like magazine racks.

You can also use a plastic file box that you can buy from any office supply.

Another option is to get skirt or pants hangers. You can hang your bags of paper stored in a zip lock on the hangers in a closet space.

Storing Scrap

Those zip lock storage bags are a perfect way to sort and seal your scraps. They are reasonably priced, and you will not have a lot of bits of paper floating about your space. I found some clear plastic storage bags that were letter size at Miles Kimble. They have two snaps at the top and I am able to get a lot of scraps into them. I line them up the same way that I have my colors.

I , myself tend to be a scrap hoarder. Though I keep them tidy, they do tend to grow on their own. Some folks like to minimize their scraps by only keeping photo sized paper. That gives them options to store them in neat little plastic photo boxes.