A Little Organization

I’ve been searching for the perfect storage solution for my address labels, stamps, return address labels, etc. and I think I may have finally found it.  I tried boxes, envelopes, CD sleeves… none of them worked for me. Then I remembered this pretty little treasure. It was right here all the time. Yes, Dorothy, right in my own backyard closet.

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You see, I had big plans to be an extreme couponer once upon a time. You know what I mean, you’ve seen the show, right? One of those people that buys a van full of groceries for $3.57. It never really worked out that way for me. I didn’t have enough coupons for one of those humongous binders, but I had too many for just an envelope. I wanted something pretty, something that I could carry in my purse. So I sat down one day, drew out a pattern, bought some pretty fabric, and whipped this up. Well, maybe it didn’t go as smoothly as all that, but I did manage to get a presentable finished product.  I used it for quite a while, it worked well, but eventually I gave up on the whole extreme couponing dream. I downsized my coupons to a plastic organizer from Staples and stored this away. Once I remembered I had it, then it was time to play another rousing round of “Where the Hell Did I Put It?”. That took a little while, but find it I did. Never give up, never surrender (name that movie). I just changed the words on the dividers and Voila!

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I’ve got everything neatly divided into sections - forever stamps, international stamps, postcard stamps, misc. stamps, address labels, etc. - and it’s portable. It has an elastic closure that slips around the bottom to a button on the back. I could clip a pen or two on there if the mood strikes.

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I like the fact that it isn’t a rigid plastic. It’s soft, somewhat expandable, and holds more than I thought it would.

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I keep stamps in these little things. They started out as zippered pockets for stamp sets, but I never used them for that purpose because the zipper was too hard to open and close. So I just zippered them shut and cut off the bottom to fit in the organizer. They are made of pretty sturdy, semi-soft plastic and it’s easier to keep them in there than to file them loose in the bag, even with the dividers.

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I keep a stash of these in there, too. They are Super Sticky 3M labels that I use to address my handmade envelopes.

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I bought these before I found the pretty colors - at least these have lines. You know how I love lines.  (Apologies for the blurry photo)

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This is what my stationery collection has expanded to these days. The box on the left is just for envelopes and stickers, and I have some sealing wax (which I always forget about) in that little tin. The one on the right holds my paper & postcards - most of it, anyway. At the far left is where I keep my stamp organizer bag. It’s an evolving system and subject to change at any time, but it’s been this way for several months. So far, so good!

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How do you organize small items like stamps and labels? I’m always open to new solutions. Hit me with your best shot!

4 comments:

  1. WHOA. You are super organized. Can you come organize my bookshelves please? I tried but they don't look half as good as this..

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    1. Don't let that fool you, my bookshelves are a shambles, too. Your ink organization is great, although I am envious of the quantity!

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  2. Isn't it thoroughly exciting to hit on an organizational method that works well for your own particular way of doing things? Mine often revert to a style I like to call "contained chaos," but as long as the contained part of the equation is working I don't mind a bit of chaos in the mix. :)

    I like the idea of a custom-made bag for little bits and bobs. Thanks for the idea!

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  3. Loved reading this, Jackie. I am constantly switching types of pages and organizational systems--it would help, of course, if I would quit buying more, but that's ain't gonna happen any day soon .:)

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