REUSE: Ribbon Storage

As promised, here are two ideas for ribbon storage, which reuse different type of containers.  The first, is a vertical ribbon dispenser, formerly known as a container for Martha Stewart’s sugar cookie mix.   The execution isn’t great (I couldn’t find my SHARP box cutter), but you get the idea and it works!

I’m running low on ribbon…that’s why it isn’t full.

Have a lot of ribbon scraps and an old candy box (I like petit fours boxes because the shapes are all uniform)?

If your odds and ends are organized, you are more likely to use them!  While the “Use Your Stash” challenge is officially over, I hope everyone feels invigorated about putting the “scrap” back in “scrapbooking!”

Along those same lines, check out this workshop, as posted by Ali Edwards, on how to create scrapbook art out of anything!

From the Geek File…

Geeky Stamp Database

Yeah, so I’m a nerd. Or a geek. Take your pick. I know there is a difference, but for our purposes, you get the general idea. I have limited storage space, so my stamp collection, which is fairly large, is not really organized in a way that I can see everything easily. So, I decided to make a little database for my stamps. They are organized by description, up to three categories (flowers, holiday, angels, text, etc.), manufacturer, and I’ve also recorded the year and where I bought them, as well as the Manufacturer ID numbers. I have a whole lot of old stamps that I bought in the early 90s. I even found the first stamp I ever bought.

So the cool thing about the Excel spreadsheet, is I can now simply do a “sort” whenever I’m looking for a specific type or brand of stamp (for a challenge, for example). Neat, eh? Probably not the BEST use of my time, but I did it during my break, so I can feel slightly guilt-free (never mind that the break lasted an hour and a half). I’m currently working from home.

Inspired Ideas: Ribbon Cake

I found out about Inspire Company from this blog post

over at Scrapbook Ideas. I absolutely love that cake idea (instructions here) enough so that I printed out the templates and instructions and put them in my idea journal/ Each template gets its own pocket, as do the instructions. I’m considering a variation without the use of contact paper, but I can’t wait to make a number of birthday cards using this idea. If you need inspiration, I highly recommend you check out Inspire Company’s free web magazine, Inspired Ideas.

Organizing Scraps for Collage

As I was debating what to do with tiny paper scraps that I didn’t want to waste, I came up with this idea. While I can lay larger pieces of paper in a file folder, it isn’t a practical solution for the tiny scraps. Well, with an eye toward collage, I’ve also started cutting larger pieces of solid colors (great colors in Real Simple magazine) and have decided to organize my tiny scraps by color. I took a file folder (re-used, of course) and have designated a regular envelope for basic colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and also pink, pastels, metallics and black. In addition, I made envelopes for “words” (that I might cut out of magazines) and “pictures.” I fit two envelopes on each side of the file folder, making sure the bottom of the envelopes faces the fold of the folder (this is so you can store the folder upright without the scraps falling out). Each envelope is labeled with its color/contents–you can see examples below. You could use more aesthetically appealing file folders (or cover manila folders with fun paper), but I didn’t want to spend time on these instead of a layout or card!

Waste not, want not

After visiting a quilter who demonstrated how no scrap of fabric left her studio, I’m inspired to be the same way about my paper. So, that means coming up with a variety of different types of projects wherein I can use very tiny scraps of paper. (The quilter used her “useless” fabric scraps as stuffing for pillows). I’ve started to organize my paper by size. I figure I can use very tiny scraps in collages, most obviously. But I’m all ears if you have any other ideas!