She just about fainted when I told her I didn't store them.

Part of being well organized is being able to determine what you will use and then keeping that information in a convenient and accessible place. As most of you know my goal is to be able to put my hands on anything in my Scrapbook Supply area in 30 seconds or less. It would be impossible for me to do this with shelves of magazines no matter how many "sticky notes" were protruding from their edges.

When I get a new magazine I usually do what most of us do, I take it out of the post, and flip through it on the way into the house. After that I use it as a motivator to get the rest of the mail taken care of. I stop at the garbage and toss out the Junk Mail, I open the bills and toss away the "filler" material, and finally I sit down at my desk and put away everything that is left. When that is done, I get my reward....Cover to Cover of the latest issue of CK, MM, SS, etc.

Once I've read through the magazine I go through a second time and pull out the pieces I want to keep. There are three major areas I'm looking for when I do this,

1. Layout Ideas,
2. Tips, Tools, and Techniques
3. Shopping List

*See TheScrapRack 4 Section System for complete details on how to fully organize your ScrapRack.

Tips, Tools, and Techniques:
These are the second thing I usually pull from magazines. I keep one Spinder on my ScrapRack just for these items. When I have questions about Preservation or Design, I don't have to pull out one magazine after another searching for the answer; I just flip to that section and find the answer or inspiration for which I'm looking.

These are the categories I have in my Tips, Tools, and Techniques section:

• Chalking
• Cutting Equipment
• Design Theory
• Digital Design
• Journaling
• Lettering
• Organization
• Paint / Painting
• Paper Piecing
• Photography
• Preservation
• Resources
• Stamps
• Stencils
• Websites

Your sections for Tips, Tools, and Techniques will be unique to the types of products and materials you like to use. Like the Themes A-Z categories in your 4 Section System, they will probably change from time to time.

Shopping List
When I find something I know I want to buy or at least research, I pull it out and slip it into a page pocket that is labeled "Shopping List". If there is a particular reason I want that item (maybe I have the perfect pictures already or it will fit in with an upcoming event) I put a sticky note on it so I can remember exactly why I had chosen it. I might also add a note that says, "Look for this in "green," or "this matches well with soccer uniforms".

When I go to the scrapbook store or I shop on line, it is easy to pull that section and buy what I need (want - LOL).

A final note - Scrapbooking is a FASHION FORWARD hobby!

If you wanted to look great for an upcoming event, would you pull a fashion magazine from the mid 90's and choose an outfit? Probably not. Scrapbooking is no different. It is chic and fashionable, always changing, always evolving. One of the wonderful things about your scrapbook is that it will document not only your memories but also the trends and styles of the times those memories were made.

Purge your ScrapRack or supply area of outdated supplies at least once a year. Do the same with your "ideas". Finally take a glance through your Tips, Tools, and Techniques section and eliminate the outdated ideas there as well.