Organizing Paperwork

Archive for the ‘organizing paper’ Category

The task of getting an office set does not end with just moving into or setting up new premises and ordering all the office supplies. The most important task lies in organizing all the supplies that have been ordered. This is the main task that eats up most of the time.

Here are a few tips to get this work done in the right manner quickly and easily.

1. Always have a check list – Keep on verifying with the check list if all the products that were ordered have reached the office.

2. Check whether the products that have reached are in proper conditions and there were no damages that had incurred during the transit.

3. Sort out the products on their specific department. Do not mix up the office stationery with the furniture and so on. Let the line of demarcation between all the types of products be maintained always.

It is not necessary to organise them from end to end before the office starts functioning fully. Just put the products in the right places. That is, place the computers and its periphery near its department and the employees will arrange them out as per their convenience. This will not just reduce the stress of the person overall maintaining it, but also give the staff a satisfaction that it has been organized in the right manner.

There are also people who will help you out in doing such tasks. Surf through the net to get the right organisation to help you out in this regard, and make the most out of your funds, by curbing the office maintenance cost.

Technorati Tags: organizing paperwork, organizing supplies, organizing tips

If you are doing preschool at home, or even if you are just doing some extra preschool activities with your child from time to time, you probably have a lot of papers and craft supplies taking up space on your countertops and closet shelves.

It was hard for me to get excited about doing preschool activities without being organized first, so I set out to go through all of our supplies and set up an organized storage system that works for me.

Flash Cards and Card Games

I store all of my boys’ flash cards and card games in a small plastic storage container. This container is kept up in a closet where only I can get it down for them. It only took one time of me putting all the cards back in the boxes to realize they couldn’t handle getting into this container on their own!

Art Supplies

Most of our art supplies are stored where my boys can get to them. I purchased a three drawer plastic storage container that works great for art supplies. One drawer holds their crayons, colored pencils, scissors, and glue. The second drawer stores a variety of painting supplies. The third drawer stores miscellaneous items, such as felt pieces for the felt board and plastic letters for the magnetic board. This plastic container is kept near the kitchen table where my boys do their art projects. This keeps it within easy reach when they want to color, paint, or do some other art project.

Craft Supplies

I have a separate plastic storage container just for craft supplies. Most of these supplies aren’t used unless we are doing a special craft project, so the kids don’t need to get in there every day. This container stores things like google eyes, pipe cleaners, crepe paper, etc. This is also where I store the ink pads I don’t want them getting into by themselves.

Worksheets, Workbooks, and Project Instructions

If you like to collect preschool craft and activity ideas like I do, you probably have a lot of piles of paper that need to be sorted and organized. I purchased several plastic file folder storage boxes for all these papers, and they have worked great so far. I sorted my papers into categories like Christmas, Thanksgiving, spring, animals, alphabet, etc. I combined several categories together in one container, and then labeled each container so I would know exactly what is in it. I also placed all of our workbooks in these containers. It’s nice to have a place to put all those miscellaneous papers I always seem to run across. If I cut out an article from somewhere, or photocopy an idea from a book, I have a place to file it away where I can always find it again. You can put away the containers you don’t currently need and just leave out the ones you are currently using.

Preschool Manipulatives and Puzzles

Hopefully your preschooler has a lot of math manipulatives and puzzles to play with. These items should be set out where they can just pick up when they are bored. All of our puzzles are stored inside of benches we have around the table in our kitchen. When our boys want to do a puzzle, they can get them out themselves. Our math manipulatives are stored on a shelf in our entertainment center. Again, the kids have easy access to them and often pick them up when they are bored. We have sewing cards, patterning and sorting activities, and several number, matching, and reading games. I love to see my boys reaching for these great learning activities when they want something to do.

The preschool years are a fun time for you and your child. Whether you are doing preschool at home or your child attends preschool, make sure you have lots of stimulating activities for your child at home that are organized and ready to use when you need them.

Technorati Tags: organizing supplies, paper organizing, scrapbook organizing

For today’s column, we’re going to talk about storage options for our scrapbook, paper and beading supplies. If you’re a regular reader of mine, you know I’m always saying, “Go vertical!” And it doesn’t matter if we’re talking about a craft room, kitchen, bedroom or garage; to maximize space you must go vertical.

I love the upright towers for storing scrapbook sheets and stamp pads. If you purchase the plastic variety, there are pros and cons to them. On the plus side, they’re inexpensive and the drawers are usually clear, enabling you to see their contents. On the downside, the drawers are flimsy when partially pulled out. Your other option is to reuse an old upright wooden chest of drawers. You may already have something like this tucked away in your garage or basement–go check it out now! (well, not right at this exact moment)

Anyway, I’ll give you an example. The winner of my 2005 Messiest Sewing Room ContestTM also loves to scrapbook and make her own greeting cards. She had long ago purchased a couple of ugly (but sturdy) narrow wooden chest of drawers at a yard sale and was using them to store her hundreds of stamp pads. All I did was to have these chests painted, install new drawer knobs, and use my handy label maker to label the drawers. These towers looked brand new, and were much more sturdy than the plastic variety.

Speaking of scrapbook paper, I prefer to store them flat instead of vertically in a hanging file. Did I actually say, “Don’t go vertical when storing paper???” In this instance, yes! Here’s the scoop: Paper bows when supported on the bottom and standing vertically (those of us who are former secretaries are nodding our head emphatically). If you’re able to stand your paper vertically and have it compressed on both sides, then you’re fine. Now, when I do store them horizontally, I don’t want them in a big stack. If you’ve got different types of paper in a stack an inch thick or more, of course you’re going to want a sheet towards the bottom! Use a narrow drawer or slot instead. The great thing is that our storage options continue to multiply. If you haven’t checked out your local scrapbook supply store lately, stop in soon!

Other storage possibilities exist with having customized built-ins installed. If you’re fortunate enough to have these, I envy you! The pros and cons of these are simple. The pros are that you have a professional, completely customizable storage system and work area. The cons are that they are expensive, are not portable (they become a permanent fixture in your home), and there’s usually a lead-time of 6-8 weeks between ordering and installation. Here in Arizona, I work exclusively with Classy Closets (www.classyclosets.com), and my clients have been very pleased with the results! Their closets are made from 3/4″ thermofused melamine, which is a durable, furniture-grade material. They also use concealed Euro-hinges and hardware (which I love!). The drawers pull out smoothly, and there’s the option of installing full-extension glides (how many times have we pulled out drawers and been unable to reach everything in the back of the drawer–very frustrating). The grand prize for the Messiest Sewing Room ContestTM is highly-efficient storage and work area, custom-designed and installed by Classy Closets! The 2006 winner has not yet been announced, so keep an eye out for my future columns or check out my website.

Now, let’s quickly talk about beading. Coincidentally, I attended a class yesterday on how to use your sewing machine to sew beads on garments or quilts. I was a bit skeptical, because I envisioned glass beads shattering if punctured incorrectly with the needle. While that can happen if you aren’t careful, I learned a great technique that is much quicker than hand sewing. All that aside, let’s talk bead storage. I have found that the easiest way to store beads is in small, stackable containers that screw together. You then have a long, sectioned tube that is portable to classes. I don’t label the containers–I find it’s easier to see at a glance what I actually have than to try and create a short labeled description.

Well, I’m on my way to the second day of class learning to bead with the sewing machine, so I’ll close by asking to keep the suggestions coming for future columns.

Technorati Tags: organizing supplies, paper organizing, scrapbook rooms, scrapbook storage

When you start a craft project, do you end up spending more time looking for your tools and supplies than you do actually working on your craft? If you do, you are not alone! If you do any type of crafting or creative work, the supplies you use can quickly spread out and take over your home. The more crafts and hobbies you do, the more need you have for organization. Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: organizing supplies

When a new baby arrives in your home, a lot of things change, including how you organize your home. There are a lot of things that having a new baby adds to your home. Diapers, wipes, bottles, blankets, burp clothes, creams, ointments. The list goes on and on. And all of these things need to find a place to live in your home. That is where home organization comes Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: organizing supplies

If a tornado, hurricane, earthquake, flood or other disaster or emergency struck, would you have the basic emergency supplies you need? This might sound familiar. You have a box with batteries but the good batteries are mixed with the old ones. Somewhere you have a collection of flashlights. However, when you try them out, almost none of them work. The list could Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: organizing supplies

One of the biggest reasons many of us don’t touch our scrapbooks for months is that supplies and photos are scattered all over the place. Having to hunt for a book of stickers or a special pair of scissors takes all the fun out of creating a new page for your scrapbook. Here are few ideas how you can create a scrapbooking organization process.

Group your supplies by Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: organizing supplies

Crafts are a great way to pass time and showcase your skills to other people. Not only is it a good hobby, but a social device as well. However, not everyone can create sculptures and figurines like some of the more artistically-talented ones out there. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t get into it entirely. It just means that you will have to resort to other Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: organizing supplies

With the hundreds of thousands of scrapbooking papers and embellishments available on the market, it is easy for your craft area to become overwhelmed by scrapbooking supplies. This becomes an especially difficult challenge for scrapbookers who live in small spaces such as apartments or dorm rooms. Never fear–with a little effort you can follow a few easy steps to Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: organizing supplies

Are you one of those people who have a lot of craft supplies such as paste, scissors, markers, and pencils in your area? Are you having troubles organizing them? Then you might want to start sorting your things so you can make better use of them. Here are sure-fire ways of organizing your craft supplies.

First, collect all the craft supplies that you have. You can start

finding your stuff stored in your room, before going to other places which you may have kept them such as the stock room. This is probably the most important part, since you may get frustrated with the time you will have to spend in looking for your craft supplies. But keep your poise. Give yourself enough time to look for your things. You can spend an hour or so for this, but the point is that you have to gather everything material you have.

After you have gathered your things, throw away the things you don’t need. Dried up glues and watercolor, or tiny scraps are some of the things you may throw away. Keep only those things you can still use.

Then sort the things you have gathered into smaller groups. It would be easier for you to sort the items according to their type- meaning glue sticks, paste, and scissors can be kept in one jar, while decorative things like stickers and watercolors can be kept together. You can also keep things according to how you use them.

Decide where you will keep your craft supplies. Ideally, you should keep your supplies in a place where you usually do your activity. If you like to knit while watching TV, you may keep your knitting items in a basket and store it in you sofa in front of the TV. If you prefer to paint in your room, your painting materials should be kept in your drawer inside your place.

If you have a lot of small items like buttons and beads, then you might want to keep them together in a tackle box which has several compartments where you can store your items. The tackle box should also closed tightly so there would be no spilling of items. You may also store your crafts in a purse especially the knitting materials so you can do your thing even if you are on the go. If you have paper or similar materials, you can use a filing system to store them. Have them stand on a drawer so you can easily sort them and glance at what you need.

Once you have stored your craft supplies, seal every container and label them properly. You can even list down everything that is inside the container so you will know where to find a certain item whenever you need them.

Technorati Tags: craft supplies, organizing supplies, storage scrapbooking