Desktop File: Inspiration...

Welcome to the second group post for the June 2012 Papertrey Ink countdown!  Today the team is featuring a new set of products to help you get organized!  The Desktop File: Inspiration stamp set and coordinating Desktop File Card dies is aimed at helping you catalog both your paper crafting supplies as well as all of those creative ideas that seem to go *poof* if they're not written down! 

I'm here to share a few ways in which I will be using this new system.  I got a start on some things, but this is definitely going to be an ongoing process.  There are so many different ways to use this new system and everyone will have to find what works best for them, but let me show you what I've been working on so far.  

Like I said, there are elements in this set that allow you to catalog all sorts of things from supplies, to color combos, sketches and more.  I knew right off the bat that there were definitely some supplies that I wanted to catalog, so I started there.  I used the Color Combo stamp to catalog all of my inks.  I sorted them by color -- a card for blues, a card for yellows, etc -- and stamped each ink color with the small rectangle that coordinates with the blank space on Color Combo card.  I can do this for all of my inks from other companies as well, so I have my whole collection of inks right at my fingertips.

Next up, I knew I also wanted to catalog all of my spray mists.  Every time I want to use my mists, I end up spraying samples of the colors and messing around, wasting precious crafty time.  Now I'll never have to do that again!  I misted a small sample of each color onto white cardstock and punched a 1" circle from each.  I could fit three colors on a card.  I labeled them with the manufacturer at the top and the color name along the bottom.

Next is a peek into what I hope to turn into a library of sketches, color combos and inspiration.  Let's say there's a particular project or image that inspires me.  I could potentially create three file cards for that project.  One with an image of the project along with notes about products used, one with the project's color combo if that inspires me, and a third with a sketch.  I completed two of the three for this particular card.  I found that if you want to print images of projects to add to your file cards, it works really great to select the "contact sheet" option when choosing the size.  This will print small thumbnails of all of your selected images, which are the perfect size to add to the file cards.  

One more thing...and this is probably the part of my system that excites me the most!  Do you ever have it when you're cleaning up that you come across papers or embellishments lying next to eachother that just look great and you'd love to work them into a card, but don't have time at the moment?  I have that all the time!  Usually I leave them on a little pile on my work table for a while, but they almost always get swept away with other scraps before I get a chance to make something with them.  This next section of my system will tackle that!  

I created some simple cards that have three stamped circles on them (the circle is from the Desktop File: Inspiration set).  Now when I find a great paper combo (or even maybe a stamp combo!), I can just punch a 1" circle from each paper and file the remainder with my scraps.  I can also clip diecuts, stamped images, embellishments, or trims to the card that I can also incorporate.  I seem to always have extra sentiments and diecuts from projects that just didn't seem to work out.  

These cards are almost like mini card kits or "prompts" that I can grab when I'm in a pinch for time or inspiration is eluding me.   I just stapled and paper-clipped things to the file card because for me, if a system is going to work, it's got to be quick and easy.  I know I won't want to mess around with adhesive..so just stapling things will be much quicker.  Another key to making this work is going to be having lots of extra blank cards on hand that I can just grab and go.  Here are a few of the card "prompts" that I've already created, just from little doo-dads and left-overs on my work table.

Lastly, a little note about how I will be storing all of my file cards.  I came across a drawer from an old sewing machine that holds the cards perfectly!  I painted it ivory and embellished the front with a metal frame and cute button.  I'm going to have my husband put some small dowels in it that the cards can fit onto, but his schedule has been a little too crazy lately to get that accomplished.  :-)  It's all a work in progress anyway!

Thanks so much for stopping by to check out the new Desktop File: Inspiration products!  They will be available for purhcase from Papertrey Ink as of 10pm on June 15, 2012.  Be sure to stop by the other DT gals to see how they've started putting this great resource to work!

• Ashley Cannon Newell
• Danielle Flanders
• Jess Witty
• Erin Lincoln
• Maile Belles
• Nichole Heady
• Dawn McVey
• Heather Nichols
• Melissa Phillilps