We all know that behind the “perfect” Instagram photo or process video, there are probably 10 or more pieces of paper sitting off to the side that didn’t make the cut for whatever reason. We also know that behind every new nib, new ink, new brand of paper, or new brand of envelopes is a thousand combinations and tests trying to get things as perfect as we can. This means a lot of paper that is “wasted” on testing, practicing, warming up, drafts, and the list goes on. BUT I’m here to remind you that you shouldn’t let that paper go to waste. I want to show you a SUPER cheap way to save paper, stay organized, and make the most out of your scraps. Enter my expanding file folder.
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Anyway, I got this bad boy for a TOTAL of $7.09 (after tax) from Amazon. This is just the AmazonBasics Expanding File. It holds letter size paper (8.5 inches x 11 inches). Long story short, it’s just the cheapest expanding file holder I found that shipped to me without me having to go search in store for the best deal (because that’s why we all love online shopping). I wasn’t looking for anything pretty because I just wanted functional (plus, I can always decorate it). You may even have one laying around that you haven’t used in a while. This has changed my desk game because I don’t have paper scraps stacked around anymore. I leave paper out until the ink is dry and that’s it and then it goes into this organizer.
I just label the tabs to correspond with the paper that is inside.The order is really nothing special. I just knew I wanted Rhodia in the front because it is what I use most often. The photo may be hard to read so here is my current order of my labels if you are curious:
- Rhodia
- Card stock (All Colors Except Black)
- Vellum
- Black Card stock
- Canson Watercolor
- Random
- Handmade
Let me take a minute to talk about my random category to give you some ideas of things that I put in there that I can get use out of. Whenever I get a card from somebody and if the envelope is still in good condition, I’ll keep it so I can open it up and flip it inside out so I can letter on it. It’s just something that can easily be reused that you may not think about! Just for some fun practice. If I have something that I printed that is one-sided that I don’t need anymore, I’ll put that in there. I really only use printer paper scraps for sketches or to figure out spacing but remember, that is less “good” paper wasted on those pesky drafts.
One little trick is that once I go to a tab to pull out the paper that I want, I just make sure that I put small scraps in that I put them in the front of that divided area. This way the small pieces don’t get lost between the larger ones. And that’s it! It’s a simple way to keep all of those scraps organized and portable so that you can use them and get the most out of them. Once a scrap is covered front and back, that’s when it finally gets tossed out. I know this post is extremely simple but it is something that took me way too long to figure out and so I just wanted to share this little tip with you guys in case that you are also struggling with a never-ending-mess-of-a-desk. I hope it helps. Until next time, stay bossy y’all.
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