I have to tell you all, that I LOVE this project! I am so very happy with the results. What it offers me on a daily basis is absolutely priceless. What did I do without this organizer!? Like the front of my organizer reads, "trust your crazy ideas".
This art organizer started out as an "extra" design team project for Glue Art and Paper Studio. It quickly became a very personal project for me. I created it so that I could keep all of my current design team assignments, art groups, swaps, mingles, secret sisters, magazine submissions, RAK's, etc. organized. I always have so many art projects going on at one time and I have never centrally organized them as to details and due dates for the projects. This art organizer has put everything in one easy location.
I started out with a Glue Art and Paper Studio standard sized Crafters Card File. This card file uses roomy 3" x 5" cards (which are available in neutrals and a variety of colors). I also discovered that I can run these larger cards through my printer thus making custom printed file cards.
Next, I determined I wanted to divide my art organizer into the following sections (with sub-groups).
- Design Teams (Glue Art & Paper Studio; Buzz and Bloom)
- Art Groups (AAWA; P2P; Prestigious; etc.)
- Secret Sisters (2 groups - sent and received)
- Other (Magazine submissions/pubs; etc.)
- RAKS (Sent and Received)
I happened to have a variety of chipboard "tabbed index cards" (flower and circle sets) leftover from a couple of Buzz and Bloom projects. These worked perfectly for my dividers. The chipboard was too thick to put into my card file hole punch, so I traced the holes where I wanted them. I punched 2 large holes with my Cropadile. I cut the vertical slit with a craft knife and also the small piece between the two holes.
I inked up the "tab" portion of each chipboard index card. I gave each section a different color. I covered each index card on both sides with coordinating printed paper (Daisy D's). I added titles to some of the tabs and embellished others using tags and rub ons.
Let me show you how I organized the first section... "dt" (design team projects).
I labeled the green flower tabbed chipboard index card with "dt" using rub ons.
Behind the green "dt" index card, I have two black file cards - one labeled Glue Art & Paper Studio, and another labeled Buzz and Bloom. Since I used a flower tabbed index card for this section, I used chipboard flowers as tabs on the black divider cards.
I wanted a file card for every design team project. I designed a card on my computer and printed them on my own printer. Some of the detail I wanted to know was ... project, due date, products used, etc. I chose green file cards to coordinate with this section.
This is a sampling of my "art group" section (red section). I have black file cards as sub-dividers. Each art group has a metal tab. Behind each stamped black sub-divider is a collection of printed project cards. The details on these custom made cards include project/swap/mingle name, hostess name, due date, project description, etc.
I made an effort to put alot of personal details and finishing touches into this project. I think it ended up with a lot of "personality". Notice how each section has different types of tabs (metal, chipboard, mini metal, tags, etc. I've used a different yet coordinating color for the file cards within each section (green, kraft, red, marigold, and ivory). I used the black file cards as sub-dividers throughout the organizer. The black sub-divider pages have been decorated/embellished differently for each section.
Since my computer is my first and final stop for almost all of my art projects, I keep this art organizer on my desk. I find that it is the best place for it. This art organizer allows me to put the most urgent/current projects at the front of each section... or pull the file card out and temporarily put it in the very front of the organizer to remind me of a project. The file cards are easily moved about. When I have new art projects, I can immediately write up a new file card for the project. As I get thoughts and ideas, I jot them down on the back of the project file card. I have email and snail mail addresses within reach. The information contained in this organizer is incredible.
This art organizer is expandable too. I can customize it even further in the future. By using the larger of the two sizes of available crafter card files, I have alot of room for expansion. The file cards are also readily available in whatever color I need.
If you are anything like me, and can never find the due date of swaps or forget about art projects you commit to, I highly recommend making yourself an art organizer. You can totally personalize it to your home decor and personal needs. Have fun!
Here are some more photos I thought I'd share with you.
