DIY Scrapbook Paper Organizer

The calendar says Spring, but the temps and howling wind outside says it isn’t so. I do know though from how I am feeling that Spring is truly here since I have Spring fever… BAD!

When Spring rolls around I always get the overwhelming desire to purge, clean, and re-organize every nook and cranny in my house.  It doesn’t happen often, so I try to get into action before I lose the desire.

Over the winter months things just seem to pile up. I have been trying to work on art for the powder room and my worktable and area in general were such a mess that I could not stay focused on my task. I just could not take it anymore. I had to stop and start cleaning things up before I started one more thing.

I started my clean-up and reorganizing by finding a way to make a scrapbook paper organizer for all the scrapbook and decorative papers I have.  I used to keep them all in this drawer, but I have way too much now and it is impossible to find anything.

I dearly would love to have organizing racks that are made specifically for organizing scrapbook paper, but they only come in certain sizes. I want to put them under my work table, so I needed custom, but don’t have a custom budget for wood, plus I didn’t want to turn my organizing into a major DIY project.  I wanted a thrifty custom way to make organizers to fit in the cabinet that could be done in an afternoon.

I found a way using cardboard boxes that I bought at The Container Store. The store just opened near me and I got to take a tour the day before the grand opening with a few other bloggers.

They carry everything you could ever think of to store and organize every item in your home, including all sorts and sizes of boxes.  I bought 8 – 14″ x 14″ x 4″ cardboard boxes to make into stackable organizers for my work table cabinet.  Cost $20.

I initially was thinking about using pizza boxes, but the pizza place near me only had boxes that were too big to fit in the cabinet or too small to hold 12″ x 12″ size scrapbook paper.  The 14″ x 14″ boxes I found were wide enough to hold the paper and fit perfectly into the cabinet. My cardboard paper storage may not be the prettiest, but since it is behind closed doors – I don’t mind or need perfection, just stacked organization for the paper so I can easily get to it immediately and find the desired color.

By finding a new home for the scrapbook paper, I now have a new place to store the rolls of gift wrap I have that don’t fit on my gift wrap wall organizer. I have a hard time passing up a $2.99 roll of pretty and colorful paper. Now they fit perfectly in the drawer right where I need them.

All the stuff that I was throwing into the cabinet before is now in baskets and storage boxes in my basement. I still need to label them, but will leave that for another day.

How to Make a Stacking Scrapbook Paper Organizer 

supplies needed:

• 14″ x 14″ cardboard boxes
• Craft knife
• Straight edge
• Packaging tape
• Optional:  Washi tapes

1. Fold box following the scored folds.  Tape outside bottom and inside bottom.

2.  Cut off one side and flap of box with a craft knife.  Trim edges with scissors if necessary so you have nice clean edges.

3.  Fold box tops on top of box and secure with tape.

4. I placed a cut piece of the box inside on the bottom of the box to go over the box flap in the back of the box.  I also just like seeing white and since it was scrap, I figured I might as well put it to use.

5. Add Washi tape to all raw edges.

6. With some of the leftover cardboard, I made a shelf to go inside a few of the boxes. This gives me two divided sections in the box.

I am now much happier that I got my work table squared away. All the paper I have is now organized and easily accessible.

Now onto the next space.  I think it is under my bathroom sink.

Sharing with: Living Well, Spending Less

*Check out my Organizing Archives to see how I keep order in the rest of my house.

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