Dear Scrapbookers,
The summer is over and now it is time to get back into scrapbooking (for those that took the summer off). If you are like me and have been collecting new products all summer - even if you didn’t get a chance to scrapbook them - this is the newsletter for you. We see it everywhere and everyone seems to be using it - it is all about CHIPBOARD. So I want to give you some ideas for what you need to get started, cute ways to use it, and how to organize it!
First of all, let’s talk about getting some. I have talked in the past about naked chipboard (i.e. the craft paper colored stuff that you find in sheets), but I want to concentrate on all that other stuff today. You know, the cute, colored letters and shapes that we see all the time, but are not sure where to start. So where do you start? I would say the best place to start is to get some of the letter packs. Heidi Swapp is a great place to start. She has anything from naked letters to every color under the rainbow. I love her letters because they simple and very reasonable in price (you can get a whole alphabet set from under $3-4).
After you have tried doing a word or two on your pages, you might want to branch out and get some chipboard brackets or punctuation to highlight a word or photo on your page. Next you have to try using shapes or sayings that are made of chipboard. I would suggest getting at least one “goodie box” of shapes, sayings, etc. I love that they are all different and I can use one or two on a page and they last forever! My new favorite good box is from “We R Memory Keepers” - the Urban Window Boho Chic is to die for!
So now that you have collected all of these cute embellishments and used them on your pages, you need to find ways to store the rest of them. There are really two main ways to do this. Organize your letters and shapes by style/brand OR put all the same letters or shapes together. I like keeping all my A’s together and B’s together and so forth. That way if I just want to use a letter I can go to that place and see many different styles and colors of that letter and chose the one that goes best with my page.
Here are some great ways to store yours:
1. Use a hardware organizer from your local hardware store. Then separate each of the drawers for your chipboard letters, shapes, quotes etc.
(From scrappingramma)
2.) Use wicker baskets and keep brands together in ziplock bags (you will want to pop the letters out if they come in sheets).
3.) Use filing folders in a file box. Label each folder with either a letter, color, or brand and then keep those folders in a cute filing box, drawer, or expandable file folder (great for if you are a traveling scrapbooker).
4.) Use your photo storage boxes and separate your chipboard according to your use. Or try the Cropper Hopper divided storage system.
5.) If you have drawers in your scrapbooking space, why not use separators within those drawers. You could use utensil organizers or office supply organizers. I also like some of the scrapbook drawer organizers like this one:
I hope some of these ideas have helped spark your interest in chipboard and how to keep it all organized! Let me know of your great chipboard finds or storage solutions too.
Your Scrapbooking Expert,
Robin