Storage Solutions: Cardstock Paper

For years, I didn't care about cardstock. I cared about patterned paper; followed certain companies, hoarded my favorite patterns, envied those that could afford entire lines. But cardstock? Who cares? It was just there to mat my photos and provide a base for the pretty patterned stuff anyway.

But now that I've grown away from patterned paper, now that I've gotten into stamping and card making, now that I need consistent quality and exact matches for my invitations, now I care. A lot. And now I realize that my method for storing my cardstock was poorly lacking.

My method for storing cardstock in the past was basically a bin with all the paper thrown in. If I needed white, I'd shuffle through till I found some. Black? Same thing. I usually only had 1 or 2 sheets of specialty colors on hand, which meant when I made a card or invitation, I would have to go out and try to find the paper again in order to make more. And of course nothing was ever labeled, so it was a pain in the you-know-what to try and find that particular paper again.

But I've learned. And I've developed a method that works for me now.

Storage Solution: Cardstock Paper Edition

I use hanging file folders to store my cardstock. I label each folder with the color and weight of the paper on the front and the company and store on the back, so it's always easy to go buy more.

I keep the paper I use most (and have the most of) on top of a set of drawers in a filing box. These are the papers that I know brands and stores for, the ones I reach for on a daily basis or the ones I'm using for a special project.

In the bottom drawer of the cart, I keep miscellaneous colors of cardstock. This is paper that I have only 1 or 2 sheets of and I may or may not know the brand or store. These are the paper I reach for when I'm just making a fun card or other project that I will not have to duplicate.

I also keep my sets down here. Michaels has packs of papers with a variety of colors that all go together very nicely. I use these for cards when I'm looking for a lot of color. Since the packs are already matched so nicely, I don't want to break them up, so they go in one folder together. Besides, they don't list the individual colors!

So there's a quick look at my cardstock storage system! It may change in the future as I collect more colors and brands, but for now, this works for me! Now I just have to figure out how to store my patterned papers...

How do you store your paper? Is it working for you?

Happy Crafting!