Do you love all of the fun organization items on the market, but not sure how to make them work for you? Or, maybe you've invested in some, but they don't seem to be doing their job. Here are some of those items and tips for making the most of them.

Clip It Up ~

This one is an investment - but it's well worth the price. The Clip It Up comes with clips and dividers so you can hang your embellishments and sort them by category, theme, type, etc. The true beauty lies in that you can easily see and find what you have - thus saving you time and money (no more buying duplicates). You can clip 2-3 items per clip. An upper tier is available (cannot be used alone, it must be used with the lower tier) and is great for shorter/smaller embellishments. I have mine sorted by type - jewels, clips, etc. on the upper tier and theme on bottom tier. Another great feature is the handle and the roomy storage cover. When cropping on the go - or especially for weekend retreats - slip on the cover, seat belt it in your car and you're good to go! Clip It Up also holds the CM sticker packs and Close to my Heart stamp sets. Plus, for the sewers, you can clip your fat quarters on the lower tier and supplies on the upper tier.

Stowaways - 3" and 6", Clear or Strawberry ~

These are stackable and great for storing paper, page kits, layouts in progress, completed layouts and special projects. Do you work on multiple albums? I have 3 main albums - one for each child and a family album and 3 stowaways stacked in my closet - 1 per album. I do not scrapbook chronologically, but I do put layouts in the album chronologically. So when I finish a layout, I put it in the respective stowaway until I have the time to add the layout in the proper spot in the album. One word of caution about doing this - either use cardstock between layouts or make sure that when you place the layout on top, that brads or any metal or scratchy pieces won't be in contact with photos or embellishments that are easily scratched or damaged on the layout below it.

Do you have children in sports, dance, karate, scouting, or other special interests? You can keep all of the themed papers and embellishments together in a stowaway. Or do you work on special projects - mini albums, Christmas cards, teacher's presents, calendars, grandparent's albums? Stowaways are great for keeping those supplies corralled and ready for when you are.

There is an divided tray available for the 3" stowaway. This is great for tools and embellishments. If you go to a lot of crops at friends or stores, here is a great organization tip - I'll sort through photos and match them with papers and embellishments and then layer the papers, photos and flat embellishments in a 6" stowaway, but put the embellishments and tools needed in a 3" stowaway with divider tray. Then when I'm scrapping elsewhere, I can grab both totes and know I have photos prepped to scrap and the necessary tools and embellishments. It saves a lot of prep time. Plus, it's great when I get 15 minutes in the scraproom, I can grab the top set of papers and photos and start scrapping.

Bradlet Drawers ~

Use these for small embellishments such as brads, eyelets, buttons and flowers. The see-through drawer is great for the general embellishments you use frequently and want to keep in view. They are also great for chipboard letters - store all "A"s in one, "B"s in the next one and so on. You'll never have to search through your stash again looking for a specific letter. When I buy a pack of chipboard letters, I tend to keep them together either in their original packaging or in a small baggie. Once I have used the letters once or twice, then I sort them and store them in their respective "letter" drawer.

Cropper Hopper Oversized Organizer ~

These plastic cases measure 12.25"X5.75"X0.625" and are great for large stickers, rulers, stencils and landscape die-cuts. You can also use them for fibers (loose and on cards, one case per color) and alphabet stickers. If you have several of them, store them together in a basket, box, on a shelf or in a drawer. Make sure you label the top flap. The only drawback is that they are only 5.75" tall instead of 6" tall. I still use mine for alphabet stickers, 1 case per color. I do have several sheets of stickers that are 6" wide and they are slightly curled in the case. My alphabet stickers that are larger than the case are stored in the Cropper Hopper Sticker Envelopes - which can be used for more than stickers, keep reading.

Cropper Hopper Sticker Envelope ~

Obviously, by the name, this is designed to store stickers. It has a full pocket for 12x12 sheets and 2 smaller pockets for small sticker strips. These can be stored upright in the Cropper Hopper Vertical Paper Organizer or on a shelf, but also work in large baskets, bins and Crop In Style Cubes. Beyond stickers, these are great for paper scraps - larger scraps go in the big pocket, small scraps in the smaller pockets. You can also use them for coordinated papers and flat embellishments or themed products. For instance, my daughter is in dance, so I have one for all of the dance papers, stickers and die cuts. I also have a lot of Basic Grey papers, so I keep the papers, sticker sheets and die cuts in the big pock, rub-ons, fibers and any misc embellishments in the smaller pockets. I put one paper line per Sticker Envelope.

Cropper Hopper Vertical Paper Holder ~

Storing paper vertically is a great space saver. Plus, it's easier on your paper when you're pulling sheets out and putting them back. I defintely recommend the vertical paper holder for storing your cardstock. It works well for patterned papers, too. Dividers are available which make it easier to sort paper by theme or manufacturer. The Cropper Hopper Paper Pouches and Sticker Envelopes also fit in the Vertical Paper Holder.