Kit Organization

gracielou

gracielou

New member
I am new to all this digital scrapbooking but I am quickly building a huge kit stash. The designers here are so fabulous that I feel I have to have it all! Anyway I would love to know how you organize your kits. Do you have any tips you would be willing to share with me?
So please help me get organized.
 
Well, there's the storage of my kits and then the organization:

I keep my kits on my EHD in just simple folders by designer name in a huge general folder called Kits.

I organize my kits (and elements and collections etc.) with ACDSee. I tag each element and paper in a kit (that I would use) by designer name and then by element type. I do NOT tag by color/pattern or store as this takes too long and is not a way in which I naturally scrap. I do have a couple theme tags for Christmas and activities/sports, but otherwise, they're just broken into designer and element type.

I do NOT pull things out of the kits since I use ACDSee and can pull them that way. I do have a Favorites tag that I've used to tag my very favorite staples, stitches, etc.

HTH! Let me know if you'd like me to post my ACDSee categories for you to see.
 
My way works for me:
Store>Designer>Kits

When they are collabs for an entire store I have it like this:
Store>Collabs>Kits

For 2 Scoops or Perfect Pairs I just pick one of the designers and put it in there.

Inside each of my kit folders it looks like this:
Papers, Alpha, Elements and the JPEG preview named FOLDER so the preview shows when I open the kit.

Does this make sense?
 
On my ehd, I have folders setup for each designer. I store the downloads in there in the original folders they came in. If a kit has separate folders for papers and elements, then I combine all into one folder with the kit name.

Like LeeAndra, I use ACDSee to tag my kits/elements. However, I do use color as a tag, but only on my papers, since that is how I normally scrap. My elements are broken down into things like buttons, flowers, stitching, etc.

I tag my alphas, but only the preview. If for some reason there wasn't a preview, then I tag the letter A only.

Just let me know if you'd like to see some details...I'd be happy to show you a screen shot of my categories. Organizing is a lot of work, but you'll be so happy when you finish it!
 
I organize by designer name, except for SSD.

My CT's have their own folders, regardless of the store they sell at.
Inside my Traci Reed folder, for example, I have a kit folder, and an ETC folder. If it's not a kit, it goes in ETC.

For SSD, I have the main SSD folder, then by designer name, with a Collab folder as well. Perfect pairs go in the SSD Designer folder (for example the Scrapkitchen Sahbby Miss Jenn collab is in my Scrapkitchen folder), while Scoops all go in the main collab folder. If I have a LOT by one designer, I break it down into Kits and Etc, just like with the other folders.

Does that make sense?
 
I also sort by designer name...things have slowed down a bit lately, but for the last few years, designers would move around a LOT (and also, some designers sell in more than one store), so it would make it really hard to figure out where certain kits were, and trying to keep moving kits to their proper place.

I have an EHD and have a folder on there called "Digital Kits" (real imaginative, lol)...inside there you'll find a folder for each designer I've ever downloaded/purchased from, and inside each designer's folder, there is a folder for each kit.

The ONLY time I have anything in a store folder is if it's a store collab with all/most of the designers.
 
i also sort by designer name (ex. dmogstad-familyroots)...each ct has a folder and then i have folders like alpha, mini kits, kits...
 
I have a EHD - then when I unzip I label each kit designer name ~ kit name and then I make sure there are 2 preview pictures - one folder.jpg one preview.jpg then I look at them with Picasa - If the designer is awesome (like the ones at the shoppe) they attach an extension on each file like paper or button - then in picasa i just have to search by element name - say button and all the buttons pop up

I'm anal so I go through and keyword tag everything in Picasa.... but some have told me that is not necessary
 
I do pretty much the same thing Shannon does

Store/Designer/Kit

inside the kit 3 folders (sometimes 4 is there is a matching album)
Papers/Elements/Alpha with the preview outside the folders.

I was also using ACDSee to tag and doing it the same way Melissa does but my hard drive crashed and I lost all my tags and haven't gotten around to tagging anything again as it was so heartbreaking to lose it all! I did love being able to just go right to a 'ribbon' folder and find just the right thing though so I will start it again!
 
I'm like a lot of the other ladies, I sort by designer. I have each complete kit in a folder, no breakdown of elements/papers, but I will keep the alpha or matching albums in their folders (inside the kit folder).

I tag in ACDSee and like someone else said, because the majority of designers labels their items really well, I don't tag too much. I do tag alphas, albums, previews, and my favorite items.
 
I like reading everyone's different ideas. I had been tagging everything with grand plans of having everything cataloged and easy to find, but it never happened. It was just taking TOO DANG long. I have a folder for each designer and the kits inside and that's it. I have started a 'Collab' folder since buying from SSD because there are so many awesome 2 Scoops :)

I do need to put all my brushes in one folder though. That is one goal I have.
 
Well, I do it a little different. LOL

I have a scraps folder on my ehd. In there are 4 folders... CT's, Designers 1, Designers 2, Designers 3.

I'm split up by designer, and also in Designer 1 there is a collabs folder and that folder is broken down by store. All the perfect pairs, 2 scoops, triple dips, store collabs go in my SSD collab folder.

As far as the others, I organize the designers by how often I use them. All the SSD designers are in folder 1, if anyone is wondering. LOL

Inside each designer folder, I have indiv folders. Kits are done w/ elements inside the kit name folder and then folders for alphas and papers. It makes me nuts to have papers in the kit folder and then elements in a folder so I always switch them. I'm weird, I know.
 
I also do everything quite differently from the rest of the girls...

I have one huge folder that is called "Digi Kits". Inside that folder are folders containing each individual kit I own. I just name them whatever the kit is.
Within each individual kit folder, I have the papers and the folder preview as well as a folder for the alpha and one for the elements.
Ok, here's where it gets a bit confusing but I SWEAR it works perfectly for me.
In addition to the individual kit folders, I have a folder titled "alphas" that contains individual alpha folders that can be used universally. You know, ones that are pretty versatile and can be easily recolored, etc.
I also have an "elements" folder that has folders within it titled buttons, frames, staples, stitches, brushes, journal boxes, etc. In those folders I put elements from kits (I don't remove them from their original kits, I just copy them) that are versatile and universal like staples, stitches, etc.
In the "brushes" folder I have individual folders for alphas, doodles/flourishes, date stamps, paint (strokes), etc. Thats where I put the abr files of all my brushes. That way, I'm not chasing my brush files all over my huge stash.
I've thought about getting ACDSee (or whatever its called) but I have a pretty good system that works for me, so I'm stickin' with it. :)
________
Wellbutrin withdraw
 
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I'm pretty sure I've used every method named here at some point. :D

I'm actually a big fan of ACDSee in theory but in reality I very rarely opened it while I was scrapping. I'm hoping to switch to a Mac in the near future so I just recently switched everything over to a file system like Jenny. (Some people refer to it as the Gina Miller method - she actually posted more on her setup here.) So far I'm really liking it. The only thing I haven't decided on is what to do with my CT stuff. Currently I have a folder for all the new stuff and then a folder for each CT but I'm thinking I'd like to just move everything into my main files once I've completed my assignments.

My one tip is no matter what method you use, make sure your categories/tags are set up how YOU would look for that item. I've redone my organizing several times because the categories/tags didn't work for me. So take some time to think about how you scrap, it'll definitely save you time in the long run.
 
well.. since I'm a picker and big deleter.. I split everything up.

I use to just have papers/alphas/misc elements/doodles folders.. but the misc elements started getting out of control so I started sorting it yesterday into smaller groups.. like buttons.. ribbons.. flowers.. etc. Apparently I have a TON of buttons :D :D :D I don't usually scrap with just one kit (well until my last few pages LOL) I just like to browse and grab what I want. I don't use acdsee or anything..
 
I think my method works so well for me because I am mainly a kit scrapper, except for the occasional ribbon, button or alpha...or button and sometimes a button.
 
ZaCola3 said:
OMG-I think I'm addicted to buttons.
Click to expand...

dude.... I assure you..... my button folder will put your addiction concerns aside :D :D the funny thing is.. I don't really think I use a lot of buttons LOL apparently I just like to look at them lol.
 
lauren grier said:
dude.... I assure you..... my button folder will put your addiction concerns aside :D :D the funny thing is.. I don't really think I use a lot of buttons LOL apparently I just like to look at them lol.
Click to expand...

LOL-I'm getting excited just thinking about it...I on the other hand can count very few LO's in my gallery that DO NOT contain a button of some sort...I even bribe my designers(Traci, K, you two can vouch for me) with awesome LO's if they put at least 5 buttons in each kit...I think they make fun of me behind my back.
 
omg don't get shannon started on buttons

I myself am a kit scrapper..I sort designer-kit-paper/elements/alpha
 
Ok, this organization talk inspired me to go through my one files and do some cleaning and straightening up. I found some great stuff that I totally forgot I had, as well as stuff that I bought but totally forgot to unzip. HA!
 
All my kits are in the 'kits' folder in my 'scrapbook' folder. Under kits I have folders for 'new', 'not new', 'ct', 'holiday' and 'unlikely'. I make sure the kit folders themselves are named designer-kitname so I can find specific designers easily. When I download them they go in the 'new folder', once I've used them they go in the 'not new' folder. If they linger too long in the new folder, they get moved to 'unlikely'. 'Unlikely' gets purged every so often. CT stuff goes into the CT folder and holiday specific stuff (Xmas mostly) goes in that folder.
I have folders for stand alone packs like elements, doodles, stamps, templates and alphas.
I have everything tagged in ACDSee, though I don't use it that often unless I am looking for a specific sort of element like a paper alpha or a red ribbon with a bow because it finds the stuff in kits. Generally I just open my elements-bows- folder & browse but if I can't find what I want I use ACDSee to find it.
 
I guess I do the "Gina Miller" method - I have folders based on type of object - Papers, Alphas, Basic Elements, Fancy Elements, LO Templates, Other Templates, Quick Pages and Projects, Holiday & Special Occasion, Overlays, etc. And then I have subcategories under each - Papers I separate by color or pattern; Basic Elements include frames, word art, buttons & fasteners, circles, borders; Fancy Elements have Charms, Arrows (i.e., stuff I don't use as often); LO Templates are separated by the number of photos; Quick Pages are separated by brag books, hybrid projects, cards; and so forth. Some of those subcategories have further subcategories - for instance, buttons and fasteners are separated by buttons with thread, buttons without thread, staples, tape, doodled buttons, screws & washers, etc.
I stopped tagging by store as so many designers have been flipping from store to store to store, so it's just not worth it. My only exception is Sweet Shoppe - I have a special folder for SSD New Releases for the week I download them. After the week is over and before I put them in their regular categories, I put 'ssd_' before each of the elements. That way I can scroll to those easily.
 
Shannon it's totally possible to use a bazillion buttons. Make them cover your BG! Lol!! (PS~I was totally wondering about the 5 button thing in Traci's forum, lol).

I love kit scrapping. I get highly upset when a kit doesn't have enough elements for me to play with. Huge turn off. I love having elements to pick from, even if I don't use them all.
 
I have a Mac, and I've recently started using Spotlight to tag everything, and I'm so glad I did. It's a super-fast, super-powerful search engine for your own computer that comes with every Mac, and it'll even search any external drives you have hooked up. So, first, I stash everything on my EHD (because my addiction was getting out of control and slowing down my poor iMac!), and I then sort by store, and then kit/set/however I bought it. Except for the designers I CT for, I stash their goodies in folders under their names.

This part is for the Mac users out there: since I have to go into the Info (Cmd+I) section for the folder containing the kit (or what have you) to change the thumbnail to the preview image, I also add Spotlight keywords while I'm there - usually the theme, main colors, and any outstanding elements. For example, for the Techno Princess kit I just got (and am dying to use, so cute!) during the sale, I keyworded it: robot princess pink grey white blue orange green gear acrylic. Does that make sense? It also helps because I'm planning on pushing myself to scrap more with the colors in my photos (rather than "cheating" so much and converting to some kind of sepia or B&W), so this way I can search just based on color and narrow it down from there.

HTH! :D
 
Paula - I just use the ACDSee Manager. I only use it for my digi supplies, not my photos, so the editor function never gets any use.
 
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