Stylish Scrapbook Storage in a Snap - my take

Over on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog today, it's part four of Stylish Scrapbook Storage in a Snap where the Master Forgers are sharing sneaks into their own storage solutions.

I'm showing three ideas over there and would just like to give you a few more close up shots here today.

First up is the Ikea plastic divider container (Antonius) which is very nearly the perfect solution for pocket page cards - both 6x4 and 3x4. The tapered bottom of the sections makes each pocket a few millimetres off perfect but for the very very very low cost, it's perfect enough for me!

I just love these different sized Ikea plant and candle holders (Skurar). They come in a range of colours which include this gorgeous white and pink and I also have a few other styles in a gunmetal grey and a lovely sage green. There are several different items in the range but this small selection shows how great they are. I store ribbons, flowers, buttons, brads and metal items in these pretty containers.

 

And my favourite storage solution is this gorgeous étagère that my sister made for me. It's made using a vintage teacup, saucer and plate and I just have it close to hand to pop whatever little items end up on the table that I don't want to miss or lose.

Perfect for my Scrapabilly exclusive flair that I collect, my favourite glitter washi, gifted hand made wooden buttons, left over punched shapes, sequins and veneer.

Look at all those little items that would be sure to go amiss if I tidied them away into sealed containers or don't even have a settled place to store. See that die-cut word? That "might" be making an appearance in next month's kit - watch this space.

And the cup on the top is perfect for the larger items that can be tucked in there but still visible. That brooch? It's not exactly an Aladine Sane lightening bolt but a homage to it at least. I wondered about wearing it but having it right there makes me smile when I see it.

You can find out more about this series over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge today - this is post number four - so go and check out all the solutions that have been presented. Organisation and storage really doesn't have to be boring and we prove that we are resourceful and stylish at the same time!

What is your favourite idea that we've offered over the weeks?

Storing and working my Counterfeit kits

Sometime last month, someone commented on the fact that I have multiple Counterfeit Kit Challenge kits going at the same time (I never ever use up a single kit in a month) and asked me to share my storage solution.

I'm a bit worried that she will be ever so slightly disappointed when she sees the reality but here goes...

I use old pizza boxes from previous kits (at least three years ago now) or more recent online purchases.

I find they work really well for me. They are free, big enough to hold everything - well pretty much anyway, some months are a bit of a squeeze if the kit is big - I can write the name on the front and then cross it out and reuse the box easily, they stack fine and most important of all, they are what I have on hand. When I want to scrap, I look up on the shelf where I can see which kits I still have running and just take it down and use the stuff directly from the box on my table.

If I add stuff in when I am scrapping, this generally get thrown into the box too and there they stay until I decide the kit is finished and the left over bits get sorted, thrown, recycled or put back in my stash.On the rare occasions I leave the house to scrap (once or twice a year), I can just plonk those boxes in a large bag and I have ready-made, put-together products to use. Last weekend, I took three kits with me and used two. It felt good to just go with what I had rather than worrying about having the perfect products with me. But that is much more my philosophy these days - I just make up the pages with what I have and very rarely worry too much about matching the photos to papers or colours. I just make it work :-)

Here is my March kit just after I made it up. You can see that I chose the larger of the boxes I had empty as this is a big kit. Cardstock is generally at the bottom, then papers and alphas with all the embellies tucked up in a bag so that I can rummage as I create.

In an attempt to be a bit organised and can keep track of what I have created with each kit and when pages need to be posted and where, I have come up with a small form for myself that is often also tucked into the box so it's right on hand whenever I create as well as the kit and challenge info we get from the Counterfeit girls. 

All this is right there in the box so whatever kit I pull down to use, there's everything I need.

Now this works for me, but I appreciate that this isn't going to be the way for many of you out there. The main thing is to think about how you go about using your kit. I know that for me, it's never going to be that I have one kit and use it for a month before moving on to the next one. I'd get far too bored that way so having several kits working at the same time gives me the variety I need. And of course, there's all my stash too which I dip into from time to time. I try not to give myself any boundaries. This is my fun time after all. 

So I hope my low-tech, stingy-style storage solution wasn't too disappointing for you and I'd love you to share with me what you do with your kits.