What To Do With Paper Scraps

 

  I am experiencing an emotional dilemma concerning keeping or throwing away paper scraps. Let me begin by explaining that I have a very elegant organizing system for paper scraps that I purchased from Totally Tiffany. It is a system that I highly recommend for those who, like me, don't like to waste.

     So now, you might ask, what is the problem then? The problem is two fold. Majorly, every folder is  completely full. The scraps that I am looking at right now are quite small. It should be an easy decision then, but it is not.

     The problem is the shape of the scraps. They are perfect strips that could be used on the inside of cards as embellishments.

     I was hoping that if I started writing this post the answer would come to me. And I fully expected the answer to be, "Throw them away!"

     But that is not what happened. I recently wrote that I started a box of A2 pre embellished card fronts. They caught my eye as I was writing this post and that gave me the answer. I am going to start another container of perfect embellishments.

     What prompted this decision is a book I just started reading "the life-changing magic of tidying up" by marie kondo, which was loaned to me by a friend who has been in my house and knows how much I needed it.

     So, you ask, how did that help with the decision to keep the scraps? The major theme of the book is to keep only those things that, when you hold them in your hands, make you feel joy! And as I was writing this post I remembered that when I picked up those scraps that is what I felt. I would rather throw away some ragedy edged piece of paper than a perfectly shaped strip that could quickly and easily be used to enhance a card.

     The decision to make a special box instead of utilizing the larger system is so that they will be close by where I am working and will be seen and easily accessed.

Let me know if this post inspired you about how to think about the scrap issues you are facing!

Musings On My New Craftroom Rules

As a result of using the CraftMyLife App helping me to get VERY organized I have come up with some, much needed, rules to help me continue to have an organized and more productive way of crafting.

One of the first ideas that came to mind, when I was trying to locate something that I had just used, was to have a tool tray. I thought about how, before surgery, a tray, is loaded with all of the expected surgical tools that would be needed. Besides knowing where everything is I now have a larger work area.

If you follow me then you know I teach a monthly card class. Due to the quarantine, we have not been meeting and the group has decided to delay that for at least another month. I thought I would make up some card kits from all of the leftovers I have from prior classes and send them out to the group members. This was a lesson in frustration as there was no demonstration card in most of the kits. So my new rule is to either finish making the leftover cards right away while the technique is still fresh in my mind or put all of the leftover pieces in my RGBIV files to be used randomly.

Lastly, I realized that I have too many little bags and containers of embellishments that would probably never get used if I didn't find a way to store them. This was a real forehead-slapping moment as I have a ScrapRack from Totally Tiffany! Now all the little tchotchkes are safely stored.

Oh Yeah, I forgot one last thing. I must clean my work area after each project !!!!