Welcome to week three of the Craft Organisation Series, if you have been joining in how have you been getting along? This week I am focusing on Embossing Folders. If you are new here why not catch up with what you have missed?
Expectations of reducing my Embossing Folders
Well, I expected stamps to be difficult last week but when I got going it was really easy to choose ten to remove. Embossing Folder week is going to be interesting because I don’t actually use Embossing Folders very often, you may be thinking well surely that will make it easy then. But in actual fact, I think it is going to make it tricky because there is so much unused potential there! Just look at the crafty project from a couple of weeks ago when I used the Postbox Embossing Folder and had such a good experience with it. There is potential to have other good experiences too. However, I am committed to this process and I am sure I can come up with ten I will not miss (fingers crossed). The good news is that I only have one (rather stuffed) box of embossing folders, the bad news is that I have a big file of unsorted craft materials that includes some Embossing Folders I think…
A surprisingly easy task
So once I started going through the folders the task was surprisingly easy, there were folders that I have had a long time and never used and a few that were just not my style. Here are the ten folders I chose to let go:
The first folder to go is this Teresa Collins Wood Grain one. I still very much like the wood grain effect but I have an 8″ x 8″ Crafter’s Companion one and that has the design printed on the front. I doubt I will need the design bigger than this so this was a pretty easy decision to dave duplication.
This Thanks folder came with my eBosser I believe, I think it is by Craftwell. I have never used it in all the years I have had it so I doubt I will start now. It’s going.
This striped style folder is another that I got with the eBosser also I think from Craftwell. Once again I don’t think I have ever used it so it is gone too. I surprised myself, I surprised myself, when I began I didn’t expect to get rid of any of my small collection of A4 folders but in fact, I have liberated 3 which is over half of the A4 sized collection.
On to 6 ” x 6″ (I kept all my 8″ x 8″ folders which are mostly complete sets from Crafter’s Companion) and the first one to go is this modern floral style one. I’m not sure who it is by and I’m not sure where I got it from but it is not really my taste being a modern style design so it is gone too.
The other 6″ x 6″ to go is probably from the same set as it is also a modern style floral, this time it is a leaf design. Once again too modern for my tastes. Half way there!
On to A5 sized folder and the first is this Happy Birthday design, I think this was probably a gift with a craft magazine at some point as it has the dreaded sticky stuff on (which I will remove before selling!) There is no specific reason for this other than the fact it is not jumping out at me, if the items were stamps I may well keep them but as an embossing folder I just don’t think I will use it and I’m sure someone else will enjoy it. The design is the deepest of all of them. I know I am demonstrating them with paper rather than cardstock but it cut totally through in places!
The second A5 is this I love Cupcakes one and it is by Design Objectives and there is a good chance that it goes with the cupcakes stamps I let go last week, so this folder is going for the same reasons.
This Christmas Squares folder is the first of the smaller ones, it is 3.5″ square more or less. I think if I had the design at 6″ or 8″ square I may have kept it as a background design but at this size, I doubt I will find a use for it, so again let’s let it go to someone who can.
The penultimate one to go is this Christmas tree. It measures 4.5 ” x 3″ approximately and again is quite a modern style I prefer natural looking trees to stylized ones so someone who has this taste should enjoy it.
This brings us to the tenth and final one to discard. This is the first Border Embossing Folder I have chosen and it is for exactly the same reason as before, it features modern style Christmas Trees!
The Verdict focusing on Embossing Folders to Declutter
That was really easy to do, there was no beating myself up over anything or sitting on the fence I just jumped in there and looked at them and made a decision. Marie Kondo would be proud. I’ll be honest this was a gut instinct declutter. I bet when it comes to trying the ones I have got free with magazines there may be even more that will go.
The Liberation of Minimising
Before I started this Midweek Minimise I really thought as a crafty hoarder I would struggle to do this but so far it has been really easy to lose ten of each product and I can honestly say not only will I miss the items but I will probably forget I used to have them. Not only am I finding the challenge quite easy (so is it still a challenge?) but I am excited to continue. I am looking forward to having an organised craft stash of things I love and feel excited to use. I think this will help me grow as a crafter rather than grow a craft stash. Looking through these folders it took me right back to the beginning of the journey and reminded me to shop my stash because there were so many beautiful things I forgot I had.
Next week’s Craft Organisation will be focusing on Dies. My dies are stored in several places at the moment so I think I have some organising to do before I can even begin! If you have a guilt-free craft stash I wish you a happy week of crafting. If your stash is pricking your conscience or outgrowing its storage why not join me, I’d love to see how you get along.
Until next time,
Gentle Hugs,
Susan
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