Alphas - Challenge #7 - organize your scraproom one month challenge

Ready for today's challenge?

Challenge #7 Week #2: ALPHAS

Some of you have already worked on this but lets think for a moment what we use alpha's for and what type of Alpha's we have. (probably should have done this one before chipboard, sorry)

There are two ways to organize them in your space. Think about which one or a combo of the two will work for you before we begin to sort our alphas.

1) Keeping the embellishment types together and sorting them with in the type of embellishments they are. (Alpha Brads with Brads, Alpha Chipboard with Chipboard etc)

2) We remove the alphas from all their like embellishments and create an alpha center with everything from Chipboard - Stickers - Foam - Thicker - paper die cuts - even stamps - etc.

This all depends on how you search for Alphas for your layouts. Do you know you want chipboard alphas or do you just go after the letters you need no matter what type of alpha they are? Do you like the whimsical fun look and mix your alphas on the page or do you prefer to have them all matching?

TYPES OF ALPHAS:

Chipboard Alphas: These alphas add dimensional to the page and can be refinished to coordinate with any color or style on your LO.

Sticker Alphas: These are always ready to use with minimal need for adding details. Stick and Go!

Paper Die Cut Alphas: These can be purchased, punched or even cut with die cut machines. They can be embellished, made of PP or CS.

Tile Alphas: These are things like scrabble tiles or any other type of block tile shape. They usually add dimension and a spirit of fun and game play to your layouts and cards.

Metal Alphas: These also add dimension and the metal element to the page. Possibly some sparkle if they are shinny. These could be large or small enough to be made from brads.

Cork Alphas: These are also thick and add dimension. You can embellish them if you'd like and they also add a visual texture.

Ghost Letter Alphas: These are unique and quite subtle. They can be altered with inks and stamps but they allow you to see through them to see the paper layered underneath.

Rub-on Alphas: It is probably wise to still store these on the original sheet and not separate them by letter but they still fall into the alpha category.

Other: I am sure there are more so please share with us if I missed one.

Now, As I said up above how you organize these is up to how you think when you are scrapping. Keep this in mind.

Storage Solutions:

Tool Drawers:
{A - Alpha Storage} By KellyCali

Plastic drawer minis - http://www.scrapbook.com/gallery/?m=image& id=255779...

http://www.scrapbook.com/gallery/?m=image& id=222965...

Storage drawers: (ikea style) http://www.scrapbook.com/gallery/?m=image& id=167825...

Decorative baggie (I linked this before but I think it is great and apply s here also.) http://www.scrapbook.com/gallery/?m=image& id=154674...

Clip it up: If you could dedicate a section or an entire unit if you needed to holding your alphas. You could use ziplocs to hold the items that don't come on the sheets, sorted by letters or by type.

Baseball and Pocket pages: Using a binder these could be well organized into one. Use Baseball and pocket pages to organize the loose letters and page protectors to hold things like rub-on and sticker sheets.

Drawer dividers: You could also build dividers out of cardboard or chipboard and use larger drawers making smaller compartments.

I hope this helps and gets you thinking about how you scrap and what will work best for you.

not forgotten...

Good Monday everyone! I was just going to post this for you all to see. I have created another sketch for Liz over at The Scrappiest Blog. This was our 12th sketch so far. 

I can not believe that we have been doing this for almost three months! This weeks sketch was pretty simple and I love that about her sketches. It leave room for creative interpretation. You should all go check out the wonderful layouts created by her design team. I love to see how we all came up with such different layouts. 

My layout is about remembering those soldiers who are POWs and MIAs. This was a picture of the table most military events have set up in honor and remembrance of them. The journaling card reads:

"AS YOU ENTERED THE BANQUET HALL THIS EVENING, YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED A SMALL TABLE HERE, IN A PLACE OF HONOR, NEAR OUR HEAD TABLE. IT IS SET FOR ONE (OR FOUR). PLEASE LET ME EXPLAIN. THE MILITARY CASTE IS FILLED WITH SYMBOLISM. THIS TABLE IS OUR WAY OF SYMBOLIZING THE FACT THAT MEMBERS OF OUR PROFESSION OF ARMS ARE MISSING FROM OUR MIDST. THEY ARE COMMONLY CALLED POW/MIA. WE CALL THEM "BROTHERS." THEY ARE UNABLE TO BE WITH US THIS EVENING AND SO WE REMEMBER THEM BECAUSE OF THEIR INCARCERATION."

"THIS TABLE SET FOR ONE (OR FOUR) IS SMALL -- SYMBOLIZING THE FRAILTY OF ONE PRISONER ALONE AGAINST HIS OPPRESSORS."
"THE TABLECLOTH IS WHITE -- SYMBOLIZING THE PURITY OF THEIR INTENTIONS TO RESPOND TO THEIR COUNTRY'S CALL TO ARMS. REMEMBER."

"THE SINGLE YELLOW ROSE -- SYMBOLIZING REMEMBRANCE -- DISPLAYED IN A VASE, REMINDS US OF THE FAMILIES AND LOVED ONES OF OUR COMRADES-IN-ARMS WHO KEEP FAITH AWAITING HIS RETURN, LEST WE FORGET. REMEMBER."

"THE RED RIBBON TIED SO PROMINENTLY ON THE VASE IS REMINISCENT OF THE RED RIBBON WORN UPON THE LAPEL AND BREASTS OF THOUSANDS WHO BEAR WITNESS TO THEIR UNYIELDING DETERMINATION TO DEMAND PROPER ACCOUNTING OF OUR MISSING. REMEMBER."
"A SLICE OF LEMON IS ON THE BREAD PLATE TO REMIND US OF THEIR BITTER FATE. REMEMBER."

"THERE IS SALT UPON THE BREAD PLATE -- SYMBOLIC OF THE FAMILIES TEARS AS THEY WAIT. REMEMBER."

"THE GLASS IS INVERTED, THEY CANNOT TOAST WITH US THIS NIGHT. REMEMBER."

"THE CHAIR -- THE CHAIR IS EMPTY -- THEY ARE NOT HERE. REMEMBER."

"REMEMBER, ALL OF YOU WHO SERVED WITH THEM AND CALLED THEM COMRADES. WHO DEPENDED UPON THEIR MIGHT AND AID AND RELIED UPON THEM, FOR SURELY, THEY HAVE NOT FORSAKEN YOU. (Quietly) REMEMBER."

I also wanted to share with you the purse I created to put my Mother's Gift into for Mother's Day. I finished this on Sat and she loved every inch of the mini album. I hope you all had a good Mother's Day and a wonderful weekend.

Thanks for shearing with me my creative journey.