The ScrapHappy membership has been chatting about organization lately. This naturally led to chatting about finding old supplies tucked away. I wanted to know more! What old supplies did everyone have tucked away? What were the things that are keepers and what really needs to go? Also, how do you let go of things that you “spent good money” on but now won’t use?
Oh the questions! Let’s see what our community had to say about the old stash in their rooms. We’ll stroll down memory lane. We’ll learn about what worked and didn’t as we collected supplies. Then we’ll see what we can let go of and what really needs to stick around. Maybe along the way you’ll pick up a tip or two for dealing with your pile of supplies.
The Nostalgia
Let’s start off with the memories that pop up when we find that gem way in the back of a drawer. There was a wide love of the Basic Grey brand. Have any of you also been scrapping long enough to remember them?
You know what old stuff I wish I could get my hands on? Basic Grey. Man, I loved it. I have so little left.
I loved Basic Grey.
I’m almost out of Basic Grey. I’ll be sad when it is gone.
Some of our members have not been scrapping as long. If you are newer to scrapping, like Debbie below, perhaps you are finding the “now” brands that will be the nostalgia in the future! Let’s see what Debbie had to say.
I guess since I just started five or six years ago, I was buying everything under the sun and now I know what my overall preferences are, I’m cleaning house.
I may be “saving” 49 & Market, Vicki Boutin, Simple Stories and Mintay.
I’m right there with Debbie. Those brands are on my shopping list all the time. Luckily I also use them, so there is a nice mix of actual projects completed and pretty supplies tucked away for later. Which leads us to the next question. Are there supplies that you have purchased that just feel too pretty to use? Maybe something caught your eye at the store but once it was home you didn’t know what to do with it. Let’s see what pretty stash is just sitting around gathering dust.
The Pretty Stuff
I have a lot of old stash. I buy it fast and just can’t use it fast enough. I have found there are some that I liked when I bought it but then I really don’t like them when I try to make them into a layout. So pretty papers don’t always equal pretty layout to me.
I don’t buy anything that is too precious to use. I do have a sizable stash, but I have no problem combining companies and families and kits when I scrap.
I have no trouble purging so I don’t have as much older stash as some do. I also really don’t save the “pretty stuff” anymore. I finally learned my lesson about that––Use it!
I’ve found that sometimes I love looking at certain papers/art but I don’t know how to use it! I’ve learned that I can appreciate the art without having to buy it all. Plus if I did end up buying it, I can put it on display in my craft room instead of *having* to use it on something.
Where do you fall on the spectrum? Can you buy pretty things and feel okay purging them later if they don’t work out? Do you only buy things that you know will get used? Do you know yourself well enough to avoid things that are pretty but just won’t make it onto your layouts?
Turns out many of us had to learn over time what worked and didn’t for our scrapbooking styles. Things that didn’t work ended up taking up space in our rooms! The thoughts below illustrate just how things can and do change.
Changes Over Time
Mary, below, has a good story about literal changes over time!
I stopped using any kind of epoxy or acrylic embellishments. I found that over the years they turn yellow and look ugly on my finished layouts.
I knew that epoxy could yellow, but I didn’t know about acrylic going bad. How about you? Have you found that some things physically don’t hold up? I know the adhesive on many of my alphabet letters have taken a nose dive. How many of you have parts of your titles fallen to the bottoms of page protectors?
Moving on to other changes, the topic of trends popped up. Did you get into a trend only to find it wasn’t a lasting style for you? Some of us sure have!
Oh my goodness my Project Life cards––I have so many! I try to use them as notecards but I’ll be using them for the rest of my life!!
I know I had a collection of older pocket cards! I did donate off many. However, I participated in a challenge to use pocket cards and found an idea I love. How about using them for borders? On my layout below I cut them down, layered multiples, and tore edges all to create borders. I impressed myself at how much I liked this layout. Maybe this idea will work for your old stash of cards?
Keep in mind that many current manufactures offer pattern papers with cut-aparts printed on one side. These the modern equivalent of pocket cards. So, this idea could even stretch to your new supplies!
Maybe your stash was not collected during a trend. Maybe it was just something you thought you would like…
I don’t like my older [papers] cause I don’t like itty-bitty skinny papers. I’ve been getting rid of all of those.
Debbie’s comment fell right as I had just purchased a stack of very thin papers from JoAnn (right before they announced their closure). These thin papers are more affordable, and yet they lack sturdiness for layouts. Here are my two suggestions for these thin papers, especially if you find yourself stocking up on these super affordable supplies as JoAnn liquidates their inventory.
I actually have found I like the thin papers for layering on a cardstock. I’ll trim them down to 10×10 to leave a nice wide border and that starts the foundation of my design.
The thin papers are great for trying out a very layered style. They can add lots of color and texture without all the bulk.
Styles tend to change over time. Yet sometimes things remain the same. Do you have some constants that have remained like Jackie below?
Years ago (like 2001) I bought a bunch of SEI papers in two color ways to do my kid’s school albums. I haven’t completed many pages for those albums, but I still love those papers so I probably won’t ever purge them.
We are not all lucky enough to be like Jackie and find something “just right.” So what do you do if you have collected things that time has made clear aren’t “your thing”?
Time to Let Go
Remember above when Melissa S. mentioned her backlog of Project life cards? That certainly sparked comments for some!
I just recently threw all mine away. I didn’t have a ton, but I tossed them.
Absolutely zero shade to Wanda… when I read that comment I felt a twist in my gut. I have a super hard time just tossing things. Luckily there are other ideas for purging! For me I need to make sure things are going to get used and not just become trash. In fact, when Jackie Mentioned her SEI papers, I had something to say on that topic!
When [one company] went out of business I bought a warehouse clearance box of papers. I had those for years. I finally got down to papers that I just wasn’t using and ended up sending those to Goodwill.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who wants to find good homes for old stash. Debbie mentioned ideas for rehoming supplies that I have definitely used in the past. The only thing I would add to her comment is that I now have on ongoing system to help with cutter. If I have grabbed something and I don’t love it, I put it in a little bin under a table. That is my purge bin. I’ll pass that stuff on when it is full.
I have donated to the church daycare center, I have taken a box just last week to a thrift store. I have another very large box. I am taking to a [crop] to put on the scrap table. Makes me sad because there’s some wonderful papers, but they are not in my wheelhouse. I have been doing the ClutterBug and trying to clean a little bit in my house, especially craft room this last month.
Debbie brought up the ClutterBug system. This is the topic of organization our community has been talking about! If you need more info on what ClutterBug is, Alison shared a post. She explains this organizational style with tips on keeping your stash under control.
In fact Claire Withee, one of our creative team members here, has used this system to share several things on the blog. She has a relevant post on purging. She also shared how some of the ClutterBug insights helped with organizing her junk journal supplies. Stay tuned since Claire is bringing us some of her junk journal style next month!
Okay, with some additional purging inspiration under our belts, let’s continue with our conversation.
I have 2 containers full [of project life cards] that I need to either use or get rid of.
If you were Laura, what would you do? Do you ever toss things? Or are you like me and need things to go to a “good cause” ?
So far we have only talked about solving the problem after we’ve created it! How about a little inspiration to stop the problem from even happening.
An Ounce of Prevention
Lately I’ve been limiting myself to only purchasing my monthly Scrap-room subscription so I get a variety of [manufacturers] and designers.
I make lots of wish lists on shopping sites and then close the page. If I still love it the next time I go back I decide if it gets bought, stays on the list or gets deleted. This has helped me battle FOMO.
Jackie and I each kept chatting on this topic. We both talked about limited space for storage. In fact, as I mentioned earlier, Clair shared a great post on organizing her junk journal supplies. In there was a quote that expressed what I wanted to say perfectly.
"There is only so much room in any given area for supplies."
I’ve gotten to the point where my room is full. If I bring anything new in, something old has to go to make space. This makes me think twice about buying anything. But on the third thought I do it anyway. LOL.
Part of my problem right now is a lack of a designated scrap space so organization of product is difficult. I just became an empty nester during the holidays, though, so the designated and organized space is on the docket for this year.
Jackie should keep in mind these preventative measures as she expands into a new space. Which leads me to the final quote on this purging section. This is an oldie and still a goodie.
A place for everything, and everything in its place.
There you have it. A fun conversation from our membership community. What do you think? Feel free to drop comments and ideas below. Better yet, why don’t you join our community and you can chat with us in real time!
Until then, happy scrappin’ !