12 X 12 Paper Sorting - Advice Please

[paddlegal]

I started purging and attempting to organize my 12 x 12 papers yesterday. Solid colors are no problem but it’s the patterned ones that have me mystified on the best way to organize the ones I keep.

So far I’ve collected all my G45 pads and loose papers together (and pretty much were already) along with Authentique, Echo Park and one other. But now I am wondering: by theme, color or company if there’s enough. I’m making 12x12 tabs to separate the categories. So far I’ve only done holiday, Valentine's Day and birds. Yes, there may be a coffee one too, LOL. I’ll keep the few kits I have together but it’s the random loose stuff that I collected for whatever unknown reason that I need help. Maybe by main colors?

Not being much of a scrapper these days, it isn’t as intuitive for me as stamp and die organization is.

How do you do 12 x 12s?

[Debbie J]

That’s a toughie! I keep my kits together and don’t really have a way for the other papers. I have a pile of about a foot tall of assorted pattern paper, it’s not effective and I sift through the whole pile when looking for something. Sorry not much help.

[pamcook]

No “right” way. It needs to be sorted into the way you’d search for it. With multiple colors, I quickly file it in the most dominant or likely color I would need. It’s highly unsophisticated but works fairly well for me.

“Quickly” because if I don’t make a quick decision, I’ll over-think it and file it with a color that makes no sense.

[paddlegal]

No “right” way. It needs to be sorted into the way you’d search for it. With multiple colors, I quickly file it in the most dominant or likely color I would need. It’s highly unsophisticated but works fairly well for me.

Thanks Debbie and Pam!

I’ll let you know how I end up. I just made a section tab called “mishmash”.

[Monica]

I have one small section labeled 'misc' but for the most part mine are either theme or company. I've purged a huge amount of 12x12 and gotten mine to mostly be either by company or theme. I need to tackle the 6x6 but for now I'm ignoring them... out of sight, out of mind?

I do agree with the consensus to sort or group the random stuff in a way that makes sense to you. My whole grouping may not work for others, but it's how my mind looks for things.

[Debbie J]

I just used up all my red POPS, yep, I’ve still got shoeboxes full of those dratted things!

[pamcook]

POPS. Wow. Hadn’t thought about them in so long. Congratulations on using them. Quite the accomplishment.

I started to write that I’ve never tried sorting by manufacturer or designer and yet I have an Iris container of Shimelle supplies and another for my Maggie Holmes supplies. The rest is mixed together.

[Monica]

I still have three shoebox size containers of POPs myself that I use for photo mattes. Those things last FOREVER. I thinned out anything too small to be a proper photo matte years ago, but even at that I still have a ton. Handy when I need a certain shade of this or that color though, and great for die cutting!

[nchoney]

I can't offer any paper-sorting advice... mine is strewn all over the house... LOL

I'll be interested in seeing what you come up with, though.

[paddlegal]

POPs!!! Yes! I never passed up POPs in my CS days of Hearty Appetite kits. Sold most of them but in my clean up of the 6x6 pads I came across 1 1/2 lbs of them. hahaha. I also still have a large mix of cut card stock from the card kits. I am betting I won’t use them since they are at least 7 years old!

[pugmom]

POPS...…. did somebody say POPS? Yep, two drawers full. It may not look like it, but I do use them all the time.

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[Monica]

I love that we still have so much of that lying around! I'm going to finally get around to sorting mine into color families, which I've been too lazy to do in the past, in hopes that I'll use them faster than I have. Seems like no matter how many I use for mattes they never get less in the boxes!

[mpizzazz]

I am so glad I never bought POPS!! I created enough mat/card front size pieces of paper cutting up big paper when I scrapped a lot.

As for sorting paper, it has to be the way your mind thinks, Farley, as the others say. I always think color first so mine are sorted by color except for specific themes or holidays like Australia, France, England, and Christmas and each of those are together with the stamps, dies, paper, etc.

[paddlegal]

I am so glad I never bought POPS!! I created enough mat/card front size pieces of paper cutting up big paper when I scrapped a lot.

As for sorting paper, it has to be the way your mind thinks, Farley, as the others say. I always think color first so mine are sorted by color except for specific themes or holidays like Australia, France, England, and Christmas and each of those are together with the stamps, dies, paper, etc.

This is pretty much what I am doing now. So much of my solids and some prints are CS card stock. I hate to tell you how much of it I sold several years ago but still I have an ample supply. But I’m getting there. I think once I am done with the paper I am taking a break. All organizing and no crafting is driving me crazy, LOL.

Thanks everyone for your help and advice. Much appreciated.

[Monica]

One thing you're always guaranteed here is opinions. I love that asking for advice will get you varying responses and possibly a different way of looking at whatever you're trying to do. And just in reading this thread I'm determined to get the reminder of my POPs actually sorted by color!