FREE Lesson: Start Your Digi-Scrap Organized

Question:
How do you organize your digital files and keep track of what you have?
Do you keep it zipped up until you use it?


Answer:
There are a couple ways you can do it:
1. by designer name
2. theme and/or color
3. all the embellishments in one folder separated out by designer name or theme, and then all the papers separated out by designer name or theme



Personally, I have all my PU (personal use) items in one folder which I then separate by theme; and then another folder for all my CU (Commercial Use) items that I keep in another folder and separated out by theme.

So my PU folder has sub-folders called Bows, Christmas, 4th of July, Posers, Buttons. etc

Then the same thing happens in my CU folder

I keep all my own creations in a separate place.

I unzip everything for the most part. Sometimes if I am downloading a ton, I will just concentrate on the downloading first, then do the unzipping later.

Sometimes I never get to 'later' and have items that I have never unzipped, that's because I haven't had a need for them yet. This will happen during International Scrapbooking Day when I see some great sale items and buy them even tho I'm not sure where I will use them just yet.

If I buy a new kit, I unzip it ASAP and use it ASAP, lol!

Whatever you decide to do, get a system now, so it doesn't feel overwhelming later.

Here is an example:

Make the main folder that's called Scrapbooking.

Then in there make a folder called Kits.

Then in there, make some folders such as Holidays, Friends; or Blues, Warm Tones; or etc. (depending on how you would like to be organized, think about the way you look for items, do you look for color or theme?)

Then in the theme folder (let's say you have a folder called HOLIDAYS) you would make a folder and name it the name of the kit you want to unzip. Let's say the kit is called "A Glitter & Gold Holiday." So name the folder "A Glitter & Gold Holiday." Then unzip everything from the zipped files and put them into the folder. (Please remember to keep the TOU. This stands for Terms of Use and explains if the items in the zipped file are for Personal Use, Scrap for Hire use, Scrap for others use, Commercial Use or other. It is important to abide by designer's terms of use.)

Don't put the unzipped folders in there, just the stuff inside the folders. just copy and paste it all out of the unzipped older and into the new folder with the Kit name.

Once you are sure you have everything copied over, you can delete the zipped files. You can keep them too, its up to you and how much room you have on your computer. Perhaps you have an external hard drive where you save your zipped files. I delete mine. 

Do you have any questions or other organizing suggestions? Leave me a note in the comments below, you know I love hearing from you!