How to organize my digital stuff...

I am brand new to digital scrapbooking, and I just ordered a tremendous amount of digital packs from Sweet Shoppe. But now, I don't know how to keep them all organized on my computer. I'm on a mac. I made a folder that says digital packs and just threw all 9 packs together divided by the name of the pack. I'd like to figure out a good system before I get too carried away buying stuff...which I think will be very soon.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Mahalo,
Ellyn

On my C: drive I have a Scrapbooking folder. In that folder I have a folder for each of the types of digital products I can get (templates, kits, elements, paper packs, etc.). In each of those folders I have a folder for each of the products I buy so everything is separated. (for example, I have 3 folders with a different template pack or kit in each so they aren't all combined). HTH!

I just have a folder called Digital Kits. In the main part of the folder, I keep kits I have bought recently. I have three sub-folders in it: A_Alphas, A_Things I Love & A_Sketches. I keep alphas I like (sometimes pulling them from a kit, if I really like them) in the ALpha folder & templates in the Sketch folder, and the "Things I Like" folder has lots of different categories, like "Word Art", "stitches", "Papers", "Tools", etc, where I pull things from kits that I like (and send the kit to my EHD) and also put element packs. This way when I can't figure out exactly what a page needs, I can go through this folder and find it.

Remember, virtual clutter is just as disctracting as IRL clutter! Try to ask yourself if you *really* want to use a kit or if you just want to look at it before you start hoarding kits you will never use.

I organize my kits by designer name. I also have an elements folder broken into subcategories where I copy elements from kits that I think I'll use more than once.

Anything new gets placed in my "to scrap" folder and I use it at least 2x before I file it away under the designer's name.

Oh yes, and I have a folder called "Go-To Elements" where I put things (copied version, not the only place I keep it) that I use often like border edges, certain alphas and frames, etc.

I seperate all my alphas into folder titled _alphas. I also have folders for each kit for example, LibbyWeifenbach_Jen&Dean

I seperate out TOU's and Previews and keep them in folders titled _previews and TOUs so that they are easily accessible. Plus, I can see what I have at a glance in the preview folder.

Hope that helps!

I file by store, then designer, then I use Vista's Windows Photo Gallery to tag all of my items into categories like alpha, stitching, frames, etc.

I've tried numerous ways to organize my digital supplies, and I've been digital for 8 years, nothing worked well for me until I saw this thread, now I can find everything. At least what I've gotten sorted out so far...lol 8 years of digi-stuff is a lot of stuff to sort through. :blink:

I have two folders. One is downloaded stuff the other scrapbooking stuff. In the scrapbooking stuff I have kits seperated by designers and everything else goes in a random folder. In my random folder I have it seperated by alphas, elements, backgrounds, overlays, templates and wordart. I started tagging everything though and use windows photo gallery to do this. I tag by color, item and designer name. When I get done tagging everything I plan on having everything in one folder and I will tag everything once I download from that point on.

I USED to be really good about tagging stuff and using ACDSee to keep myself super organized. That has definitely fallen by the way-side with how busy life has gotten in the last year.

I have a main folder labeled Digital Scrapbooking. Inside that folder I have a lot of sub folders.
1-New Stuff (everything gets unzipped here and stays here until I use it or until I perform a backup and I know it's transferred to my second EHD)
2-Sweet Shoppe (inside, SSD has folders for each designer, and a collab folder for scoops and dips; perfect pairs (collab with an ssd girl and a non-ssd designer) go inside the SSD designers folder). I also recently added a folder for the QP albums that sometimes are included with purchase, just to separate them out from everything else.

The rest of the main digi-scrap folder has designer folders (if I have a good amount of stuff by them), store folders (which was my old system, but now mainly only hold store collabs), and an "Etc" folder which houses all sorts of random things I've bought but don't have enough from a certain store or designer to warrant their own main folder. Just yesterday I went through my "etc" folder and sorted it into further folders for Kits, Templates, Wordart, Page/Photo Distressing (that's a weakness, I love those overlays), Actions, Alpha's, Paper Packs, and Element Packs.

What I REALLY need to do, is set myself up with a "Basics" folder. I LOVE papers (another weakness), especially neutrals and basic cardstocks. I need to set up a folder of stuff like that, and ribbons I love, and frames I love, alpha's I love, and brads and flowers, etc etc etc. The stuff that I end up going back to repeatedly.

FireWolf said:

I've tried numerous ways to organize my digital supplies, and I've been digital for 8 years, nothing worked well for me until I saw this thread, now I can find everything. At least what I've gotten sorted out so far...lol 8 years of digi-stuff is a lot of stuff to sort through. :blink:

Click to expand...

This is just what I need! :thumbup:
TFS!
I had to change 2 HDs in my 'puter a few weeks ago (Now instead of two, have 4 w/ 160Gb each one. YAY!) and have to organize all.my.stash again. I just finished copy/paste from my backups. I used to organize with ACDSee before, but I didn't install it this time. My computer seems like in slowmo when I use it. LOL
Now you came up w/ this and I think I love you

xoxo

Giseli Freitas said:

This is just what I need! :thumbup:
TFS!
I had to change 2 HDs in my 'puter a few weeks ago (Now instead of two, have 4 w/ 160Gb each one. YAY!) and have to organize all.my.stash again. I just finished copy/paste from my backups. I used to organize with ACDSee before, but I didn't install it this time. My computer seems like in slowmo when I use it. LOL
Now you came up w/ this and I think I love you

xoxo

Click to expand...

I'm glad to be of help, but honestly all I did was link to the thread...Cindy S. saved me TONS of aggravation and heartache with her method.
I hope it works as well for you as it does for me.

My method is pretty similar to a few others that have been posted:

In my documents folder, I have a folder called Digital Downloads. In the DD folder, I have a folder for each store, and then within each store, a folder for the artist (I started doing that for publication credits...some places are very particular and require citation of the store as well as the artist... also helps for things like blog challenges, etc. that require 75%, 90%,etc. products from a particular store.)

Anyway. Then within each designer folder, I have a separate folder for each kit. I usually put all the paper & elements together in the kit folder, and have a separate folder (also w/in the kit folder) for the alpha if there is one.)

Then as far as finding it again, I use my PSE Organizer. I tag each element/alpha/etc with a label (or labels) that will help me find it quickly. then when i'm looking for stitches, i can just view the items tagged stitches to find it quickly.