Today we are talking about storage for cardstock.

I have been working on cleaning up and clearing out my stamp room these past two weeks. It was time to do a little organizing, a little purging, a little dusting, lol!

And a question I get asked a lot is how I store my card stock.

So my first tip on this is, don't feel like you have to buy custom this and that – we will go through different levels of storage in different prices ranges on how to physically store it.

But let's talk about the things I think are most important.

I like to store cardstock in a way where it won't bend. Many like vertical slats, but to me, the card stock either has to be wedged in so tightly, like wearing double Spanx, to get the sheets to not slide. Curled card stock is a friend to no one. I call it the “card stock slump”. It just slides, and slumps, and gets all unhappy.

I also don't want it to take up a ton of space. Cardstock expands the more you get into the craft, so we will talk about how to expand your storage.

Keep your scraps in mind – you don't want to be digging to the bottom of anything – that's where scraps go to die.

And you don't want it to fade. Light is the enemy of card stock – especially light from the sun.

Here are my recommendations on storage for cardstock:

Must Haves For Storage for Cardstock

You will need file folders. I go with letter size folders, not legal. These easily hold 8-1/2″ x 11″ cardstock. Cheaper and take up less space than legal size.

I stick with plain Jane manilla coloring on my folders because it would drive me nuts to have red cardstock in a blue folder. Nope, not happening!

These are affordable, 100 to a package for under $20. They are re-usable, and they last. Some I have date back over 15 years, and they are still going strong.

My 8-1/2″ x 11″ cardstock and any half size sheets of cardstock.

They are easy to label. And as you read, I just might have a free something for you to help with this!

You will want quart size bags.

These bad boys will be for your scraps! These here are 7″ x 8″ and are my favorite size for scraps. I rarely close them up – mainly because I will have pieces that stick out the end. And partly due to laziness – I just want to grab it and go.

We will label these too, more info on that coming.

You will need hanging file folders.

You want these to be letter size, not legal size. You won't need legal size for most things, so it's just a waste of space and money.

Depending on how much cardstock you have, you may be able to put more than one file folder in each of these hanging file folders.

I have one hanging file folder for each color. It will hold my file folder, my baggie of scraps, and another full package of cardstock without my cardstock being damaged.

So how many you need really depends on how much you have. When I first started, I had two to three colors in each hanging file folder. As I expanded, each color got its own folder.

So these are the basic items that you can then put in so many different containers, and that's what we will talk about next.

File Crates

Oh file crates… How do I love thee? Let me count the ways:

• Stackable/Expandable
• Hang File Folders
• Inexpensive

Here are my favorite ones:

These are my favorite brand to get because they have been around forever, AND they haven't changed. So you can get more in a few years and they will be they will most likely be the same. You can get them in a six pack here.

The only downside to these, is that it never fails that the crate you need is the one at the bottom if you are stacking them.

Which leads to our next option…

File Cabinet

I love a good file cabinet! The skinny ones, like this one here, are my favorite. They are deep enough, but don't stick out further than most desks. With it being skinny, it takes up less room.

They already have the rails for your hanging file folders to hang from, and you are set!

Cabinets

When I got my first “big girl craft room” I made the mistake of thinking I had outgrown my simple cardstock storage options above. So I invested in trays that cost an arm and a leg.

They were large, expensive, and my cardstock always slid to the back of the trays. And since they were stacked, I couldn't just pull out one tray to reach the paper in the back. It involved bad words, kitchen tongs, and a flashlight – not pretty, let me tell you!

When I made the move to this house and was setting up my “grown up craft room” I felt like I really knew what I wanted and what I didn't want. And those trays went so dang fast, it would make your head spin.

What I didn't know was how to make my craft room look the way I wanted (thank you Joanna Gaines) and have the functionality that my file cabinets gave me.

I didn't know that these magical things existed.

These are frames for hanging files that you can put into any space that works. They come in a two pack, you can cut them to the length you want, and you are good to go.

When I found these, it was game on!

So with this craft room, I went with ALL DRAWERS! My first build out was cabinets with shelves, never again will I do that. Drawers are like pockets on dresses. they look the same from the front, but they have magical powers.

I have two drawers for cardstock – both upper drawers so I don't have to bend over.

So what I did in the beginning, is what I did in the end – just a 2.0 look – but the same principles are there.

Now, earlier I promised you a label solution. And here it is….

For myself, I created new labels and thought you may want them also. Here's a hint, print out two sets. One for your folder and one for your scrap baggie.

Click here to download your label sheets. (There are labels with my contact info on it – I created these for me, so I used those extra spaces for labels to put on catalogs and such. You can put them anywhere you need my contact info!)

They are designed to fit on these size labels.

If you want to see my stamp room makeover from 2016, you can see it here. Not much has changed to be honest. It's still working great for me! Except that video quality has greatly improved since then, lol!!!

And there we have it! Storage for cardstock doesn't have to be expensive or an entire craft room makeover. You can get started with it for well under $100 with a system that will last you as you grow your crafting supplies.