MFT Organization Event Day 4 - Card Stock

Welcome to day 4 of a week filled with ideas and tips to get your crafty area organized! Today's focus is card stock, and I'm going to show you how I currently organize my card stock collection.

Remember to check out all of the great organizational ideas linked from the MFT Blog along with today's prize package in honor of the 5 Days to an Organized Crafty Stash event.

 A hand labeled swatch book gives me quick access to the yummy MFT Card Stock colors and whets my appetite all in one. Get in my belly!

Can you read upside-down? Me too, and I prefer to think that it's like doing brain gym while I'm stamping - stimulating and strengthening my brain all in one!

I store my card stock inside the open clear packaging with the label end open and sticking out for a few reasons. First, it keeps my paper clean and crisp; second, it provides me with the label already intact; and third, I continue to have that flexibility to move my card stock colors around as needed without re-labeling the slots.

Here's a full view of my card stock cabinet. Nothing fancy about it, but it's strong, sturdy and sure looks purty with all those MFT Card Stock colors in rainbow fashion, doesn't it?

WARNING: the last two photos are my scrap collection which I'm sure will make some folks cringe...but (say it with me) it works for me. Ü

I love this scrap basket and have used it for years. It also works perfectly for my crafty son, because the rule is: anything in that basket is fair game! I like to be able to quickly grab a scrap from it because I'm honestly too lazy to file my scraps and too impatient to pull a scrap from a file. I  humbly bow down to you crafters who have the patience to do it that way.

Finally is a bin with all of my die cut scraps. I love to challenge myself to look through this bin and use up a few scraps for a 5 minute card, or set it out for the crafty son, niece or nephew. Keeping these scraps in a covered bin allows room to push things around to get to the good stuff, AND keeps everything in one place! It's sort of like a 'parking lot' so to speak, because when a project just isn't going the way I'd envisioned, I can park the die cuts here to be used sometime down the road.

I sure am having fun seeing how the rest of the MFT Design Team organizes their crafty supplies and hope you're getting inspired, or maybe patting yourself on the back because you're already organized! Either way, I'm so glad to have you here, thanks for stopping.
~Amy

MFT Organization Event Day 3 - Die-namics

Welcome to day 3 of a week filled with ideas and tips to get your crafty area organized! Today's focus is Die-namics, and I'm going to show you how I currently organize my growing Die-namics collection. Always keep in mind that you have to find what works for YOU, not because someone else is doing it this way or that.

Not only are you going to find a ton of ideas linked from the MFT Blog, you're going to be eligible to win a prize package on each of the 5 Days to an Organized Crafty Stash event.

Yep, you guessed it, I store my Die-namics in the same style bins as my stamps and stencils. Actually, the majority of my crafty supplies are stored in these rolling carts. I use a few of the same Die-namics categories as the MFT Store and a few of my own hybrid categories which are labeled with my trusty washi tape and black Sharpie, keeping my organization system very low cost and easy to implement.

I can't tell you enough that I love the flexibility they allow me. I can easily switch bins in and out, sort and split collections that become too large for a bin and change the label with little to no effort. They also keep everything out of sight when needed.

Here's a peek inside my borders bin. Magnetic strips keep these long and narrow dies in an orderly fashion where I can quickly scan and grab what I need. The thing I don't mind about scanning through my bins is that it allows my creativity to be sparked by seeing another product that I might not have considered combining with my current idea had I not seen it.

Die-namics collections, such as the Blueprints line, are housed on magnetic sheets placed inside clear pockets.

My last photo shows another Die-namics storage solution that works for those dies that you want within reach at all times.  My Fishtail Flag collection is one that I use consistently enough to warrant table top status!

Thanks for taking a tour with me today. Come back tomorrow for more ideas to get your crafty space in order. Now, head on over to the MFT Blog to see what's in today's prize package. Good luck!

~Amy

MFT Organization Event Day 2 - Stencils

Welcome to day 2 of a week filled with ideas and tips to get your crafty area organized! Today's focus is stencils, and I'm going to show you how I currently organize my stencil collection. Always keep in mind that you have to find what works for YOU, not because someone else is doing it this way or that.

Not only are you going to find a ton of ideas linked from the MFT Blog, you're going to be eligible to win a prize package on each of the 5 Days to an Organized Crafty Stash event.

 As you saw yesterday with my stamp storage, my stencil storage starts out on the same page in these 12x12 bins housed in rolling cart.

A simple strip of washi tape and black Sharpie keep bin labeling a cinch. This method also allows me to make changes as needed in minimal do-over time.

These carts allow me much flexibility to pull out an entire drawer and carry it here or there while keeping everything in one place which is vital when the crafty space blows up, know what I mean?!

You can see a few of my stencil-techniques supplies also call this bin home which is entirely possible because stencils don't take up much room at all! There are 40+ stencils in that little pile.

 Once I'm ready to work with my stencils, I simply grab and move that bin from the cart to my work table and away I go, everything in one spot.

Full disclosure: I don't label my stencils! But, for me, it's easy to look it up on the MFT Store site and gives me an excuse to do a little shopping while I'm there.

Thanks for taking a tour with me today, I hope you enjoyed your stay and will come back tomorrow for more ideas for getting your crafty space in order. Now, head on over to the MFT Blog to see what's in today's prize package. Good luck!

~Amy

MFT Organization Event Day 1 - Stamps

Welcome to day 1 of a week filled with ideas and tips to get your crafty area organized! Today's focus is stamps, and I'm going to show you how I currently organize my clear and rubber stamps. Not only are you going to find a ton of ideas linked from the MFT Blog, you're going to be eligible to win a prize package on each of the 5 Days to an Organized Crafty Stash event.

I house my stamps in these roller carts that hold 12x12 covered bins. The carts are kept under my stamping table for quick access, but I've pulled them out for their photo debut.

Each of the bins is labeled in lo-tech style using washi tape and a black Sharpie marker. I happen to like this method because 1) it's quick and painless, and 2) I can easily switch labels in and out as needed.

Stamp collections are organized the way My Favorite Things categorizes them in the store. LJD is Lisa Johnson Designs and LLD is Laina Lamb Design.

Here's the rest: Die-namics Companion, Cling Rubber Backgrounds and Clearly Sentimental, per my abbreviations. Ü

 Look how perfectly those background stamps fit in the 12x12 bins. Love.

I also label each stamp set with my trusty black Sharpie. Again, lo-tech, but it works for me!

Another reason these covered bins work so well for me is that they keep everything together. So in the event one of the itty bitty stamps tries to run away from its family, it'll be found sooner or later!

Stamps with a coordinating Die-namics are kept together in a plastic sleeve. You can find these sleeves in two different sizes HERE in the MFT Store.

I hope you enjoyed a tour of my stamp organization and have plans to stop back tomorrow for more ideas for getting your crafty space in order. Always keep in mind that you have to find what works for YOU, not because someone else is doing it this way or that. 

Now, head on over to the MFT Blog to see what's in today's prize package. Good luck!

~Amy

MFT Creative Construction with Blueprints

Welcome to a brand new challenge hosted by the folks at My Favorite Things. The challenge is all about reconnecting with the Die-namics Blueprints, and this month's focus is on Blueprints 1 and Blueprints 2. 

Complete challenge details can be found at the MFT Blog.

My first card uses a narrow strip die from Blueprints 2 and a wider strip die from Blueprints 1 in a rainbow  of colors: Blueberry, Wild Wisteria, Blu Raspberry, Sno Cone, Persimmon, Peach Bellini and Banana Split.  After arranging the wide and narrow strips on Primitive White card stock in a wonky fashion, I die cut the entire layered panel with the large stitched edge panel from Blueprints 2 for a finished look.

I was going to stop there but decided to die cut the entire layered panel with Love Centerpieces and then stacked 3 more layers of the Love Centerpieces beneath the rainbow layer I'd cut first. Make sense?

I used the same technic on the top right corner, mixing in a fishtail tab from Blueprints 1.

My second card is by the book, completely following one of the sketches provided with Blueprints 1. When you're just not in the mood to mix and match, the sketches give you all the love and guidance you need! And since my sketch called for lots of layers, I kept things clean and simple by using just two colors: Kraft and Paver Red.

I added a little extra to the pair of hearts from I Love You More by coloring them with Copics and topping them off with Glossy Accents. You can also see the Paver Red base layer is stamped with the gorgeous new Damask Background stamp in Paver Red dye ink.

Ok, now it's your turn to mix and match with Blueprints 1 and 2, or simply follow along with sketches provided with each of the Blueprints Die-namics. 

Can't wait to see what you come up with!

~Amy

SUPPLIES:

Die-namics Blueprints 2	Die-namics Blueprints 1	Die-namics Love Centerpieces	Smitten with You
Heavyweight Card Stock Primitive White	Blueberry Premium Dye Ink Pad	Blueberry Prestige Card Stock	Wild Wisteria Prestige Card Stock
Heavyweight Card Stock Blu Raspberry	Heavyweight Card Stock Sno Cone	Persimmon Prestige Card Stock	Peach Bellini Prestige Card Stock
Heavyweight Card Stock Banana Split	MSTN I Love You More	Damask Background	Hybrid Ink Pad Paver Red
Heavyweight Card Stock Kraft	Heavyweight Card Stock Paver Red

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