Scrapbook Paper Trays

Choosing an Organization System

Before you purchase scrapbook paper trays to keep you organized, take the time to think about your own unique scrapbooking style. Ask yourself the following questions:

• How big is your craft room’s storage space?
• How much patterned paper and cardstock do you own?
• Do you have scrapbook paper in only the 12x12 size or do you have a mixture of different sized sheets?
• Do you save your paper scraps after completing a project? If so, do you plan on storing scraps separately or with your full sheets of paper?
• Do you anticipate the size of your supply stash growing in the near future?
• How much can you afford to spend on your new organizational system?

Types of Scrapbook Paper Trays

When searching for a home storage option for your scrapbook supplies, you’ll notice three basic options:

• Stackable acrylic trays: If you’re still building your supply stash, using stackable acrylic trays to organize your paper is a good choice. Since you can purchase additional trays at a later date, this system is easy to expand as necessary.
• Stackable plastic drawers: If you’re concerned about dust, dirt, pet hair, or other contaminants, stackable plastic drawers offer an extra layer of protection for your fragile paper collection. Plastic drawers also help to prevent the fading caused by exposure to direct sunlight.
• Paper towers: Although paper towers typically require a greater investment, this storage option tends to be sturdier than a series of individual trays or drawers. Paper towers can even be purchased in finishes to match your home décor.

Large craft stores such as Hobby Lobby or Michaels Crafts often have an assortment of scrapbook paper trays and other organization supplies available. You can also purchase paper trays from the following websites:

• Scrapbook.com Superstore
• Jenny Craft
• Oriental Trading Company
• The Container Store
• Best Kept Memories

Controlling Clutter

Once you’ve purchased your scrapbook paper trays, it’s time to get your craft room in order.

Organizing Cardstock

Generally, cardstock is organized according to the colors of the rainbow with black, white, brown, and other neutral colors placed at the end of the stack. Use the mnemonic device “Roy G. Biv” to help you remember the correct order:

• Red
• Orange
• Yellow
• Green
• Blue
• Indigo
• Violet

Of course, you may need to tweak this system somewhat to accommodate your own unique scrapbooking needs. For example, a scrapbooker with three daughters probably has an abundance of pink cardstock. Similarly, scrapbookers with sons are likely to have a much larger supply of blues, greens, and other traditionally “masculine” colors.

Organizing Patterned Paper

For many scrapbookers, organizing patterned paper proves to be a tricky task. However, there are three main approaches you can take to keeping your collection in order:

• Dominant color: Scrapbookers who like to match their patterned paper to the colors in their photos often find that organizing paper by dominant color works well.
• Theme: If most of your scrapbooking projects center around baby, school, or travel, a thematic approach to organizing your paper may work best for you.
• Manufacturer: If you’re a trendy scrapbooker who knows all of the top supply manufacturers by heart, sorting your patterned paper collection by manufacturer is a good idea. This approach will also make it easy to quickly locate coordinating patterns within the same paper line.

Vellum, mulberry paper, and other specialty papers may be considered patterned paper for the purpose of organizing your workspace.

Additional Information

If you need more ideas for organizing your craft room, check out the following helpful articles:

• The Scrap Jazz Guide to Organizing Your Space
• Scrapbooking Organization Tips from Becky Higgins
• Organizing Paper