Maybe you can relate…. my collection of cards has been growing over the past several years, and I was to the point where my shoebox and ziplock bag storage system just wasn’t working for me.  My shoeboxes were all different sizes and didn’t stack well,  and I was frustrated with trying to  “puzzle piece” them together to fit on my shelves. So I started looking for other storage options and came across photo boxes.

Two of my stamp club members (Mary & Mandy) use photo boxes to organize the cards they sell at craft/vendor shows. They also created inserts to help group the cards into categories—making it very easy to browse and select the perfect card. I thought this was a great idea, and quickly put together my own.

The boxes work great, as they are wide and deep enough for the cards and envelopes to fit inside. My favorite color is red, so I was thrilled to find this pattern at the local craft store. You can find them in a variety of different colors and styles. I opted to keep the boxes clean and simple so  they would stack nicely on top of one another. You could also get crafty and decorate them yourself. ***Spoiler alert! We are going to be creating a storage photobox at our upcoming Stamp Retreat on August 18th! And yes, we will be embellishing them 🙂 Check out my “Events” page for more details 🙂

Dividers were included in the photo box, so I used my round tab punch (retired–but you could easily substitue one of the other punches) to create labels. After sorting through my card collection, I came up with the following categories: Birthday, Thank You, Sympathy/Get well, Congrats/Wedding/Anniversary, Baby/Kids, All Occasions. When I create a new card, I can easily sort it into the appropriate category.

Another great suggestion from Mary and Mandy was to package the cards and coordinating envelopes in clear bags!  It makes it much easier to sort through the cards, and also helps protect the cards from snagging on one another.

I’m always interested to see what others have done, and quick search on the internet led me to several other ideas. This one was created by Katt Adams, and I was drawn to it for a couple of reason. 1) It was designed specifically for birthdays and anniversaries! I have a bad habit of  forgetting to send cards out on time — usually it’s the day before (or the actual day) when I remember. Better late, than never, right!!!!

2) I love how she has a tab for each month and a place to write names next to the dates. 3) another plus is that the basket is large enough to hold cards, too! So if I create a card for my mom’s birthday in October, I will know exactly where to find it in three months!

I’d love to know what you use to organize your cards! Do you have boxes, baskets, bags? Or maybe just piles of cards scattered throughout the house 🙂

Have a Fabulous Day and Happy Stamping!!!