Friday 6 November 2009

A question of scrap...

I have another question. Part of my quest to be known as the nosiest blogger on the whole wide interweb I guess, but this morning as I was tidying - well, 'putting away' would be a better description, I realised that my 'scrap' box is taking over my life again. It's about 7 inches deep and about 10 long, and sits on my desk, supposedly to hold anything that is not a whole sheet. Its presence encourages me to use up the scraps, some of which are very generous pieces of paper, card, acetate, blah. I read somewhere of a crafter who stores her scraps in concertina files in colour order. Now, the italics are meant to show you how impressed I am by that. Not to indicate that I have scoffed at the very idea, I never have. Although I have cheerfully admitted that it's not for me. The thought of spending the same amount of time organising the detritus as an actual crafting session can take fills me with despair. But come to November sixth 2009 and I'm in more despair over the disorganised and patently not getting used up scraps in the box on my desk. Here it is in it's disorganised glory(...I think I can hear Paige reminding herself to breathe!).
So what do you suggest? I need the solution to be not too much bigger, for on my desktop it must stay. We've discussed at length my erm, weakness, when it comes to getting off my chair to fetch summat from a cupboard, so that won't work. And ideally, it shouldn't have a lid..it's just something else to take off and put elsewhere. I'm counting on you, interweb, because even if the solution doesn't appear out of the comments section, I know there will be sound and hysterical advice in equal measure.
Tomorrow is Ludgershall Crop. Ludgershall is a small town - large village on the Wiltshire/Hampshire border. It's about 20 miles from Salisbury, 8 from Andover, and Swindon takes about 40 minutes from here.....so if you'd like to join us, we'd like to meet you. We go from 1030 to 4ish, it's a tenner and so far we bring our own lunch (this usually involves fetching chips rather than 'bringing' lunch!).
And in other housekeeping news, Ginny shared an award with me - the multi coloured 'Making Smiles on Faces' one...which of course I'm terribly flattered by. In fact, I can be flattered into anything, so be careful! I'm meant to tell you five things about myself before passing the award on. I will, but not now, because I can only get to 3. Honestly, that's as much about me as you don't yet know. So it has to wait while I try to make up a couple of plausibly good things about myself.
And finally....that Reindeer on yesterdays post. No colouring. Stamped and embossed 3 times on pattern/brown/pattern scrapbook papers and then pieced together. Glossy Accents on his schnozzer. The two patterns are either side of a paper by SEI and the vellum is by my friends at the Crafthouse Press. Voila. And the stamp I got from Kraft Crazy, (01980 844010), £3.50 well spent. I am happy to mail order for you, but am so not making the cards. I mean, do you have any idea how busy I could be if I just got on with things? (Put your own interpretation on the italics there. I've done mine already - deadly serious.)
Have a great weekend y'all.

18 comments:

Annie said...

You're asking ME how to organise scraps? Hehehe I run a sewing business and never like to throw away anything so have to be really firm with myself when it comes to trimmings off the hems of trousers and the likes [ but of course you just never know when you might need a scrap to patch with just THAT colour]. My scrap box is 14"x22" and 12" high and its overflowing :-)

Carmen said...

One of the deeper RUB's minus it's lid perhaps? I use a 7L one and the lid is barely on. Perhaps 9L upwards? ;)

Don't tempt me on the crop - Craig has already said the bakers in Andover was worth the trip. He bought me a cheese & onion pasty in there - was very yum!

Unknown said...

Not too much bigger than you have already? ... no lid? ... how about ... erm ... a bin ... seriously girlfriend ... if you aint used em yet ... you aint never gonna use em!

Mine of course go in a drawer ... a labelled drawer ... LOVE my halo :0)

However ... when said drawer is full DD takes the contents to nursery and the kiddleywinks in her care put it in a box and call it treasure ... which is apparantly anything that is just not a plain bit of copy paper :0) that works for me!

Paige said...

Ok..... so now I'm back up off the floor!

use the scraps woman!!!!!! Sorry :) but really there is no point keeping them if you don't use them. I make an effort at least once a month to wade through my scrapbox which is a 12x12 project box and make things. either a pile of cards "lifted" from the new cards trends mag, a minibook or two to send to friends. or to use them on LO's it's hard and I have scraps that get passed over month after month but I will use them and if that box gets so full the lid won't go on! it's time to use them up and get it at least half empty. i don't sort them they are all just thrown in there. I'll blog tonight and prove they aren't orpinaised in any way just in case you thought I might sort them by size, colour, weight and/or pattern :)
looking back at yesterdays card I'm not surprised you had had enough of cutting out if he was all layers!!!!! still he looks amazing and well worth all that scissor work :)
ramble ramble ramble................. ;)

Ann said...

How about cheap magazine holders? As long as your scraps are A4 or smaller.
However, I agree with Linda and Ladybug - it's about time you used up some of those scraps!! Serendipity always works for me!

Smudgemakes said...

I have a RUB (with lid, which doesn't fasten!) although, like yourself, I am not sure when I last looked in it!!! Also, I love the reindeer - I think I tried to buy him from a local craft shop recently, but, they were all out of stock, so got a similar one skating instead!!!

Jo said...

Hi Julia, love your blog it makes me chuckle so much but it's not until today that I realised you live in Wiltshire. Not far from me but where is Kraft Crazy? I reckonise the Stonehenge code!!! Jo x

Angie said...

All my off cuts are in two boxes ....plain and pattered but then I put them out of sight and they go out of mind. I do find it fun to go through them every so often ... when I'm in the mood but I like Paiges idea of having a card session. Every time I have a look through I chuck out the tiny bits that I cant see a use for and wonder why I put them in the box in the first place. Sorry that I cant help with your problem xx

Teresa said...

Nice polite reply to the reindeer "requests" hun lol.

I too am a hoarder of scraps, in two drawers, one paper and one card. Every so often (when I cannot get any more into said drawers) I have a card making session and then what is left over is put into a large envelope and swapped with a friend or donated to a newbie. Best I can manage for ideas I am afraid.

No use getting a bigger box as you will only hoard more than you do already! Believe me, I have been there.

CoventryAnn said...

Scraps are always a problem...
i only keep the small pieces in my scrap box (ie less than 8x8") the rest go back to be stored with the full size pieces of paper. It makes me much more likely to use them, as they are not floating about with nothing to go with them. I think the major prob with the scrap box is that it's full of mismatching stuff. Oh, and eventually when it overflows, i sort it out, and give any stuff i know i'll never use to OH for his primary school class, or my own kids.

Kathy said...

I keep my papers in big "file" boxes made from the ubiquitous scrapstore pizza boxes. I keep the sets together in those self seal bags and then add smaller bags for the smaller bits/ I do hae other boxes full of scrap but those are usually the "ooooh that's a pretty piece of packaging, I must keep that" sort of things!

Neenie said...

Can you not dig out your stamps that have larger areas to be paper-pieced, so that your cutting's not too fiddly?? Your reindeer was a delight and surely you'd feel rather pleased with yourself if you'd used even one or two scraps from that box. I have a fit-to-bursting scrap box and have used a fair few pieces lately, although I'm currently on a mission to reduce the vast quantity of my 12x12 pretties that seem to be breeding. I'd love to rummage through the scrap box, take out all of the large scraps and file them away under not exactly scraps. That way, you'd be left with a more acceptably full box, ready and waiting to be refilled. Alternatively, stuff them under your desk where you can't see them......works for me!x :)

Ruthie said...

How about going cold turkey - lock up the new stuff and only use old for x number of days! Woah radical! Make the scrap box your first stop rather than your last! In fact, I think I will do that - am gonna not use anything other than scraps for my next few cards - say cards cos I am taking part in an online workshop at the mo and want to be able to use full pieces for that! LOL x

Shazza said...

Hi julia!

I came across your blog whilst blog hopping..... as you do!!!

You have some great pages here, I love your style.

I thought you may be interested in joining in one of my challenge sites this month, as the criteria has just gone up. I would love you to join in.

ARTastic = http://artasticchallengeblog.blogspot.com/ where we take inspiration from the Great artists
and/or
From Screen 2 Scrap = http://screen2scrap.blogspot.com/
Where we take inspiration from movie posters with a little added criteria.

Would love you to become a follower of my site, that way you will get all the updates and latest info :)

International scrappers are most welcome

Cheers
And Take care
Shazza

Ginny said...

I give my scraps to either DDs playgroup or preschool...but after DS was in hospital for a week I've been thinking bout giving the kids ward a heap of scraps and old stash I wont use as they have craft stuff there, old peoples homes might appreciate them too

and now it doesnt make them leave faster, but saves me the postage ;0)

Lyn said...

Phew - jumping back in with blogging, though have given up even attemting to update mine! I love this thread and always looking for ideas. Jules, you will not be surprised to know that my scraps are organised according to colours (*blush*). I have a large 4 ring binder and I keep the paper in A4 pockets. I usually try here first before breaking out the stash when I make inchies and ATCs. Occasionally (ok, once and only cos crafting friend made me) I sort the dregs out when it gets too bulky.

LuLu said...

Howdy,

If you can find a 5 drawer container for letter size paper try this to quickly organize your scraps on your desk:
Drawer 1 - cardstock/ plain
2 - cardstock/ pattern
3 - paper/plain
4 - paper/pattern
5 - specialty papers like vellum, mulbery, embossed, foil

LABEL each drawer!

I keep my scraps OFF my desk - but within arm's reach when I roll my chair. Every 3-6 months I sort the plain colors back into concertina folders (from office supply store) for using when I travel to crops and retreats or to use for cardmaking.

Organizing scraps is very relaxing and satisfying - can be done while watching TV!


Hope this helps!

Please checkout my FREEBIES Giveaway when you have a moment or 2!

Peace,
LuLu
http://lulu-too-beaucoup.blogspot.com/2011/11/woyww-11-16-11-my-first-ever-textile.html

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