Reorganizing Handbooks and Overlays

Last year I removed my Cricut cartridge handbooks and overlays from their original boxes and made dividers with tabs for each cartridge and placed them into a Really Useful Box.  Shirley, aka Okieladybug, had shown me to do this.  The cartridge boxes take up too much room and this way you have your handbook and overlay in one place.

The dividers didn't prevent the handbooks from sliding down and winding up underneath the overlays, so today I've spent the afternoon making folders to store them in.

I cut a piece of 8 1/2 x 11" cardstock down to 9 1/2".   Then I scored it at 4 1/2" and 5" to create a gusset in the bottom of the folder.

Okieladybug and I found out that you can no longer buy self-adhesive file folder tabs.  This did not make me happy since I had so many folders to make.

I used Design Studio to weld two tabs together from the Store Front cartridge.  They're adhered to the folders with ATG tape.

Here's how one looks after it's folded and the tab has been attached.

The first box is completed. 

I never use my Expression without Design Studio, so I seldom refer to the handbooks and never use the overlays.  These boxes keep those things nice and neat and dust free.  The boxes fit perfectly into JetMax cubes.

My cartridges are also in a Really Useful Box.  Okieladybug made a cut. file for the little boxes for each individual cartridge.  They're in alphabetical order to make them easy to locate.

This is what the little boxes look like.  I'm sure the file is still available at Okieladybug's blog.

Cartridge Storage Boxes

These are the Plano boxes I used to store my cartridges in.  Now that I've changed the way I store them, I have no need for these and no place to store the three I own either!

They're tackle boxes designed to hold spinner baits.  Each row is hinged to stand upright and has three compartments.  There is a total of six rows so the boxes will hold 18 cartridges.  

The price for all three is $15.00 plus actual postage to ship.  Just leave a comment or email me at lguild1949@yahoo.com if you're interested.

Cartridge Boxes Completed

Shirley, aka Okieladybug, shared her cut. file to make little boxes to hold individual cartridges.  They fit perfectly into a brand of storage containers called Really Useful Box she found at Staples.  Since I don't have a Gypsy,  I used her file that cuts three at a time to make mine.  

She picked up one of the storage boxes for me since there's no Staples in my hometown.  I'll pick it up when I go down this Thursday for stamp club.  Meanwhile, I found an empty Rubbermaid box in the garage and stacked them in it. 

Prior to her finding the new storage boxes, I had all mine in some Plano tackleboxes that are made to hold spinner baits.  They work great but I had several boxes full and each time I needed a cartridge, I'd have to look through them to get it.  With the new box, all of mine will fit into one, making it easier to store them and locate the one I want.  I don't remember how many Shirley said will fit into the Really Useful Box; since I only own fifty-nine cartridges, I'm sure that all mine will fit into a single box though!

The only cartridge not in a little box is Pop Up Neighborhood that I received from my Circle membership.  It's not one that I plan to keep but just haven't decided yet how to get rid of it!   It's just sitting here in its original packaging ready to ship off to someone who can find a use for it!

I Just Ran Out of Room!

My cartridge storage shelves were full before I picked up the five cartridges today that Okie had ordered for me.   She's found a good way to organize and store her cartridges, handbooks and overlays that saves so much room that I picked up the containers and file tabs I'd have to have to do mine the same way.

After getting home from stamp club this evening, I started getting organized and compacted this:

into

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.

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this!

I only own 44 Cricut cartridges, and some of those are Solutions that didn't come with a box.  Up until today they were all stored on two shelves above my work table.  Now, I have all the cartridges in three slim fishing tackle boxes called "Flip Sider" made by Plano and the handbooks and overlays in two 9 Liter Really Useful Boxes from Staples. 

Since I use Design Studio all the time, the overlays are never used and I seldom look at the handbooks either.  I didn't want to take them out of my craft room where I'd have to go searching for them.  Putting them in the two Really Useful Boxes means I can store them in my JetMax cubes within reach.  The boxes have snap on lids to protect the handbooks from dust and moisture too!

Inside the tackle box are 6 rows of little cubbies that the cartridges fit perfectly into!  I used my label maker and put a label on each cubbie so I'd know where to put the cartridge after using it.

This is a side view showing how the rows of cubbies flip up   (I'm sure that's why it's called a Flip Sider! LOL!)

Okie had made dividers for her handbooks/overlay storage so I totally copied hers.  She found some file tabs at Wal Mart that are shiny white paper.  You can write on them with a permanent pen and if you need to change the tab, you can wipe the writing off with alcohol.  I cut cardstock 4 3/4" x 8 1/2" for the dividers and just hand lettered them with the cartridge name.

The tackle boxes are another one of Okie's bargains she found at a local store that sells insurance salvage, returned items from big retailers, etc.  You never know what you'll find when you go there!  I spent $4.88 for each of the tackle boxes,  $9.00 each for the handbook storage boxes, about $2 each for the file tab packages and used 20 sheets of cardstock to make the dividers.  So, for around $40.00 I got all my things stored and best of all,  I got back two shelves in my wall cabinets to use!

Now all I have left to do is to decide whether I want to keep the empty boxes or decorate them for my grandkids to use for treasure/jewelry boxes.  I love the magnetic closure on them and think they'd make really cute boxes to keep on the dressers in their rooms.