Hello Scraphappy Peeps,

I'm happy to continue my part as a member of the design team.  I haven’t been around much…too busy kissing my new grandbabies.  Everett, my cute boy, arrived in November, and Carson, my sweet girl, arrived in February.  Gotta love those baby cheeks! Scraphappy is such a great place to document these special events.  You can hang with other scrapbookers and find some really neat stuff that all the BIG BOX stores don't carry.  Most important, Christy and Stephanie are always available to offer assistance, ideas or samples!

Today, I want to share with you the way I organize my scrap paper. I’m a paper hog (I admit it!!) and I hate to throw away even the smallest scrap. For all my regular paper sheets, I use the “Chopper Hopper” vertical storage system that I got from Scraphappy. For my scraps, I wasn’t sure what to do.  At first, I stored scraps in a folder -- outgrew that fast! Then, I used a bin – couldn’t find any one color in particular!  I discovered that the vertical storage system works well for my scraps, too. I color coded the labels on each one for red, green, blue, white, yellow, purple, orange and black. I also have a larger one for patterned paper.  Every scrap is sorted by color in my vertical storage. 

I also found that, if I had them close to my work area, I would make myself reach for a scrap first. Making flowers and cards can almost always be done from paper scraps. While I’m watching TV, I use an edge punch on some of the pieces that are an inch or so wide. They come in handy when I need a little color on a layout or want to dress up a card. I have saved paper this way, giving me more money to spend on all the “Tim Holtz” stuff I want (and there is a long list because I want to be like Jayne Senkbeil when I grow up).