Organization Help

[JennNtheBoys]

Family drama with the inlaws has pretty much killed my scrappy mojo for today, so I've decided to do the next best thing and that's work on organizing the kits that I have better.

The only thing I have done with them is make a separate folder for alphas, templates, kits etc... other than that I have the kits sorted by designer but all in the same folder (I've always liked having them all in one folder cause that meant less chance of me missing a kit)...however, now I feel there are TOO MANY kits (unheard of I know), and I just keep going to the same ones because I know where they are in the list.....

SO What I'd like to know is how do you all sort through the kits you have? I did try sorting by theme but once I had it done I didn't like it and put them all back in one folder but I'm thinking I need to go that route again... just maybe not SO divided (like one folder for all holidays instead of one for each.... just keep it as simple and have as few sub-folders as possible)... the only folder I did keep separate was the one I made for solo kits by retired designers that way I don't grab those for challenges.....

I've rambled on enough I think.... talking about anything and everything is keeping my mind off the bigger issues, so thanks for reading and thanks for any suggestions you may have....

[Kiana]

Mine are by store, then by designer, each designer has their own folder with their products. That's the easiest way for my brain, I could never put all my elements or papers together because I usually scrap using ONE product at a time.

[michelepixels]

The best thing I've done for my digiscrap stash organization is change the folder image to the kit image. It makes it easier to see what I have at a glance.

So here's how my Sweet Shoppe folder looks right now:


I wrote a tutorial on my blog for how to do this a couple of years ago.

[JennNtheBoys]

Yes, I do have each kit in it's own folder and the kit preview is what I see.

Can we tag just a folder? Maybe if I can just search a tag (without having to do tags to each individual piece that may not already have one) that would help, and let me keep all the kit folders together. Simple is key, I tend to go overboard with things like this and end up making it worse....lol

[michelepixels]

Yes, you can tag folders. On my iMac, I right-click on the folder, click Get Info, and the area for adding tags is near the top. I've done it ... but inconsistently. I agree it's a great way to keep tagging simple.

[YepBrook]

I have my digi supplies organized by the store name, then in a folder for each designer. Within that designer folder I keep new kits loose and have a separate folder for the ones I've used. That way, I immediately see which kits I have yet to scrap with. I also keep freebie products in their own folder within the designers folder. Store collabs and things like that are kept in the main folder for the store.

I have also found that deleting frequently helps with my organization. About 4x a year I go through my folders and clean out.

[JennNtheBoys]

I love these ideas! Thank You so much, I think I might have an idea to start with.

Deleting?!?! YIKES! I am such a hoarder when it comes to craft supplies, I dunno if I could do it!! lol

[Lyd]

Tagging is so super easy on a Mac now. You don't even need to open the Info panel. It kind of depends what view your use in Finder, but it's easy no matter what.

In Icon view just click on the thing you want to tag and then click on the Edit Tags button at the top:


In column view, it's even easier:

[nesser1981]

I use ACDsee, I've used it for years.

Every designer gets their own folder (I don't sort by store)
It's hard to explain if you've never used ACDsee, but after I set up categories for each designer, I tag the kit previews.

Then I have a lot of other categories, holidays (broken down from there)

Alphas are the only elements that really have their own category & I tag them by color.

Then I do templates by # of photos they hold.

Word art is by theme.

Etc. I'll take some screen shots later to share.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[michelepixels]

Oh yeah! I noticed that little tag button when I first upgraded to Yosemite and then forgot about it. Thanks Lyd! I would like to get consistent about tagging and I love that it's integrated in our computer so we don't need to buy another program.

[MamaBee]

I organize everything by theme... I do have a separate folder that I call my toolbox - those are common used elements and papers I like... also I go when I'm done using a kit, I either keep the whole kit, if I know I'm going scrap again with it - like travel - or I will just take out my favorite parts and either put them into my toolbox folders or in the themed folder - if it's a themed element. Alphas and templates are in separate folders - alphas org by color and templates by number of photo spots.

[nesser1981]

So like this is what it looks like when I click my Zoe Pearn category.


And then these are just some of the categories I use. It they have a +, the there are subcategories. And you use use tags, tons of other things in there, this is just how I've done it for at least 6 or 7 years.

[Lyd]

Originally Posted by michelepixels

Oh yeah! I noticed that little tag button when I first upgraded to Yosemite and then forgot about it. Thanks Lyd! I would like to get consistent about tagging and I love that it's integrated in our computer so we don't need to buy another program.

Another thing I do with certain tags is set up smart folders. I do it with templates mostly. I tag them with how many photo spots are on the template, then I have smart folders that populate based on the tags. So, there's a folder with all the 1 photo templates, etc. That way, I'm not actually separating the templates from their original pack, but I can quickly see all the templates that will work with the number of photos I'm using. You can do that with element types, colors, anything. It's pretty awesome and easy.

[JennNtheBoys]

Thank you everyone.

Thanks for the screen shot views vanessa, my hubby keeps trying to get me to use acdsee for years, but it always seemed too involved, but that looks great and looks like exactly what i am picturing in my mind.

So is all the sorting done through the software? Like if i went and looked at where the kits actually are they'd all still be together in the one main folder?

[nesser1981]

Originally Posted by JennNtheBoys

Thank you everyone.

Thanks for the screen shot views vanessa, my hubby keeps trying to get me to use acdsee for years, but it always seemed too involved, but that looks great and looks like exactly what i am picturing in my mind.

So is all the sorting done through the software? Like if i went and looked at where the kits actually are they'd all still be together in the one main folder?

yes, you just enter your category on the right side, go in your original folder and then just drag the preview to the category you want. It just tags it. Everything stays in the original folder. You can add tons of other things too, but I've never seen a need for it. But you can add keywords, etc.

You can do multiple categories too.

Then when you go to the category and click go to file, it takes you to the folder the preview or whatever you tagged is in. I use it to keep track of all the photos I need to scrap too.

[JennNtheBoys]

nice!

Photo sorting....that is a whole other can of worms I am not ready to tackle! lmbo

[staciahall]

ACDSee is wonderful! I've been using it since the beginning of my digi-scrapping.

If you want to see what an over-tagger does I have some screen shots in a blog post for Traci Reed here

[mariewilcox]

I use Picasa since it's free and I'm really tight with a buck I could just open my Digital Kits folder and drag and drop from there to PSE but I like how Picasa lists each kit in order from newest to oldest so my new additions are at the top of the list.

I have a folder labeled DIGITAL KITS and I label each kit by name of kit, store, and designer; ie Winter Blues - SSD - KCB

The first thing I see for each kit in Picasa is the preview. I do tag kits by theme in Picasa so I can quickly bring up all Christmas kits, Halloween, summer, etc.

I have a separate folder labeled Scrapbooking Essentials - this has alphas, clipping masks, hardware, date elements, banners, brushes, word art, etc. that are not part of a kit. I don't load this into Picasa though because I don't like to clutter up my kits (I know, I'm weird and OCD). I just open this folder in the background and use it as needed.

Probably not the best system but it work for me and is FREE LOL

[JennNtheBoys]

Originally Posted by staciahall

ACDSee is wonderful! I've been using it since the beginning of my digi-scrapping.

If you want to see what an over-tagger does I have some screen shots in a blog post for Traci Reed here

Thanks for the link... I'll check it out. I am SO the type that would go overboard with tagging LOL I am going to try to keep it as simple as possible (try being the keyword, I doubt I'll succeed).

lol Marie! I hear ya. I'm gonna give AcDsee a try just because Ric already has it... but if it ends up being too much for me to handle I'll give Picasa a try

[breakingbrie]

My organization would probably make you girls cry lol. I just know what I have and where it is... I pretty much remember everything I have and what's in each kit. I name them by designer then kit name. They are organized by date I purchase them. Like, I have a folder, and I put everything in it. When it gets a little full (50-60 kits/templates or whatever), I start a new one, and put everything I buy from that point in it, until that gets a little full... and so on. They are numbered, newest is number 1 I just know what kit is in which number folder, if I ever need to go back and find an older one to work with. I don't separate by stores. If I'm using a bunch of different kits for a lo, or need a particular color flower or piece of lace, I just use the search function on the folder and browse all flowers/lace it finds all at once until I find the one I want.

I've actually tried to organize better before, but for some reason this just works for me - if I move stuff around, I'll forget where it is.

[Sherri Tierney]

I have been organizing mine recently.

I have templates labeled by number of photos they hold. I have SSD templates in a separate folder from other store templates. I only do challenges here and am only on CTs for designers here so it makes sense for me to keep them separate for times I need a template from an SSD designer. I leave the templates named however the designer has them named and just add the number to the front of the name for example 1_stierney_scrapmaps_example1.tiff - Then if I know I have 4 photos I look first at my section with 4 in front.

The kits are now being sorted by theme. I have seasons, boy, girl, a few different life sections (good life, mundane/ordinary life, sad life, etc.) cooking/food kits, holidays, etc. I really like it because I remember the theme of a kit more than I remember who it was by if it wasn't one of the designers I CT for. I also like being able to check and see if I have a Christmas kit that will work for what I want or if I need to buy a new one without searching each designer's folder for Christmas kits. I used to sort by store and then designer but stores come and go, designers move stores, designers sell at multiple stores, designers retire, etc. Within my themed folders I add a ~ to the front of the kit name if it is a SSD kit that I can use for challenges, etc. I also add the designer's name to the end of the kit name. For example ~Slapshot-Libby and then this kit is in my sports kit folder. The ~ at the front makes them move to the front of my list and therefore I can easily find what I need. If I'm not worried about whether it is a product from SSD or not, I just look at everything.

[Kiana]

These are some great ideas.

[jak]

This might sound laborious to some, but this is how I do it (sorry I can't do screen shots of my PC at home (I'm at work)). I don't do tagging (though I probably should!).

I have a folder called 'Scrap supplies' in which I have sub-folders:
- Kits
- Templates

Within these I have sub-folders:
- SSD (99% of my stuff is from here now)
- Other

And within that, subfolders for designers.

I also have another folder I call 'Scrap supplies in use', with sub-folders:
- Kits & templates
- Go To supplies
- Project Everyday

So when I'm scrapping a page I'll copy the entire kit to my Scrap supplies in use - Kits & templates' folder then delete it from there when I'm finished. That way I'm never using 'original' files (in case I accidently delete something!).

In my Go To folder I have sub-folders (and subfolders within subfolders!) for different items I use often (e.g. Alphas, Paints, Stitches, Shape templates, etc). These are the miscellaneous bits and pieces I buy plus copies of things from kits I like. The originals stay in their kits, or they might be the odd thing I've kept from an older kit that I've purged.

My Project Everyday folder is all my Project Life/Pocket scrapping stuff.

I have a separate folder for kit previews, in which I have sub-folders by theme. I put copies of all my previews in these when I unzip my kits. So this is where I go looking when I'm searching for a kit to use with a particular photo. I also have sub-folders by year of kit purchase - this is how I (try to) make sure I use the stuff I buy - I go looking in them to see what I haven't used yet and try to make sure I do a page with it sometime.

So yeah, I have two or more copies of some things in some places... when it feels like my hard drive is filling up I know it's time for a clean up and to delete older stuff I don't use anymore.

And this has turned out to be a very long post. Sorry .

[disneyaddict]

I used to use ACDSee several years, then stopped using it because it kept crashing, AND I made the mistake of moving my file folders, etc. when I was in Explorer not ACDSee, so I ended up with a mess.

However, I just started using it again in the last couple of months, and I love it. (Today it started crashing again so I am not sure what is going on.) This time around I am starting out with a very uncomplicated, basic system- I have way too many individual items and file folders to start trying to tag everything. I will then add categories as I find a need for them

[craftytam]

Thank you all for your wonderful input & ideas! I've needed to get organized...started & stopped several times. I think I need to jump back on the wagon again because I feel so much more productive when I can find the things I'm looking for!