Monday, September 10, 2012

Punch Organization

Hi, my name is Marlene and I am a border punch addict.  I do use them a lot and have found the discipline not to buy anymore, at least for now.  One of the problems I have had is knowing which ones I own.  On three different occasions I have duplicated purchases.  I set them aside for gifts for some of my scrapbook pals so the extras aren't taking up space, but still it was annoying. 
To solve the problem, I cut 2 x 3 inch rectangles of scrap paper.  I took each border punch and made one cut on the end of the cardstock.  That left a tab on either side of the punch which keeps the pages from becoming tangled.  The punch manufacturer was noted on the corner of each sheet, I don't save the packaging so have no idea of names.  A 1/2 inch circle was punched in the top left, taking care to line up the punch for a uniform location.  I bought a 2" ring at an office supply store then inserted it through the upper left holes to hold all of the samples together.
Now, I have an easily transported list of all the punches I have.  The sample is also handy to measure the depth of the punch.  When returning the punches to their respective storage places, I was able to sort them by like types so I not only know what punches I have, but where they are.
I apologize in advance for the poor quality photos.






5 comments:

  1. Good system! I do the same thing. You can find the punch names by going to the manufacturers' websites.

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  2. That's a pretty neat idea swap. So do you chuck that ring into your purse when shopping? What I do once I buy the punch is make a label with the name and adhere it to the punch that way I don't forget the name of it and a ring like that to cross reference wouldn't be bad either. TFS

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  3. great idea! When I buy new punches I take a picure of them in the original packaging,so it's easy to find out the punche's name when needed. Instead of taking with you this "sample ring" you may transfer punches'pictures to your mobile phone's memory card and check the pics before buying a new punch.

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  4. Your door looks just like mine! :) I found the door shoerack an awesome way to store a lot of my edge punches. I also have a six shelf CD cabinet that hold all those Martha Stewart punch around the page sets perfectly! I love your idea for keeping a small sample of your punches...I've bought duplicates too...oops. I write the name of the punch on the side of it with permanent marker as soon as I take it out of the package . I also write my name and phone #...that way any fellow croppers who borrow my punches know where to return them!

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