Organisation Tips

Here are a few tips on how I keep myself organised:

Distress Inks 

For each of my distress inks I have a cut out a sizzix tag.  Each ink is blended on the tag using a blending tool and foam, I then stamp an image on the tag using the same colour and then ink directly around the tag again in the same colour.  I then write the colour of the ink used on the front of the tag.  Each tag is then put on a bookring with coordinating colours placed together.  This gives me a quick and simple way to view what the colours look like blended and applied directly.

Favourite Promarker blends

When I find a colour blend I like to use (with Promarkers I usually always use three colours for each section I colour in) I stamp out an image on a tag and colour in a section of the tag with the blends and then write a note on the back.  This way I have a quick and simple way to see what colour ways I like and how they blend on the card I use (I always use Stampin Up Whisper White card with my promarkers).  This is particularly good for when you are short for time and need to colour in something quickly and havent got the time to practise (thats most of the time for me!).

 

 

Ribbon

All of my ribbons are stored in the box that carried a  set of 16 really useful boxes - I keep the boxes piled up separately and have wrapped all of my ribbons around dolly pegs and placed them in the box.  Quick and easy way to find a ribbon and looks nice too!

 

Promarker Storage

Using the bind it all I have cut out mountboard pieces and made a long holder to store my pens in.  Each piece of mountboard is 4" x 3" and the bottom is one long piece 4" x 28".  I have decorated each section with the relevant colour using distress inks, have handmade a coordinating flower and use various stamps.  Loads of ribbon was used to hold it together and just string at the bottom - although this might be changed and I will, one day, use distress ink to dye some white ribbon to coordinate with each section - watch this space!

 

Stamps

I store most of my stamps in binders now.  For cling ones this is easy as I either keep them in the packaging they came in or stamp them out onto either an A4 or A5 sheet of paper and laminate it, the stamps then cling to the laminate.  Or, gulp, for most of my wooden mounted stamps I have demounted them (I know!) and either use a tacky glue or ezmount on the back of them and store them in the same way.  This is because I have so many stamps that I just wasnt using them when they were all stored in shoe boxes and squirrelled away somewhere as I couldnt easily get to them.  Now they are all kept along the edge of my desk and I use them so much more.  My really, really, really favourite wooden mounted stamps are still mounted on the wood and stored in one drawer - much easier!

These are some Lavinia stamps - arent they fab!

Distress Ink Storage box (homemade)

Inside DI Storage box

Alcohol ink colours on acetate