It's All in the Cards.
By Jennifer Wohlenberg

Ahh, December. The month when my plans to create elaborate holiday cards from scratch always seem to get lost in the shuffle of gifts and parties and school pageants. Each January, I pledge to plan better, work smarter, and start earlier! Finally I realized I needed a system that would help me achieve my goals as I gathered supplies throughout the year. Cards are the perfect way to use up scraps, leftover embellishments and small pieces of ribbon. But remembering to use these items is the biggest challenge. A specific system just for these items is the perfect solution.

For embellishments and ribbons: whether it’s the last button, brad or metal embellishment, or the last little length of ribbon, a card is the perfect place to use it - the key is storing it in the way that makes the most sense to you. Is it enough to store all of the buttons together, or do you need to store it by color or by theme? Can you store all of the “onesies” together or do you need to separate them a bit further? Remember the simpler your system, the more you’ll remember to put these items into the system to be used again. Knowing how you’ll best be able to quickly find these things is the answer to how you’ll store them. If you store all of the items together, you can use a Desktop Craft Organizer, an 8-pocket Scrapbook Organizer, an Embellishment Drawer or a Supply Case. If you want to further separate those items, there are several options: Embellishment bags, Zip-N-Flips, Embellishment Essentials Boxes, the 12-Pocket Scrapbook Organizer, or the Two and Three Drawer Vertical Organizers.

For papers: Storing papers for cards is more than just having a scrap pile. When you are working on a layout and find yourself with leftover patterned paper, ask yourself, “Will I use this paper on another layout? Do I have any other papers that will coordinate with it? Would this paper work well on a card?” If you have other papers that still coordinate with that paper, consider storing that piece back with those papers so you remember to use it the next time you pull them out. If you don’t think you’ll use it again for scrapbook purposes, and you think it would make great card material, the next question to ask yourself is how do you want to sort it? Will you store your papers by color, by occasion, by size? Again, the answer to this lies solely in the way you think you’ll use it, and storing it according to these answers will make it so much easier to find these papers when you’re ready to make a card. And I know I’m not the only one who finds myself scrambling five minutes before a birthday party to make a card! However you decide to store your papers, there are a lot of great solutions - 12 x 12 Expo, One Drawer Organizer, and the Paper Organizer.

If you are gathering specific supplies for a card project, such as holiday cards, valentines or wedding invitations, consider a solution that will hold all of your items in one place, such as a 4-Pocket Scrapbook Organizer or a One Drawer Organizer.

If you find yourself making cards as you go, but not having a place to store those cards until you need them, the new Shelf-It Card Center is a great solution. It has 12 dividers to hold cards with months printed on one side and occasions printed on the other, a dry-erase calendar to keep track of occasions, and a place to hold pens and stamps - truly a one stop spot!

Whether you create cards for every occasion or just for one specific project, hopefully with these tips, keeping your card supplies handy will be a lot easier and make card creating a lot more fun!